Review: The Lulzbot TAZ 6 -

[@3DPrintingNerd]

GREAT review as always Tom.

[@kdanagger6894]

Great review, but honestly, I don't think you were critical enough of the low printing speeds and low accelerations. This is based on an antiquated design - the Mendel style moving bed. It is basically an overgrown Prusa I3. Not only does the bed have enormous moving mass, but the direct drive extruder unit is monstrous, and must also have huge moving mass. Speed does matter - especially in a machine of this size. Despite being open-source, highly reliable, and being backed by a great company with outstanding support, it is still a dated design. The slow print speed may be OK for causal hobbyist use, but there is no way this thing is suitable for a small to medium sized business where time is money.

[@williamhayden7711]

Oh course not. Let's be real. This was a free printer. A more than $2500 value. I do appreciate the review and I felt it was honest, but the human element is there and flawed as there is a lot at stake for these pro KZbinrs. The only way to know if the printer is right for you is to buy one. If you don't like it return it, but before you do check the returns policy to ensure you don't get burned.

[@MadeWithLayers]

Let's be real, this wasn't a printer I got to keep, Lulzbot actually donated it to the FabLab Munich when I was done with the testing and the review. I've disliked printers I got to keep and wished some other would have stayed with me - but in the end, I have enough machines to a point where having one more isn't a huge deal for me (even when it comes with a tall sticker price).

[@lptf5441]

William you continue to carry on about bias, but you have zero evidence to accuse someone like Thomas of faking reviews for money. He's been making brilliant videos on 3D printing for several years now, and the most important thing for him, above all else, is his credibility. He's extremely well respected within the industry, and he's not ever going to throw that away because someone did or didn't give him a free printer. Your views are short sighted and naive. Sorry.

[@williamhayden7711]

@Tom Duly noted. Forgive my accusations and unnecessary grumpiness. Thank you for the response.

[@colemanbecker1392]

I work in a college and the speed isn't an issue. Reliability and the toughness of the printer is. The school I work for has 2 ultimaker 2 extended, and they are always down or getting fixed. So having a printer anyone can use and is easy to switch tool heads(just in case someone uses the wrong settings) I can have a clogged printer up and going in 5 minutes. We also have 2 raise 3d printers and they are down more often our Lulzbot Taz 6 or Taz 5. There just tough

[@ultrawide5900]

Just watched yours and Joe's review of the Lulzbot and I have to say you've done an amazing job. The image clarity is fantastic, you show each step of the process, different camera angles... It just looks and feels like a professional camera and post processing job and I love it. Keep it up, a lot more subs are surely comming! :)

[@3DPrintingNerd]

+UltraWide Agreed. Tom takes the time and does things right. This is why he is the gold standard for this sort of thing. 100% agree. I honestly wish I had more time to put out video that even just approach the quality Tom is able to produce. #goals

[@ultrawide5900]

+3D Printing Nerd I was very careful not to say anything bad about your review for a reason :) There was nothing wrong about it, it's just that Thomas topped himself this time :) Also High-five! for you guys being all supportive for each other (you, Maker's Muse. Thomas...) and competing for views the right way. Let's be honest, most of us look at all your channels anyway :)

[@3DPrintingNerd]

UltraWide Heh, I appreciate the kind words. Truly! Agree, Thomas literally bowled a perfect game with this review. Also, thanks for watching! I really like that between myself, Thomas, Angus, Chuck - we all cover things in a different way, and this can compliment the subject matter, letting the viewer be better informed. Hey, if you and I ever meet in real life, I've got a high five for you :)

[@QBziZ]

+3D Printing Nerd It seems you both had issues with loose bolts, although his did not have the z-axis layer issues.

[@zaprodk]

Looks like a really well-built machine. I love the professional connectors on all cables. As always, a good review, Tom!

[@stevenyoutsey8989]

While time has flown by, thanks for this review from eight years ago!

