We've had the MakerGear M2 for 4 years now and it has been a champ. We've run it at times 24/7 and had spans of not printing at all but this printer keeps going. We've pushed A LOT of filament through this printer, I've lost count how many rolls we've gone through but it translates to hundreds of hours of printing. In all this time, we've only had one issue; the M2 Printed Extruder Motor Mount broke. While I waited for the new one to arrive, I strapped a zip-tie around it so I could keep printing. I've had the replacement part sitting in it's bag for about 3 years now. The temporary zip tie continues to hold just fine.
Quick Review:
Cost - ~$1775.00 plus $50.00 shipping.
Purchased - On Amazon
Cost - $150.00 for the Simplify 3D slicer software
Purchased - MakerGear
Printer Type: FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling)
Construction - Steel frame and rails with some 3D printed knobs and the extruder motor mount
Build platform - 203mm x 254mm heated bed with 3mm Borosilicate glass plate x 203mm tall.
Hot end - up to 300* C, Direct Drive
Nozzle - .35mm brass
Prints - 1.75 mm. PLA, ABS, PET, HIPS, TPU, Polycarbonate, composite (Metal-, Carbon Fiber-, or Wood-Filled), and others!
Resolution - from 50 microns to 0.25mm with a 0.35mm nozzle.
Power supply - Detached power brick
Controls - None (requires connection to computer via USB cable)(LCD screen/controller available for $99 on MakerGear website)
Manufactured - US based MakerGear
Pros:
* Comes fully Assembled and is ready to print in minutes
* Print bed stays level even after pulling very stuck prints off of it.
* Compared to other FDM printers, prints quicker and still retains quality.
Cons:
* LCD screen/controller is an extra cost.
* Compared to other FDM printers, takes longer to heat the hot end and bed.
Issues:
* Print bed is heavy and due to design (bed moves to the top of the frame) can create ghosting in your prints. (I've had to create a mount which is screwed down to the countertop to reduce the ghosting)
I love this printer. It was my first and continues to be very dependable and accurate printer. It also prints fast compared to the other printers that we've used, nearly twice as fast the Creality Ender 3 printer.
Places where you can buy this printer:
MakerGear M2 Desktop 3D Printer
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.