Quote Originally Posted by Hall_of_Famer View Post
BlackDragon put this very nicely. If I could add something... If you wish to have a really nice 3D Printer that you will learn to upgrade quite easily, and that you don't have to worry about spending a ton of money every few years, the RepRap is for you. If you are more interested in having a solid printer that does what it says it will do, has a great support service, and is ready to print as soon as you get it home, then MakerBot is for you.
We have several generations of both MakerBots and RepRaps and I agree with HOF and BD, the Makerbots will work fine for you out of the box, but will need tweaking or upgrades relatively soon. The RepRaps you can assemble yourself and save some initial bucks and you will know all the mechanics.