[@MrHeHim]

Also, if power use is a concern you can build a enclosure around it to thermally insulate it. My Replicator Dual clone (from 2013) uses about 200 watts max but that's if the nosiel and bed are reheating at the same time on a normal day in winter in the basement and jumps between 70 watts and 125, occasionally jumping to about 200 for short times but it uses about 0.14KW per hour last i checked and less the first time i tested it when it was warm (in the closet). So a 3 hour print will cost me about 30-40 cents and about the same with PLA@$15 for a 2KG spool. If you can retain the heat the machine won't have to work so hard against cooling. What i did notice is that i use Kapton tape on my aluminum bed and although its hot, it's only really hot if you touch it were glass beads seem to radiate much more. And of course it's also used to help hotends retain heat in a lot of printers including mine, but it's so old it flaked off years ago and i put silicone jackets w/socks which work better anyway.

[@maxhammick948]

It's fun to look back at old reviews - while this was a great machine for 2016, the results of the auto bed levelling are really not good. At 7:09 you can see the nozzle is both way too high (filament extruded in discrete blobs) and a little low (very wide extrusion), all in a first layer that looks to be just a few inches across. Proper mesh bed levelling was a huge advance over this

[@spikekent]

As always, a fantastic review Tom. With exactly the info I like, including the tech stuff.

[@MakeItWithCalvin]

one thing i would love to see across the board built in is power off when print is done so if your like me and gone a lot you can start a print and when it is done the printer shuts off. could save a lot of energy costs and fan wear. other than that i am torn on dual extrusion. everyone says its a pain but it looks interesting so who knows? software has greatly improved!

[@eW0LF]

Mr. Sanladerer, your reviews is awesome, as always. To answer the question about what feature is missing from printers is closed build space. Some vendors do this, but it is extremly rare, yet required if you want to print, for example, 30*30 cm object in ABS. I would like to see more reviews from you- BCN3D Sigma, UM2+, Leapfrog Creatr and Zortrax Inventure.

[@michaelmcdaniel7638]

I bought a TAZ 5 back in January and now wish I had a TAZ 6 just for the auto leveling bed. After breaking about 7 Makerbots (and my team trashing Ultimakers as well), I am loving my TAZ 5 which has been printing 24/7 for months now. I expect the TAZ 6 to be as equally rock solid. I was hoping for a simple work light on the TAZ 6 since I had to make my own for the TAZ 5 and an integrated web cam to keep me from physically checking on big prints. Cura freezes/crashes on my Mac after every print that takes over 2 hours to print, so I hope they have that annoying bug worked out now on the software side. Lights and web cams are both simple projects to complete DIY, but they would be nice touches for a $2500 price point.

[@MichaelTeeuw]

Very nice review! I own a Lulzbot Mini, and I've been happy with it every second I use it. Can't recommend Lulzbot enough.

[@tauzu]

Thank you so much for the details at the end! This really helps me think about the smaller things when looking at additional printers to buy. Good work as always +Thomas Sanladerer

[@RichRap3D]

Nice review Tom - and good catch on the X belt path, it was staring at me during all the video and I was waiting for you to comment on it. Interested to know if the Dual extruder version is in the wild anywhere, and what the carriage must look like. The single extruder it's already quite a large assembly - can you weigh it and let us know? Very impressed with that electronics enclosure - does it have any approvals certification - UL / FCC / CE / Etc. I'm sure they would have had it all EMC tested judging by the enclosure and connectors being used. What size nozzle are they using as a default? and do they sell hardened nozzles for the nasty materials? How did the Nylon print come out? White or blue lithium grease ? Maximun bed temperature it can achieve? What material do they use for the 3D printed parts? What are the cones on the Z linear rods - just for show or something else? Cheers, Rich

[@RichRap3D]

***** That's awesome thanks! I want one even more now. Looking like a rock solid machine for power users and 3Dhub's

[@3dpyromaniac560]

+Richard Horne the duelstruder head is about 1.5x the size and twice the weight rich, also it comes assembled

[@prcdslnc13]

+Richard Horne The Printed parts are still the Village Plastics ABS that they have been for years. I actually have the v2 dual hotend for my Taz "6" (mine is the prototype run before the Olive release run) I could stick it on this week and shoot some pictures. I have yet to try it.

