Hi,
I have finally shortlisted my printer choices to
a) Flashforge Creator Pro : Because of Good reviews on Amazon
b) Printrbot Metal Plus ( Dual Extruder) : Because of Dual Extruder and 10x10X10 Build Size.
I wanted to ask in community, what are their recommendations.
Thanks
Rakesh
3 Likes
Hey Rakesh,
I bought a Creator Pro about 6 weeks ago and must say, it’s fulfilled all my expectations. I’ve printed with ABS and PLA at 0.1mm and it’s run very reliably with very good results. It’s well built and sturdy too. There are one or two design niggles which can all be addressed with the addition of a couple of 3D printed parts but that’s about it. It is what it is. A workhorse. Not a highly strung thoroughbred but I’m sure it’ll be chugging on for many years to come.
I don’t have any experience with the Printrbot Metal Plus but 10x10x10 certainly would concentrate the mind. In case you’d overlooked it, the FlashForge is also a dual extruder design.
Good luck with whichever printer you choose.
Cheers,
AndyL
Pot8oSh3D
Hey Rakeshjee,
I have similar thoughts. Maybe a discussion here can help us both. I have been printing with a printrbot simple for a year or so. Its finally is wearing out due to continuous use. I am looking to upgrade and have narrowed it down to the Printrbot metal, mainly because of the same reasons you have. Build size and dual extrusion. Most of my experience with the simple is another reason for my choice of the printrbot. Ive been very satisfied with my $350 printrbot simple. There are a couple things I think I really like about the creator pro is you can print without a computer. I only have one computer and if I do to much while printing on the simple my printer sometimes pauses mid print which causes slight blemishes in the print. I am not sure if the Metal printrbot plus has an LCD and a sd card slot. I have had prints warp on the simple bed which is around 3mm aluminum. The metal plus has a heated bed which i think is a huge plus for reducing warping and for abs from what Ive read. I have not printed ABS yet. I believe that the enclosed area on the creator pro may be more of the solution for the warping than the aluminum bed but its something Ive thought about and have no real data on it other than my own warping issues.
I hope some of my experience can help you decide which printer is best for you. I am sure they both work great. I would be curious to know what you decide. Good luck.
Jeff
Hey Jeff,
FWIW, I’ve been printing almost exclusively in ABS with my Up! Mini for 3 years. I’ve tackled some very challenging (150mm x 150mm x 65mm ) ABS prints lately with the FlashForge and, while I have seen a little minor warping from time to time, on the whole the results have been as good as any I could expect. I’m pretty sure that, if I’d had time to dial the prints in, I could have cured those issues but it was a very rushed job.
Don’t know about the Printrbot but the FF has a nice thick (6mm) aluminium build plate that heats up really quick. The printer comes with a few sheets of their version of BuildTak, which works very well indeed for ABS - You’ve gotta be careful not to make the first layer too thin or you’ll never get the print off it! - and, of course, it’s a well-enclosed design to cut down on drafts. I’m kinda paranoid about drafts, so I plugged up just about every hole and covered the top with a t-shirt and a nice wooly jumper! Mind you, it is in my garage at the moment and the temp goes as low as 10C at night this time of year. So, think workhorse with a wooly jumper and you’ll get the idea! 
Cheers!
AndyL
Pot8oSH3D <------- Click for my 3DHub
1 Like
I bought a FlashForge Dreamer and have been using it for about 6 months now; I will never go back to other printer I love the flash forge company.
Hi,
I got the flashforge Creator pro, and It is actually quite good,so for my side it will be 1
but I don’t know the printrbot metal plus 
hope this helps
Bastien
Andy
Absolutly agreed, i have a ffcp for 6 months now, and this thing is a workhorse. Like all printers it nerds a little maintenance. I find it runs better if you replace the ptfe tubes every three months. But that is easy to do, you can buy a length of ptfe 4mm od 2mm id tube on amazon for about 10 bucks, and just cut 36mm lengths with a knife and there you go…
I have had printrbots in the past, and would not go back, especialy now pb seems to be abbandoning its maker roots.
I own a Flashforge and cannot fault it.
Build size is 225 x 145 x 150.
Attached Pic from their site for reference.
There are many Mod on Thingiverse for the Creator Pro, one Great Mod for Flex Filament.
I have no worries about my opinions on Flashforge, it has never let me down.
Tomek
9
Problem with good leveling both extruders - always only one is pretty “sharp”. Do you realy need dual ?
if you have the extra cash go for the creator pro, my recommendation would be to go for the wanhao D4s
we use these in house and as good as creator pro but 120GBP cheaper!
maxh96
11
M’y recommandations us for the flash forge i havé une and It’swork good
Www.great3d.Com has 100$ off flash forge brands and free shipping right now.
I have 2 Flashforge Dreamers, and I gotta say, Flashforge has exceded all my expectations. For the price, I would not go with any other brand of printer. Friends of mine with other printers are constantly astounded by the quality of the prints that come off my FFD.
3D Printer flashforge creator Pro 2015 model
here at just £795
Hi Rakesh,
like most people here, I would also recommend the Creator Pro. With its closed print chamber, it’s much better for printing (large) objects in ABS.
We’ve made some adjustments, like improved hood and controller heater to increase temperature in chamber, so it works even better for printing ABS. But again: this is a very good printer, we’ve been using them a lot for printing third party objects, all in ABS (see www.3dprontoprint.com).
Regards,
Barry
What sort of material do you want to print? The enclosed printing area on the FlashForge will make printing ABS more successful. Not to say that you can’t print ABS on the Printrbot, but it’s more suited for PLA.
Thank You all for your reply. I really appreciate it. To me Dual Extruder is not important, but a large print surface is a great thing to have. My main motive it to print out, Robot parts prototypes, in Either PLA or ABS, before sending it for manufacturing. Hence, I was thinking to have a larger print bed.
Based on the feedback from this forum, I am inclined towards Flash Forge Creator Pro ( Amazon has Lifetime Support through flashForge guys). However, I have looked at the below printers and wanted to get back your feedback on them:
a) Prusa 12" i3v Kit from Maker Farm 12
b) Wanhao Duplicator 4X
c) Solidoodle Workbench
d) Felix 3.0 DIY
e) Rostock Max V2 kit
Thanks
Rakesh
Hey Barry,
Can I order 3D prints directly from your website, instead of using 3DHubs??
Cheers,
AndyL
1 Like
I am happy with my FF Creator Pro and it seems to have better specs (max print speed and max heated bed temp) except for print volume.
