Thanks everyone, really helpful insights here! Overall, I'm hearing both sides on this and it sounds like it comes down to personal preference. I think I'm leaning toward the kit because it sounds like many of you had fun putting it together (and not suffered to save a few hundred dollars) but I'll ...

I'm tempted to buy the kit for the lower price, but I've seen that it takes 5 - 7 hours to assemble. I can afford the extra $$$ to get it pre-assembled, but I'm wondering if it's worth assembling the M2 from an experience / knowledge standpoint. This will be my first 3D printer. After weeks of resea...