Comparing a $65,000 3D Printer to a $350 home 3D printer

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This past weeks we decided to test print some minis on the phrozen 8k 3d printer and compare that to master print copies from the digital wax laser 3d printer DWS029.
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Phrozen Sonic Mini 4k
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Emil On
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Painting miniatures for your warhammer & d&d games. Age of sigmar and warhammer 40k. Blood angels, Slaanesh, Death Guard, Space Marines, Space Wolves, Stormcast Eternals, painting scale models, miniature busts! How to paint NMM. How to paint warhammer, how to paint d&D figures.
correction in the video: it say the 4k printer costs $4000, the actual price is $350.

[@SquidmarMiniatures]

If you want to try out the brushes we use when we paint you can find the Squidmar Brushes & Exclusive miniatures here: www.squidmar.com/latepledge

[@RoLee705]

Where’s your white table lamp for painting minis from? The length of it is great for covering surface area!

[@SquidmarMiniatures]

@@RoLee705 www.squidmar.com/gear :)

[@DeaconCanle]

just out of curiosity could you post an estimated cost of printing for these minis? I used to play 40k tabletop and was always exasperated at the prices for so few models (I played Tyranids) and dreamed of 3d printing my own minis but could never afford a printer. I thought it would be sooo much cheaper to print myself than to buy but to get a similar print quality I'm not so sure anymore.

[@jdpaysnoe]

You should try this again, but do it blind so that you do not have any possible bias by knowing it comes from a specific printer.

[@BestTrader-hp2sd]

Where can I buy the art? Can I request the ones I actually want?

[@Daredhnu]

My take away from this video is that the the home printers are perfectly fine for the average user and the industrial ones are not worth the price unless you're actually in the industry.

[@DiosNorte]

correct, with fdm printers exactly the same thing happens. For my work I have seen industrial FDM printers, with prices above 65K and I assure you that the quality is not far from a "good" domestic printer. These printers often have other advantages. I use a formlab3 and an anycubic photon mono 4k, the difference is not so much in the quality as in the work process. The formlab is very clean, it does not require maintenance, it does not smell, it does not dirty, it does not calibrate, it is plug and play, hence its price difference.

[@definitivamenteno-malo7919]

@@DiosNorte I guess speed is also something to be concerned about, and that pro-printers may be faster?

[@anecro]

What a surprise, right?

[@anakinskywalker4442]

Ikr, to me it looked almost the same minor smaller details which can be corrected with paint

[@newtybot]

That’s true for basically everything

[@Wijkert]

I feel like all of them having the same coat of primer on them would make it easier to compare them. The color of the resin makes too big of a difference otherwise.

[@SquidmarMiniatures]

For the video you are right, but priming would also be a big change for the minis thats not controllable enough in our opinion, ie if we primed it a little thicker on one mini it wouldnt be fair. Hopefully my reaction can showcase the difference enough.

[@Wijkert]

@@SquidmarMiniatures I feel like priming with an airbrush would have giving you enough control to get the same layer of paint on each mini. I think the difference in how thick the primer coats where has less of an impact than the color of the resin does on your ability to compare the sculpts. Don't get me wrong, I love comparison videos like these, just thinking about how to improve thinks for next time.

[@gudtimes6363]

@@SquidmarMiniatures maybe just show both?

[@SquidmarMiniatures]

@@gudtimes6363 well reconsider if we revisit it like a year from now or so, but i feel like weed need some new big leap in home printing to be worth it :)

[@stingray4567]

I also hoped you'd basecoat before comparison. Also, if the models are similar enough you're worried that a coat of airbrushed paint will affect the comparison, I'd argue the differences are small enough to be irrelevent.

[@robertbensch7748]

(15k printer user here) Short note on the technology used: DWS is a SLA (Laser based) printer, Solus Pro is a DLP (Projector based) and the Sonics are LCD printers, which have come a long way in the last couple of years. Those are reiterated at an incredible rate, while the professional units are built for longevity, repeatability and basically a "put it on there, support, and do something else" approach. The Sonic 8k arrived just now on the market, while the solus was introduced with a 2k Projector back in 2019, and the DWS029 is being sold for even longer now, with various minor changes and propriaroty resins which perfectly fit the technology used. DWS and Solus are marketed towards the jewelry sector where absolute precision in all dimensions is most important, not necessarily resolution (Solus has about 40 micron XY resolution, DWS has a laser spot of about 30 microns if I remember correctly). I´ve had phrozen printers as backup systems standing around if something should break on the professional printer, but the dimeonsional accuracy on those is really an issue if you have to set a hundred diamonds on a piece and every prepared setting has a slightly different dimension depending on orientation of the model. That´s lost money right there. But for miniatures and almost all (even professional) use cases where you don´t need to rely on your output to be perfect every time the phrozen machines are absolutely sufficient. As you said, for a mold master of incredibly detailed models like yours, you should always use the best available machine like the DWS.

