Topic: MonoPrice Select Mini v.2
I jut bought one of the Monoprice Select Mini v.2 printers. Originally I wanted to buy the one that was on their web site (the white one), but that's been out of stock now for at least 3 months, so when the v.2 came out (the new black model), I snapped one up just in time, as those are now out of stock too.
Anyway, in typical Monoprice fashion, I had the printer the next day.
The unit is pretty nicely made and compact, and for small (120x120x120mm) prints it's just fine. It comes with a heated bed, built in control panel with color screen, SD card support and a bowden setup for a E3D like extruder. In all, not a bad way to sped $250.00
The printer came with a tiny spool of PLA which was just enough to print the sample GCode on the MicroSD card, a Chinese Lucky Cat model. That printed flawlessly, albeit slow.
I put some ABS on it, and it will require some dialing in of the printer & material. While the MicroSD contained copies of both Repetier and Cura, the instructions are primarily for Cura, with Repetier setup being nothing more than an afterthought.
So what's my first impression, the printer looks great, it's well built, has many features not found in other printer until the prices goes north of $400, and it's certainly cheap.
The cons on the other hand are slowness. I don't know how fast this can be pushed, but based on the settings provided, it's maximum print speed is 50mm, and max travel moves are 150mm.
The other con, and almost a deal killer, is the noise level. Being that's it made of sheet metal, every little move is noisy, and that noise seems to be amplified by the chassis.
I'm almost tempted to send it back because of it. I have a Printrbot simple maker Edition, which is made of wood, and a LOT quieter than this. I suppose using my FormLabs printer for the last year or so has spoiled me, since that thing is nearly silent.
SD3 printer w/too many mods, Printrbot Simple Maker Ed., FormLabs Form 1+
AnyCubic Photon, Shining 3D EinScan-S & Atlas 3D scanners...
...and too much time on my hands.
