What do people think about 500g spools instead of the 1kg that is prevalent? I print almost every day, over 5 machines, and with switching out colours/materials 1kg still lasts forever. If you could get 500g spools you could keep quite a few more colours/types in stock for less money and space.
I’m getting some nice filament made up to our spec, and am seriously considering getting 500g spools done as I think they would be popular at the right price. Interested in peoples thoughts.
I like the idea (especially if it’s offered in the US). I especially like when exotic filaments are sold in 500g/1lb rolls; it keeps the cost down for something I don;t need a lot of.
If it was basically half price I’d do it.
taulman comes in one pound spools. There is no significant savings in space, compared to the http://filament.ca 1kg spools. I could see it for more expensive materials, but not for regular pla or abs.
It’s good if you want to print more than one color.
well, there are many examples of filament sold in 500g (Taulman, Ninja Flex) and 750g (colorFabb)…
Also depends on the spool. Some spools are getting very tightly wound, and it can cause issues near the end of the filament.
Often, it’s half the material with only 25% reduction in price. If you never use up the spool anyway, I guess it’s a savings.
Please have the spools made of cardboard
When I started printing I coined the term shrodiners print, where when you go to bed at night leaving a print to run it both perfect and ruined till you walk to the printer in the morning. So here’s another one “filament anxiety”:Is there enough filament left on the roll to Finnish this print seems your 2x more likely to face this problem with smaller spools.
Provided the spools are wound on a fairly large diameter rolls it may be practical. I.e. half width rolls instead of half diameter.
@jinx_OI cardboard spools can flake off onto the filament and possibly clog your nozzle. The polystyrene spools can be recycled just as well (or reused), but provide the more functional choice.
As far as spool sizes go, i probably wound’t buy my main materials (white, black, prime colors) in smaller spools, since that usually means higher prices and more leftovers on the ends. However, for specialty filament, like Ninjaflex, Polycarb, Woodfill and so on, as well as for brighter colors, i think it would definitely make sense.
@Thomas_Sanladerer polystyrene it is then thanks for the insight Thomas
I print big stuff. The small spools will print one item without enough left over for another. For me this creates waste. I like being able to buy small amounts of new filament to test with but I stock big rolls.
A few places offer samples. I know Ultimachine includes free samples of random colors with every order. 3DXTech has free 50g samples, but they charge shipping if your order is under $50.
It would be helpful if more places that offer more exotic materials had small samplers - even if it’s paid, better than buying a whole spool that doesn’t work.