[@EternalQuestion]

That 65k printer does seem to be amazing, but I guess you'd hope it would be at that price! BTW, a blind test might have been better, that way you'd eliminate any possibility of confirmation bias.

[@MadameMinty]

Blind test, identical resin and a proper camera to zoom in.

[@manlymcstud8588]

true. the results would have been the same, but that would have definitely have been a better test.

[@EdenFalCie]

not hope.... for 65k i would demand it be perfect and give me a damn HJ while its at it. 650 out does all of the others as far as cost to quality goes. no one should spend 1000 times the price for 10% better quality at best. thats insane.

[@EdenFalCie]

@Ruben Friedetzky im only talking about the general audience of the channel. i realize business' thats sole purpose is to deliver the best quality would make that investment worth it. i should have clarified. but yeah if i had the money to burn i think id still go for the 650 one. for personal use its fidelity is good enough to where a little sanding and polishing would make it close enough to perfect. but unless i was going to make it a small side business the 650 one is amazing for the quality to dollar ratio.

[@nitrocell9287]

At that price I better be able to fly in the damn thing. its funny to hear people justify a ripoff

[@DylanGeick]

Oh god… not me trying to justify a $65k printer in my head already

[@SquidmarMiniatures]

Hahahaha 😅

[@Holztransistor]

The build volume is small. 150 x 150 x 100 mm.

[@gamersresidence6040]

rent it or comission it ;)

[@Belgriffinite]

The 8k was still fantastic, without seeing it next to the 65k printer you'd be happy with it

[@AntonGully]

Just give everything a coat of gloss house paint and you'll stop worrying about all those pesky details.

[@travisatwell2855]

I've never played any table top stuff and never even looked into this world until I found this channel. I love watching you guys build stuff and he process is amazing. I for sure will be jumping into your stuff

[@iantait309]

Yes its an amazing hobby. One that you can take are far as you like and if you do dive in deep there's plenty there. Also the community is great. p.s. This is one of the best channels.

[@porgstew3657]

Yeah, its great i dont even like the theme but hes so good i can get ideas for anything. It really shows that even tho our themes are so different, its all one idea that we sit down for hours, make other people think we have gone crazy, then show them that we didnt not eat or drink for 8 hours because we are crazy (we are) but because we can take a piece of plastic and turn it into something amazing. Hope you enjoy the exiting, painful, fun adventure

[@richards.7407]

welcome to the hobby :-)

[@michaelsorensen7567]

any aspects in particular you find interesting so we can help the algorithm recommend other creators too? :)

[@acerld519]

You'll need a good broker for the new mortgage on your house to pay for the stuff :)

[@guyrigby109]

I think alot of that percieved sharpness is also the resin. Some resins just the color washes out some of the details. The most fair comparison would be if you primed each one. It's crazy how much just the color of the resin affects perceived sharpness. Lighter gray resins for example, you tend to lose details. Also alot of resins are like slightly transparent when cured, so the final print looks a bit softer, throw some primer on there and bam, all of a sudden alot of hidden detail gets revealed.

[@nicholasbira2817]

One complaint I have here, is that the low cost resin printers were clearly washed with dirty alcohol; the frosting from mediocre post-processing really degrades visual quality

[@queen_zoestra]

i was noticing the same thing, i've found that giving the figures a hard scrub with a toothbrush and warm, soapy water will get rid of a lot of that white residue left on the model from the 4k

[@Holztransistor]

@@queen_zoestra I would not used a toothbrush on fragile details of a miniature. Just do the washing in three steps. First bucket to get the majority of the resin off. Then a second step in another bucket and 3rd step with clean IPA gets it absolutely clean. Change the IPA as necessary. You will always have absolutely clean models after the 3rd step without the need of mechanical "tools" like brushes.

[@unionpivo]

@@cenciende9401 My printer is en route. I am trying to familiarize myself with all the additional stuff. Can you recommend a video or a guide, that covers details like that. I watched a few, and don't remeber washing figures in water, after the ipa bath. Also I see some people using ultrasonic cleaners, but i am not sure if they use water or ipa inside.

