First 3D printer MakerGear 3D M2 or the FlashForge ??

[cswann821]

Hello,

Right now I am stuck between choosing the The MakerGear 3D M2, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...A17ISOUQVMHO3V
or the FlashForge creator pro .http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...=A8RK4QCP0IFCY

I don't want to go above 1500.00 which the Maker Gear 3D M2 is 1700.00 , but it just looks so sexy! lol

Would anyone have any insight on what more I am really getting from the MakerGear to spend the extra 400.00 dollars on, compared to the Flashforge for 1350.00?

I would be using these priners at home for my own home hobbies, making little tinkering parts for my RC hobbies as well as perhaps minitures models, work space bins, and trays and such to start with. Of these 2 does any one of them stand out for having the best ability to show fine details, say for miniature models?

Is there any other Printer I should really look at? I basically read all the reviews and chose from this page
http://www.3dprintinggeeks.com/proje...inter-reviews/

Thanks, Chris .

[jimc]

well i have had an m2 for about a year now. absolutely fantastic machine. built extremely well. all steel chassis. well you can just see in the pics on their website what it has. whats even better about it is the community, support and the company. you wont find a better group of helpful and nice people on their board. makergear's support is fantastic. basically is almost a whatever you need, no questions asked kind of thing. rick the owner really bends over backward to keep everyone happy. its all made in the US by a US company which is very nice so if your here then parts and service is very fast and easily attainable. i have never seen or heard someone that bought the m2 and wasnt thrilled with it. just hang out on their forum for a bit and check out the tone of the board. you just dont see any threads with people bitching or complaining about things not being right, broken or engineered bad.

[Geoff]

Hello,

Right now I am stuck between choosing the The MakerGear 3D M2, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...A17ISOUQVMHO3V
or the FlashForge creator pro .http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...=A8RK4QCP0IFCY

I don't want to go above 1500.00 which the Maker Gear 3D M2 is 1700.00 , but it just looks so sexy! lol

Would anyone have any insight on what more I am really getting from the MakerGear to spend the extra 400.00 dollars on, compared to the Flashforge for 1350.00?

I would be using these priners at home for my own home hobbies, making little tinkering parts for my RC hobbies as well as perhaps minitures models, work space bins, and trays and such to start with. Of these 2 does any one of them stand out for having the best ability to show fine details, say for miniature models?

Is there any other Printer I should really look at? I basically read all the reviews and chose from this page
http://www.3dprintinggeeks.com/proje...inter-reviews/

Thanks, Chris .

Having had a flashforge for a while (which has been good...sorta ) and looking to buy a new machine, I would spend the extra and get the Makergear M2. If I knew then what I know now, I probably would have ditched the dual extruder and gone for a more sturdy machine.

[cswann821]

Looks like MAker gear M2 it is. Thanks for the responses that's just what I needed to hear to push me to go for it.

[Geoff]

Looks like MAker gear M2 it is. Thanks for the responses that's just what I needed to hear to push me to go for it.

No problem, let us know how it goes when you get it. I really like the look of that machine. We had a similar machine in Aus and NZ called the UP Plus! which looks like the baby of the M2. While it lacked a few things I liked at the time, I sort of regret not going the extra few dollars and buying it. I really wish I had bought a strong metal case. Wooden laser cut printer frames are not only noisy, they are super light and wobble like crazy unless you have them bolted down. The M2 is so heavy, it won't move even if you bump the desk its on.

Dual extrusion is cool and all, and it's good to have the option to do it but there is one major flaw with dual extrusion and that's material limitation.

ie. Printing in 2 colours is great if they both require similar heat settings. While you can set your nozzles to individual temperatures - you only have one heat bed. Say you want to print Flex with ABS? nope. ABS wont stick at 65c hotbed, can't raise it to 100 or the Flex will melt and curl... PLA and Flex a little easier, but still, residual heat from the 240c nozzle right next to the PLA you are printing at 180c to 200c can get really sloppy.

Printing 2 types of the same ABS or PLA is great and you can get some cool things out of it, but you also can just model your objects in such a fashion that you print each part out in a different colour and assemble later on, which I tend to do alot anyway.

[jimc]

yeah makergear's dual extruder is in beta at the moment so it will be an option for the near future if you choose to do so. as geoff said though dual is just one more learning curve. its best you master just one head first then move to dual at a later time....assuming this is your first printer. in any case please feel free to ask if you have questions and also dont forget to join the makergear forum. there are a bunch of really knowledgable people on there.

http://forum.makergear.com

[3DPBuser]

Does the M2 have a cantilever bed or it is supported on both side?

[jimc]

its a little bit different of an animal than standard cantilevered designs but it is cantilevered. the bed moves in the y axis on a linear rail which is centered on the bed. a billet aluminum spider which supports the bed on the 4 corners is mounted to the rail in the center. the main support that holds the rail and rides the z axis rods is a 3/8" thick alum plate. with the steel chassis and such heavy alum and high quality components you dont get any sagging in the z stage like you would with the makerbots and their plastic arms that hold the bed.

[lucidpsykosis]

No problem, let us know how it goes when you get it. I really like the look of that machine. We had a similar machine in Aus and NZ called the UP Plus! which looks like the baby of the M2. While it lacked a few things I liked at the time, I sort of regret not going the extra few dollars and buying it. I really wish I had bought a strong metal case. Wooden laser cut printer frames are not only noisy, they are super light and wobble like crazy unless you have them bolted down. The M2 is so heavy, it won't move even if you bump the desk its on.

Dual extrusion is cool and all, and it's good to have the option to do it but there is one major flaw with dual extrusion and that's material limitation.

ie. Printing in 2 colours is great if they both require similar heat settings. While you can set your nozzles to individual temperatures - you only have one heat bed. Say you want to print Flex with ABS? nope. ABS wont stick at 65c hotbed, can't raise it to 100 or the Flex will melt and curl... PLA and Flex a little easier, but still, residual heat from the 240c nozzle right next to the PLA you are printing at 180c to 200c can get really sloppy.

Printing 2 types of the same ABS or PLA is great and you can get some cool things out of it, but you also can just model your objects in such a fashion that you print each part out in a different colour and assemble later on, which I tend to do alot anyway.

I'm glad I came across this thread...I was wondering how I was going to do the dual extrusion with different material requirements. I like the look of that M2 also, but then when I'm ready to either replace this or add to, who knows what new fangled tech will be out.