Never Miss a Deal.

Before I purchased this printer, I researched them for a long time trying to find the best one. I didn't have a large budget, but I wanted the most from my investment. I literally spent days trying to decide between a i3 kit or something more plug and play. Being a beginner to the hobby, but not shy of tinkering, I wasn't sure where I should begin. So, I had decided on a i3 kit and then see that Monoprice had released two new 3d printer models. I instantly recognized the Maker Select printer as a rebranded Wanhao i3 and I was sold. These printers have very good reputations and I felt very confident that support from Monoprice would not disappoint me.



The printer came packaged very well and included everything needed to get started. I only had a couple of hours on the first day to spend setting it up, and I fully expected to have to do some troubleshooting. After getting everything unboxed and on my desk I followed the printed sheet of instructions included in the box. The instructions were very clear, however setup issues still came up and I had to work through those.



First, I had trouble loading the filament into the extruder. No matter how much I tried to force it in, it just wouldn't feed. I then read online that it's easier to cut the end off at an angle and that will make it easier to feed. And sure enough, as soon as I had a bit of an angle on the end, the extruder was able to grab the filament. This step would be really helpful if it were included in the documentation.



Next, I had a small issue with my Z axis not being level. This was my fault and a result of me manually moving it after getting it setup, it is entirely possible that it came level from the factory. Getting the Z axis back to level was a little tricky as I couldn't very well get a carpenters level on it, but a plain old ruler did the trick.



Once the Z axis was straightened out, I set to leveling the bed. I took great care to level it and my investment was rewarded. It's vitally important to make sure that only one piece of printer paper can fit under the extruder. Using two pieces of printer paper, I moved the nozzle around the bed about two inches inside of each corner and slid one piece under the nozzle, continuing to make fine adjustments until the second sheet wouldn't fit any more. After completing my first pass, I made a second pass to true everything up and make sure it was level.



Once everything was level, I loaded up my first test model from the included SD card and was printing. It took two hours, but I had my first print and the quality looked very good compared to other examples I'd seen on the internet.



Even though I had, what I feel, is a good first experience. I do have a couple of small complaints about the product listing. And since this is a new product launch for Monoprice, they aren't unexpected either. First, my printer included a 2GB SD card when the product listing claimed 4GB. Also, there is no longer a link to the product documentation on the product page. It was there the first day, but got removed when the listing was updated. This needs to be added back, it was tremendously valuable to me.



I highly recommend this printer to anyone interested in getting into the hobby, just don't expect it work like an ink jet and don't get discouraged when small problems come up.

PROS: Strong build quality.

Open source design.

Support for multiple filaments.

Heated bed.

Stand alone operation.

Very good print quality.

CONS: 2GB SD card included, not the advertised 4GB.

Missing full product documentation link on listing.

This is my second 3D printer from Monoprice. I was pleased to see several modifications have been made to it based on user feedback, like the leveling screws, the way the head no longer rubs against the z-axis belt, and the ground fix on the Melzi board.
From box to desk was about half an hour. First print was an hour after that (take the time to level that bed). Then three days of adventuring began.
I had little issues with bed adherence and layer bonding. Some of the issues are with the Prusa I3 profile in the current release of Cura, and some were because the printer was in a cold, drafty room.
Do listen to this guy on setting up the printer in Cura: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDXo2GBmbtU
Do go to Thingiverse and make this for the bed heater cable:
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1641044
And this for the filament feed:
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1598317
And build an enclosure for the printer, like its own little hothouse. I built mine from PVC pipes, 3 way couplers, and vinyl sheeting for about $25.
Then it will start printing like a champ.
It is a very nice printer, and you can't beat the price. You just have to perform some very simple, non-warranty-voiding mods to it.
And you'll know more about 3D printing than when you started.

This is the perfect 3D printer for someone with more time and energy than money. Assembly was easy and well documented, and the prints looked decent off the bat, but once you start printing more complicated or larger parts, some issues will make themselves apparent. Luckily, since this is essentially a Wanhao Duplicator i3, there are lots of parts on Thingiverse ready for you to print and fix the machine's quirks yourself.