[@SB_Artsy]

Primer also didn't help, it was sprayed on heavy from how spotty it looked

[@Dan-gq9jq]

@@cenciende9401 So what youre sayig is after you do an alcohol wash, do a water wash then the final cure?

[@housecaldwell]

The fact that you have to look so closely to see the difference between the $65k printer and the sub-$500 home printer is amazing.

[@SquidmarMiniatures]

Between the 350 dollar and 65k the difference was big. But the 8k printer. God daum

[@UncleJessy]

Absolutely amazing to see how the consumer market for resin printers is evolving! Fantastic comparison video... and man I need whatever lens that is you're using haha my close up shots look like 💩

[@SquidmarMiniatures]

Thanks mate. Yeah we've been crazy impressed with phrozen! Also: Doode, m50 with kit lense ;) don't have to be more advanced

[@UncleJessy]

@@SquidmarMiniatures well hot damn. Will be looking to grab one of those

[@SquidmarMiniatures]

@@UncleJessy grab a good desk lamp first maybe:) get the light up close

[@MikeTheGamer77]

Too bad the prices aren't.

[@Galf506]

@@UncleJessy it's all in the lighting, the kit on the M50 is very average entry grade glass. A 450D from like 10 years ago with its kit lens would do just as good!

[@666Azmodan666]

on a lighter color everything will seem sharper - that's the nature of light ... a slight change and it can completely change the perception of a sculpture. If there were no shadows, we would not be able to see the shape at all. Delicate tiny shadows blend with gray colors, so we can not see small details at all.

[@frenchii111]

I would have preferred a comparison after priming. I feel like the 8k got an edge because of the darker resin, making it appear sharper to the eye. Still a fun video

[@11Camzilla]

Can't wait to see the rest of the land you've been making!

[@SquidmarMiniatures]

I've been having so much fun, cant wait to show the rest :)

[@AlphaMachina]

The DWS is incredible, but it's still amazing what you can get out of a printer that's a fraction of the price. If I absolutely needed a $65K printer for prototyping or masterwork, that'd definitely be the way to go commercially or professionally. But as far as hobbyist level, you can't beat what you get out of the $300-$700 price range.

[@Holztransistor]

Either I missed it or some details are missing here. The XY resolution of the Solus Pro and DWS 029D. But fortunately this can be found on the web. Compact size 2K mono printers in the 6 inch LCD range (Mars 2 Pro etc.): 50 microns XY resolution Compact size 4K printers (Mini 4K, Mars 3, Photon Mono 4K): 35 microns XY resolution Longer Orange 4K (5.5 inch mono LCD with subpixels): 31.5 x 10.5 microns XY resolution Midsize 4K printers (Saturn/Mono X for example): 50 microns XY resolution Photon Mono X 6K: 34 microns XY resolution Phrozen Mini 8K: 22 microns XY resolution Solus Pro (DLP printer): 42 microns XY resolution DWS 029D (laser printer): 25 microns XY resolution

[@BrandonGiordano]

It must feel so cool to see something you created come basically come alive and be able to hold it in your hands

[@home-dream-records1399]

Ive never thought that the difference was so big between 4k & 8K Wtf.. Its as you saight so much sharper and tighter. Thanks for this impressive video !

[@Lilitha11]

The last one definitely had a large improvement, but rests seemed incremental. I am not sure it would make a difference after you paint them.

[@aa-tx7th]

100000% would not...not even the last one. not by a LONG shot. all those little holes and lines will never survive even the best, most patient, most meticulous paint job.

[@OTOss8]

A blind comparison would have been nice. Have a friend or someone prepare them and you choose the best without knowing which is which. It's a very cool video though, I appreciate you putting this comparison together. It gives me a ton to consider.

[@marxniuscalgar3338]

yeah yeah cool now MOAR MANTA!

[@SquidmarMiniatures]

give us two weeks :)

[@gr4692]

@@SquidmarMiniatures thats too much time :(

[@marxniuscalgar3338]

@@SquidmarMiniatures can't wait dude :)

[@KingZedusPrime2009TyrentKaiju]

@@gr4692 make it faster than

[@CreamAle]

8k and sol looks like the main difference was the resin and it's surface tension. If you look at 8:15 when comparing the necklaces it just looks like the resin was too viscous and welded it to the body.

[@Holztransistor]

The resin can indeed have a great impact on print quality. I'd like to see how Nova 3D Red Wax like resin turns out when used on the 8K printer.

[@saxplayingcompnerd]

I want to see the same resin batch used on all 3 printers. The resin quality makes a big difference.

