Opinion on Solidoodle 3 and UP! Mini

If you google 3D Printing Forum, this one is the #2 hit, and is a bigger forum than the #1 so it's going to grow beyond Solidoodle to some degree.

As for the Mini, I don't know too much about it but I've seen some references to the bed only heating to 50C which can make it hard to print ABS.  Printers at this price point all have room for improvement.  I'm guessing the Solidoodle is much easier to mod and improve than the Mini.

wow... why would you want a 4.5 inch cubed build area when for the same price you can get a SD3 with 8 inch cubed? that seems like a no brainier to me. also, printers in this price range have shortcomings. many of which can be easily overcome with community involvement. SD has an awesome community with members always innovating solutions to common problems. not sure if the same can be said of any of the "big name" 3d printers, that usually use closed source software to guard their technology (read: limit what you can do with your machine)

something is to be said for user friendliness. if you are a total tech newb that barely knows how to turn on a computer and calls geeksquad when the power cord gets pulled out of the wall... then you probably should not get a solidoodle. they take a bit of tweaking to get great results. but if you consider yourself a skilled individual, as in build your own computers from parts, build and play with RC cars/helicopters/planes/boats, or tinker in discrete electronics/robotics/arduino. then the solidoodle is the only option for you! of course you dont need to know all those things to get it to work, you just have to have the ability to search these forums and google for answers to problems and be able to read and apply what you learn without fear of using a screwdriver or soldering iron.

I, for one, have had a flawless user experience from my SD3 so far. then only screwdriver turning and modding ive done has been to improve an already great product, not repair it. but as the old proverb goes: "shit happens", so you have to be ready for it, with ALL 3d printers.

edit: forgot to mention. 3d printing is a hobby. its not something you just purchase to sit on your desk and hit print when you feel like it. be prepared to spend about as much time adjusting and tweaking as you do actually printing. its a rewarding hobby when you see something you just sketched up in blender go into use fixing a broken part on a real item. nothing matches that.

In Australia getting a 3D printer here, shipped is not such a cheap thing to do. So having the UP! Mini locally available meant that it was also on my shopping list.

However when I compared the price and capabilities, even shipped the SD3 came out ahead. Slightly cheaper to my doorstep, bigger print area and more versatility.

Oh and of course these forums, the people here and the advice on offer made the SD3 a logical choice.