A very happy UK based MakerGear M2 Kit customer ...

[jimsx]

I am UK based & have attended the 3D print show in London for the last 2 years. Each time, I came away from the show very enthusiastic / intending to buy a 3D printer. I got very close to buying a machine a couple of times ... however, when I then checked out the user forums and Amazon feedback across the many different manufacturers - such as Makibox, Up, Cubify, Makerbot, Ultimaker and many others - there always seemed to be lots of unhappy users trying to get their machines to work and/or failing to get any useful response from customer support.

I want to be able to enjoy printing 3D objects - not digging around trying to work out what had gone wrong each time. I appreciate that it is still an emerging technology, so I kept thinking that maybe it is just too early to find a reliable machine and that the technology and some of these new start-up companies have just hit the market too soon and really need more time for development.

I can't remember how I heard about the MakerGear M2 (I certainly don't remember it from either of the London shows) but I am so glad that I did - it seems to get very little press coverage compared to many others (though having spent a lot of time researching, I've become pretty skeptical about the honesty of the various "official" online / magazine reviews & head-to-head comparisons now!).

But it was the real user experiences described in this forum which gave me complete confidence to buy the kit - and I am (currently!) a very happy user.

To any other users thinking of ordering from the UK - my whole experience over the last few weeks has been completely positive...

Oct 26th - Ordered (expected shipping at the time 2-3 weeks)
Nov 14th - Shipped
Nov 18th - Arrived at UK Customs
Nov 24th - Cleared by UK Customs
Nov 25th - Collected from local Parcelforce Office - additional import duty etc was £102 (my box included the spares kit + 2 more 1Kg filament rolls)

I can also say that I have had nothing but an exemplary help & feedback from MakerGear customer support. A day or so after I had ordered the M2 kit, I decided to order a couple more rolls of filament - so emailed customer support to ask if this could be added to my existing order. Josh was back to me within 24 hours to explain that this can just be bundled in easily, and then, within a few hours of my additional Paypal transfer, Karen confirmed again by email that this had been added. Near to the shipping time, I emailed support again to ask if the expected delivery date was still on course to be met, and again I received a fairly immediate reply from Karen to confirm it was due out on time.

The kit build was very straightforward - I took my time & double checked everything as I went along, but it literally took just a couple of evenings after work. The mechanical build is very straightforward as the difficult parts are already pre-built and every single item in the kit is labelled. The electrical build is also very easy - as it is literally just plugging things into the correct sockets / tidying up the routing of the wires - but this bit does need some concentration as many of the plugs will fit either way around or in numerous similar looking sockets - so regular reference to the help notes and double checking everything is important.

I also bought Simplify3D (S3D), which, as a newbie keeps everything very simple without actually understanding enough about the specific temperature requirements of various filament types etc at this early stage. And on the very first use of the built M2 kit after switch on ... my first ever printed 3D object just worked brilliantly!

I have now been merrily printing a range of stuff for the last couple of days / learning as I go along. I have posted a couple of newbie questions on the forum when I was stuck, and these were very quickly answered - and the whole process has been a joy! I think I've found a new home on these boards ...

Thanks MakerGear - you've got another a VERY happy customer !!
Jim

[jimc]

Thats great jim, you made the right choice. Welcome!

[Dale Reed]

jimsx,

Your experience echoes mine and that of many other people on this board. A bit of a wait, what with MakerGear's backlog, but well worth it.

As you follow along here, you will find a board with lots of helpfulness, lots of creativity, and essentially no negativity or sniping (something very unique among the forums I've joined -- many of which I've left). You will find people who use their M2 once per while for hobby stuff and learning and showing to kids at STEM events (me, others) as well as people who use their M2 daily and/or continuously as part of doing business (Capt. John and others). You will find out things to watch for (e.g., clogs if changing filament materials often). You will find out about things MakerGear is working on (the dual extruder beta, the soon-to-be-available-for-order V4 hot end, etc.). You will find out things people are developing (filament from esun, accessories people have made and posted to Thingiverse, etc.) You will find people starting out, and people who have gone well beyond just printing into finishing, mold-making, etc. (jimc and others).

As you learn, you will have much to offer, not just to the newbs but to those of us who haven't tried that thing that you did or software you found that is just too cool for words. I hope you will post pictures of your unique designs on the showcase board and share other stuff you come up with that make life with an M2 a bit more joyous.

In short: Welcome to the fun!
Dale

[jimsx]

Thanks jimc, Dale .... I've got so much to learn!!

[Capt. John]

Welcome Jim in the UK.

This board is as much a resource as your M2 is.
Amazon reviews sold me too after buying an off brand hunk of junk that was shipped back.