wrenches wrote:I there any specific reasoning for going with the v6 over the v4 or vice versa?
from what I understand the v4 is essentially plug and play and Im not sure if its all metal or not. The v6 seems to be all metal and I'm not sure if its plug and play or not.
The E3D is not a drop-in replacement for the V3b, but it will fit in the same mounting area. You'll need to change some of the wiring harness (all of which can be done on the E3D itself so you don't modify the M2). It is not a supported upgrade from MakerGear, so if you need support or warranty work they may ask you to revert to the V3b hotend that came with your machine before diagnosing things further. The E3D is rated to 300C out of the gate.
The V4 is not a drop-in replacement for the V3b either, and is a more invasive upgrade consisting of two parts (the mount, and the hotend). The single doesn't seem too invasive (no wiring harness changes), but the dual is a right bugger to get put together, easily an entire afternoon. The entire X axis gets stripped down and rebuilt with new components. The hotends themselves are small and cheaper than the V3b, and
much easier to unjam if you cork it up like I do occasionally. The PTFE V4 is rated to 265C (IIRC) but MG has said it will unofficially do something crazy like 295C. There is an all-metal that they had at one time that isn't available anymore for some reason ... I managed to snag an early one and like it for ABS & Polycarbonate. Changing between hotends on the V4 is an extremely fast procedure, well under a minute if the thing is cooled down, and setting the Z-0 is also very easy as well.
If you have a newer machine (single 24v supply, modular harness), absolutely go with the V4 unless you have 20 pounds of polycarbonate you need to burn through.
