What printer around 600€

[curious aardvark]

Alright but the QiDi only supports PLA and ABS so well, it's more than enough for us, but no exotic filaments i guess

where'd you read that ?
Absolute nonsense.
Hot bed goes to 120c, hotend goes to 260.
You can print anything that fits within those parameters.

So abs, pla, pet-g, flexible pla, flexible and non-flexible tpu, asa (no idea what this is but it keeps cropping up) most of the taulman nylons and hybrid nylon filaments.

Just because it just says pla and abs on the website doesn't mean a damn thing :-)

Or try to suggest even more expensive printers when a person has claimed to be chasing the cheapest solutions out there? willful ignorance or paid advertising at its finest? you decide. I already know.

Well I can tell you for a fact that it's NOT paid advertising, I'd bring it up a LOT more if it was :-) - or indeed ignorance, willfull or otherwise.
Be careful how you insult people.

Repetier host uses slic3r for slicing.
It's okay.

The thing about simplify 3d is that it is seriously good. You have easier and better control over, pretty much every single aspect of your printer than any other software gives you.
So those of us who use it, generally recommend it. I'll always mention the free alternatives as well. But if you're going to buy just one piece of software in your 3d printing lifetime - it should be simplify 3d.
Yeah it's still got small issues, but give them their due, they do listen to users complaints and do their best to sort them out.

I'll also always try and get people to buy printbite as well.
I know how much hassle, frustration and swearing I used to go through with: tape, glass, pva, hairspray etc, before I bought installed a sheet of printbite.
I'm not trying to make the manufacturers and retailers rich - I'm just trying to improve other people's 3d printing experience.
I know it looks expensive, but at the end of the day it's a one off cost for a print bed that will probably outlast the printer - and when you add up the tape, glue spray etc you'll use over the years - it's actually saving you money in the long run.

It added £30 to the £193 I paid for my delta. But I'll never need to buy anything else to print on, and it works. maybe not quite as miraculous as the manufacturers claim - but damn close.

So before you go being all righteous and insulting - bear in mind we're mostly enthusiasts, anoracks in the english vernacular, and people who are passionate about things.
If we use something we think is good - we'll tell people.

It's as simple as that.

[AutoWiz]

Be careful how you insult people.

aardvark, you consistently suggest simplify3d to customers looking for cheap printers. And to that I firmly say WTF? And I see no reason why I should "be careful" about feeling that way, I respect you and I have insulted no one. Just pointed out how your advice looks when it is the same advice given to everybody. Have you personally used repetier host? Recently like since the 2.0 update?

"But if you're going to buy just one piece of software in your 3d printing lifetime - it should be simplify 3d."

I totally agree with that but to someone who might have been uneasy about coming off the $200 for the ebay printer this is a terrible point to make. If you are chasing the best quality you are not going to start with a cheap printer(Unless you are me). And if you have a cheap printer and double your investment with software alone, you are going to be horribly let down with the quality of your prints for your investment. Advice should be a dynamic thing. dependant on each individual case, wouldn't you agree?

And just a final thought, I like the things I paid for in life better than the things that were given to me. Does that mean they are better or that I have more appreciation for the things I had to work for? Just to keep it all in perspective. I don't think side by side that simplify3d is $150 BETTER than repetier. It is definitely better. It sure does have a couple extra features that are nice. like some of the options for support structures. But it is hardly a $150 increase in quality, quantity, or even ease of use.

[DaveB]

IF you are interested in using the Toshiba FlashAir SD card (version 3) with the QiDi, I can vouch for the Toshiba cards functionality with the QiDi Tech 1 and S3D under Windows. Here is a link for some in-depth info on how to configure it.
http://3dprintboard.com/showthread.p...ped-in-Windows IMO it requires a bit more complex setup than is typical, but it only need be performed once. It makes for a sweet setup. You mount the FlashAir card from Windows, then "save" the file to that location directly from S3D. After the first use, S3D remembers the file location for the next use.

[curious aardvark]

Have you personally used repetier host? Recently like since the 2.0 update?

yep. Like I say, it's okay.
Cura is also okay - once you figure out that you need to add gcode for a bunch of stuff s3d does via menus. Some stuff I just couldn't get it to do.

And why can't a cheap printer also be a quality printer ?
Mine is :-)

Is s3d worth $150 - probably, I only paid $80 a few years back, so that wasn't a decision I had to make. Though why people always go on about the supports - I don't know.
Not been overly impressed with them myself. And the dual head printing just doesn't work for me. I have tried everything else, even propriatary software. One of My motto's: You never know if it will work till you've tried it :-)

Still looking for laser engraver software for deltas - don't think I need it - but if I find any and it's easier than the method I've already worked out - great.