PROS: -Price
-Nearly preassembled
-Decent out of the box performance on PLA
-Common design = easy to mod
-The 0.5mm nozzle helps with print speed and reduces the chance of an extruder jam.
-Comes with almost every tool you need to use and maintain the machine.
-Did I mention price?

CONS: -The PTFE thermal barrier tube degrades faster at higher temperatures, so ABS will degrade it over time and anything requiring higher temperatures is pretty much out. It also limits print speed (I top out at about 50mm/s for PLA). Fortunately, there is a spare, and bulk tubing is cheap. Micro Swiss also manufactures a compatible all-metal hotend for if you want to try higher temperature materials.
-The cooling fan isn't even aimed in the right direction, and it's underpowered. At the very least, you should immediately rotate the shroud to aim at the nozzle, and you should consider printing a new fan shroud ASAP. Switching to a better fan is also beneficial.
-Leveling the bed is a pain. The wingnuts are difficult to reach and turn, and they can loosen from the movement of the bed. I highly recommend printing a set of one of the many compatible thumbwheel parts on thingiverse as well as the spring holders to make leveling the bed a rare occurrence rather than a common chore.
-The default 0.5mm nozzle can't print with as much detail as the more common .4mm or .35mm sizes, and it also limits the minimum wall size.
-Make sure to have a good set of needle nose pliers for the inevitable jam. I've only jammed it when I did something wrong (bed too high or improper unloading), but you'll want to be able to take apart just in case.
-Again, it bears mentioning that this thing is best when it prints slowly. Expect parts to take at least half again as long as on some other 3D printers.

Out of the box I had this thing up and printing in a total of 20 mins (software slowed me down and needed to find my MicroSD to USB adapter).



1st print went well aside from an issue that was my fault (take your time leveling the bed or you lose hours of printing to odd shaped parts). After that short of taking every inch of it apart I spent nearly 24 man hours looking into why ever following print I attempted failed...



It is the SD card... Toss it out buy a name brand one... on bad print worth of PLA or ABS saved will likely cover the cost. Do not be me and lose an entire roll and a half of filament bc you are stubborn and refuse to believe an SD card could take down an entire machine... its a real thing.



Also if you are handy at all look up Vernon Barry on YouTube, he goes by JetGuy. Do pretty much every MOD he shows and also put heat defection tape or a heat shield between the heater wires and filament feed.



In the end does it need way more MODs and setup than just 4 -6 screws... thats a huge yes... but there are only 2 ways to get an awesome printer... spend 2x the money or spend some time with this diamond in the rough and about 15- 50 dollars in supplies (depending on how stocked your junk drawer is)



I'd Buy It Again... and maybe 1 more time lol

PROS: Works great after you fix it, fast assembly out of the box, print quality way better than a $350 printer should

CONS: Heat wires had to be rerouted to prevent filament from warping, The SD CARD IT COMES WITH GOES INTO THE TRASH, The SD CARD CORRUPTS FILES AND FAILS PRINTS, Did i mention THE SD CARD WRECKS EVERYTHING so THROW IT AWAY

The only real problem here is the customer (me)is not allowed to take the failed part out and check the connections to the power supply or see if the power supply itself had failed. If I could have done either of those things I could have maybe just sent the power supply back to the company instead of having to break down the whole machine and box it up , take it to UPS and wait for a new one. This whole process is a real pain in the ass and I am lucky I had a chance to talk to a understanding tech like Eon. great product, just needs to be made modular.

PROS: easy assembly.

CONS: should be made in separate pieces .pain in the ass to box up and send back.

I received this printer on a Friday afternoon and assembled it Saturday morning. When I powered it on thick smoke came from the control box. I powered it off and contacted support through email. I did not receive a reply from Monoprice until the following Thursday afternoon. In the meantime, I repaired the printer myself one of the capacitors in the power supply had ruptured. Since the repair the printer has been performing very well, but I was disappointed in the initial failure and the slow response from Monoprice.