[@piercet]

One quick correction on the video. z and y axis are 10mm rods, not 12mm.

[@keeswassenaar]

i own an ultimakern 2+ and miss some things: - dual extruder - auto bed leveling - A door on the front when printing materials like ABS - Wifi connection (send files to the printer) - Wifi see progress just a simple app, if they realy want to nail it they must put in a webcam. Not really nessesery: - color display - Full metal design - on/of button on the front

[@Sevendogtags]

Looks like a pretty good printer! I actually had a similar idea for bed leveling a couple of weeks ago, it's kind of cool to see it's actually implemented here and works well! :D

[@kazolar]

Great review, I'm seeing more of these coming out now with the embargo being lifted. Joel, The 3D printing Nerd noticed some really bad z-wobble or z axis artifacting. He also mentioned the auto leveling procedure being inadequate to clean the nozzle resulting in non consistent contacts being made with the corners. Did you see any of that? By your estimation is this a mains powered heater bed with a PID controlled relay, or 24v? How quickly does it come to temperature? -- that is for an the top temp of an ABS print. Just a thought, 40mm/sec is painfully slow. If I plan on leaving a print to run all night and I don't care, I'm fine with that, but with a .5mm nozzle, you should be able to double that without much loss in quality, unless the mechanics of the machine, or the extruder/hot end can't keep up. I got my home built delta with a E3D volcano and bondech extruder using the .6mm nozzle going at 120mm/sec for .3mm layers, if I want something printed big, I can't justify such conservative speeds. It's keeping a printer on for 4 hours vs 9 hours -- the power use there is non trivial.

[@Ashaira]

w8 so those are considered great quality prints done at 45 mm/s and i managed to get better quality at 40 mm/s with my poor prusa i3 and i racked my brain for a month as to why i couldn't get the same quality when i bumped it up to 60 mm/s. omg if i only knew i wouldn't have wasted so much time. thank you so much for the info. so hard to get an answer regarding quality/speed without everyone going "well it depends on your printer bla bla bla........"

[@jjcc8379]

The power consumption mesurement ... very pleased with that! More reviewers should notice that , at least provide an estimation. Nice review, as always :) (And nice printer Lulzbot. As expected.)

[@kniefi]

three things I noticed and cannot understand about the TAZ. 1. I saw the pulleys not only looked pretty cheap, but also seem to wobble while turning - meaning the run eccentric / non-concentric. At least noticed this on the X-Axis. 2. Wh use 12mm rods and then combine them with supposedly 20x20mm t-slot profiles? For a printer this large - at least 40x40mm or one-inch t-slot profiles would be much preferrable and would add a lot to the stability! -> also opposed to above- instead of smooth rods and LM12UU bearings - many printers in this price-range alread upgraded towards linear-rails - be it THK, Hiwin or any other well known manufacturer - the clearly have an edge voer the smooth rods. 3. why still use a slow 8-bit electronic board, when there is RADDS 1.5 or smoothieboard out there? especially with a graphic displa, it does not make much sense. Other then those 3 points - seems like the evolution of a good deign. A bit pricey though.

[@mattmichael2441]

Dang a 1.2 euros it would be under $0.40 dollars for me in the states. Features I feel printers in this price range could have: a better interface than a click wheel such as a cheap touch screen, faster print speeds for the taz 6 via a lighter print head assembly, larger quieter fans instead of small louder fans - all small stuff but fair to ask in this price range. As usual great video, thank for the awesome content

[@stephenshimatzki9302]

”They vigorously rub their nozzles before the probing process ” I must have a dirty brain. Tom, love the reviews and the 3d printer porn!

