I am trying to decide between the fusion3 f400 and taz 6. Is the fusion3 f400 really worth the extra cost? I can find a lot of talk about the taz 6 but not a lot on the fusion3 f400. What draws me to the f400 is that it is enclosed, I can put additional printheads on it to speed up the print, its larger build volume, and it probably is better at printing stuff (not sure about that though).
What draws be to the taz 6 is that it is 2000 dollars cheaper, and is extremely versatile. You can print ninjaflex with no problem on it. You can also print everything that the fusion can do on the taz 6. I am being very cautious about not selecting the wrong printer. It could cost me a lot.
Just a side note, the f400 has a 1.75mm print head. Is it possible to print ninjaflex with this if I do some minor tweaks? Might have to go super slow, correct?
I’d go with the F400 for my usage. Larger ABS prints will warp without a enclosed build area, plus the ethernet on the F400 means I can connect it to our network and start prints from the other side of the office (and not worry about the part sticking as the bed’s auto-leveling)
Also I hear there’s a few manufacturers with TPU that’s printed on their previous F306 printer without issue which is similar to ninjaflex (it’s the stuff those flexible silicone-like phone cases are made of)
Not to mention that you’re going to have a heck of a time finding the filament you want in 3mm for the Taz. 1.75mm filament is MUCH more widely available (Microcenter and Fry’s even carry 1.75, never seen 3mm there)
I would save yourself $2k (not a small chunk of change) and get the TAZ. I have a TAZ6 in my arsenal, one of my favorite printers. It still has a very large build volume, it’s probably going to be a rare case where you have a part that is too big to print in the TAZ, yet small enough to fit in the f400 (11 x 11 x 10" vs. 14 x 14 x 12"). I wouldn’t assume the f400 is better at printing stuff considering the TAZ has ranked top in Make Mag and 3D Hubs shootouts a couple years running. In the 2016 Make shootout, the TAZ5 bested the f306 in print quality, and took the top spot as best overall printer, also beating the f306 in the large format category. At best it’s more likely that the f400 is “as good” as the TAZ6.
You can install other heads on the TAZ as well, giving the ability to do the best ninjaflex prints of any printer on the market. Or upgrade to dual nozzle (including the option to do the flexydually which lets you print rigid materials and flexible materials together). Note that the faster head on the f400 also sacrifices print quality (per their own website), and uses a very large 0.8mm nozzle to achieve the higher throughput. You probably can print ninjaflex on the f400, but the quality will not be as good as a TAZ running a flexystruder.
A couple other notes. If you want to print large ABS parts, then you can build an enclosure for the TAZ - there are a few designs already out there including some provided by Lulzbot. And it won’t cost anywhere near the 2 grand you would save. Likewise, if networking your printer is important there are many options to choose from including Octoprint, Astroprint, 3D Printer OS, & Repetier Server. You can buy a Raspi2 and install any of them in about 15min. I’ve tried them all, my personal fav is Repetier. But with any of these you can control your printer over Ethernet or WiFi.
Getting 3mm filament is no problem, you can order from any number of places online. For me that would not be a buying decision. I would never buy the cheap filament they sell at Fry’s anyway (made that mistake only once). Besides, who likes paying sales tax 
Cheers
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I am also trying to decide on the TAZ6 OR F400. I have read a lot of good things about both. Seem like the F400 targeting to beat the TAZ6 BY larger print bed and up their resolution to be the same as the TAZ6. Then the Wi-Fi and enclosed case. I am an engineer and tend to focus too much on little details at times but even though MAKER reviews show the TAZ6 did very well they did not say in their review how long the TAZ took in the overnight print test of the astronaut like there did on the other printers. I do not understand that. I have heard that the TAZ 6 has to print at very slow speeds to get good quality. Like 30 mm/s even though the spec. shows 200mm/s. Is this true and if so is that because the TAZ has the moving in the y-axis and that mass moving back and forth all the time needs to be slow to get top quality? Especially if it’s a tall model? The F400 bed only moves in the Z-Axis and seems like to be it does not have to worry about that. I like the fact that the bed only moves in the z-axis. That seems like it would be more stable and faster. I know that may not be the real world though. I have wanting the TAZ because it seems like I have more flexibility with two different dual head and materials.
One thought is the prints nozzle harden steel or brass. I ask because from what I have read that if you are going to print FDA material bass would not be FDA approved because of the lead.
I want the TAZ for the ability of options but I hate to sacrifice quality for speed. I don’t want to print at 30 mm/s to get quality when I can choose to print at over 100 mm/s for the same quality.
Also, Fusion3 sends me free example prints of anything I want printed over 100mm/s and I cannot get the TAZ people to do that to my surprise.
I want to get the TAZ but their sales group is not helping me do that. That worries me a bit. It should would be nice to get the same print from both at over 100mm/s and compare
