Thinking about reviving my EZ3D Phoenix printer and actually getting a usable machine, but I’m not sure it is worth it. Are the $200 printers any good? I would like to cut costs and get this thing running smooth, but if I can get a decent printer for cheap then I don’t see the benefit. Anyone have any low cost suggestions for fixing this printer? Also, the belt system works great when I can keep them on track, so incorporating that may feasible?
It all depends on how proficient You are with repairing Your machine. I built my reprap 5 years ago and it keeps printing with very little maintainance. I suggest trying to repair, at least You’ll have the chance to better understand the mechanizm. Good luck!
Bin it and start again! The Phoenix was my first printer and it taught me a lot about printing. I made several changes to get it printing to some level but it has so many flaws you will never be happy with the results. Cut your losses and start again. Maybe use the parts towards making an i3 Mk2 clone.
I’m a long time watcher of this community. Pondered getting a printer for years. A sale ad from HobbyKing finally sucked me in. Bought a Malyan M200 (same as Monoprice Select Mini). This video impressed me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXr3KIltwOQ. Anyway, have successfully printed a few small things from Thingverse. Printer works pretty well.
My rationale was if I don’t find 3D printing interesting or useful, I haven’t lost much. If I do and feel I need something bigger and better, then I can buy bigger having got a bit of experience.
If you don’t mind the small build volume (120mm cubed), then go for it.
Thanks folks! After looking over the printer again and its issues; I’m going to try and mod it to fix it. I found a cheap mod to keep the belts secure and now I just need to figure out how to replace the extruder.