Buying Solidoodle 3

Try... (347) 457-6608 Best if you speak to Raffaele.

Mohamd,

From my visit to their factory/office it appears there is only a few people that would be in charge of responding to you, total office staff can be counted on one hand. Maybe they are just over whelmed with emails at this time,  I know in the past they have stated issues with their Gmail account, maybe try emailing them from another account. I know calling is difficult for you but I find it typically is the best method of speaking with someone quickly.

-  Is Solidoodle 3 a good choice for me?

There are many unknowns to this question? How technically competent are you? 3D printers (any brand) require some technical ability to adjust and troubleshoot. You will need a hand full of tools to work on the printer to clear jams, align the print bed, and make other adjustments that will drammatically improve your print capabilities. Some of the tools include a set of metric allen wrenches, pliers, dial indicator, and calipers. I also keep a razor knife and paint scraper handy.

- What are the operating and storage temperature? I ask this because my country Saudi Arabia is hot.

The printer should be able to handle the same type of environment that your computers can handle. You probably wouldn't want to keep it in extreme heat.

- What is the cost for purchasing and shipping? Is the price in my original post the complete price, or not?

This depends on your countries' import rules. In the United Kingdom, they require an additional import tax on goods that must be paid by the receiving party.

- Is there anything I should consider before buying? Should I purchase anything besides the printer and filament?

This depends on the availabilty of 3D printing components in your country. I found it is handy to have a spare Hot End available so I can exchange it if one develops a clog. That way I can continue printing while cleaning the clog. You should also consider purchasing some additional Kapton tape if you want to use the print bed in its stock form. Some users add a glass plate to the build platform in which case the Kapton is not needed. When I first started printing, I destroyed several pieces of Kapton while removing my printed objects. I've had my current piece on for quite some time now.

I am new to 3d printing but I think I will manage the printer with the help of the internet especially that I am in the IT sector.

Regarding the cost I am asking about the price that I will be charged by Solidoodle for the items and shipping to Saudi Arabia , is it the same price that I got ($1051.90) or are there other costs from their side like tax or others. I don't think my country will have import tax but that does not matter.

I will be storing it inside of course but our summers are hot. Outside temperature can reach 50°c and inside temperature depending on the location of the room could reach around 35°c. Of course during operation I can turn the AC on if it is needed.

It gets that hot in my garage in summer, and I can't print without skipped steps if there is no fan on the electronics.

I get 95F in the garage in the summer and need cooling on the electronics, and then in the winter I'm trying to start prints when it's 50F so the enclosure and space heater is a must.  I'm glad the S2 has a steel frame, I'm thinking a plywood bot wouldn't work so well.

40 is almost too cold to go outside.  But then a day that starts at 40 and cloudy can end up at 75 and sunny,  then drop to 55 the instant the sun goes down.  Makes it hard to figure out what to wear.  I like Hawaii, they have PID for the weather- High 75, Low 70.

I got reply from Solidoodle through Skype.

I am almost ready to buy, hopefully today. I think Solidoodle3 is good choice for me, but I have some questions.

1- Solidoodle3 can print both abs and pla filaments, right? What are the main differences or uses for each? Is abs plastic strong for toys? Are these plastic healthy? I mean that someone could print special plate for children to eat from.

2- Should I order one filament spool or two? Note that it will take time to order and ship subsequent spools to my country. Should I select natural filament and paint the output with the desired color? What type of paint should I buy?

3- What should I order besides the 3d printer and filament in order to have good operation and results?

Thanks Ian.

Do I need other parts from Solidoodle like kapton tapes or other things?
Or are the parts you mentioned are enough?

Regarding the abs filament, is the natural color the best choice?

Regarding the parts you mentioned are these links represent good choices?
I am not allowed to include links that I got from first page of searching amazon for each of them.
- Primer paint.
- digital calipers.
- dial gauge.
- Any type of tweezers.

Sales? Mohmad was looking for sales, I assume Customer "Experience" fell in that category. Maybe put a better contact system in place for potential customers...

All orders are done directly from the website. People with special needs may be sold the printer directly via Paypal. In terms of asking questions about the printer, customers may e-mail support directly, or contact us via skype, IRC, reddit, facebook, twitter or carrier pigeon Raffaele does not take sales calls, and has no particular expertise in sales.

If you call, either I or Joel will pick up.

I think there is a major piece of confusion going on here. People come to the conclusion that Solidoodle has some sort of horrid communications system going on. Nothing could be further from the truth. The reality of the situation is that there is a large degree of interest in 3D printing, and we receive literally *hundreds* of inquiries a day. This means, even with several full time employees working on communications, it does take time to answer people.

There is also some confirmation bias here. Bad reviews always float to the top. Solidoodle gets glowing compliments on customer service from our customers every day. However, these people are less prone to shout this out over the internet. I am here to help. You will not be denied service. I have you back. Seriously. Give me call, IRC, Skype, Twitter, Facebook, carrier Pigeon. You shall not be ignored.

We address customers who hail from foreign locales directly on our website:
" Yes, we ship around the world – anywhere USPS or UPS goes.

In your shopping cart, you can get a price estimate on your shipping options.
At checkout, you can select the shipping option and see the final price.
Please note that we cannot estimate your countries import taxes at this time."

This means anywhere. Pacific islands, Arctic research bases, and Mongolia.
Just to list some of the places Solidoodles have been shipped:
The island of Niue.
The Australian Outback (including biplane for bush delivery)
South Africa
United Arab Emirates
Luxemburg
Cypress
Iceland
Ukraine
Kazakhstan
Belarus 
Gibraltar

We ship  everywhere on earth, excluding the handful of countries that U.S law actively forbids.  The Solidoodle works at all altitudes, temperatures, and barometric pressures.

If you are a potential distributor, and would like to make an appointment to make a bulk order or negotiate distributor relations, then the process is to email [email protected], where you will be routed to the correct authorities.

We are here to help. You will not be ignored.