do-it-for-science- wrote:thank you all for your courteous and informative responses, I was rushed and having a hard time finding the information on the MakerGear main site. I will indeed revise my report to reflect the truth of the matter. on that note do any of you have any other advantages or disadvantages you would have included in the analysis of the M2 or the other printers?
When I went through and researched my purchase a few months ago (just as you are doing now), I had the short list narrowed down to the Taz and the M2. (I was
seriously considering the Taz for the size it could print.) But what it finally boiled down to for me was the ratings and user stories on Amazon and elsewhere - i had
never seen a product that was so universally loved, barring a single cranky entry or two, which i would expect to see anywhere. So I did a little further research, started reading the posts on the forum, and realized that what they had here with MakerGear was a company that was
totally committed to putting out a quality product. Yes, sometimes things were delivered that didn't work correctly, or things got jostled loose during shipping, but MakerGear
always made it right, and as quickly as humanly possible. (And with much better patience than i would have been able to show.)
They had the lock on support. Period. And when you stop to think about it, any printer will do what you want it to during the good times. When something goes wrong, that's when you separate the men from the boys. For beginners, it's definitely what you want, so i chose the M2. (i was a complete novice to 3D printing.) Never regretted that for an instant.
Couple of other things you might want to consider - the size on these things.....I'm guessing the Taz has a bigger footprint - do you have the space for it? Two compact machines let two people work side by side as opposed to 1 person on a larger machine.
The larger machine is great and all, but the length of time necessary to knock out a huge print is days, not hours. That was another factor in my decision. I decided i didn't really need one that big for most of what i wanted to do with it, so it was a bit of a waste to go with the larger volume model.
Once you have the settings dialed in correctly, the M2 will crank out one good print after another. Consistency is
excellent, and it holds it's level extremely well for months at a time. (Be sure to check the level consistency on whichever machine you decide to get - it would not be any fun to have to spend most of your time adjusting for bed level problems, especially in a classroom setting, where things are going to get out of whack sooner rather than later.)
The MakerGear group is always testing new products/techniques. Since I got my machine earlier this year, i have made several minor modifications, and two major modifications to it - it now has the improved V4 nozzle (for higher temps) and the dual extruder setup. That's just what has happened this year, and they are working on other things that I'm not sure we're supposed to talk about yet. But they did not leave behind the people who bought early, they made their improvements and upgrades available to early adopters, instead of leaving customers stuck with an obsolete machine as things changed throughout the industry.
So that means that as improvements become available, you will be able to upgrade any machines that you have already purchased,
without having to buy a bunch of new ones, and keep up with the times.
Critical in a learning environment.
The other thing that they do, which takes discipline, is to
not release something to the public until it has been
thoroughly tested. It keeps the wailing and gnashing of teeth to a minimum, and cuts way down on frustration. Even if it costs them a few sales. It's just smart business practice.
And a final point in favor of the M2, it's assembled in the US and the parts are available from MakerGear. They have all of the parts in stock, even if they are not listed on the site - you can get them with an email to Support. (It's great to not have to wait for a shipment from China while your machine is down.)
I'm sure that any printer has it's pluses and minuses, and most of them have perfectly happy users once they figure out how they work. Those are just a few of the reasons i like this one.