[@XAD566]

LOL i went the opposite way and thought of someone badly needing to blow his nose but not having a handkerchief, thus keep rubbing his nose. As always Tom : Great video

[@williamhayden7711]

Nasty man! ;P

[@KennethScharf]

I just watched this again for the second time. I'm a bit surprised at their selection of the hexagon hot end, I bought one of those (the version from reprap discount) and I was very disappointed with it. The heat break can't be tightened good enough into the heatsink, and the thing jams badly wit PLA. Now the version that Lulzbot has looks a bit different, the heater block is taller for one thing. I suspect that they also are using a better fan than was supplied with the rrd hexagon, and have it mounted correctly to correctly cool the critical areas.

[@Pitchlock8251]

I suspect the SD card problem isn't a fault of the machine But the card slot and or card itself. I have a Robo with the LCD upgrade and constantly have the same problem. It wont tell a card is inserted or it is inserted but there is no data. Have to either cycle power or wiggle the card to get it to work.

[@Naman_Kalra]

Doesnt that just mean the robo sucks too?

[@VenomTheCat]

what about a enclosure. Do they have "Plans" or a suggestions to build an enclosure around it other that punting a cardboard box around it?

[@x9x9x9x9x9]

I drool over this printer. This and the BCN Sigma R17 are my "I WANT!" printers. But I can't justify the price of either as I just do this as a hobby.

[@JATMN]

Great review Tom! Thanks for pointing out those issues for everyone to watch for with their printers when they get them. Tell Lulzbot your not sending it back! Lol

[@Nation1A1List]

Would be nice if it came with the option to buy either the single or the dual extruder out of the box.

[@mariusb6035]

Would you replace the normal TAZ extruder for an e3d v6 (volcano) and Titan, given that you use 1,75mm filament mostly? Also the automated nozzle height sensor should allow for much easier swapping between v6 and volcano hotends.

[@dudenamedclem]

Thanks for the review, but at $2,500 I didn't expect anything less. From a quick search of KZbin it seems Lulzbot sent one out to everyone who has a 3D printer channel - unfortunately I missed out. Anyway, danke!

[@macelius]

So, which wires are the important ones to have ferrite beads on? Also, how do you fix the click wheel steps? MIght be a good video since nearly every machine seems to come with it mis-configured...

[@Archania]

very nicely done Tom!

[@MrSocko-bh1jb]

I am missing the feature of having a high end 3d printer. Or any 3d printer for that matter, since the ender 5+ has ended. (First my Pi, then itself.)

[@jacquesgilbert2774]

Excellent review, thank you. For a while I thought this was real competition for the Maker's Farm 12" Pegasus that I just finished putting together. Then you got to the price and that took care of ant buyers' remorse I might have had :-). Still, I do like this print head better than mine, especially the ease of removing, so I may start mixing parts. Cheers.

[@paulbussiere1997]

I was hoping you would give some thoughts on how it compares to other printers, such as the Ultimaker 2+. Also, how's the print resolution? Removable nozzles? I don't see 3mm filament as a drawback having owned an Ulimaker Original for so long. Also, this is the very first time I have seen anyone complain about power usage with a printer.

[@ShaunCullen]

Hi Tom, I'm looking to clone the modular tool head design of the lulzbot for flexible filament. why do you think there is a trend to 1.75 mm? what are the advantages of 1.75 vs 3? I was looking at making the tool heads 3 because that is lulzbot goes with. thanks!

[@25beanman]

Great video as always Tom. The only thing that I have to say, is I think the scroll wheel not being properly calibrated is a bit un expectable. It is such a simple thing to fix in the firmware if you know how, and for that reason it seems like Aleph Objects just slapped in existing firmware and that's it. I find it a bit frustrating to purchase something at this price point and not have the only user interface control surface not function properly. I have seen this issue on the taz 5, and I had to fix it when I added a lcd to my mini. I understand this is a small issue, but I find it quite displeasing to see a machine like this with that issue. I really hope they stop being lazy and fix this.

[@IbaLabs]

I'd like to see heated build chambers on printers.

