Solidoodle 4 vs Solidoodle Press (Page 1 of 2)

I would buy the press because of the auto bed leveling.  If you don't have much time for maintenance, you will appreciate not having to spend a lot of time leveling the bed.  It can take several tries.

In the same situation as you, debating between the press and the 4. However, I don't think much information about the internals of the press have been released yet; just a big black box. I might go with the 4 since it seems more upgradable as of now. Will probably wait a week or two for more press details to be released though.

Was planning on buying within a week or two. Put it this way, if I decide on the 4 I want to be able to order it within enough time to have it delivered before I leave on the 28th. That may be a good idea but currently the Press is $150 below reatail and the 4 is currently $100 off so it would be nice to save the money and put it towards filament and maintenance which is required by any 3D printer.

I'm also worried about materials. I have a roomate and 2 suitemates so I want to print in PLA so they don't complain about the smell of burning plastic synonymous with printing ABS. Unfortunately, printing with 3rd party filament voids the waranty and SoliCare. The 4 doesn't allow the purchase of SoliCare and only has a 60 day warranty and the Press has the option of purchasing one year of SoliCare insurance.

I don't mind being out on the cutting edge, but my expectations are realistic.

Most likely they don't exist yet.  Explains why we can't get any other pictures or details.

Does anyone have any opinion on which is better for me just based off information provided about the printers and information I provided about my needs? I'm fairly technical (I know how 3D printes work and have taken apart and put back together a Makerbot Replicator 2X several times) so I can easily use the S4 but is the convenience of the Press worth it for me? I'm hesitant to get something that gives me so little control but on the other hand it makes my life a lot easier because I can buy insurance and let Solidoodle worry about problems for a year. Please help me.

Well I emailed Solidoodle asking about SoliCare insurance on the Solidoodle 4 because they don't offer it on their website and they told me that the S4 isn't a current model which probably means they will start to discontinue support for it in the coming year which is making me lean towards the Press. Any opinions? Hopefully I can pick tonight and preorder so I don't wait too long and wind up losing out on $150.

They know......... . Why did they put it back down?

refurbished and obsolete solidoodles are basically buyers problem 'as is' sale (taillight warranty). which in my opinion is much like when bought new as little help as they are. we end up doing our own repairs/mods many times using parts from 3rd party. so if you only need/want 8x8 platform buy a refurbished SD3 even for $399 use the savings to buy mods, filament etc. this is only one of the forums with many knowledgeable people for help resources. I dont even buy Solidoodles way over priced Kaptan tape or filament. for the price dif between makerbot even you could buy 1 of each model plus a Delta type from other maker. myself I do fine with my SD2 just may look at larger printer when they get better/faster if enough people want larger prints. but 1st looking for low cost powder type 3D printer for all my tiny prints without support material. one thing to look at is what model did they make the most of and likely to be lots of mods etc for. I figure slow as printing is we need at least 2-3 years use to pay for their investment b4 replacing it with another.

Mitch

IMHO this technology is a perfect example of planned obsolescence. This term is often  misunderstood and miss used.

sd has introduced  IIRC 8 models in 3 years. That mean every 3-6 months new product is introduced and old product discontinued.

. So when is the best time to jump in on emerging technology.  It seems 3d printing is on a curve. pre - order and save a couple hundred then the price goes up then 6 months later the price drops because a better cheaper unit is on the market.

Whenever a new design comes out, it is not always good. By that theory, there should be solid steel houses instead of wood or brick (bad analogy?). Whenever you add more features, there is a potential for more problems to arise.

I'm not bad mouthing SD or your decision, but just remember that you have ordered something with more bells and whistles than the other models - which were perfect for learning and modding. We all look forward to your results.