Introducing the Solidoodle 4 (Page 2 of 5)

Overall, I agree with the direction the Solidoodle team is taking.  New Product Waterfall planning.  What normally happens in this type of product offering is that the new top tier product will take the existing higher price point, and the former (SD3) would be reduced by, say, $100.00 from it's former price; and so on down the line.  Look at the likes of Apple iPhones / iPads as an example.

Personally, I think SD should try to retain the "Under $1,000.00" moniker at all costs.  They can now create the SD5 (or 4s) with an all metal hotend and / or better z-screw, keep it the same price of $999.00, and lower the current SD4 to $899.00.

And the hits can keep rollin' on!

Edit:  Throw in a dual extruder and then you can sign me up for a $1,199.00 price point!

We help those who help. PM me Brad, I'm sure you count for a Tooth Brush.

still missing an instruction booklet with a link to lawsy's jigsaw replacement. alot of more unhappy customers to come with the acrylic problem still there....
still peeved about my bent x axis rods.  solidoodle guys need better quality control even if it was just a full bed print at a single layer.

Honestly, $200 is not a ridiculous amount for the add-ons. Not everyone can build their own enclosure, and not nearly as polished as this.

But to be honest in contrast, I was expecting more for 'The New Solidoodle 4'. The entire meat of the machine is all SD3, with no exceptions.

Its more of a 'Expert Solidoodle 3'.

I guess that's a good point hazer.  I didn't think about it like that.  200 dollars and you get an SD3 with a sweet spool holder and a fancy shmancy case.

Though I guess I would have liked a pre-cooled x axis motor and a fan on the main circuit board.  c'mon solidoodle, 10 bucks worth of fans! lol

Now that they are trying retail support, does that mean that we can get filament at the store too?

I have a Micro Center 15 minutes from me at 85 mph on a Sunday. But I have to stay away because I spend way too much money there when I go.

I can see someone dropping the extra 200 to get the good looks and a warranty, a return policy and a service desk.

For my 200 I would rather get a prosumer version from the website with various upgrades.
A pretty case I can make myself from scratch, a bed that comes up to temp in 5 minutes I can not.
Besides, I like the "keep your fingers clear" look of the "classic" SD:)

They're not aiming at existing customers. 

Someone already said it, this is a move towards retail (which also needs extra margins) and a little towards more mainstream.   They're not aiming towards enthusiast (Mendel, Kossel, ...) although they do support more that other manufacturers perhaps, they're not aiming towards mid/high-end consumer (Makerbot, Ultimaker, ...), and they're not aiming towards dirt-cheap (Makibox, some Printrbots, ...). 

They're aiming towards a good price-point and towards retail/mainstream.  In those terms, the SD4 is a reasonable next move.  I might have added some simple anti-backlash device on Z (spring nut, whatever) and maybe a nozzle fan (although I can see how this can cause more trouble with "non-expert" users, so... not sure -- enclosure is perhaps good enough), but for ppl that are going to stick with ABS and just want to print, I don't see a need for radical departures from a mostly proven design.  It just needs to deliver a reasonable experience and looks.

This is product placement and marketing (which is necessary for SD to survive/grow, and I hope they do), it's not "if I had $200 what mods could I do at home with that"   Just 2c.

Always the way when a newer model comes out. if you give too much warning sales of your current line up stop, if you don't give much then people who bought the previous model feel they missed out.

I like the look of it and wish my case looked half as good as the SD4's.

I too am a little surprised that some of the refinements discussed on these boards didn't make it in, but I suppose if they did it would need to be across the entire line up to avoid segmenting their supply chains too much.

hi to the community
i just got sd3 today  and open the box top to see the inside .. and the sd4 is out! lol
i would have paid the extra $200 easily.  I am new to 3d printing and i am scared to death to try my first print..

My little pony bottle opener?

Now although I love my SD2 this SD4 does seem like a SD3+ or even a 3s !

They seem to have put more work in to the back to make it look and perform better than they have in the inside.
The images I have found show an awful lot of conduit from the board in the bottom of the build area, still with cables everywhere. You will look at these every time you go near the printer, it's just sloppy and looks cheap. A nice bit of cable routing costing next to nothing after you've had a quick think.

Take a quick look at the Makerbot and you can't see any cables (well maybe the odd little ribbon cable) it looks clean and professional, if you took the cover off the SD4 it would still look like it was put together in hurry. However the cover is nice, not $200 nice but nice.

I know most people don't like the jigsaw and want a better nozzle but mine has been working for over a year without a single blocked nozzle and I'm still on the original nicrhome heater, so those bits don't bother me. Even so I would have thought going to something like a MK5 to replace the jigsaw would have been prudent.

Silly things like the fan with one screw even though there are four holes in the back just seem like a lack finishing and the filter does what excatly? It's a little fan and you've decreased the throughout of it, not a great idea if you want air movement but don't let those micorparticles out of the printer ?!

I won't be upgrading any time soon, I will still recommend the printer to anyone I feel likes to tinker, but from me it gets a "C+, must try harder."

Oh and one last thing, For the love of anything holy will someone in Solidooodle headquarters buy the right damn length screws for the front Y axis pulleys, why are they STILL an inch too long?? I accepted it for the first batch of SD2's but that should have been sorted long ago. Putting the same screws in the SD3 was just wrong, in the SD4 I would have someone nailed to a wall by now. I had to cut mine down after scratching the back of my hand too many times pulling of prints that were stuck down.

Did anyone ever get contacted about doing beta testing after the support guys asked for it ages ago?

No, though there is an unrelated (and exciting) beta tester program on the horizon. Which I am administering myself. So talk to me about it

We decided not to beta test the 4 because it was so similar to the 3. We also had a tight timeline to work on. One other issue that was holding us back on beta testing is the ethical issues behind paying for beta products. Essentially, the machines are a little too expensive to give them away for beta testing, and even loaning them out can rack up bills (as the shipping is quite expensive as well.)

We didn't want to ask anyone to pay to beta test, or even pay for the shipping back / forth.

Instead, we shall focus on making adjustments to the product as issues are discovered.