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3D Printer Owner's Network Puts Together Buyer's Guide
Lucas123 writes: Thousands of 3D printer owners who are part of a distributed online network were tapped for a buyer's guide, rating dozens of machines from tiny startups to major manufacturers. Surprisingly, the big-name 3D printer makers were nowhere to be found in the top picks. More obscure companies, like Makergear, a 12-person start-up in Ohio, or Zortrax, a Polish company that began as a Kickstarter project, took top spots in the reviews. The buyer's guide, put together by 3D Hubs, contains five different categories: Enthusiast Printers, Plug-n-Play Printers, Kit/DIY Printers, Budget Printers and Resin Printers. In all, 18 models made it to the top of the user communities' list, and only printers with more than 10 reviews were included in the buyer's guide. 3D Hubs also added a secondary "Printer Index" that includes 58 3D Printers that didn't make it to the top of their categories. Printers with more than five reviews are displayed in the index.
This is exactly the kind of resource I want when starting a new hobby; And it just so happens to be one I was considering.
Chinese factories already do spit that stuff out by the ton. It is outrageous that 1kg of filament costs $35 to $50, when 1kg of plastic pellets costs $4 to $8.
One of the first things the hackerspace I belong to bought was a FilaStruder so we can make our own filament. We figure it'll pay for itself after 10 spools.