[@kennyhoosen215]

makerbot has a printer that hasa heated chamber. I think the z18.

[@charlescaulk7074]

I had a Taz 4 when it first came out the Taz 6 is leaps ahead of that. just curious did they address the problem with the fliment feed gear backlash. the Taz 4 stock setting used to chew through the filament when doing long prints. and you'd end up with a 1/4 printed piece. the forum guys suggested different settings but it caused some stringing and oozing. the self cleaning and leveling is a game changer.

[@charlescaulk7074]

+Thomas Sanladerer Roger that it would be pretty obvious you'd see plastic dust on the gear and extruder head. but issues like these should be made public to any potential buyer before hand as to inform the consumer and manufacturers of the type of adjustments/defects that someone can expect to make when working with it. thanks for the quick response. Looks like they've really cleaned up even the smallest issues.

[@polysign]

Thanks for the review. I'm a big fan of the TAZs and absolutely believe in the OpenSource philosophy that Aleph is following throughout their product line. For me, the TAZ6 would be too big. I would rather go for the mini. Also, due to the size I believe that the open frame might be less rigid than the boxed version of the mini, resulting in a slight difference in print quality.

[@joshdanielsjr]

I noticed the TAZ 6 has a .5mm nozzle. The biggest nozzle have ever owned is a .4mm. What is the best nozzle size to use with the TAZ? I am highly considering purchasing one. Thanks

[@Loebane]

Wow, this looks like a really good buy! Thanks for the awesome review.

[@GeorgeStephen1959]

Tom, great review on the TAZ6

[@ronzawora]

Hi Tom. I'd like to see you do a list of TOP 10 prints you've done or prints that demonstrate the power of 3D printing...

[@SomePinkoCommie]

Looks like the Taz 6 isn't available on Amazon yet (link just shows the Taz 5 and Flexistruders).

[@davegaylord5919]

Can purchase from MatterHackers now.

[@RansomMakes]

Awesome review! Thanks for sharing this!

[@carolcheny]

holy crap I need one! Probably buy this fall when the kinks are ironed out. I NEED ONE. Really not into 3mm filaments, though.

[@TheIcemanModdeler]

+carolcheny Have you seen the Craftbot Plus, bought one a couple of weeks ago and it's been amazing so far.

[@carolcheny]

+TheIcemanModdeler Wow! That's a tempting price! I'll do some serious research, thanks!

[@celiafermoselle823]

acabo de ver que has usado mi modelo en este video, un trofeo que hice hace tiempo para aprender diseño, gracias esta genial!

[@gzcwnk]

I like this....looks very solid....well thought out.

[@TheSaintTheShop]

Id Like To Know What A Good Printer For Making Cosplay Costumes Would Be. Do You Have Any Suggestions?

[@Bobster986]

I have a Da Vinci Pro printer and was wondering if and how often should I grease the trail rails. Thanks and I really have learned a lot from your channel, keep up the great work! :-)

[@JonS]

As always, a great review Tom. Can we have a BCN3D Sigma review now? It'd be really interesting to see how it stacks up against the Taz 6 with the dual extruder kit.

[@3DPrintingNerd]

+Jon Stern I was lucky enough to get to use a Sigma for 10 days or so. It's an absolutely wonderful machine. I was one of the lucky souls to get a pre-production TAZ6 as well. Right now, I would pick a BCN3D Sigma or a TAZ6.

[@3DPrintingNerd]

***** That's great!

[@elronstar]

How does someone that doesn't do CAD like me use one of these things? I'd love to make my own stuff designing it from scratch but is their easy tuition steps on doing so? any answers would be much appreciated

[@po0oya]

Thanks for the video Tom I like Your new video release schedule it is awesome.

[@gobuild3d]

Hello Tom, I hope you soon get the chance to review the new MK2 Prusa i3 from Prusa Research. Will it be comparable to the TAZ 6, I wonder? 2 new wins for open hardware?

