This is difficult to really know a printer is to own one. and if it your first kit or first printer you are in uncharted waters

Yep, this is where "to know" is to "have knowledge" and that comes from various sources, including friends and if all else fails, Youtube.

As for me, I thought, right, get me wallet out and put the padlock on it because I am not spending more than £100 on something and I found the GeeeTech ProB a reasonable offer when other vendors offering exactly the same were half as much again.

IMHO the lesson on buying a printer is to buy what you know.

This is difficult to really know a printer is to own one. and if it your first kit or first printer you are in uncharted waters

I built a Folger tech 20/20 I3 IMHO there are great advantages buying from a USA seller there tech supports is good.

it did take a couple weeks to sort the misting parts and the incorrect x axis location.
I have a background in electronics and mechanical things that helps.

The Anet a8 is a questionable printer it will print parts but needs some serious firmware work to make it safe.

The one printer I looked at that did look fairly interesting was the printer that they had that was made with linear rails and not like the majority which use linear bearings as it was sub £140 which I have yet to see on other hobby printers.

IMHO the lesson on buying a printer is to buy what you know.

Buying a kit is not the same as buying a pre-built printer, the main reason is legal liability.

If you buy a kit, it, from a purely legal standpoint, when constructed, does not have to work... Why... because your building it.

Now a ready built system is a consumer level product and that attracts certain rights as a consumer.

I would like to point out that buying a consumer level product thats ready built is not grantee that it works. The numbers of duff printers I see going through my local auction house is unreal. Last month there were about 20 3D Printers from a shop that folded and these machines were clearly returns to the shop being sold at auction along with boxed product.

So judging from what I have seen in relation to product going through auction houses, ANET would be one to give a wide one and from my personal experience as building a kit, GeeeTech clone of the Prusa i3 Mk2 or as they call it, GeeeTech i3 Pro B, the display on the LCD states... Pi3

Mods I have done...

1. Re-drilled, tapped and added a fixing bracket for timing belt to relieve tension by rotation through 90 degrees... The bracket I added was to help grip the teeth in the timing belt, the Geetech way was to punch a hole in the belt and simply bolt it directly to the ali block..!
2. Replaced the lead screws for Acme threaded screws and anti backlash nuts.
3. Teflon feeder to guide filament in to the extruder hot end
4. Removed and replaced the inadequate thermal shielding on the hot end.
5. Replaced the GeeTech fan on the extruder for a crappy 25p 12DV brushless fan that is 1/4 the noise.
6. Removed the fan that is fitted to the frame... NO IDEA WHY ITS THERE... does bugger all and removed the item, Driver cooling will be dealt with when the circuits are boxed up.
7. Added an anchor point so that the cabels and filaments have strain relief at the extruder end.
8. Replaced the current linear bearings for linear bearing blocks to screw on to the Y axis as current method they use is cable ties!!!
9. Re-tapped lots of parts that wouldn't fit properly.
10. Added a bed levelling sensor

For electrical safety...

Used proper heat shrink on the terminals that are currently exposed.

When the printer is functioning, the electrics are going to be housed within the PC that will be connected to the printer, the main reason being its an electrically safe cabinet and would make any potential live fault, go to ground and not make the printer referenced to mains voltage.

I think that the cautionary tale here is ... "Buyer beware" and do real research and for peace of mind, shelling out an extra £200 or $300 on a machine that is pre-built, comes with consumer rights, etc, sometimes peace of mind is priceless.

I am adventurous so I jumped in with both feet. So far, interesting journey.