PROS: It is a great printer if it works.

CONS: There may be a problem with initial reliability.

Sad to report that my third such printer has now died. The first went via a sudden burning electronics smell from the control box and would not print (just wouldn't move). It quit early on 2 prints, slightly more each time, then done. Saw limited use. Done done.

First replacement dead after test print, or before, the heated bed would not heat.

Second replacement (arrived mid September), died late December, died in fashion identical to the first one. It had sat for about 6 weeks, also, and was used sparingly when used. Sigh.

But when it did print I was very happy with the results. Not top of the line, but certainly nice for the price. I can't recommend it though based on my experience.

This was my first 3D printer - I had held off for a few years due to reading about a variety of problems with other printers and being underwhelmed with the quality of the prints I'd seen as examples. I was also quite skeptical that a $350 printer could possibly produce anything reasonable.

I've successfully printed with PLA (which worked out of the box and has always been relatively easy), ABS (which was a little trickier and appears to always be the case with 3D printers) and T-Glase as well as Nylon variants. This printer is great in that it handles pretty much every kind of filament available. This also makes it economical to operate. Filament choice adds a ton of flexibility and gives you opportunities to print things with the right combinations of flex, brittleness, and strength for whatever job you're doing.

If you haven't owned a 3D printer before, here's some things that surprised me: The print quality can be absolutely *amazing* if you're willing to wait. Postprocessing can be done with nearly every kind of filament to make the edges smooth and give the appearance of injection molding. About the only thing you can't do is make a perfectly transparent part (but you can get very close with T-Glase and an the right epoxy coating).

I've run this thing *non-stop* since I purchased it. Other than the hiccoughs that I ran into with the Y-Carriage, it's performed brilliantly without any part failures or wear. And the printer is a very simple construction - if something fails, you can find parts easily and inexpensively and many repairs can just be printed.

I've used this to print most of the parts to a RepRap tricolor that I'm building and the parts came out perfectly (with the addition of a 0.3mm all metal print head required for a couple of the parts - $14 for the head and $37 for the MK10 all metal kit which included a 0.4mm nozzle - since this comes with a 0.5mm nozzle and it's easy to swap out these parts, that gave me a little more versatility ... T-Glase prints best on large nozzles, detailed parts need smaller to produce the best results).

PROS: It's very nearly there out of the box - by "there", I mean, prints of a quality you might expect to pay more than twice as much for.

There's a huge community behind this printer and it generally gets very good reviews everywhere.

Very easily hacked/modified.

Supports a wide range of filaments and is deeply configurable to cover corner cases you *will* run into.

Uses .gcode and nearly every software application that slices works out of the box for PLA by selecting Prusia i3 and (sometimes) modifying the nozzle head to 0.5mm.

Incredible price *doesn't* leave you with a nice, cheap, 3D printer that's entry level causing you to long for something better.

CONS: You need to be willing to hack a bit to do any 3D printing on any 3D printer. This is no exception. The good news is that this printer has a massive following being based on the Wanhao Duplicator i3. I received the "v2" model of this printer (which has the LCD panel slightly tilted instead of at a 90 degree angle which is an improvement).

You'll want to print the Z-Brackets (Search thingiverse). I also had to purchase a new Y-Carriage mount because the part that the bed screws into is really flimsy and made it very difficult to get a consistent bed level (or to get it to level at all after a few weeks because it bends so easily). Not to worry, they're $20 on Amazon - Get an anodized aluminum one, add some lock nuts to the M3 screws on the bed and print the thumb screw heads and add some lock-nuts to replace the thumb screws and this printer is simply, without a doubt ... *amazing*.

First - understand that getting into 3D printing is not just about installing a new piece of hardware on your computer. Plan to invest some time and a few $ in research and improvements.
Second - why is this a great printer? It is cheap, versatile, and offers everything one needs to learn the "art" of 3D printing. If you enjoy tinkering - the possibilities with this printer are endless.
Third - for those having problems removing the filament, I found that heating up the nozzle, pushing down the release level while pushing filament down into the heated nozzle about 1-2cm (yes it will squirt filament out while doing this), and then quickly pulling it out allows you to remove it. If it doesn't come out, push some more down and try it again. It appears the filament expands while feeding into the nozzle while doesn't allow it to pull back out. Manually pushing the filament down into the nozzle melts this expanded portion which will fit back through the feed portion once it gets warm enough.

