What's the best <$5k FDM printer today? (Page 1 of 2)

I've heard nothing but good from these guys:

http://www.fusion3design.com

have you actually read reviews on it? you don't want it, from all the negatives I've heard. how much build volume do you need? that'll help with suggesting alternatives.

I agree with jagowilson. There is a reason there is a class action lawsuit against MB/Strat. But not because of reviews alone.
The design of the "smart" extruder was doomed to fail. If someone had a fully functioning unit and has benefited from the hype, more power to them!! I considered buying one myself, but I didn't like where MB was going.

If you need height, do yourself a favor and get a Delta of some variety. You can maximize the height to your craziest needs with a little modification, and are open to other mods like upgraded heatbeds, hotends, and motors

Microcenter stores do demos of 3D printers they sell and MB and clones are among them. hands on demo is like test driving a car b4 buying. great idea!

Online reviews and hearsay only goes so far, a starting point.  Downloading the manuals (if available) helps.  Browsing forums as a starting point to make a purchasing decision may not be a good thing, unless you're willing to read all the posts.  Let's face it, most people come to a forum when they run into trouble, so to a newbie, just reading the post headers, it would look like a nightmare, and never buy the machine in the first place.

So for me, I generally have to see the unit (and it's output) in person before I can make a decision if it's worth my hard earned money. 

Every year I go to the Bay Area Maker Faire, where I get a chance to see some of these things live, and in person.  For me, the best output I saw straight out of the printer, was the Ultimaker 2.  The unit is also extremely compact and at least at first glance very well built.

I haven't yet started to look at multi-head models, other than building one from scratch, but for a single head model, I can't think of anything better than the Ultimaker 2 or 2+.

"Before a print starts the bed and nozzles need to be heated, Robox takes all the required heater settings from the SmartReel™ and heats both bed and nozzles in a very short time, <3mins for even the hottest settings. Next Robox will probe the bed in 9 locations, it builds a topographic map of the bed surface every time it starts a print and uses this data to ensure the nozzles are precisely distanced from the bed surface. Other 3D printers call this levelling the bed or gantry, usually a manual operation, Robox does it automatically. A mini purge refreshes the material in the nozzles and the print starts, but the clever SurePrint system is running all the time in the background, this is constantly measuring, altering and if needed changing hundreds of variables to ensure the print succeeds.
If something does go wrong, and to be honest things do occasionally fail to print, the SurePrint system will alert the user. There may be a tangle in the filament, maybe it ran out? In this case Robox pauses, lights flash, an alert appears in the software so the user can respond, resolve the problem and resume from where the error appeared. This pause feature is very robust and can be used to change filament colours, pause to insert captive nuts or other items or just to show off."

Have you seen the output first hand?

I also search Youtube for un biased reviews of a model I am considering even if its out of production now. thats what cooled my heals for the ibox Nano 3D printer. price seems to have little to do with how good or bad something is I learned like 25 years ago ;^)

Here is my take on Makerbot.
I have a Replicator 2x. about 20Hrs in I had a Nozzle clog using Makerbot filament.
Makerbot Replaced it under Warrenty. I received it within 1 week. at around 75Hrs the bed was warped so bad I could not print.
also replaced under warrenty.  At 200hrs the Board and card reader started giving me problems so Both were replaced under warranty. at 300hrs the be warped again and was replaced under Warranty. I have replaced a nozzle fan 2 times once under Warrenty
one because while working on the unit I stuck an Allen wrench in it. it is no longer under warranty (way 2 expensive) so i am hoping I have nothing Major go wrong. at this point I have over 550 lifetime hrs run time on the unit.

The idea of the "best printer" is going to vary depending on one's specific needs and requirements. There is no one printer that is going to fit everyone, just like no single vehicle will work for everyone... it is all subjective to your needs & desires (and bank account). My "ideal" printer is going to be very different than someone else's...

For some of us*, going to a Maker Fair is not really an option - 5 hour drive one way? nope, sorry, not happening - not in one day anyway (and planning a multi-day trip is a bit of a nightmare).
Not to mention that the machines presented at these fairs are so highly calibrated & tweaked, they are hardly representative of what the general public would be receiving if they bought one. The manufacturers want the printer seen in the best light possible and do everything in their power to make that happen.

We* also, most likely don't have a maker-space near by either, which leaves that option out as well - altho it would be a great option if you do have one near you. Go visit, talk to the folks there, find out the pros & cons of the machines they have, 1st hand experiences, etc.

For those of us* in this situation, online reviews, videos, forums, etc, are the way we research our options.

That said - one needs to take the time to visit multiple sites to get a good "overall" picture of what ever it is you are researching. Only going to 2 or 3 sites is not enough... a dozen or more would be more appropriate. The bright shiny new model is not always the best option...nor is the cheapest a good idea... One place may give a glowing review, and another be filled with problems. One has to take both into account and weigh the pros & cons to find the balance.

(* those of us in rural areas)

Just my 0.02 cents worth on the subject...

in all honesty, Heartlander, I can not justify spending over $2k on a printer unless you are an established business with a client base that will produce enough income to cover the cost of the printer in a reasonable amount of time.

As a hobbyist, that kind of cost just doesn't make sense to me. not when I can get excellent results from a used or kit <$500 printer with good calibration and setup.

I think far too many people want perfect, instant, plug & play results, and 3d printing (for the majority of us) just isn't there yet.