MakerGear M2

I initially had an older M2 which I recently upgraded to use the v4 hotend. It's a very solid printer that produces some stellar results and had handled every type of filament I've thrown at it. The one caveat is that it isn't quite as user-friendly as something like an Ultimaker or a MakerBot. In particular I find tweaking the bed leveling a bit of a hassle at times, as I have to relevel the bed more often than I would like; though I've read that the newer ones are more reliable in that regard. However, once I've got the settings really "dialed in" I can just hit print and walk away. I'm using Simplify 3D for my slicer, which has profiles for the M2. It's a very powerful and easy-to-use slicer.

The print quality with this printer is fantastic.  I have a friend that has been working with 3D printers for several years and he said that he hasn't seen this level of quality on many other printers.  I have had some problems but they were probably all due to my level of inexperience.

I've had the printer for almost 3 years now  (got it late 2014), and I certainly don't regret my purchase. I'll say it's not always the easiest printer to use, I do have to spend a lot of time leveling the bed and tinkering with it in order to get the first layer to stick (I mostly use PLA too). Once I get it up and running though it's incredibly clean and precise. I think one of the good measures of how precise a machine is, is how well it does 90 degree angles, and Ive seen some incredibly sharp angles on this machine, almost to the point of being too sharp. Pieces come out smooth, and I can get super high resolutions on my prints. Ive used a few different printers before, mostly the makerbot replicator dual, 2, and 2X, and the flashforge creator pro, and I would say that the Makergear M2 requires the most tinkering to get working, but produces hands down the best prints once you have it set up properly. If you don't mind experimenting with some setttings and doing a bit of fine tuning, then you can't go wrong with the Makergear M2.

I'm running 8 of these printers in a school setting (3 different "generations"). Very reliable and easy to work on when issues arise. They provide files so you can print your own replacement parts.  Buy the sd card reader to free up your laptop! The card reader needs a higher quality button and it would be nice if it displayed the file name of the file currently printing but otherwise very useful. The next step would be  a more "automatic" self leveling system. I would pay extra to avoid that time eating process. We paired our printers with simplify 3d software which has worked very well.  I would order more of these printers without hesitation. I would also be interested in a bigger version.

Absolutely love this printer! I am on my 20+ roll of PLA and this printer is a workhorse without any issues. 

The customer service is great. Once I accidentally sheered off the extruder tip trying to change it and they gave me a new one. When I explained that it was my fault, they replied that the instructions weren't super clear on how to remove it so they were going to just send me a new one anyway!  

I used BLUE loctite on the bed leveling screws as the fast honeycomb infill would wiggle the machine enough that they would need adjusting. After that I have only adjusted the bed once in the last 10 months!!! 

I send things to print and walk away while the machine is heating up knowing that it will just work. Try doing that with any other printer in this price range. 

LOVE IT!

I bought the MakerGear M2 in the US almost two years ago (with a v4 single extruder and prebuilt) and I am super happy with this purchase, this machine is so well designed and built, I love it. I crated it and moved to Europe a year ago and it has been working almost flawlessly before and after the move. Setting the bed level is key for quality prints and is not very intuitive with 3 control points. I had to use some glue to prevent one of the adjusting screws from backing out with vibrations (medium strength threadlocker blue from permatex), but with that little fix in, the bed stays perfectly level through countless prints. Both the forum and the staff are incredibly helpful, always answering my questions promptly, even the stupid ones... I had the connection between the heating pad for the bed and the connecting wire starting to fray, causing problems. MakerGear had come up with an improved design to alleviate this problem and send me a new unit for free! I have to say that my general experience with customer service has only worsen through the years but MakerGear customer service is exceptionally good, the best I have ever encountered, to put it simply. I researched which printer to pick extensively and felt the M2 was top quality at a very reasonable price. I print mostly PLA, sometimes flexible TPU, which is very useful, and rarely ABS, although I build an enclosure to deal with the toxic ABS fume. I am delighted with this machine and highly recommend it!

Over four years ago, after extensively checking out many alternatives, I got an M2 for my lab. A year later, I got another personally. Earlier this year, we got another for a new makerspace. There have been a few improvements in all that time, but the M2 was and still is one of the best, most reliable, and fastest, 3D printers out there. It's not uncommon that I'll be printing at up to 200mm/s for weeks before I have to even readjust the bed, yet print quality at 150mm/s generally matches what other machines get at 30mm/s.  The service organization is basically nearly immediate online response from the folks who created it. In sum, this isn't an exciting 3D printer design nor a consumer-friendly toy; it is probably the best serious 3D printing machine tool available for less than $5K.

When I decided to spend the extra bucks to get the MakerGear M2, a couple of factors influenced it.  

• Great community!  The forums are alive with tons of helpful information and user interaction
• The build platform - I just wanted something a bit bigger than the typical, and I didn't want to be forced into an enclosure for part size reasons.  On the MakerGear M2 the build area is 8"x10"x8" (200mmx250mmx200mm)
• Quality - MakerGear has a reputation for quality and I can see it in the product.  And in the service!  Even the setup guide was extremely detailed and a relatively painless operation, from unpacking to setup to printing the first sample.

The only thing I am not wild about is the print nozzles they use are not your typical commodity, so buying replacement heads / spares from them directly is a better bet than hoping one of the many on Amazon will actually work.

I am pretty happy with the quick start app, and in general the software that comes with the unit.  I am using Simplify3D for most of the printing but the included software is good and does what it needs.  And I love that they included some samples on the micro SD card so you can start printing right away.

This is not near as noisy, and doesn't vibrate nearly as bad as I had read (typical of most 3D printers).  Pleasantly surprised at that.

Overall first impressions have been very positive!

I must say, when I researched all of the different 3D printers that were available a year ago, I was so focused on things that didn't matter and got lost int he sauce. In the end, I settled on the M2 MakerGear printer due to the appearance of a sturdy frame and heated glass plate. This thing is rock solid and came pre-calibrated from the factory ready to print... and print it did! 

So far, the only print failures were due to my lack of experience and understanding. I only use SainSmart filament and Kapton tape and as long as you replace the tape without bubbles (don't use soapy water, see this video: 

Again, this is my first and only printer, but I know quality when I experience it and this is indeed a quality machine. 

I bought my MakerGear M2 from the USA as a kit, as an engineer I found it really interesting and relatively easy to assemble, since then I have done the various mods recommended by the excellent community and am even more pleased with it, i needs the bed levelling often to get the great results and i am not a really prolific printer but I can get good results.

Not really had much to compare it to but I am happy.