MOD Recommendations: Research the mods online. Vernon Barry - Jet Guy on Youtube has been mentioned before - a great resource for learning the parts of the printer and where to apply some upgrades. Search WANHAO on thingiverse for a huge list of upgrades and mods. As mentioned, and as you will find, this is a PRUSA I3 or WANHAO I3.: Platform thumb screws with some nuts below the heated plate and new self-locking nuts in the bottom are a great upgrade to help keep the build plate level. A MUST. That and do a JET GUY blue-printing z-axis alignment. Then you are pretty much set. Z axis dampers are already installed - not required! You may want to build some z-stop offset blocks, you will have to move the z-stop if you install a glass plate, however there are two sets of tapped holes in the bracket to move the z-stop up without a new bracket.

PRINTING:
PLA is easiest to use.
ABS is tricky and took some time to get good results. Cooling causes ends to curl and peel up from the build plate which ruins the print once it becomes "unstuck." I added a glass build plate with PEI, but have had better results with blue painters tape directly on the metal build plate covered with glue-stick. Used 105C platform temp, fan off. For even better results, add a brim and use blue painters tape over the brim once its complete and as the part starts printing.
CURA is free, simple and works well. I invested $150 in simplify3D, but so far it's well beyond what is required to get this running. Download a STL file (3d Model) from thingiverse, load it in CURA, use quick print settings to set ABS or PLA defaults, then switch to EXPERT to tweak the settings. Don't get overwhelmed by the adjustments, I started with build plate temps, nozzle temps, and supports. RAFT works well for a smooth bottom, BRIM as I mentioned, works well for keeping the print stuck to the plate. Then save the GCODE file, copy it to an SD card, and stick it in the printer to start printing. I haven't tried and see no reason to tie up your computer with a USB cable for 3 hours or more to print directly from CURA. Additionally, you can tweak platform temps and other settings from the control panel while warming up/printing if you didn't get them set just right in CURA before generating the GCODE.


PROS: Did I mention the price?
Heated bed
Versatile
great way to learn how to start printing, and will last a long time
LOTS of available internet documentation and support.
widely compatible with multiple slicer software.
You can completely disassemble, re-assemble as required - all open source hardware/software

CONS: Single extruder (vice dual), but for a good starter printer, my sense is dual extruders get well into the more advanced level and really aren't necessary when you are first learning.

For the $350 sale price that I bought this at, it's a bargain. It's one of the most affordable Reprap Prusa I3s out there. The metal construction of the frame gives the entire thing a feeling of solidity that I didn't find in a 3d printed Mendel that I had built previously. Let's run through the high points:



Assembly was a breeze. The printer came well packaged and protected. 4 screws are all that's needed to attach the frame to the base. From there you're setting up the bed with the tape and then making adjustments for the extruder height. All very easy.



The quick start guide was to the point and doesn't offer much in the way advanced instruction, so be aware that there's a full downloadable manual. Additionally, the quick start guide doesn't mention that there's some black electrical tape on the axis stops. It's easy to miss these as it blends in with the frame, particularly if you don't have a good light source.



The electronics seems to be pretty good, though I've only had it printing for about 48 hours over the past week and a half - so I can't speak to their longevity. They're reasonably accessible in the case that can be disassembled. I would have liked to have seen the electronics come with connectors so that the frame can be completely detached from the electronics case. Otherwise it's nearly a two person job to move the whole thing from your assembly area to it's more permanent home.



The SD card comes preloaded with a couple small models to start printing with. My first print was the butterfly logo that was on there and I was very impressed with it. The sides were perfectly smooth - though this may be because I had the extruder much too close to the bed. Getting that height correct is necessary to keep the filament from bonding with the tape (even with a raft!). That mangled one of the only 2 sheets of tape included. I'll be looking into a more permanent solution like a glass topper or some other film. The tape just isn't a long term option.



