Let me first start out by stating that I have tried a few printers, oh yes. I currently have 4 in my workshop and out of the 4 I have a BIBO, CreatorBot3D, a Flashforge Creator Pro and a Flashforge Dreamer. I have also tried a Ultimaker 2 and a Makerbot Replicator 2x.
Out of those my Unicorn is the Dreamer, hands down. Now let me tell you why:
1) Out of the box the Dreamer really needs nothing extra, well except some adhesive. It can be plugged in and setup in minutes. It comes with the blue plate tape and a couple of free rolls of filament.
2) Leveling is a breeze. During the leveling procedure the Dreamer “drives” itself to the 3 leveling points for adjustment. Simply slide a piece of 9"x11" paper under and friction fit, for 0.1mm and 2 pieces of paper for 0.2mm layer heights. Never have to do this more than once before printing.
3) Flashprint. This is super easy to use, run your .STL or .OBJ files through netfabb and straight into here and you’re exporting in no time. It also communicates with the printer plugged in via USB or Wi-Fi. I also used Simplify3D with it to compare software, S3D wins overall but Flashprint is still super easy to use and Wi-Fi is a plus.
4) Built-in fans. When printing with PLA these fans are invaluable, there are two on the case and one on the extruder block = long bridging and arching made super easy.
5) Glass plate is optional. I have done run after run of prints with a glass plate kit installed and without a glass plate kit installed and not had to re-level at all. This is a major plus in the production side of things. However for ABS prints, the glass plate is a win all day, mainly for ease of removal post print.
6) It runs and runs and runs. I have thousands of hours of error free printing on this machine, with zero issues. It truly is a workhorse.
7) Quality of parts. Not many foreign made printers have the build quality that this printer has, during rapid stepper movements it holds up and doesn’t suffer from deflection at all. Deflection and build plate variation is a nightmare, I think we can all agree.
8) Huge range of filament compatibility. Now by default this printer uses the Flashforge 0.6KG rolls, but there are so many alternate mounting options, this can be adapted to accept every roll config out there. It will also handle everything I throw at it, including Polycarbonate and Nylon. Side note - PETG is my fav.
If you are looking to purchase a printer or add one to your repertoire, buy a Dreamer. You won’t regret it.
Cheers,
Chris
