hoping to join the makergear community soon!

[insta]

When you find out, let me know. Mine spends a lot more time than I'd like being idle.

[jimc]

trying to just sit there and think..how can i make money with it, probably isnt going to work. stick to what you know and stuff that your into, improve upon something or make something that is missing in that market. necessity is the mother of invention. for instance my big money maker is generator gauges. a couple years ago i got a old military diesel generator. i needed one for the house so i picked one up that the govt was getting rid of. i tore it down to every nut bolt and washer to restore the whole thing. i had fun doing it so i bought 2 more. now i have 3 generators. there are a ton of these things out there and they all have 30-40 year old analog gauges in them that are all failing. well you cant get the gauges anymore. they can only really be replaced with good used 30-40 year old ones....so, i needed a couple myself so i found a company in china that would make me the electronics, i 3d print all the rest of the parts on the m2. i have a guy laser cut me out the lenses and i print the faces for them. assemble the things and now i am suddenly in the low production gauge market. im the only one that makes digital look a-likes to the original style. they are still selling strong and ive sold aprox 200 of them now at about 50 bucks a shot. certainly not getting rich off the deal but its enough to pay for the printer as well as the next one when its time to upgrade and to justify me fiddling around on the computer each night. as long as my hobbies pay for themselves im ok with that.

[insta]

Yeah my printing hobby is roughly self-sustaining, which I'm OK with I certainly can't quit my day job, like John can (or made the M2 into his day job, can't quite tell).

[helifrek]

Good news! My flashforge should be sold tomorrow!
What other things should I know before I order?

I will be completely honest with you guys, I have been having a hard time deciding between the FF dreamer and the M2. The dreamer has a lot more features. dual extruders, wifi, lcd, enclosed but the build quality is nowhere near the M2 and it has a smaller bed. But is it also cheaper too.....

I know I am in a makergear forum here but do guys mind giving me some unbiased opinions. Would you guys switch from your M2s to a dreamer? I can't find any negative reviews on either printer.

[Capt. John]

Asking for an unbiased review from members here, while you're pumping up another brand probably made in China?
Something don't sound quite right, or you're an invader looking sell whatever brand your talking about.
If this is a China made special, good luck?

As far as making money with M2s, everyone here, in their chosen profession sees stuff everyday that can be
improved. It's just that we've became complacent and have learned that sub-standard is the standard.
The best in everything has yet to be built!

[helifrek]

Not an invader. I just want to make the right choice with my hard earned bucks you know.

It it like choosing between a fancy car with a bunch of options that is cheaply made and might break down or a sturdy car that will always get you from a to b but doesn't even have ac.....

So you can see it is a hard choice for me. I love flashing lights and a candy dispenser but what good is it if the lights don't always work and the candy is rubbish.

If you need proof I am not some invader you can look me up on rcgroupsdotcom under the same name. I am definitely not pushing the flashforge.

Thanks for all the advice so far guys!

[jimc]

do a little digging and find out some real info on the dreamer first by people that really know. that thing has had a bunch of issues. not sure if or what has been corrected. i know jetguy bought one and tore it all down. it has a piss poor extruder design. i believe the overheating chamber thing was corrected but the extruder is still the same. very cheaply made as well. i would be real leary of that one. i believe the original creator has seen better feedback than the dreamer but these are just observations from talking to people that have one.

[helifrek]

Thanks jimc,
That was what I was afraid of, I figured it would be cheaply made. If jetguy says it is crap I will take his word. I couldn't find anything in depth on it.
I suppose I will have to add the lcd screen to the M2 and build an enclosure that will hopefully fit on the desk! Those ikea cabinets seem huge!
I hope the lead time on the kit isn't too bad!

[jimc]

well i dont think he said it was crap. wouldnt go that far. there were good points and bad. the main thing i remember was the extruder. i think he ended up completely ripping out the stock extruder and putting something else in it. problem for me though is the extruder is the heart of a 3d printer. i know it had a bad overheating problem but i think they may have corrected that issue by adding fans in the enclosure. it got so hot the arms that hold the bed would get soft enough for the bed to droop severely.

on another note, you really dont need an enclosure with the m2. if your printing stuff for rc then your going to want to print things in a strong material like pet. abs is the only reason to have an enclosure. mark my words, it might take a year or 2 but you will soon see a really big movement off of abs and on to petg. it happening already.

[helifrek]

Didn't mean to put words in his mouth. Been reading a forum on Google groups about the dreamer and it seems very hit and miss. Lots of good things but also lots of bad things. I think my FF creator has been a great for learning but you just can't beat the craftsmanship of the M2. I just wish it was a little flashier I guess. Maybe I will put some lights and a disco ball on it!
From what I have heard with the M2, it is very quite. That is going to be a huge difference. My creator is very loud at times.

I will have to look into the petg, I honestly haven't done any research on it.

Time to get off of here, such a pain to type on my phone. Can't wait to get back home tomorrow!

Thanks again.