My second and third prints were cases for a HeaterMeter and Ergodox keyboards. I think they came out quite well. It's worth noting that I've only tried printing with some Hatchbox PLA, I haven't yet tried ABS or any other plastics.



For software, the SD card came preloaded with a pre-configured version of Cura dedicated to the "IIIP." I hadn't realized that and downloaded and configured the current version of Cura and have been running my prints with that. The SD card's software seems configured for higher resolution printing and results in drastically longer prints as compared to what I downloaded and configured. Unless I'm printing a showpiece, I'm going to stick to a bit of a lower resolution for the time benefits. That's totally in your control, though.



Control is a big thing in 3d printing. We're working with open source designs, customizing our own models, sharing them through various repositories, and tinkering with our printers. I have no illusions that the electronics and mechanical end stops are not necessarily the pinnacle of 3d printing advancement, and that's perfectly OK! This printer functions extremely well for it's price point and I'm thrilled to have picked it up. There's plenty of room on this for future upgrades and enhancements - and that's why I noted in the title that this is a great starting point. It's going to last awhile and along the way you'll probably upgrade the bed, and maybe add some optical stops etc etc..



All told, for someone getting into the hobby, this is a great starting point. It gets you from zero to printing in an hour. The print quality is really really good and there's very little fussing over the calibration. The barrier to entry is really pretty low here and there hasn't been a better time to get into it.

PROS: Quick and easy assembly. Frame feels very sturdy. Goes from box to printing in under an hour.

CONS: Fan already screeching like a banshee - already had to buy a replacement. Electronics box is very heavy and it being unable to completely detach the wiring it is quite cumbersome to move.

For the 1 month that it was working, I was very pleased with the quality and performance of the printer.

The issue was that after just one month the printer stopped working completely with nothing on the display.

These things happen, of course, but I have been waiting 4 weeks now for a replacement and the latest is that it will be at least another 2 weeks for a replacement even ships.

I guess bottom line is that it works well until you have an issue and then customer support leaves you waiting. There was not even an apology or an attempt at a solution, just a matter of fact statement that there is nothing they can do.

Wow! I received mine late April 2016, and it appears to be a next-generation design. Much of the previous customer feedback has been incorporated:
+ The LCD display is sloped, therefore easy to read
+ All connectors are labeled, so it's very easy to connect everything
+ Heated-platform is already covered and is print-ready. No need to attach a print sheet.
+ Micro SD card is now 4GB, and I had no problems at all printing one of the included gcode samples
+ Platform leveling was not difficult
+ My first print was flawless
+ Power-supply fan is not noisy in my opinion. Mine printer is located in the garage. Extruder fan is silent.

Be sure to read the other reviews No need for me to repeat what's already been said.

This product IS NOT a second-rate hack job. I'm very impressed with the workmanship and materials, especially for the price (349 USD with free shipping), as well as the careful packing / padding.

My suggestions:
1. Buy a spool of PLA filament when you purchase your printer, so you have it ready to use. I didn't bother loading the sample of included filament. Hatchbox has good customer reviews, and a colleague of mine has had excellent results.
2. Don't fret over the platform leveling. The included wingnuts are fine just be aware that adjusting one corner will affect the leveling at other points. If you keep checking each corner, you will find that progressively smaller adjustments are needed. Then spot check & fine-adjust using some points near the center of the platform. I don't plan to change-out the wingnuts because they seem fine to me.
3. When you manually feed filament into the extruder, make sure it's constantly moving. If it's not moving while you are gently feeding it, remove, and snip-off the end and try again. Once the feeder has scraped the surface it wont feed. It took me a second attempt.
4. I installed 10 lockwashers on the 6 bolts required for assembly they aren't included.
5. Pay close attention to the first layer of filament as it's applied to the platform, taking note of the shape and width as it's deposited. This will help confirm you have leveled it properly.

I did not notice any objectionable odors using PLA.

