Click on “About This Item” to see a full list of specs.
Why is it limited to ABS, PLA and HIPS? Does it use a different nozzle than the real prusa?
What other differences do you see?
They refer to it as a DIY printer - I assume it is a kit.
I’ve read all the posts here on CD exclaiming the virtues of the real Prusa, but at $700 and a 7 week lead time, I have to wonder if one of these would be worth fooling with or if it would be more headache than it’s worth.
Any thoughts?
Here are some others they have (just google Walmart Prusa) but don’t show any specs:
I’m no 3D printing probI just bought the anet a8 a couple weeks ago, it printed fine once I got it assembled but there is a big community around the printer with a lot of information and upgrades on thingiverse and I believe a Facebook group
I’ve yet to update mine much besides a couple 3D printed parts but I do plan on doing most of the printable upgrades and buying some upgrade parts(feel free to pm me if you want more detail)
I have one of the knockoff i3s at a local space, we currently do not allow it to be run unattended due to fire concerns.
My mk2 prusa I have no such concerns with (I likely wouldn’t run it at the edge of its limits unattended but for PLA/PETG I have no real concerns)
Will it print? Probably. Will it be as reliable as more expensive printers? Maybe with tuning yes.
As for why it’s likely limited to those materials - given it can get to temps for abs I’d assume it could do PETG fairly easily. I’d have concerns about higher temp materials without replacing the hot end. Some of the lower cost ones have a PTFE liner down very close to the heater and at higher temps it can melt. And that stuff is not good. The original mk2 prusa uses a E3d v6 hot end which is designed to reach higher temperatures.
Key thing to note: This isn’t Walmart itself selling it–it is sold by “Passion Hill Inc” through their marketplace. You may have noticed this already, but it’s an important distinction.
I wouldn’t recommend it. While reliability might not be a huge concern right now, the absolute last thing you want is for the extruder to clog or frame to crack or a large print to fail the day before a competition. The genuine MkII is more than worth the money. If you absolutely can’t deal with the lead time and price, the Makerfarm Pegasus with the ACME leadscrews and E3D-v6 hotend is a good printer at a slightly lower price point.
We got one of the nicer clones at work, apparently some revs the motherboard doesn’t support the amperage the heated bed draws and smoke came out of it…
You get what you pay for, they are fun can “can work” but for not a lot more $$ you can get something much nicer. Apparently this has been going around with a lot of good reviews for not much more money: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0xBRk6vRK8&t=472s
I personally got a real Prusa i3 Mk2s coming after getting to use one, it’s very worth the extra.
Check out the Creality cr-10. Goes for around $400 right now and some YouTube review videos have a coupon code for it. It’s 300x300x400 mm. Can print most filament including ABS and PETG for use for structural parts. ABS requires a heated bed to print to prevent warping. The prints of this printer are high quality. Power supply is also very well built and can run for 900 hours. If you have any other questions feel free to PM me.
We have 2 Prusa Steel Pros at Rockwall Makerspace, ordered them from Spain for 450 euro each. They came with a galvanized structure and numerous software/hardware upgrades including a SAV MKI motherboard. We powder-coated the steel 1296 orange of course! It has a different open source euro-design motherboard that does not burn up. Other than initial problems with heated beds shorting out (terminals are on both sides of the heated surface and can short out to the frame) they work great.
Be careful with some of the Chinese knockoffs, great prices but many times at a loss of quality and safety.
Personally? If you’re interested in 3d printing it’s absolutely worth checking out.
If you turn it into a project to teach students about 3d printing or even about manufacturing tradeoffs it’s also a fairly cheap investment.
It’s not a good investment as a tool unless you put a TON of work in.
Honestly, I’ve debated doing a class at the local space where the people order a cheap printer kit, we assemble, trouble shoot, and help them upgrade to something better. But the upfront cost concerns me, I’m not sure there’d be much interest in dropping $200 in a class.
That would be very interesting to see. Maybe TBL can add a new page for this.
Guessing the amount of delay is probably like rolling dice. Of the Kickstarter projects I have backed, one was on time. The rest were delayed by anywhere from 2 months to about 2 years…
I second this. It was quite the wait to get it, but when I got it. I was able to assemble it and have it printing quite fast (Thanks to my years of FIRST experience).
Plus for me the 3d printer is less of a 3d printer and more of a project. Why buy an expensive one when im not 3D printing for production. Eventually I will be able to make my $162 investment in a cheap DIY printer into a production style printer, or use it to get enough experience to make my own production style printer.
I’m going make a 3D printer that does everything the Kodama does for $50 plus it makes delicious tacos! It will start shipping next week. Please send your money via paypal to this address [email protected]
FWIW Kodama is an established company that already sells an all-metal 3D printer. https://us.kodama3d.com/
Paypal has buyer protection, so if you actually set up an account for business it would be fairly safe to invest in a taco printer. :rolleyes: