yizhou.he wrote:Yes, They are apple and oranges. I Did Not open your link before reply and Sorry about the mistake. I'm cheap, always buy minmal stuff and print the rest including layer cooling fan mount. It Took Me long time to Figure out How to make the part strong and Not accidentally melt by heat block. I would Not recommend it for newbies.
And there in lies the problem. Cheap is NOT better. The old adage, "you get what you pay for" holds very true in the world of 3d printing.
a TRUE E3D is capable of sustained temps in the 290-295C range with the stock thermistor, in stock form.
You can go over 300C with the installation of a thermocouple vs a thermistor - yes, there IS a difference between the two.
Yes, a true E3D will cost more initially, BUT, it will last for the long haul. My 1st SD4 got an E3D v6 back in April of 2015 - I have had ZERO problems out of the hotend itself. a minor clogged nozzle here & there from cheap material (again, you get what you pay for), but that is an easy fix with the E3D.
I keep a spare nozzle or two just for those times that something like that happens... Pull the filament out, heat it up, break the nozzle loose, take it off, install a fresh one, heat tighten, and back to printing in a matter of minutes.
Clogged nozzle gets dropped in a small container of Acetone (i print ABS almost exclusively) to soak the clog loose. Once it is cleaned up the formerly clogged nozzle goes in the parts drawer to be used again the next time.
In 3 years, of often heavy use (8-10 hrs a day, for 6 days a week) I think I have had to change the nozzle out maybe 3 or 4 times.
If I had to guess, I would say I have somewhere around 6500-7000 hours, possibly more, on that one E3D. I have never had to change the thermistor due to failure, nor the heater. I did, however, upgrade to the new style heatblock & thermistor just this past winter... I figured the original had more than enough hours on it to justify doing so, and I was beginning to see some temp fluctuations that were just a little off.
So you tell me - did I get my money's worth out of it? Nearly 3 years and thousands of hours of print time for my $70?
I think I did.
SD4 #1 & #2 - Lawsy carriages, E3D v6, Rumba controller board, mirror bed plate, X motor fan, upgraded PSU & Mica bed heater
SD4 #3 - in the works ~ Folgertech FT-5, rev 1
Printit Industries Beta Tester - Horizon H1