[@patrickbateman69420]

Man that $65k printer is INSANE quality! But since I'll never be able to afford that, paying 1% of that price for the Solus 8k still gives very impressive results

[@SquidmarMiniatures]

Absolutely, for home use its crazy with the phrozen 8k printer.

[@Holztransistor]

In every Mini 8K review I've seen the prints had layer shifts. Most were minor, but that's the difference between a consumer printer and a professional one. The quality of the mechanical parts (tolerances/accuracy). But swapping the parts on a consumer printer with better ones (accuracy class H) can improve the machine a lot.

[@joek600]

@@Holztransistor I never understood why there is not a company offering an intermediate solution. Like around the 1000-1500 euros pricetag but with better build and QC.

[@Holztransistor]

@@joek600Most people only see the price tag. Their "sweet spot" for a sprinter is between $300 and $400. They would not understand how it makes a difference. Some don't know when their current printer isn't working as it's supposed to. I frequently see masterfully painted prints, but they have layer shifts. It always makes me sad. There even are manufacturers who post flawed prints on their social media as ads. In one case, when I pointed that out, they quickly deleted the post. On the Saturn Elegoo silently modified the z-axis after about 6 months. The pre-order and early production models had 12 mm rails. Then they switched to 15 mm rails and made the z-axis wider. They also braces the sides of the z-axis to prevent it from tilting forward from the suction on large prints.

[@Holztransistor]

3:19 Discoloration on M70 usually happens when you don't use IPA but denatured alcohol to wash the prints. Or your IPA already has picked up too many pigments from prior washing of prints.

[@DenePaintsThings]

Great video as always Emil - it's amazing to see how fast at home 3D printing is progressing. I've been on the fence about buying one for ages, but the machines keep improving so much that I worry whatever I buy today will be out of date VERY quickly.

[@PaulGuy]

At this point, they're good enough that as long as you get a 4k screen or above, you won't be disappointed. The cost to quality ratio has really gone towards cost beyond a certain price point. I wouldn't pay any more than $350 for a 4k printer at the smaller size (Mini 4k/Elegoo Mars).

[@ultimecia102]

It is really great to see a comparison of the details in different price ranges. Those top end printers really produce premium products.

[@handznet]

Definitely not worth the price

[@Normalbrass]

Really great comparisons, and wishing you well on the road to 500K! I would have loved to see the models with a basic primer on them to make the colors consistent between them. I wonder how much the color between models can effect our perception of a model’s sharpness/definition.

[@SquidmarMiniatures]

I do agree with you, we went through it here in the office but decided that priming would add another factor thats not 100% controllable. IE could be applied thicker on one mini than the others and skew the results. Its not as easy to see through the screen tho. So we might reconsider if we revisit it 2 years from now :)

[@Normalbrass]

@@SquidmarMiniatures Absolutely understand why you didn’t do it in the video for consistency’s sake. Sample sizes would probably be too small. Thanks for the reply, this channel is such excellent content for the hobby!

[@cromcraft3494]

"No gaps on anything" Me staring at the massive gap above his betbuckle 😐 Lol they look great

[@hunzukunz]

the 65k one looks pretty much like a digital model looks like. the amount of detail is insane. i wonder though how much difference it would make when painted. since this level of fine detail would probably be loster under the paint? overall insane how good the affordable 3d printers already are.

[@chrisvelo2595]

That's why I think he didn't prime them all the same since it would add a layer of paint that might obscure details. It's cool but highlighting with paint would probably produce a more striking effect overall

[@KabinMiniatures]

I'm a sucker for these kinds of tests, thanks for the very satisfying video!

[@oneoranota]

The DWS029 makes the 8k look like a toy. Which it is, but still... it's so lifelike. Are you not going to lose details when painting it ? Even with ant surgery tools, the thickness of coating will swallow these 10 microns creases...

[@Immortal_BP]

7:26 notice the scratch marks on the blade of the axe. the solus pro is many times more detailed and u can even see pixelation on the 8k scratches.

[@thecyberhobbit]

I feel like when you're doing the comparison the color of the resin and the light reflecting on it makes 1 look better than another. Would be cool if they were all the exact same color (I know that might be difficult) but when the margins of accuracy is only 1-2% off, the color/light could make the difference in your mind.

[@bjrnerikmol7737]

Just what i was thinking.

[@mai2015]

Squidmar becoming one of the most popular hobby channels to me is so so surreal!!! I remember him having 2000 subs!!!!!!