[@russkiyraketa2621]

I would love to see your thoughts on the SeeMeCNC Rostock Max v3

[@1999danie]

Use a Up Plus 2 and you'll see out of the box printing within 10 minutes and it has had all the features of the taz 6 since 2012.5

[@SuperMikeNJ]

I never had a 3D Printer, but thinking of getting one in the near future. Do you have any suggestions of what kind I should get? I'm just a end user .. I also like your videos Tom, thanks for them...

[@iMacGeekDK]

Superb video :) I would be funny to see how it compares to the new Prusia i3 MK2

[@drixtc]

if I had money I would buy this printer right now. is it posable to get it cheaper and just buy the part from the Lulz bot and print the rest for yourself? or do they not offer that possibility

[@William51115]

thanks for all the effort

[@biscuitlad]

Mmm, this is a lot more money than the BCN3D Sigma, which does dual nozzles properly and seems to manage flex filaments OK. It's open source hardware too, so I'm kind of puzzled why the TAZ gets so much attention. At this price point, I'd want them to chuck an OctoPi in there with a PiCam for remote monitoring.

[@THEMAKERSSPACE]

Great Review Tom

[@MarkRehorst]

I just replaced a broken glass bed on a Taz 3 at the Milwaukee Makerspace. Here's a thermal image of the Taz 3 bed with 30C variation in temperature: mark.rehorst.com/misc/Taz/Taz_glass_thermal.PNG I replaced the broken glass with a cast aluminum tooling plate. Much more even heating, but a little slower to warm up: mark.rehorst.com/misc/Taz/Taz_aluminum_Thermal.PNG Why on earth are they still gluing a heater to a glass plate? I also converted to 3 point leveling which doesn't force the undercarriage and bed plate to bend like the 4 point scheme does. They probably wouldn't need the autoleveling if they used a 3 point leveling scheme. And that encoder wheel on the Taz 3 didn't work well either. Why haven't they fixed that old problem in this 3-generations-newer machine? It's great that they're using proper lead screws for the Z axis, but\still using two motors? Ugh! The electronics enclosure and use of connectors everywhere is great, but that may make it a little tricky to enclose the machine if you want to print ABS.

[@khalilburno9713]

Thomas Sanladerer .You Awesome ...Thank you for the information :-)

[@keepitrealandtoasty]

Makergear m3 vs Taz 6 which one would you prefer?

[@simonm72]

Great review. My comment is that I'm still waiting for someone to just add the Raspberry Pi and OctoPrint (and pay Gina!) so I don't have to add it myself. I find it hard to imagine using a printer without it these days...

[@ericadams5019]

Yes, great review man!

[@BluelightGaming1]

Does anyone know if the bugs he mentions here have been fixed since this video? Biggest one was the misaligned belt I don't like that but am hoping they fixed it.

[@BluelightGaming1]

I'm trying to buy one of these like SOON so someone pls let me know of possible.

[@williamhayden7711]

No, the printer reviewed is the printer you get.

[@lptf5441]

Why do I get the feeling you are trolling here? Are YOU being paid to discredit this machine William? Do YOU have something to gain with all these baseless negative comments?

[@williamhayden7711]

Yeah I was trolling. I was feeling grumpy. Joel noted a lot of the fixes to this printer in this Taz 6 follow-up video. To date I don't think Thomas has made a follow-up to this video, at least I couldn't find one. To be honest I've been looking for a 3D printer for about 6 years and just cannot commit to any of them. They either cost more than I'm willing to pay or it's the simple fact that there isn't "THE" printer to buy. It's a very hard choice to make for me. And I get sick of seeing all of the hand outs or evals to KZbinr's. It's momentary bitterness because I realize I can create my own channel, work hard to get subs and views, etc. I realize this is a personal problem and not Tom's or Joel's or anyone else's problems, but I'm human. I get beat down and am subject to Trolling from time to time. Like anyone on KZbin or social media. So if you see me trolling, cast me a line and pull me in or just pass on by. :D

[@skyalchemist0]

Do you think the Taz 6, in the terms of price vs quality, is worth the cost compared to your mid to high end prusa kits?

