Comments on: Winning for losing

By: Rick Pollack

Rick Pollack — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:54:46 +0000

Right…I followed the thread. My point is that it never would have been posted and the latter stuff never would have been mentioned if there were regular status updates. I encouraged the local FabLab to purchase a bot and when I’ve been over there I’m told it was purchased but they don’t know where it is…

By: MakerBlock

MakerBlock — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 08:15:50 +0000

Not to beat a dead horse: 1. Favorable mention of MakerGear and berating MakerBot for not anticipating delays caused by Chinese New Year 2. Get the products before the ship date. 3. I can't believe cash from pre-orders was used to help bootstrap this business! The complaints are mostly from one person, but there are other examples. My point is, "Chill out - you got a pre-order just like everyone else."

By: Rick Pollack

Rick Pollack — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 02:44:38 +0000

Reading that thread as it played out…I think it was mostly just the result of lack of communication…

By: MakerBlock

MakerBlock — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:23:06 +0000

Actually, several people posted their frustration with MakerBot for taking preorders and with the nature of the delays once they were communicated.

By: Rick Pollack

Rick Pollack — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 12:25:53 +0000

Some people have expressed some frustration over lack of communication…that is about the extent of the issue.

By: MakerBlock

MakerBlock — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 06:14:28 +0000

My MakerBot was undoubtedly worth the wait. I’ve also found the machine itself to be remarkably reliable. Just about every single print failure can probably be traced back to operator error. That said, getting things to Skeinforge properly and getting the right Skeinforge settings for your ‘bot is the most frustrating part. Thankfully, it is consistently rewarding as you improve your machine and print quality.

By: Bo

Bo — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 05:50:36 +0000

YUP, agree with Devlin,

Its still a sinclair Z80 of 3D printing, but the customers gotta have their head with them, its not something from Sony that they can just pop some AA batteries into and play some tunes.

Aside from that, the Makerbot really turns out to be pretty reliable as long as one realize its limitations. Its worth waiting for.

By: Devlin

Devlin — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 22:07:48 +0000

Thank you! I share your sentiments. However, one would argue that we already have our MakerBots and have some kind of bias. I got mine about a month after I ordered and I was pretty excited the whole time I was waiting but I knew it was worth the wait.
MakerBot is starting to get hurt by its own popularity. It seems the userbase is getting more mainstream and there will be people that will be expecting this $750 machine to print the same stuff as a $30,000 printer, will want it to print things right out of the box with one click of the mouse and not contribute to making the machine better.
People that buy a MakerBot must understand that it is still in its infancy. To compare it to a previous revolution: the MakerBot 3D printer is at the same stage as personal computers when they were only available as a kit, programs had to be keyed in on 16 key pad and were displayed on seven-segment displays. If people can not deal with the problems this might entail, then they should wait the PC’s ten years for their own IBM PC/Apple/Atari/Commodore to come out or for someone to build the parts needed to make a RepRap for them (something I need to work on myself).
MakerBots are not a product that you go out to BestBuy and get because you saw it in some magazine or blog. It is a product that you buy to build and modify to make stuff. It is closer to a fruiting potted plant than a printer you buy at BestBuy. It requires tending, understanding and maybe even love.