PinrtrBot Metal Plus or Lulzbot Taz 5?

[chris@radeuslabs]

Maybe request a picture from someone that has a printbot / taz and eyeball the output.?? Might not be the best comparison but better than nothing. It might help in your decision.

[Wolfie]

@dunginhawk,

I recently got into 3D printing and purchased my first printer 3 weeks ago. Though I just ordered it, I had researched printers for almost 2 years before I finally decided to go for it. I was lookong for something that could augment my CO2 laser. It cuts. The 3D printer builds. Opposite but complimentary tools.

I looked at a great many aspects, not the least of which was cost. I went about it in a logical, non-emotional way.

What I chose to do was ignore cost right off the bat. Every printer was on the table. I then sat down and chose the features I wanted and felt I would use or need most often. Things I would require of a new printer, all those got a 10 value. Then I worked through the like-to-haves. Things that were nice but not mission critical. I then scored those on 1-5 as to how much I wanted that aspect. I set about scoring each printer based on those equal footing scales. That gave every printer an equal footing, no matter what the cost.

After I compiled the list and sorted it by score, I added 3 other factors into the mix. The last couple things I decided were important factors were company support, apparent customer satisfaction (rep in the community) and reliability. Each of those got a 0-10 rating which was added to the score of features. I will say that the support/rep/reliability aspect made quite a few changes in the top 10.

The list was resorted at that point and I began jotting down prices beside each at the top of the list. Its kinda pointless to look up prices for the bottom of the list, obviously they were NOT what I wanted. I was surprised that not many really expensive ones were in the top 10. There were some. But not many. I found that most of the top 10 resided in the $1500-$3000 range. By ignoring price to begin with, I think I was able to focus more on what I needed or wanted than worrying about how much it cost. I mean really, is a cheap $200 printer that doesn't do what I want better than a $2000 that does everything I want? No, IMHO, its pissing money down the drain. You will get frustrated with it, feel limited, and ultimately go buy the one you should have in the first place. Only you are money on the hole now.

So what did I get? Well, it wasn't my #1 pick. #1 got kicked out of the way with the manor in which they operate their website (I rabidly hate "call for a quote" crud) and the fact I contacted them for a quote several times with no reply and their long waiting time to deliver. And, as I found out by waiting, good things come One of the big features of #1 became easy to apply to many others of the top 10. What did I end up with? A LulzBot Taz. In fact I ended up ordering a Taz 4 the day before they released the Taz 5. And I got the Taz 5 Thats how MakerGeeks and Lulz rolls. They both take care of the customer.

While I must consider myself a greenhorned novice by 3D printer standards, I am no stranger to tinkering and building. In fact I built my first computer long before many of the people on this forum were born. But, my limited experience with the Taz so far as been an absolute positive one. Most things that have gone wrong were caused directly because of me and my ignorance. But, thats the fun of this hobby, learning. Creating. Doing.

I am sorry, but I don't have experience with any other printer to draw conclusions or comparisons to relate an equation as to how the Taz relates to them. But from the experience so far, I am not sorry I chose it. Its built well. It performs well. The software it comes with (Cura) is ok and is used by a multitude of other printers. But, one of the big deals that swayed me to up the Taz above other machines was their Open Hardware and Open Software attitudes. Every piece. Every nut. Every cable. Every piece of software. Its all documented and can be downloaded free of charge. You could build your own Taz and source the parts yourself. I think that puts a serious set of cahonies on Lulzbot. They are so confident in their design, they publish it. ALL of it. And the community has responded positively to that by offering new and improved parts and making them available to the masses as well. A new hot end comes out? Not a big deal. Download the plate STL from Lulz and modify it to take the new hot end. Most other printers don't publish their parts like that, specifically the commercialized ones that have taken from the community and then turned inward and closed the door.

So, all I can say is do what I did. Close your browser. Shut off the computer. Sit down with pencil and paper and make the same lists I did. What do you NEED. Then what do you WANT. Then find the printer that gives most of that to you and then look at its rep and price.

I can tell you go buy a Taz. "Go buy a taz." There, I said it. But, that doesn't make it the right printer for you and doesn't make it the best printer for your needs. No matter how much or little it costs. Cheaper doesn't make it right or better.

[dunginhawk]

Wolfie.. great email. thank you...
So i think the fact that ive been bidding on taz;s the last week means i have made up my mind too..

SO i have a delta, and i have a cartesian, so i feel like I am in a pretty good position to know what i want.

Im actually considering building my own taz... I am in the process of printing all the printed parts.. Im just not convinced I can make it as good as they can... I would really want the metal frame.

[Wolfie]

Have you considered the KitTaz? Or if you are intent on doing it yourself..
http://devel.lulzbot.com/TAZ/Juniper..._1500order.ods
Down around line 175 is the frame.

[dunginhawk]

I have considered the kittaz.. I am just wondering if i could source it myself for much less than that... I mean obviously they still need to make a profit, and I understand that.
I figure if i can print the 3d printed parts myself, thats a big chunk.
Im watching house of cards and on my macbook air, so i cant open that spreadsheet yet. ill check it out when i got downstairs.

Thank you

[dunginhawk]

ill tell ya , looking over that parts list is much more daunting than I had imagined. My time is worth a lot more than what it would take to do that.
I really do think i have it narrowed down to printrbot metal plus, and the taz 4/5 . Heavily leaning taz at the moment.

[MiniMadRyan]

The one thing I like a lot about the Taz is that you can modify and upgrade it easily whenever you please. You could theoretically grab some longer extrusion and a larger bed and expand the size of the printer itself, or print your own mount for a spindle or something else. You also consider you get an LCD screen and arguably better electronics (I love their use of quick connectors) than the Printrbot.

The Printrbot is still a good choice, I tend to look now at Printrbot as the best cheap ready to use printers, and he new metal plus is a sexy machine, but like you, I'm leaning towards the Taz, as with the Printrbot, what it does today, it will always do, and be limited to that, whereas the Taz has the capability to grow and evolve well into the future.

[dunginhawk]

yeah, i just wish i wasnt so hasty with my first purchase and instead gone with the taz from the start... i didnt do enough research... but ill make the right choice this time.
I love the cleaning pad thing that someone made for the back of the taz, that is awesome. id love to add the z probe leveling piece that the printrbot has. that would be a huge addition to the taz.

[dunginhawk]

So now im thinking the kittaz may be a good option.. saves 500-600 bucks, and its all metal contruction means I cant really screw it up too bad from a level perspective etc.. PLus i already built a rostock max, so it cant be as hard as that...
so is the kittaz EXACTLY like a taz 4? just in kit form?
EDIT - NM answered my own question.. its handicapped little brother to the taz 4-5. no lcd, etc.
again.. SPEND THE MONEY STUPID.. stop trying to talk yourself out of it (self loathing)

[Wolfie]

yeah, i just wish i wasnt so hasty with my first purchase and instead gone with the taz from the start... i didnt do enough research... but ill make the right choice this time.
I love the cleaning pad thing that someone made for the back of the taz, that is awesome. id love to add the z probe leveling piece that the printrbot has. that would be a huge addition to the taz.

Wish granted:
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:117957