[@SquidmarMiniatures]

Me too 🤯🤯

[@nickdefrancis]

Awesome, just started looking at 3d printers for D&D minis recently this is great. Can’t wait to see you paint and unveil your creations tho! Love the idea of Aztec inspired druid-y smart orcs.

[@SquidmarMiniatures]

Thanks nick! I'm super excited about them :) cant wait to show more down the line :D

[@Baldur825]

One thing to consider is that these are 75mm prints. If you're printing 28mm minis you're not going to see such drastic differences between the 8k and the 4k on them as they're just about too small.

[@SquidmarMiniatures]

@@Baldur825 check out 3d printing pro's videos on the printer

[@PaulGuy]

@@Baldur825 This is one reason a lot of mini modelers scale for 32mm, it's not much on the table but it does make a difference for detail.

[@Andreani_Che]

The photopolymer at 8k is Phrozen, translucent, because of this it does not look sharp enough. To see the difference between them, you need to spray gray acrylic.

[@markarato8034]

I think the cheaper one is great value for the average user, especially considering that most people will (unfortunately) ruin most of those nice sharp details with the paintjobs.

[@israelpaterno8353]

Remarkably put, the primer process itself would ruin the sharpness by itself

[@gamersresidence6040]

Well played Phrozen. I have got that 8K in my sights now

[@HossDaddy206]

What he said: "I made my own fantasy world!" What I heard: "I made my own fancy world" I was really hoping for a bunch of fancy pants miniatures, whatever that means.

[@SquidmarMiniatures]

Mlady

[@fredkinney5600]

I have the same Phrozen printers 4K & the two 8k and I got them when they did a pre-purchase and they print really really well.

[@rachellejanssen2655]

I've been working on a 40k retribution class battleship for the past year or two using my ender 5 (with a 0.4 nozzle) and my old flashforge finder (with a new 0.2 nozzle) completely from scratch, based off of fan drawings and battlefleet gothic armada games. It would be my dream for you guys to print and paint it one day!

[@AKKK1182]

In 32mm scale? Where do you keep it, in your back yard?

[@rachellejanssen2655]

@@AKKK1182 I honestly don't know the scale :x it just started 2 years ago and it spiralled out of control. The complete build will be approximately 1 meter (3.2 feet according to google)

[@theclarkmaster3642]

Would love to see some of those minis painted that would be super cool.

[@stingray4567]

I wish you'd base coated all the models with the same paint before comparing. Unless the models are all printed with the same resin you really need to base coat them as resins can have very different; opacity, shinyness, color, etc which can make side by side comparison of physical details very misleading.

[@batmandalorian5504]

I know next to nothing about printing with resin but all I could think was "Um, these all look like different materials .. how can you fairly compare the printers if the resin is different ?" Even the color of the material in the same light may affect how we perceive the details.

[@mateuszmatuszczak5331]

@@batmandalorian5504 Not only was the material and color different, the "home" prints weren't cured or washed properly. I think we live in an awesome time for home printers. The details are amazing, and the prices are extremely low. Moreover, resin printers are getting sharper each year. Not to mention the fact that we're going to have a lot of DLP printers coming out really soon. However, there is some degree of skill required to achieve the best results.

[@Wolfie21384]

I want all the minis. I love orcs and that owl *chef's kiss*.

[@M4XC4V413R4]

Love your videos but honestly this video was not a good comparison at all, they used different resins, they clearly cleaned the models poorly just looking at the cured residue on the models (and anyone that does resin printing knows this alone makes a gigantic difference in detail of the final model), they most certainly cured it differently (different curing "stations", different times, etc) and finally, who can guarantee to me that the settings they used on any of the printers were the best for that print? That alone also makes or breaks the quality.

[@bitharne]

Agreed. While the models aren't the same; stuff I've done on a Mars2 Pro can compete with the technically better 4k/8k printers he was showing off. Nothing touches that 65grand one though...laser printers are leagues above resin (as resin is leagues above PLA) but the pay through the nose for that jump in the lasers.

[@InSearchForEpicness]

Haven´t played any warhammer or laid hands on a paint for at least a decade. I still watch every video. It´s just so relaxing. Let´s get you to 500k this year! :)

[@echtvergoldet]

I guess the phrozen 4k mini is supposed to be 400 not 4000 Euros?

[@marvindunze8482]

Came here to say this.

[@korihor9161]

We have a DWS at my work. They're from a company in northern italy like 40 minutes away from me. awesome factory

[@gazimoff]

Super hyped for a new range of fantasy models. And this comparison is just what I needed. We’re thinking of building a hobby workshop, and a high quality resin printer would fit right in.

