Low cost 3D printers

Hi guys, I’m thinking of getting one of the new wave of really cheap 3D printers to use for personal projects at home. I’ve been using Shapeways for my personal stuff and we have a Form 1 at work, so I’m just looking for a low cost filament based printer to experiment with so I don’t have to deal with messy resins or 2 week lead times. These are the 2 I am looking at but I am open to other suggestions:

Genesis 3D Printer: The machine of the future by XMachines LLC — Kickstarter Tiko - The Unibody 3D Printer by Tiko 3D — Kickstarter

I know Kickstarters come with inherent risk, but these seem to be some of the first printers to hit that sweet spot for mass adoption cost wise, provided they actually work. :laughing: Do any of you lean more towards one than the other, or would you recommend something else?

Kickstarter 3D printers are almost always a bad idea. Many many have failed. A few have succeeded, but its an exception, not the norm. You gambling your money on hopes that they can actually deliver a very complex product. This isn’t a simple product to pull off especially at the massive quantities these guys are expected to deliver at. If you believe in the product and the company. Then Kickstarter is great way to support a startup. If you just want a 3D printer, look elsewhere.

Also when do you expect to get this printer. Sure $180-$380 sounds great. But you wont see anything till Christmas time, if you ever do see it.
There are also variables that you can’t really gauge off a Kickstarter video, Print Quality/Speed/Reliability, all look great in videos, but what about in actuality.


If you want a low cost solution. Go with the http://printrbot.com/

Lots of great reviews on it. You’ll actually get it shipped to you in a few days and there are countless tutorials/ modification / and support forums for it. If you dont like it, or upgrade to a new machine, then theres a decent second hand market for it too, so your not out your full amount either.

Thanks for the feedback Sain. Maybe I am jumping on the hype train. I will have to consider the costs and risks of these options, but the price point is so appealing. Maybe I should go with a printer currently on the market or wait till the early reviews of these Kickstarter ones come in and buy based off of that.

The Tiko prints super super slow too. And resolution didnt look to impressive either. For $180 your going to get a good toy printer.

As a designer you might want a bit more speed/resolution.