[Review] Printrbot Simple 1405 Maker's Kit

After finally deciding to hop into the 3D Printing market, I started looking at cheap starter 3D printers. After finding quite a few that were fairly cheap, I began asking around for the most recommended 3D printer. This is how I was introduced to Printrbot. Seeing a printer I had to build, was definitely interesting, but the fact that it was much cheaper than the pre-built model made me quite happy with the price.




It wasn't until I received it, that I started to realize just how intricate this build would be. With pieces of plywood,  laser cut to make each of the pieces, I was reminded of the wood dinosaur models I use to assemble as a kid. After cutting all of the pieces with a box knife, I tried to familiarize myself with the parts needed for the build. Each bag was filled with different parts, and had a sticker with a bomb graphic, basically saying "Point of no return. Once you open this, you cannot return your Printrbot". While it was a bit intimidating to have a sticker telling you there was no turning back, having the wood planks, bags of parts, four large motors, and steel rails was almost overwhelming. Either way, it was time to build it.

After searching the entire box for any sort of instructions, I realized there were none, and obviously had to visit their site for any guidance what so ever. While the instructions were not the greatest, the build was fairly simple, but very time consuming. Six hours later, I realized I had an assembled Printrbot, but it only took fifteen minutes to find something wrong. This is where I think the Printrbot lacks behind others. Instead of having a list of guides to go through, you basically have to search out any sort of instruction past the build. While the 1405 page does give a few links, it doesn't give all the information a first-time user would need. Come to think of it, I don't know who else would be reading these instructions anyways.

Once I was able to finally get my Printrbot working like it should, I was more than happy, and filled with a large feeling of accomplishment. While the build was somewhat painful, I learned almost everything I needed to know for 3D printing in the process, as well as knowing exactly how to configure my personal printer for my prints. I don't think you can get that from any other printer that you buy pre-built, and from what I've read, a lot of people still experience the same issues, especially with calibration. Not only that, I now knew how the upgrades for this printer would benefit me. The XL upgrade provides a larger bed, a larger Z axis, as well as a built-in filament spool which I wish the base model had. You can also add a heated bed to the 1405, as well as a LCD panel to make it to where you don't need to use a computer to print. So even though it's the smallest printer you can get from Printrbot, you can always make it larger and still spend less than other printers.

In summary, if you want to learn about 3D Printing, learn to make awesome prints, learn how to make the even better, and have a great 3D printer at the same time, consider a Printrbot 1405 Maker Kit. With the low cost, I certainly couldn't complain, and the hardware is comparable to printers from other brands that cost twice as much. Overall, you can get a lot out of this printer before you ever consider another one, especially when you have the optional upgrades to make it even better.

On a similar note, you can find my Printrbot 1405 Addendum here, where I add all of the information I believe has been missed in the build. I've added this information to the Printrbot site as well.