[@SquidmarMiniatures]

I'm sure you'll love it! We've been so excited about it, honestly we didnt expect the difference to be this big! :)

[@mekko1413]

I agree with those that say they should have all been primed the same color. But as far as the detail variations printing an axe at one angle will make some details show better and others softer and vice versa so depending on the angles you will get a variation from print to print on the same printer.

[@truckstation527]

I’d be interested in hearing what the difference is in print times on these printers! Maybe you could do a show like that also in the future

[@Leo-pd9en]

So i can say the Prozent Printer will be the fastest. The dws Printer is an SLA so it will be the slowest. The resolution of that Printer just looks so amazing because of the resin. It plays a huge role in quality prints. Technically the Prozen 8k has the best XY resolution with 22micro and an Z of 10micro. The DWS has an resolution of XY 50micro and Z of 10micro. That’s not very impressing. As mentioned by others the phrozen prints weren’t properly washed so they look not that sharp.

[@bitharne]

@@Leo-pd9en doesnt the DWS (laser) resolution matter a lot less? I haven't done a ton of research; but what I saw on Laser Printers is they can "overlap" their exposures, unlike an LCD display resin one, to give you, effectively, infinite resolution? Maybe I misunderstood or the DWS can't do it (or the file itself isn't set up that way)

[@Leo-pd9en]

@@bitharne yes your right a laser printer can overlap the lines. I worked with Formlabs printers and they have a laser spot size of 85 microns and an xy resolution of 25 microns. So the need to overlap because the laserspot is way bigger. But the xy resolution is limited by the galvanometers. So the mirrors that are redirecting the light are limiting the resolution. Theoretically it is possible to have infinite resolution but you have to get better galvos and overlapping also partly overcures your print so the spot size and the resolution have to fit together. The laser has also a smoother outline because the spot is round and the lcd produces pixely outlines that can be a factor too.

[@jonasols]

Zion and Dea makes me smile and chuckle every time.

[@JohanEinevik]

Awesome that you make your own line of minis!! will I be able to buy the 3D files? I think the slight translucency of the 8K resin makes it look a bit less sharp. The DWS029D had a more opaque resin which makes it looks sharper I think. I don't doubt the DWS was sharper but I think the look of the resin played some part as well. It would be interesting if the DWS ant The mini 8k models were primed and the emil and his cred did a blind test

[@awildyoutuberappeared9325]

It also depends what resin you use. I use anycubic and I have printed figures as small as my fingernail and the details are insane.

[@njbolt90]

This video was brought to you by the word, “Sharp”! I have to say 3D printing is a whole other world to me and I’m happy to live that vicariously through channels like yours.

[@aguywhocodes]

For the Orc Shaman the difference is evident in the furrows from the nose to the upper lip, but can definitely see the higher detail between the two.

[@FrankieRogersArt]

I can not WAIT to get a chance to paint that mini. I'm in love with it, I love the ape like pose and the ornate jewelry to contrast it. I really look forward to seeing the other nine!

[@veerkillerx]

"An entire FANCY universe." Well, I do love fancy universes *raises pinky*

[@oneoranota]

The solus pro is sharper in the details, but the 8k preparation and finish is amazing and much better. Give the solus to whoever made the 8k version for the best possible outcome.

[@Rcmike1234]

I really enjoyed the video! Interesting to see prints off machines that are out of reach for most/if not all. If you get the chance to revisit this i would take print orientation into account. From my experience doing resin printing and ordering resin prints in industry I've significant effects on print quality from how the printer is setup and managed. There are fair number of factors other than layer height that you'd need to control to get a perfect comparison: pretty much all of the printing settings other than layer height(which you covered), washing/curing process and resin quality/age could all play a role. Not trying to detract from your coverage, I really liked it!

[@SweatiestDegree]

Dude as somone who does art if I ever get good enough to sculpt at this level I feel like I'd need a printer going 24/7 this is absolutely amazing and those 8k ones looked awesome!

[@sariusmonk]

As someone who runs a 3D printed miniature store and has been printing daily for 2 years now I would say that the Solus Pro had issues in delivery with a tooth missing, but otherwise was on par with the 8k, though the support removal on the 8k was done extremely poorly, with a lot of pock marks. I also feel you undersold your 4k printer due to the resin you used, then priming it a bit too heavily. For the best of the best these days I would wait for the upcoming DLP printers which will be the highest quality, easiest user interface and overall best result / user experience for the budget consumer.

[@TheTacCom]

He stated elsewhere that none of these are primed.

