So far, very good. (update 7/21/2018 - We've purchased two of these machines. Both have been excellent. We've printed multiple spools of filament through them over the last couple months, have had them running almost non-stop. The issue with the Bowden tube on the first printer has been fixed by replacing the brass fitting. We used the extra brass fitting provided in the second Ender 3 printer we received. No issues since. The quality of print is great. We have done a couple changes/upgrades; we've added a glass plate to the heated bed on both printers. We just like the way 3D printers print on glass. Also have downloaded and printed a fan cover which protects the electronic box fan and a back cover for the control screen. We've seen these printers on sale as low as $189. In our Opinion a great printer!)
Quick Review:
Cost - $219 and free 2 day shipping with Amazon Prime
Purchased - On Amazon
Cost - $0.00 for the included Cura slicer software (found on the micro SD card).
Printer Type: FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling)
Construction - Aluminum extruded frame with V-Slot and POM wheel rails and other aluminum enclosures
Build platform - 220mm x 220mm heated aluminum bed x 250 tall.
Hot end - up to 255* C, Bownden tube Drive
Nozzle - .4mm brass
Prints - 1.75 mm. PLA, PLA, ABS, TPU, Copper, Wood, Carbon Fiber, Gradient and others.
Resolution - from .1mm to .4mm with a 0.4mm nozzle.
Power supply - Attached power with on/off switch
Controls - LCD screen/controller
Manufactured - China based Shenzhen Creality 3D Technology Col, Ltd.
Pros:
* The PRICE is EXCELLENT for this product, considering its all aluminum construction, quality parts and print quality.
* Heating hot end and bed is very quick.
* Whatever material is covering the heated aluminum bed, it really holds the PLA.
* Extra parts are included, like an extra hot end, additonal set of Bowden hardware, tools and extra screws and pieces.
Cons:
* This is a DIY kit and must be assembled. However, the assembly is easier than most. Build took me just over an hour. (see notes below).
Issues:
* The headed aluminum bed that came with my printer is not 100% flat. There is a warp in the cent (low spot). It's usable but I may be adding a glass plate. (updated 5/26/2018 - glass plate solved my low spot issue).
* Instructions could have been better. Nice color pictures, just not real instructions other than pictures.
Build #1:
I feel I'm pretty capable buiding things but there were a couple issues I came across while assembling this printer. The first is that since there are no real written instructions just pictures, its not clear when to add certain parts. I had to disassemble some items to get another part to fit then re-assemble. Mostly around getting the extruder and pulley installed on the cross bar. One stumper was that the bowden feeder was installed at the factory but was 90 degress in the wrong direction and I had to remove it and reinstall it correctly. The bed was not aligned and the guide wheels were no correctly aligned. Just a quick adjustment to correct. The build took just over an hour.
Another issue I came across was the bowden tube connectors did not work. The tube would push out as the filament passed through it. The plastic crimp would not work and hold the tube in palce. I even installed the extra connector supplied with the same result. This is still not fully resolved but I have a work around in place for now (updated 5/26/2018 - workaround still working).
Build #2: (updated 7/21/2018)
No issues encounted on the second build. I feel they are fixing the issues reported to them. Our first Ender had a model number in the low 1000's and the second one was upper 5000's.
The Prints:
The prints are amazing. Printed the sample dog that came on the micro SD card. It was increadible. I reviewed the G-Code and found that the resolution was set to .15mm. Have since printed some items at .1mm and they've turned out extremely well. I'm still working on the stringing issue though. Have been working on retract settings and getting closer but not 100% there yet (update 5/26/2018 - retract setting at 4.00mm has solved the stringing issues). I found that the retract settings are significantly differnet than the ones I use on my direct drive MakerGear M2. This is not the quickest printer out there so be patient, it will eventually finish. According to their website the max speed is 180mm/sec which compared to top speed of the MakerGear at 450mm/sec, it's a significant difference. But the qualit of the print is really unbelievable. It has it's own noise, although it's not as noisy as the MakerGear, more of a whinning sound.
Will it last and will be dependable? TBD. (updated 7/21/2018 - So far, no issues with the equipment. Solid little printer and easy to use.)
So far, I'm very pleased with this printer. It's pretty darn easy to get started and is pretty much a hands off printer once you have your settings in place. Just select the g-code on the display and go.
Websites where you can purchase this printer:
Amazon.com -- this is where we purchased this item.
Banggood.com
There are two brands of fiilament that we really like and highly recommend. Hatchbox is our preferred filament and Paramount is runner up. Both work excellent on our printers. Paramount has a lot of excellent colors to choose from. Both brands are available from Amazon and you can access our recommended list here.