Printrbot Assembled Simple 2013 3D Printer, PLA Filament, 1.75mm Ubis Hot End, 4" x 4" x 4" Build Volume

I would give it 5 stars but the manufacturer didn't mention a couple of gotchas. 1-The printer comes with a printed sample which has to be removed before using the printer. 2-The software used in the help files is out of date and the item has a fan which is not addressed. The device setup went smoothly once the software was loaded on the computer. The site has a link, ( to save on license costs) and I found other software packages that work fine. Word of caution; a tie wrap that holds the Y top travel bar in place hits on the frame restricting movement. This is at the extreme edge of the print range so for 99% of prints you can ignore it. The few prints I made came out well once the printer was set and level. The sample PLA sent with the device had kinks so I assume it was left over from rolls. I had enough to do 4 large chess pieces. Loading the PLA into the extruder required a light to see where the hole was. This is not for someone who does not understand mechanics and software, however once setup it is easy to use and a good value. I recommend this completed version as the kit is complicated and requires a lot of free time.

I love this machine, even though it has created an all-consuming 3D printing passion in me! Set-up was very frustrating due to small yet show-stopping things not mentioned in documentation from Printrbot. First, remove the sample from the plate and a panel of plywood along the side of the long "arm" before you do anything else. You need to set up the COM3 USB port mentioned in the online Getting Started users guide instructions if you are using Windows. After that, out of desperation when NOTHING worked, I found on the forum (suggested on Printrbot website), some essentials I can share: 1) you MUST follow a SPECIFIC ORDER to get to printing, a) plug in Printrbot to wall socket, b) connect Printrbot's USB cable to your computer, c) open Repetier-Host, d) click "Connect" (upper left on screen); 2) also, nothing will work at all until you click on "OK" at the bottom right of the Manual Control tab. There are certainly other gotchas and problems to encounter, but they are not too bad and quickly rewarded with very nice 3D prints. Still, I never could successfully change the Z home position (and my extruder was driving itself into the plywood plate), so all I've done is lower the plate, and I still can't find the alleged SD-Card slot on the Simple!

I bought this in Dec 2013. I incorrectly assumed that since I bought it pre-assembled, it would be a piece of cake to print. Boy was I wrong. First the spool threads for the x axis weren't correctly adjusted and it took months for me to actually get support to help me. After that I was able to print a calibration cube. Then after that, the extruder jammed so that I couldn't print anything anymore. Couldn't find any help for this model for blocked extruder. Tried DIY, snapped off the hot tip.Then I contacted their support via email of course and all the guy (who seemed to be based in Europe) wanted to know was whether it was under warranty or not and once he found out it wasn't, he mentioned something about buying a new piece from a store, marked the ticket as solved. My attempts to get an answer on a store location has proven unfruitful so far.At this point, I pretty much accept that I'll have to get another printer from another company. This company seems to be geared to work best when its products work the first time but if it doesn't it doesn't seem to have the ability to manage customer service nor does it seem to care about its customers. To be happy with this Company you should be a tinkerer at heart, hope the product has been built well the first time and if it hasn't, in terms of customer service, you'll have to lower your expectations much much lower than anything you have been used to.

The product quality seems top notch, very sound and solid construction. The start up was fairly painless considering you need to download startup guides, software, printer drivers. I needed some help from a friend more knowledgeable in IT issues than I. But I did get the sample block printed with moderate success. The guides have additional steps required for fine tuning the nozzle height and alignment and I have not done that yet.It appears to be a good machine once you get past the initial steps and develop a moderate learning curve.

For the price , this is a great introduction to 3D printing, and it seems like a bargain at ~$400 when competitors are up to $2000 more. However, it is exceedingly difficult to install and use, and I would not recommend it to othersSpeaking as a professional electrical engineer it took me 2 hours to install the drivers alone, and this product has been nothing but frustrating and disappointing. A few points for any potential purchaser to bear in mind: -1. This printer is based off open-source software and technology, and as such has limited support from Printrbot2. The instructions for installing software for this printer are limited, but require an arduous process of sourcing and installing work-arounds in Windows 8 to install an unsigned (3rd party) driver3. Some substantial corners have been cut to get this printer this cheap - it needs a metal or glass build-plate purchasing, and the components are cheap and wear rapidly (my hot end sheared whilst trying to remove the nozzle)In all, I would not recommend this printer to anyone. It is a complex and frustrating introduction to 3d printing, requiring a substantial input of time and effort, plus additional components and spare parts to get it working.Not worth the money or effort required