[@sariusmonk]

@@TheTacCom Except it clearly gets primed white during his comparison as it goes from orange to white with orange bleeding through

[@Holztransistor]

I will skip the first generation of consumer DLPs for build quality reasons (mechanical parts). Anycubic just used the case of the cheap Photon Mono for the Photon Ultra. 80 microns XY resolution also isn't that great. The Solus has 42 microns XY resolution (but a small build volume).

[@joek600]

@@Holztransistor Anycubic imo sabotaged the whole project by chosing to do it as a kickstarter and having a completely failed presentation. I was watching that live Q&A and I was thinking ''omg wtf are they doing''

[@Holztransistor]

@@joek600 Anycubic launched the Photon Mono 4K only a few days after the Kickstarter ended. I wonder why. What some people don't seem to consider when seeing a DLP printer: How often do I need to replace the light source? Can it be replaced? How expensive is it?

[@porkchop4401]

The pitchforks vs a rapier had me laughing

[@simonreilly213]

Took me too long to realize you meant fantasy land, not fancy land. To be fair both sound great.

[@nicolaso921]

Tracing the line between pro, commercial and industrial. Very interesting insight!

[@neolancer005]

I wonder how many years from now till we see a affordable printer thats on the level of a Dws 029D printer. The details are amazing

[@SquidmarMiniatures]

2-3 maybe :)

[@OACustom]

meanwhile, we now have 12K printers for $399

[@PeterSFam]

In addition o the washing suggestions slight adjustment (usually a decrease) to exposure times per layer will help sharpness.

[@bovineox1111]

Every time the quality went up the previous print started to look soft but when compared to the previous, previous print, it was sharp. That 64K printer was uber sharp.

[@marcoc.1646]

One thing that makes a lot of difference in printed models is finding the perfect settings and positioning the part in the print bed at the best angle. The models printed with the more expensive printers have been cleverly cut into several pieces (note that the torso has no arms and head). This method facilitates and optimizes the print quality.

[@joek600]

I think that they cut the mini because this is intended as a master of a resin production run. When a piece is going to be molded it must not have any undercuts or else it will be trapped in the silicone.

[@marcoc.1646]

@@joek600 I don't think that's the case otherwise all models would be the same. Anyone like me who has a lot of experience in 3d prints knows that by dividing the model into several pieces you can have a better quality than a single piece.

[@Madogen]

That really is amazing resolution on that print.

[@EdwardVarner]

Started a drinking game when he said sharp. Woke up 3 days later in a ditch.

[@kevinhayes517]

Thank you very much for the excellent comparisons of the different printers?

[@Copperzkey1]

I have a stratasys fortus 900mc use it for my work and Hobby's Also love your videos man you helped me start painting minis back in 2020 glad I found your channel your such a genuine person really wholesome much love Elliot

[@SquidmarMiniatures]

Thats awesome! i'd love to have a test mini from that if you'd be down to send me one! :D

[@Copperzkey1]

@@SquidmarMiniatures would love to you have a po box correct and if so what would you like

[@SquidmarMiniatures]

@@Copperzkey1 You can send me an email via my wesite and we can take it from there :)

[@Copperzkey1]

@@SquidmarMiniatures hey does Instagram work if not that's fine I can go through your website

[@FrozenDozer]

I think you should make another video AFTER you primed these minis. The issue with some resins is that they are a little translucent and you lose a LOT of visual detail when they're unprimed. These details come back after priming though. I feel like some of these differences between the resins can be explained by this alone.

[@SureGibson777]

I honestly don’t know how you don’t have way more subscribers.

[@SquidmarMiniatures]

Let's get there😍😍

[@derrickleung8014]

Random video recommendation led me to 40k in 40.min which lead me to this channel. Now I have started to paint the minis from a game i kickstarted like 10 years ago. And now I want more fancy tools and paint XD.

[@funx24X7]

The diminishing returns hit quick, which is a great sign for the progress of consumer technology.

[@fifski]

$65,000 for a plastic toys maker?! Holy crap! Living in parents basement at age 40 is becoming very expensive 😂

[@ludwigbeethoven7940]

This is the first ever sponsored video that got me to go pick up what the sponsor sells. Good on ya.

