Replicator 2 Vs. 5th Generation

[Lindros_bigE]

I've been hearing a lot of negativity surrounding the 5th generation MakerBot Replicators. My little brother now wants a MakerBot, and I don't know if I should suggest him getting a Replicator 2, 2X or one of the 5th gen ones. Has anyone used all three, an could give some good feedback as to which would be best to purchase? I'm tempted to have him get the 2 because the price is so good, but the 2X is pretty bad ass, but the 5th gen are the new ones with the new technology (smart extruder, etc). It's hard for me to help him decide.

[MysteryAlabaster]

Having used both a 2 and 2X (sitting next to them right now), I can honestly say that the current technology involved with the 2X is not worth the hassle.

It takes too much trouble to make work properly.

[KASL]

i have a R2X its very good machine for ABS but if you want a machine with PLA better buy a R2 or a Replicator Dual as R2X.

[intohim]

I've heard I should buy the Replicator 2X instead of the 5th Generation replicator. Do you guys agree?

[zegreeta]

intohim, I would agree with that. I have the 2X and believe it is just as good as the 5th gen printers.

[pinshape]

We recently bought a 5th gen, and liked it at first, but then it went down hill. It had a great out-of-the-box experience, plug and play essentially, first 5-10 prints came out fine. The auto-levelling was great and things were looking good. Shortly after that though, the print head starting bumping while printing, essentially seeming to get stuck for a second and then jumping ahead, leaving some irregularities in the print. There were also times when the printer would stall in the middle of the print and freeze, in a non-recoverable state. Finally, the extruder clogged when swapping filament (don't unload filament when changing, instead cut it and use the load command to force the remaining piece through the heated end to prevent clogging). The problem with the last issue was that the smart extruder is really hard to get at to unclog. We ended up returning the unit.

[JamesTuthill]

This makes me sad. I hope that MakerBot doesn't go down hill as well. The Replicator 2 is such a good printer. I'd hate to see them unable to keep that quality of product in their stores.