I have seen all of these really nice printers around lately that get great ratings, but I have in most cases never even heard of them. I really want an Ultimaker 2, but I don’t want to jump on anything that expensive unless I really know that it is the best that I can spend my money on. Does anyone have or know of anything that I should look at similar to the Ultimaker 2? Or is the Ultimaker really the way to go in that price range? Thanks
I would look towards the BigBox for a low budget printer that can be upgraded due to being open source. The Lulzbot TAZ mini and Ultimaker 2 (normal, go or extended) are all printers that are very popular and reliable.
To give more detailed guidance I would like to know what you’re looking for. Large build volume, many materials, high quality, open source, upgradable and modifyable …
I am shooting for large build volume at a high quality. I was looking at the Raise3D N2 plus from another suggestion, and that looks awesome. I don’t need anything quite that big though, it just looked really appealing for the price. I would like to print PLA mainly as I have been with my Simple Metal, and maybe later look into some composite PLAs and possibly flexibles. I don’t really care that much about upgrading other than to possibly accommodate these materials. I am not particularly going for low budget, but something under 2500 USD. The reason I did not shoot straight for an Ultimaker is because I felt as if there could be something of similar quality that had a larger build volume, or maybe some other nifty features.
The N1 and N2 are a lot smaller (and cheaper) with 8x8x8 and 12x12x12 inch (N2 plus has 12x12x24 inch)
Remember thought the smaller N1 will have to be leveled manually once in a while, the N2 and N2 plus shouldnt need realignment since it is calibrated and locked in the factory
@davidrcds The UM2 are a safe choice since they have proven themselves over and over again. What I’m curious about is what your current print quality is? Are you satisfied with the prints or do you simply need a larger print surface? If so, I would rather recommend the build plate upgrades (X / Z upgrades that were released recently by PB).
Otherwise the Zortrax M200, Craftbot+ and Lulzbot Taz 5 would be alternatives… Those printers have a smaller community of users but are strong contenders as shown in the 3D Hubs buyers guide
You are welcome, if you have the time and are willing send me a private msg, wonder what the pre-order price is and the estimated delivery time in case i want to refer more ppl so i can properly inform them
(Not making money on referals (did not fill in any forms) or have any other investment other then that i ordered one myself)
you should make another or expand on the printrbot.It could cost almost nothing compared to a maker bot. I’ve had many orders that other people could print because their printers were too small. If you want some help just ask.