[@skyalchemist0]

+Thomas Sanladerer true, in my mind a little bit of elbow grease doesn't equal that price differance. At least in this case. An amazing machine, and an awesome review, I think I may just be envious.

[@johnpickens448]

Wow, your estimated electrical power cost is about twice what it is here in New Jersey. Ours is $0.18 per kWh, or about $0.80 for that print, or €0.70.

[@IAnolastname]

Hey Tom, great review on the TAZ6. I've been meaning to ask, when will you review the metal Kossel printer in the background of your videos? You haven't done anything on deltas as far as I could find, actually.

[@IAnolastname]

+Tommy T That's a Kossel effector and arm arrangement, at least. plus the super low print bed tells me Kossel instead of a Rostock- they have their electronics under the heated bed, in the base. You can't fit a RAMPS or Smoothieboard down there.

[@Sebbl3]

+Arturia Pendragon you can put the electronics down there on a kossel if you try hard enough. I have done it.

[@IAnolastname]

Well yeah. But... Why?

[@IntrexinCustom]

I watched the video and i gotta say it does look like a good printer but I had it in my head it was a cheaper printer than it is. like the lcd display issue you mentioned, Ive bought that one before because it was the cheapest one I could find and mine does the same thing. I see alot of good designs and parts but I can see a few cheap ones that really distract from the good ones

[@viivcreations9161]

how does itr compare to the makergear m2?

[@lucasgelfond1404]

Prusa i3 vs. Taz 6 vs Ultimaker 2?

[@thomaswhiting6975]

I'm looking at a new printer for a potential 3d printing business. From a reliability and quality standpoint, how does this printer compare to others? I am also considering the Rostock Max V2 because of its ease of use and low maintenance...any thoughts on that?Thanks and great job on all your videos...they're super helpful!

[@exaltdragon]

+Thomas Whiting I own a seemecnc rostock max v2. It's outstanding for its price but the construction is mostly melamine mdf composite, which isn't as rigid as the metal joints on the taz 6 frame. Its arms, injection molded plastic, also aren't as rigid as the carbon fiber delta arms out there. I notice these little things increase the amount of play and result in slightly more ringing artifacts. Not show-stopping, but not the smoothest surface around either.. The kit factor is also a bit of ambivalent variable to me. While I can take pride in having actually put together my own printer, it did cause me a significant amount of frustration at times(on top of assembly time, which took me a few weeks of slow-paced work). If I were to get a new printer, I will probably look for one with a solid, possibly all-metal frame.

[@exaltdragon]

+exaltdragon I should also mention that I am using the older model with the composite carriages instead of the newer injection molded carriages which are probably more rigid. Hence you may get better results.

[@thomaswhiting6975]

+exaltdragon Thanks, I appreciate it. Is the bed leveling completely automatic?

[@exaltdragon]

+Thomas Whiting nope. I've seen some rostocks out there that do it with a hall-effect sensor but by default you are stuck with manual leveling and height adjustment.

[@johnseaman4754]

They say that the lulzbot taz is the #1 printer, but if you buy one, you may be sorry, I purchased the lulzbot taz workhorse about 6 months ago, it worked good for about 6 weeks, I have been working with their tech support for several months now, they have tried everything possible to rectify the problems it has with calibration, until this day they have no resolution, and I am out of $3,000.00 spent on the printer, and the $1,000.00 I spent on printing materials, is just catching dust. Looks like I am going to have to take civil action to get my money back because I do not want anymore of their printers

[@onecarwood]

I don't understand why they do not enclose them. It can't cost that much and would keep kids out and cats away from messing with the prints. For that kinda money I think they could do it. Plus I would bet it would greatly reduce the sound.

[@FifthDread]

This or the Ultimaker 2+? I need to know...

[@FifthDread]

I'm really thinking Taz 6 is the way to go... anyone have opinions?

