3D Printer For $234?

TechLarry

TechLarry

RIP [H] Brother - June 1, 2022
Joined
Aug 9, 2005
Messages
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I don't know if it's worth a damn, but here ya go:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00V3J8JE..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=V6848N1Y968072B3ZY46

61tfSE6grYL._SL1000_.jpg
 
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those things require DRM'ed filament, and I think the cracking process for the DRM chip is a little trickier than for the large Da Vinci.
I have the full size version, and its started acting up after a couple spools worth of prints, so you really do only get your money's worth.
 
Pass if it needs a DRM filament. I definitely won't support any 3D Printer that requires DRM spools. Reviews claim that if you cancel a print the software still subtracts the total amount of filament from the spool as if you had successfully printed the cancelled object. But dam that is the price I would be willing to buy a 3d printer at.
 
I had no idea DRM filament was a thing and I have two Makerbots in my office. (I simply configured them, and I know fuckall about 3D printing) - but wtf?
 
I have one of the older DaVinci models running custom firmware... stay far away if you can. My printer is a bitch to calibrate and I have had to repair it several times already.
 
DRM weed eater string. Who would have thought?

What will those silly techno wizards come up with next?
 
So what exactly is DRM filament? Does it only let you print certain things? Or does it mean you can only use their materials to make something?
 
Or does it mean you can only use their materials to make something?
Click to expand...

This.

It's the same concept as ink jets with ink cartridges with a chip in them. That requires you to use HP .. ink and tells you its empty and must be replaced even though it still is 1/2 full just because the printer printed X number of pages..
 
sfsuphysics said:
So what exactly is DRM filament? Does it only let you print certain things? Or does it mean you can only use their materials to make something?
Click to expand...
It's companies trying to apply the same tactics to 3d printing as ink companies applied to traditional printing. That is, sell locked hardware cheap, even at a loss, because more money can be made by forcing people to buy the consumables -- in the case of 3d printing, filament. And since "Brand X" printers only accept "Brand X" ink/toner/filament, they can charge insane markup on that. It is essentially playing a shell game with how you pay for printing, in the hopes that you won't take the time to figure out how much it's actually costing you per page/object.

Companies, on the other hand, will argue that their brand of "ink" is actually a magical supersubstance, which makes your images leap off the page, while "bargain ink" will leave you disappointed and possibly impotent as well. There is some measure of truth to this, in that some bargain inks will water down or otherwise stretch their inks, possibly leading to slightly diminished print quality, but that's mostly the case of dollar store ink cartridges, whereas there are a lot of reputable OEMs whose product is as good as or better than the printer manufacturer's. The other argument is that printing technology R&D is expensive, and has to be paid for somehow. This is true, but most would argue that this should make printers more expensive, rather than the "ink" being used as a way of defraying that cost.

Nonetheless, to me it's a scummy thing to do, as it encourages waste, since this makes people more likely to throw out an entire printer rather than buy a consumable refill. In some cases it's even to the extent that a new printer is cheaper than the ink cartridges in it would be if sold separately. Hopefully it won't gain traction in the 3d printing world.
 
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