RepRap Prusa i3

Cheap printer, but very friendly to explore and work with. Comfortable and useful soft for both operating systems.

I build 3dmodel airplanes from 3DLabprint.All of their designs have been optimised for the Pruser Original printers so I just use the GCodes directly to print the parts.

I've had my printer for a while now, but i walk  away from it every now and then to keep it from feeling like a job. the printer has not given any problems at all, except for operator errors. the print quality is surprising seeing that i bought it about 5 or 6 years ago and i'm just now learning how to print. 

the most disappointing thing about it was, i didn't do my homework on 3d printing. i didn't know that i would have to upgrade my unit to print certain types of filament. it has an MK-8 extruder. these units usually have a safe operating temp. of 230 degrees c. 

as long as you get the first layer correct, prints turn out great. 

I have only done 3 prints (2 from their demo files and one self created) but they all came out great. I would highly recommend that anyone who considers themselves a maker get the kit instead of the preassembled. It took me 6-8 hrs to build the printer from the kit (I wasn't timing it, and did it in several sessions over a couple of days), but I have much more confidence in not only my ability to fix any future issues, but in the overall quality and design of the machine. 

i assumed i would be reading and studying and failing to produce anything for a long time.  i had a great time building the kit with my son and we were printing the next day.  only one obstacle with setting the first layer thickness.

If you have no mechanical exp, don't try to use this. I ran into a lot of things that had to be done since I am printing ABS. I still enjoy using it though.

For the buck, you get a whole lot of bang.  Any issues I had with troublesome parts were quickly resolved by the Guru guys and replacements were sent to me no questions asked.  Nice little unit!

Always use it with PLA with excellent results. It is essential to adjust the height of the bed before each use and use a good adhesive (type of hair fixer)

S2