PROS: Flawless out-of-the-box experience.
Solid all-metal construction. All moving components are high-quality, and operate smoothly.


CONS: My only gripe is the quick-start instructions were not updated to reflect the easier-to-assemble condition of this printer.

I have had my printer for about 4 months now and have learned a few things I wanted to share.
Get the All Metal Hot End from Micro Swiss, it will make your prints so much better as well as making changing filament very easy. I never though such a simple mod would make such a huge difference.
When removing a print from the bed, try not to put a lot of pressure on the bed itself. Putting pressure on the bed messes with the leveling springs and you will have to level it again. for leveling, I slide a piece of printer paper under it and adjust the springs till I can feel a little resistance.
You can pause your print and change colors mid print, I just learned that and have done it twice with great results. When your ready to pause, scroll down to SD Card, press, then press Pause Print. Change your filament and then press continue under the same menu. DO NOT change the position of the extruder. When pause is pressed, the extruder will move over to the left. When it continues, it will return to the proper position. If you move it, it will not return properly.
I never print fast then 40mm/s and use a bed temp of 55 and extruder at 220 for PLA, PLA Pro, and the PETG. Again, those temps are for the All Metal Hot End.

I am very happy with this printer. It isn't just a starter printer, It is an affordable printer that with the proper settings and mods can create amazing prints.

PROS: I love it, easy set up, great results.

CONS: It would be nice not to have to level the bed so often, not really a con, but an inconvenience.

Got the printer and soon was printing our pulleys and containers for sensors. After 2 months had an issue with controller firmware, they quickly diagnosed and replaced it. I am a happy camper..

PROS: Easy to put together
Plenty of you-tube videos on assembly and setup
Works with FreeCad


CONS: Its a pain to level bed but only did it once, no biggy

Like many here this is also my first adventure into 3D printing. After much reading and lurking on 3D boards I settled on this printer. Right out out of the box it printed the samples but was difficult to level and tended clump (probably because it wasn't level). So after more research I began to mod and upgrade the machine.
First I printed the DIII cooler shroud off thingiverse and got a new fan.
Second was the Micro swiss all metal hotend. This is to limit clumping and aid in printing in ABS and PETG. Without it the ABS tended to curl and delaminate.
Third I did the grounding mods on the controller board to get temperature fluctuations at the nozzle more consistent.
Fourth I printed the spring cups off thingiverse to keep the leveling springs uniform and limit shifting due to bed motion.
Fifth was the printer enclosure built from corrugated plastic sheet to maintain uniform temperature in the printing environment (that was a mouthful).
Sixth I replaced the original bendy metal sheet that is the Y-Carriage platform with a piece of 1/8" aluminum sheet. This is lightweight but not as bendy as the original y-Carriage so I don't have to adjust the bed for level as often.
All I really have left now is the Z bracing stiffeners and an adjustable spool holder with ball bearings and the printer will be just the way I want it.
Still much less than printers with comparable features and I can't complain about print quality. All in all I am satisfied with this purchase.

Initially, the printer worked great. As with any 3D printer, it takes some patience, research and trial and error to understand the art of 3D printing. (adhesion, shrinkage, etc).

After a couple of weeks, we could smell burning. We discovered that one of the plugs on the board was melting. At the time, Monoprice was sold out of these printers, and we didn't want to wait 3 weeks to start the RMA process. So, we pulled out the solder iron and fixed the connection. It worked for another day or two, but the board was still really hot and the printer would quit mid-print.

We bought a replacement board (different manufacturer) and rewired the bed so it draws power from the power supply, bypassing the board, and we added a relay.

I highly recommend to anyone with this product that they check the circuit board for overheating (make sure the plugs are tightly connected too). And, if you are a DIY kind of tinkerer, consider rewiring the heated bed to add a relay. There are a lot of forums and posts online explaining how to do this. We hear the relay clicking every 5-10 seconds, so we know it's working, and the printer is now working perfectly.

Other than that glitch, the printer is pretty good. For the price, I can't imagine buying anything better.

