Looking at an inexpensive 3D Printer (opinions wanted)

Hello I have been contemplating a 3D printer for quite a while now but don't want to start out with anything to Expensive/Extravigant to begin with. I am just sort of looking for a decent proof of concept (in My mind) about what I am going to be using it for.

I have sort of narrowed my choices down to the following:

Wanhao Duplicator i3 (or) Duplicator I3+ (not out quite yet) (or) the twin... MakerSelect i3

or

Tarantula i3 - Still thinking about the options in priority Auto Level, ProHead (FLEX), and long base.

I also thought about a Geeetech prusa I3 A Pro but I have read that the build quality is even less than the others and it requires more fiddling. although mush of that reading was on the acrylic models not this metal one

I know that these are essentially Chinese Cheap BUT from what I have been reading both seem to have pretty darn good print right out of the box (with careful setup) and can be pretty excellent with a few modifications. Anyway my question is which would be the better option. The Tarantula is a little cheaper but has the Auto-Leveling option but it is a Roller on Frame design as opposed to the Wanhao which is a traditional roller bearing style set-up.

Anyway any help in finalizing the decision would be appreciated and if anyone has any further suggestions in the sub $500.00 category please feel free to explain why they it might be a better choice.

Thank you
Brion

Hey,

Try this, arduino 3d printer kit. Its amazing. I also using this. Surely you like it. Thanks.

Hi Brion,

I always recommend investing a bit more and going for a machine of which the quality is proven reliable otherwise you spend much time doing maintenance, repairs and upgrades.
Having said that, I have been hearing good things about the Wanhao Duplicator i3 so it will be worth the investment as your first printer. Still I expect you will need to do much more maintenance to ensure reliable quality prints.

-Ralph

Hi, I have the Monoprice Maker Select i3, it is a clone of the Wanhao v2 i3, it is great, it is not perfect but it is good enough for a new person to get going in FDM printing. It has some issues, need to check all, and I mean ALL, the screws. Some will be loose. But it comes pretty much assembled so you can check and tighten without wondering what goes where. After you get it you can print decent if slow prints, and make upgrade parts for the printer. Things need to be checked and adjusted, but it is much easier to learn what to check and adjust with a working printer than a pile of parts. I am doing a DIY for my second printer, but I am very glad I went the semi assembled reliable design route for my first.

I've just ordered the wanhao i3 V2 as a second printer myself, heard lots of good things about it and it's very reasonably priced.
It's supposed to arrive tomorrow, so I'll pop up some first impressions once I've had a play with it.

Thank you for all of your suggestions (but a little late for me but not for others reading).. I decided in the end to go with the Tarantula as I don't mind Full DIY. The first response in this thread came after I had already received it from China so.... , I just got it fully up and running and did a test cube using CURA as the slicer and it turned out almost perfect.. The physicality was really good but the size was off not sure if it is due to shrinkage or flow rate but I will figure that out.. I really quite like it. I see a couple things that can be improved but generally speaking it is a pretty robust machine. I ended up getting the Large bed and metal extruder as well as the auto level.. but after building it the auto level maybe shouldn't have been bought.