[@jbergene]

Remember that Industrial printers (And all sort of equipment and software in general) is meant to provide value for businesses and not private persons. Take the (relative) new company NEXA3D. They have about the same print quality as that those 1000-2000$ printers, but starts at 7500$. Because they also tackle something the hobby printers doesnt. The entire work process from slicing, to material handling, to printing and post processing. Its also after market support, spare part availability and the entire supply chain that big companies want to reduce downtime. Expensive for us, isnt necessarily expensive for a large company. In fact, a 50 000$ printer will probably be cheaper over long term, compared to a 3000$ printer over long term. (for a large company which has complex internal systems and high salary costs) Same with CAD software. Why arent large professional using Open source CAD programs? its free right? Well what if they base a huge design project off it, and suddenly something doesnt work. Where will they get support? How can they deliver on a deadline if suddenly the software doesnt work as intended 70% through the project.

[@PatrickSamphire]

Well, I thought that 8k print was amazing until you pulled out the last one. Shame I don't have a spare $65k. 😂

[@ringod123]

Forgeworld desperately need a Dws 028D, hell they desperately need a phrozen 4k!

[@SquidmarMiniatures]

Lol

[@morrisgunn]

I think you're being tricked by the color of the resin, except for the 4k which is actually a little softer.

[@MangaGamified]

Where's this $65k was made that has 180x the cost-of-living?

[@CKjamlopez]

this video deserves a sharpness and sharp word count, awesome video

[@SquidmarMiniatures]

Drinking game?

[@alessandrodevigili1413]

Love your work and your enthusiasm! And your suggestions. And your help. You area good person.

[@Holztransistor]

Can't really compare prints if you don't use the same resin on every printer. There already is a huge difference on 2K printers between M70, Nova 3D Red-Wax like resin and standard resin. Solus is selling prototyping resin that does cost $250 per liter. They only sell it to Solus owners. Of course I would expect the results to be much better. But the red Solus Proto Resin was not used for this comparison. So it's hard to say if the test print is the best result that can be achieved here.

[@adamdecoder1]

True! I've noticed this too. Using higher quality resins actually bumps up the quality of lower-res 3D printers quite a bit. I think there was a review where someone used 4k resin on 3 printers (2k, 4k, and 8k at the same aspect ratio) and the difference was actually pretty subtle between all 3 printers.

[@blueckaym]

@ 8:47 I don't doubt that the orange figure is sharper, but you know that orange also LOOKS sharper than the exact same one if gray, right? It's just that the eyes/brain can resolve higher contrast (ie apparent sharpness) in orange than in gray. That's the reason ski masks & glasses are made with orange/yellow tint to allow us to detect the much smaller differences of details in predominantly white environment.

[@godstudio2385]

I also using 8K 3D printer and it is amazing.

[@NBproductionspresent]

I think tuning the printer to it's full potential is what can make a difference. sure an expensive printer can probably get tighter tolerances as far as the hardware but if it was setup exactly the same as the budget printer in software, then the outcome would be exactly the same.

[@tconthepc_6958]

I feel like the 65k one was sharper but not by much, the difference in color is what really brought out details imo.

[@JR-xv6mv]

Time to build an army from those super prints!

[@ol_derty3143]

Very cool! All I need to do is win the lottery now

[@joeriandries]

so... from what i've seen... but then, if i where to put decorations somewhere, it's not to look at them from a distance of 0.5mm, the difference between the cheapest and the most expensive printer is... that the most expensive one gives you the print in pieces, whereas the cheap one is actually able to print it in 1 piece

[@suoun6938]

The price difference isn't worth the quality difference for sure.

[@adam7347]

Loot Studios stuff is REALLY good. I’ve printed around 40 of their minis in the last month and I’ve yet to have a failed print, or a model that I was less than happy with.

[@TheManAmongAll]

Great vid Nothing against the sculpt but the zoomed in section of the axe looks like it has too small a details you’re trying to obtain and I’d honestly redesign and simplify parts like that so they’re simpler to print and cast cleanly and any additional tiny details people want to add can be done by hand when painting - printing the tiniest of details I think sounds fun but can be a pain and restrict the way people paint also

[@joek600]

This imo will be a point where traditional sculpting will always have the edge. If a traditional sculptor can put something there, then a painter can paint it. In digital sculpting its very easy to add details upon details without realizing that only people with the vision and stability of a cyborg can paint them.

[@SFTaYZa]

Nice sentence

[@XerxesGustav]

Imo the biggest differences on the professional printers is when you are trying to print more demanding engineering materials. The LCD style printers doesnt have the contrast and optical power to properly print those. What you end up with are prints that are dimensionally way off, or just fails alltogether. Laser style printers can really crank up the power without suffering as much bleed issues. But I guess models dont really care about tolerances all that much anyway.

[@pastamethis]

8k did a pretty neat job, but yea, DWS was on another level!