3D printer $179.99 (Was: 8-Update

[Jay West]

Gene wrote...
For what you're going to use it for, that's a good choice.  I wouldn't recommend it as a printer though. ;)  (The design isn't bad, but it's not a very newbie-friendly printer.)
-------------
Gene, you're just sore that the $175 ender 3 is comparable to a Prusa i3 Mk3 that costs $800  (those words are from the all3dp.com reviews, not me) ;) Actually, I think you're spot on when you say it's not newbie-friendly because it requires some tinkering once it's out of the box to get great results. Another side of that is that perhaps it's the newbies that really SHOULD spend the time tinkering to get it right, so they understand what to do when their other 3d printers go awry. I suspect most of the people here are the tinkering type ;)

Actually I misspoke when I said the ender 3 has design flaws. All of its flaws are in the execution of manufacturing, not in the design itself. Replace the extruder with an all-metal one instead of plastic (the plastic one cracked in a few weeks for me, so filament slippage) - cost is about $15. Drop in a borosilicate glass bed, so you can get better adhesion than the stock pad, easier removal, as well as more flexible choice of filament materials - that's about $20. Replace the z-axis rod coupler with one that actually doesn't slip - cost about $5. And while not necessary, it makes it a lot easier to get good parts if you add an automatic bed leveler - $70 (for the th3d one).

J