looking for one that is more reliable and with more support then i got with my xyz printer
that statement right there says you want something in a higher price range..
$1000 or less is really not going to have the customer support you are looking for. Yes, the machine itself may be of higher build quality, but not going to come with much in the way of customer support. Granted, it may be somewhat better than XYZ, but not by much.
I, personally, am not a big fan of the Prusa style machines - I don't like the movement of them. That is my personal choice, however.
I also feel that the Prusa brand is overpriced for what it is - you are paying a premium for the name (kinda like designer clothing).
Again, just my personal opinion.
I have a friend that has a Raise 3D Pro2 printer... He absolutely loves it.. quality machine with excellent customer support - but not cheap (starting at about $4k).
He does a lot of work with a machine shops doing proof of concept, prototype and one off fixturing stuff - it is far cheaper to produce items on the 3d printer to check for fit before spending the man hours actually making the metal parts just to find out that a hole needs to move 1/8th inch, or a profile edge needs to be changed, or something else.
So yeah.. there are 2 basic categories of 3d printers - the hobby group, and the professional group.
Hobby group has some decent offerings, but pretty much no real customer support* in the $1500 or less range. (* - unless you want to pay for it)
Professional group has both quality machines AND customer support, but you are paying for that in higher prices.
There is very little "in between".
As an aside - I run a small fleet of highly modded Solidoodle 4 printers (3 of them), an FT-5 kit printer and I am a beta tester on a professional level printer - a spot i earned. I have built several kit printers from Folgertech - an i3 model and their kossel, as well as the FT-5 - all were decent enough for what they were. The i3 and the Kossel have gone on to other owners, and to my knowledge, are still running.
The thing is - ALL of them are/were open source machines - meaning I could make changes to the firmware, hardware, etc as I needed to in order to get them operating at optimum levels. They were not locked down to only run on manufacturer supplied software. And that, to me, is a big deal.
Solidoodle, the company, is no longer around, but the printers are, and for me at least, they make great workhorse printers if they are set up properly. The key is in knowing how to make that happen. Something that far too many are not willing to learn.
Which, i guess, is ok.. but expectations need to be tempered a bit. These things are far from a "plug & play" standard. Yes, they get closer all the time, but you still have to maintain them - more like a restored classic car than a home appliance, if you follow my meaning.
sorry for writing a book... lol - i tend to get that way.
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