[@charlescaulk7074]

+FifthDread this is definitely the way to go. it's a solid machine with tons of options from software to materials. and good support from company and forum. the forum guys are genius and really help with dailing in the printer to how u want it to perform. worth the 2500

[@MrBorg2002]

i still miss printing in any color

[@3dprinterchatcom]

Another great Review! We Should hire you to do our videos!

[@fabcol]

Good review

[@treyroudebush1029]

Enclosed build volume.

[@williamhayden7711]

It's on the Lulzbot website. Or you can continue waiting for your answer.

[@ultrapowermae]

Hat is off for their open source mentality. One feature i'd like is a closed, actively heated build chamber.

[@adolfvalasek7810]

God I hate seeing printed parts on a higher end printer. I know, they may be strong enough, but nothing beats the look and quality feel of a machined part.

[@certified-forklifter]

but... it uses 3mm filament :(

[@spirosgeorgakas4572]

Good printer but it costs tooo much..and i doesn't have a (actively heating or not) chamber to prevent cracking/not sticking layers etc.. That could be a great DIY project and the cost would be under 1000$ for sure..

[@prcdslnc13]

+Spiros Georgakas If you want to know the costs for the printer check out devel.lulzbot.com and look at their BOM. Trust me your not going to build the printer with like components for under 1k.

[@CookieManCookies]

The big drawbacks on this: The print heads they sell are overpriced compared to simply using a dual assembly E3D V6 + Bondtech or E3D Titan Aero. Then 2.85mm is going the way of the dodo. Plus the electronics doesn't use Trinamic interpolated 256 microstepped drivers, perhaps they will swap out the Rambo board for a EINSY board. (Like the Prusa MK3.)

[@PSNplayer89]

Why would anyone pay 2500$ for basically a blinged up prusa i3?

[@ericawatts5886]

Great review Tom! Taz6 is looking great :D Speaking of Open Source Machines. id love to see a review of Prusa Research's new I3 MK2 :D prusaprinters.org/original-prusa-i3-mk2-release/

[@maximsubbota684]

A printer which costs 3000€ which have worse quality of print than a 700€ printer. Just wow.

[@jonathandpg6115]

that's something I can't agree with tbh

[@WreckDiver99]

$2500 USD...OUCH. :(

[@fossil25]

Looks like an i3 Prusa.

[@videblu]

+fossil25 This isn't the first time I've seen somebody say that, but it's still sounds really fucking stupid. The Y-bed X-extruder movement system is one of the oldest ones in the hobbyist community. However, that doesn't fucking matter. Who would look at this thing and assume that it's a carbon copy of the Prusa i3? On appearances they look nothing alike. Yes, there are like 8 or something different movement setups for fdm printers now, but still...

[@Trhuster]

Print quality with this printer is a huge disappointment. Alot off ringing and 3dbenchy looks really bad from that tiny glimse. Bow is real bad, and the front off the cabin is a total mess. And 2500 usd for this is beyond my understunding.

[@Trhuster]

I don't know. I may do crappy videos but i do know how to print a decent 3dbenchy. ;)

[@Diggilicious]

Glad it wasn't just me that thought this after looking at these prints. I've been looking at this or a Zortrax M200 and the M200 prints look far superior for $550 less.

[@Trhuster]

pouncer Also check out Rasie3D N1.

[@lptf5441]

So you've made a complete assessment of this printer based on what you admit is a "tiny glimpse"?

[@williamhayden7711]

Sometimes a tiny glimpse is all you need. I also take every one of these reviews regardless of reviewer with a grain of salt. Open and Honest with Full disclosure is nearly impossible when sponsorship, views, KZbin brotherhood and the like are all competing against one another. We are after all human. That said I felt this was a good review and I do like the Taz 6, but at a $2500 starting price it's way out of my comfort zone given what this printer is and can do. When you get a printer for free versus paying hard earned dollars for it your view is going to be a lot different.