Make Magazines's Latest 3-D Printer Shootout - Creator Pro on the bottom

[guitartoys]

Just got the latest 3-D printer shootout issue from Make Magazine.

And was very disappointed with the results.

They only did a brief review rather than a full one on the Microcenter PowerSpec3D Pro printer, which is a re-brand of the FlashForge Creator Pro.

They rated it at the very bottom.

I just don't get it.

I can understand the XY resonance fail, due to it being belt driven instead of screw for the XY axis.

But they rated the lowest score for Bridging and Overhangs, and pretty low for Surface Curved and General.

I'm going to print their test prints with and without my cooler by thruit00 http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:295317 and see if my results are that dramatically different.

Maybe it's time for FlashForge to include a stock filament cooler on the print head. Because I really don't have that problem.

Thruitt00 literally just came out with an improved design for his cooler today. I recommend anyone using this printer make one and use it.

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:537918

[JohnA136]

All the printers tested printed the same files and all results were compared as to which machines printed which files well. These were out of the box machines as there was no time to tweak them. Testers were not allowed to "test" the same type of machine then personally owned so that they could not be swayed by personal preference or goof with them. So if someone owned, say, a Replicator 5, they were given a different machine to test. All machines were tested by a team of at least two testers. One tester was then chosen to write the review.

Of course, another machine from the same company could print differently out of the box but this is the best way MAKE could set up the testing.

[Geoff]

No 2 machines are alike I don't think, I have an old FF with no casing, no heat chamber... and I have none of those issues and have never needed a fan to cool the plastic as it prints.