RepRap Vs. MakerBot

[jimc]

yes john and sorry, i dont want to come off as being all negative and be a makerbot basher or anything of the sort. as i said i do not own one so take that info for what its worth. there just seems to be far more discontent on that forum than others. there are alot of really knowledgable people over there which is why i visit it. the whole tone of that forum seems negative concerning the machines and company themselves. i just dont see that on most other forums. i do know that there are a ton of cry babies out there though that love to troll the forums and spread their crap.

[KDog]

I don't have any experience with makerbot either but I do have an opinion. Please do not support this company. Their reputation was built on open source which they have now turned their back on. While I can't really blame them for selling out (LOTS of MONEY!), I will recommend that you do not purchase their printers. Purchase a RepRap, kit or assembled, and support open source. You are furthering the field and helping other folks support their hobby and furthering the RepRap technology. As far as recommendations, Printrbot is a great company to buy your first printer from. Relatively inexpensive and a great support community.Cheers,KDog

[RepRapOwner]

Go for RepRap. It's so much more fun when you can upgrade your printer, personalize it, and make it do pretty much exactly what you want it to do. It will take a little time learning, the ins and outs, but it is well worth it.

[3dman]

Go for RepRap. It's so much more fun when you can upgrade your printer, personalize it, and make it do pretty much exactly what you want it to do. It will take a little time learning, the ins and outs, but it is well worth it.

That's really an opinion. Some people don't want to customize/personalize their printers. They just want something that works pretty much right out of the box. To them, I would highly suggest the MakerBot line.

[DrLuigi]

That's really an opinion. Some people don't want to customize/personalize their printers. They just want something that works pretty much right out of the box. To them, I would highly suggest the MakerBot line.

Well i would prefer a Ultimaker above Replicator,
Ultimaker 1 or 2, depending on how much money you can spend,


Or if you want the replicator 2x then that would be fun ^^

[BlackDragon]

Here's the short of it:
The MakerBot is "out of the box" ready. Plug it is and start printing. The down side it that you really can't upgrade it.

The RepRaps are typically built by the owner, so you learn a lot about the technology, while you are building it. You can modify it, print replacement parts for it, and even make a whole new config, if you get creative.

It's kind of a "who are you?" situation. (as BurnIt explained it)

[Hall_of_Famer]

BlackDragon put this very nicely. If I could add something... If you wish to have a really nice 3D Printer that you will learn to upgrade quite easily, and that you don't have to worry about spending a ton of money every few years, the RepRap is for you. If you are more interested in having a solid printer that does what it says it will do, has a great support service, and is ready to print as soon as you get it home, then MakerBot is for you.

[KDog]

Again, I don't have a Makerbot but I've hear that, in general, they are ready to go straight out of the box. However, peruse their forums and you will see many posts about problems after a few weeks or months. These will be the same problems that all 3d printers have. There is no magic to makerbot. They are just another printer company selling the exact same technology as everyone else.

[JohnA136]

BlackDragon put this very nicely. If I could add something... If you wish to have a really nice 3D Printer that you will learn to upgrade quite easily, and that you don't have to worry about spending a ton of money every few years, the RepRap is for you. If you are more interested in having a solid printer that does what it says it will do, has a great support service, and is ready to print as soon as you get it home, then MakerBot is for you.

We have several generations of both MakerBots and RepRaps and I agree with HOF and BD, the Makerbots will work fine for you out of the box, but will need tweaking or upgrades relatively soon. The RepRaps you can assemble yourself and save some initial bucks and you will know all the mechanics.

[BurnItDownBaby]

We have several generations of both MakerBots and RepRaps and I agree with HOF and BD, the Makerbots will work fine for you out of the box, but will need tweaking or upgrades relatively soon. The RepRaps you can assemble yourself and save some initial bucks and you will know all the mechanics.

Regardless, both printers will need upgrading, or replacing eventually. With the RepRap, you have to be more on top of things though.