Looking for a reprap kit for around 500$

[Stigern]

I'm on the search for a reprap kit, I have around 500$ in my budget. From before I own a Flashforge creator pro, and I want a second printer on my workbench. And I thought this time it would be a reprap kit

I've currently been looking at this kit: http://www.replikeo.com/en/KIT001

Anyone has some recommendations? Or comments about the i3? good or bad

Doesn't need to have a heated bed, and dual extrusion is not something I want.

[paradiddle65]

The i3 and its variants are incredibly popular so its hard to go wrong with this kit. Plus it has a heated bed which does help a lot. I can almost guarantee that some kind of repair or upgrade will be needed down the road so the extra $150 would come in handy for that.

I would recommend going for one of the metal frames instead of the plexiglass.

[Stigern]

The i3 and its variants are incredibly popular so its hard to go wrong with this kit. Plus it has a heated bed which does help a lot. I can almost guarantee that some kind of repair or upgrade will be needed down the road so the extra $150 would come in handy for that.

I would recommend going for one of the metal frames instead of the plexiglass.

Alu or Iron frame?

Iron seems like it would flex less than alu.

Thanks for your reply.

[paradiddle65]

Alu or Iron frame?

Iron seems like it would flex less than alu.

Thanks for your reply.

Its hard to tell, the iron is 3mm and the aluminum is 6mm. Personally, I'd probably go with the aluminum because of the way it looks. Also, not sure where you plan to used the printer, but iron will rust. If you're going to keep it in a damp basement or garage it'll rust pretty fast

[jaguarking11]

I know you said you want a desktop printer. But why not a DELTA printer? They do take very little desk space, at the expense of height.

[Stigern]

I know you said you want a desktop printer. But why not a DELTA printer? They do take very little desk space, at the expense of height.

Space is not a concern, but I must admit a DELTA printer got some nice looks.

But whats keeping me from it is the thought of calibrating it. To my mind it must be much more difficult to calibrate, or?

paradiddle65: Oh, then it's alu. Didn't know there was a difference in thickness.

[JohnA136]

It is a little challenging to calibrate it initially (it took me about 40 minutes), but I have never had to go back and recalibrate mine? We ran my son's Kossel for 30 hours at the NY Maker Faire in September and it was flawless! Admittedly, it is not the best printer we have but it does print as well as our Prusa's and is cheaper to build.

[Geoff]

Do not buy an Aurora Z605 (i3 clone) whatever you do, waste of money..

Honestly go for a Kossel mini mate, much easier first build and you can make most of it on your Flashforge.

I Went FF -> Prusa -> Kossel

I wish I had gone FF -> Kossel -> Prusa

The kossel made alot more sense when calibrating it and took half as long and the beauty of the delta rig, as soon as you build one - you instantly know how to build a bigger or smaller one, and you can.. It's like a parametric design almost.. with some exceptions.

[jaguarking11]

My first 3rd printer is a Delta. For all intense and purpose I was a complete newb. Not only that but I took the path less traveled and customised the design right off the bat. My printer prints very well. However I'm much less focused on resolution than plain speed. Recent experiments have given me fairly accurate parts in less than 1/3 the normal time. 1.5 hours I printed a part that would have taken me nearly 7 hours. Deltas if built right can be very quick. I cheated on mine by using an over sized nozzle.

[Stigern]

Are there any reasonable priced kossels?

Geoff: The printer I linked to is that a Aurora Z605? And why not? :P