Building a RepRap-style 3D Printer without buying a full kit is still the purist’s way to go - it’s the cheapest and most flexible way of acquiring a 3D printer, but there are a lot of chances where stuff can go wrong. In this mini-series i’ll try to cover the most important spots while Luk builds his iTopie i3!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5FqrycYL40
That’s basically what I wanted to do, Until I looked closer, For one thing the cost of the plastic parts was around $50, The Motors around $60, The heat bed and Aluminum plate around $50, The Board around $60, The wiring around $20, The power Supply around $30, The The rods, around $45, The head around $20, Screws nuts and bolts around $18. 1KG of PLA around $25, One frame $69. Or buy a full SS kit for $269 for about half the cost. I just got the kit yesterday and the quality of the product is great. Just some scratches. but they used really good parts. I think the wiring is a bit on thin side, but everything else is top notch. http://www.aliexpress.com/item/full-Metal-Reprap-Prusa-i3-3d-Printer-DIY-kit-Stainless-Steel-Easy-Installation-2-Roll-Filament/32586716087.html <-- That’s the one I got.
@Jeff_Dewe i love Aliexpress and i buy lots of stuff there, but i’ve found that while simple things like DC-DC converters, motors or couplers typically turn out great, more complex articles are often hit-and-miss.
I really enjoy your videos :), I’m currently assembling the SS printer as we speak, A lot of it is already comes assembled. Only about 50 screws total. I would say about a 2hr kit. Not much plastic at all, mostly metal. I’ve seen a lot of cheap kits in this price range, but this one really stands out. Hope it prints as well as it looks 
Should be ok it comes with a E3D V6 J-Head. Also had them give me a MKS Base clone board, but I’m not going to use it until I upgrade the wiring, Plus I’ll change some of the parts on the board, like the fuse and solder the +/- direct. Like I read on here to do
Its nice to see those videos
When building on tight budget its easy to build printer under 200 usd
@Jeff_Dewe , there is no such thing as an “E3D v6 J-Head”. You have a knockoff E3D. E3D is a brand name. J-head is a brand name. It’s like saying you have a “Genuine Nike Adidas” shoe.
Thank you so much for your videos, its helped tremendously. I have a question with something you briefly say in this video. You seem to imply corexy is a better design. Can you explain why?
@Dovid_Teitelbaum CoreXY is neither a superior nor inferior setup, it’s simply a solution to a particular problem. There’s nothing wrong with a properly implemented “stacked X-Y” setup, and it as well as CoreXY can work well.