We also switched to Repetier software for printing. We like it a little better.

It might sound like I'm a monoprice employee from the title, but I've used this printer for a couple days and it is by far the most entertaining experience I've had with being creative! I am using blender and thingiverse to get great 3d models to print, and people are astounded when I show them! I've compared the outcome of these prints to other printers such as the college ones at my school for 800$, and despite being 3x less in price, it outperforms! I have tweaked mine a tad I'm not going to lie, I setup a borosilicate glass build plate with 4 file clamps to attach to the surface with thermal paste between the build plate and the glass, took out the metal pieces on the file clamps and completely leveled. Then I have been using washable purple glue sticks to make the plate adhesive, which I then apply generously to the build plate which can be repurposed after every print by simply dampening with a wet cloth until it turns purple again from clear. It instantly sticks the initial print layer by hardening from the heat of the plastic, and works perfectly! Using the cheapest ABS plastic filament I could fine, I have never been more satisfied with any printer. This printer makes the quarter million dollar machines from 2 years ago look like an oversized deskweight.

I'm a totally new to 3d printing - and had basically gone into this under the impression that it would take me at least a week to get decent prints. Very happy to be wrong! My second print (the butterfly) was almost perfect! Now I'm already printing the little extras that I'm sure will take this guy from great to excellent. I'm super happy with my purchase. I'd recommend to anyone starting to drop the X & Y acceleration from 1000 to 600 and the jerk from 20.0 to 5.0 (this is accessible through the configurations settings). I noticed a definite improvement in printing and build quality. Ymmv, of course.

PROS: Cost
Build quality
Print quality

CONS: Micro sd reader is a bit wonky. Throw out the card they give you with it.

After researching 3D printers for around 6 months I finally decided the Maker Select v2 was my best option and the price is GREAT! I have not been disappointed after a couple of weeks of use printing PLA. I have not tried other materials.

Build plate leveling is simple. Filament loading is simple. The included card is more than adequate to transfer models to the printer if you don't connect it directly with the supplied USB cable.

My only complaint is in the size of the spool holder. It is not long enough to hold the spools of PLA purchased from Monoprice. My attempts to print my own longer spool holder have as yet been unsuccessful because I can't seem to get enough filament to feed with getting tied in a know and binding in the extruder input. I'm still working on this one but this could be easily solved if a long spool holder was included. The pictures of the v1 Maker select appear to have a longer spool holder.. I'm not sure why one wasn't included with v2.

PROS: Easy setup. Easy use. Great for newbie to 3D printing. PRICE PRICE PRICE!!!

CONS: Spool holder is not long enough to hold Monoprice premium PLA spools.

Wasn't going to review the printer since I returned it, but Monoprice sure is insistent that I review it (I think I got the fourth request today) so here we go, you get what you (insistently) ask for.

Got the Maker Select v2 based on good feedback from a friend. Initial prints were good, but then I started having problems with initial layer adhesion. Seemed to be related to bed leveling, and I spent a bunch of time trying to get it right. Also was running into underextrusion issues, so contacted support and they agreed that I might have a defective unit, so I sent it back.

My biggest issue was it seemed like the printer was tweaked, because when I did get the bed level, it seemed noticably higher on the right side. Also, geometry tells us that you can define a plane with four points, but this print bed has four points of adjustment, so you really have the opportunity to screw yourself if you get one of them wrong.

Instead of going with another Maker Select v2, I went with the Maker Ultimate, which is a much burlier design, and only has three leveling screws on a build plate that is a solid 1/4" thick. So far I've been really happy that I upgraded from this one to the Ultimate.

One upside of this over the Maker Ultimate is that this is based on the Wanhao Duplicator i3, which has a ton of info out there. The Ultimate is based on the Duplicator 6, and there's a bunch less folks with that printer, so there's less info available. On the upside, it seems that less info is needed with the Dup6/Maker Ultimate.

Best results I had were printing on blue painter's tape, so that could be helpful. I used 2" strips and discovered they didn't have to be perfectly lined up for good results.