I'm a great advocate of free and opensource software. s3d is the only software I've bought, probably in the last 15 years.
Like everything it's got a lot more expensive. Would I buy it today ? probably not, and I didn't tell you this, but even the latest 3.1.1 version has been cracked and is available from file sharing services - so I've heard ;-)

[AutoWiz]

I'm a great advocate of free and opensource software. s3d is the only software I've bought, probably in the last 15 years.
Like everything it's got a lot more expensive. Would I buy it today ? probably not, and I didn't tell you this, but even the latest 3.1.1 version has been cracked and is available from file sharing services - so I've heard ;-)

I'm sorry I accused you of having a sponsorship, lol. I am on a cheap kick right now and not for my sake. But I am alone in my hobby and trying to get any of my friends involved and they all cry about the investment to get setup and going with a printer and filament and software. I have recently talked one friend into joining my hobby for under $250. with a monoprice mini v2($220) and a 2.2lb spool of ebay filament(~$20). It is limited to a 120mm cube build envelope but my friend is interested in making minatures for d&d or Warhammer 40k style games. I wish there were a larger community of 3d printer enthusiasts or at least in my area.

[AutoWiz]

I'm sorry I accused you of having a sponsorship, lol. I am on a cheap kick right now and not for my sake. But I am alone in my hobby and trying to get any of my friends involved and they all cry about the investment to get setup and going with a printer and filament and software. I have recently talked one friend into joining my hobby for under $250. with a monoprice mini v2($220) and a 2.2lb spool of ebay filament(~$20). It is limited to a 120mm cube build envelope but my friend is interested in making minatures for d&d or Warhammer 40k style games. I wish there were a larger community of 3d printer enthusiasts or at least in my area.

So here is this extruder thread that completely and utterly backs up my point and shows what I struggle with in sharing this awesome hobby with others..

...the E3D Volcano and titan combination cost 70 pounds at minimum, that's the old titan and the cheapest volcano kit I could find on E3D's website. I'm not looking to design a low cost printer just to slap on a hot end and extruder that doubles the price ... Even with those E-Bay suppliers the hot end and extruder combo will cost about as much as the remaining mechanical parts.

[curious aardvark]

Well I've been happy with the extruder and hot end that came with my he3d k200 (shamlessly unsponsored plug) needed a ptfe tube in the hotend, no clue why it doesn't come with one already fitted.
But apart from that I've got a bowden delta than will happily print ANY flexible filament on the market.

Expensive add on's are optional.
Personally I wouldn't be without my printbite - you can keep all the tape, glue, spare beds, scrapers, coolant sprays etc I'll just print-n-go :-)
What an expensive add on does is take a cheap printer and seriously upgrade it while still keeping it way way cheaper than a machine that would have come with the upgrade in the first place.

Compared to most things in the modern world - basic 3d printers are now one of the cheapest tech gadgets around.
What do cell phones cost ? Apple crap, digital slrs, decent drones, action cameras - all more expensive than a cheap 3d printer.

And the thing about a 3d printer is that not only can you get a decent one (the monoprice mini is a great example) for around $200 - but it will let you make things to keep your other hobbies cheap.

I'm with you on not knowing anyone else with one. Well I've met sebastian finke, but unless we go to this years tct on the same day, I doubt we'll meet again soon.

I'm used to being the only person i know who has my interests :-)
One reason i like forums so much - a whole bunch of people with the same interest you can talk to without that blank look come over people's faces :-)

The thing with 3d printers at the moment is that unless you are also interested in designing your own stuff - they lack common appeal.
And they are still not as plug-n-play as modern society is used to.

Cheap is relative and as someone who always tries to get the best value i can, I know all about cheap ;-)

[oxidized]

Just wanted to let you know that we started the return, the courier comes next monday to collect the printer, hopefully they'll accept it with no trouble, as i really want to get the qidi as soon as possible.

[curious aardvark]

Good luck :-)

[oxidized]

Basically, as we expected, they accepted the return, but they won't refund the entire sum, but only 80% of it, so it'll be something like 504€. Point is we found the Delta on Amazon for a little under 300€, while the QiDi on amazon is still at 700€, so we're kinda dubious whether to get the QiDi or the Delta, because we just flushed 128€ + 28(of shipping back the 3d printer) down the toilet