PRO:
-excellent print quality
-easy to use
-large printing areauseful for multiple prints in one job

CON:
-wrong/incompatible spool holder.
-was told to ship in entire unit for replacement but still received the SAME exact incompatible spool holder with the new replacement unit...
-fans are pretty loud...definitely not idea for overnight prints.
-poor connectivity with print from SD card function.

Once you work through all the issues this is a great printer for the money however getting there might be troublesome. I'm not sure what happened to monoprice's Q/A here. First off my printer's Y axis wasn't working in one direction. Tried all the basic stuff by reseating the motor cable, no change. Finally found out that the problem was inside and I had to open the entire PSU/controller case and re-seated the cable there which fixed my problem. I opened a support case with monoprice and still haven't heard anything. The next major issue I saw that was in order to level the print bed I had to remove washers from one side of the leveling springs. It was so off level it could not be adjusted without removing parts.

PROS: Great price.
Good prints
Okay documentation

CONS: Monoprice support is poor
Broken out of the box

Note: I have only done the initial set up and run a few of the included sample prints. I have not yet installed Cura or done any slicing or tried to use my own gcode for the machine.



Instead of thinking of this printer as ready to go out of the box (which it mostly is), if we consider it more like a pre-assembled kit, then I think expectations will fall more in line as there is still surely some learning curve, fine tuning, adjusting, and upgrading that will turn this into a very capable machine.



The set up is pretty quick. The only qualms I have immediately are that the frame is actually a little flexy, if not quite flimsy. It is easy to flex the frame from corner to corner in any direction. So make sure to set it up on a smooth and level surface to make the bed levelling and printing steps less frustrating. The bed leveling wing nuts also are not good. Screws with a finer pitch and thumbscrew or thumbwheels would make this much easier. However, it's not tough to get the included sample prints to work since they all print with rafts on a small area in the center of the build plate.



Plan on printing out these upgrades (look for them on Thingyverse under Wanhao Duplicator i3 or some variation of that):

Z-axis bracing. This will stiffen the frame and make squaring everything up easier

Bed leveling thumb wheels

New nozzle fan and duct (diii cooler duct and a 50x15 radial blower fan is a popular mod)



Otherwise, I am very impressed with the value of this printer and the quality of the sample prints at least.



Further, if you get this machine, the included gcode files are just numbered.

1 is a butterfly (this was also printed on the build plate of the machine when I received it as a test print) which is basically a 2D drawing extruded vertically.

2 and 3 are a swan and an elephant sitting down. I may have that order reversed. I didn't print the 4th one yet so I don't know what it is.





PROS: Good hardware

Simple setup

Very good print quality

Fairly compact

Cable chains

SD card printing

CONS: Frame is flexy

Bed leveling wing nuts

The wiring on the extruder and fans on the X carriage is kind of crammed together

Nozzle fan and duct is pretty mediocre

I was looking for a cost effective filament printer that had good quality and a big build area. So basically I wanted a lot for not much. This printer continues to impress me! I am just getting the hang of it and love every minute of it! Did my research using /r/3DPrinting's (on Reddit) side bar chart for printers. I built my own DLP SLA printer before but the maker select is more than just a fun project or toy, it's a useful tool!

There is about 22-26 grams of included filament incase anyone was wondering. Just about enough to print one of the four preloaded files (a butterfly, a swan, a lazy-boy and an elephant).

PROS: -Build area.
-Price.
-Ready to go.
-Easy to use.
-Not too too loud.
-Sturdy.

CONS: -Hard to load another filament sometimes.
-Doesn't have a time elapsed or time remaining timer.
-No auto power down!
-When scrolling through the file list the highlighted selector disappears and you can't see which item you've selected.
-No rubber footpads.

I've had the printer a couple of weeks. I had been watching for a reasonably priced printer so when this one went on sale I jumped. I had mixed results with the first couple of prints. I found that the y axis belt was loose on my printer. It was causing the belt to jump teeth occasionally, this had pretty bad results for my first couple of prints. I took one end of the belt loose and tightened it. That seems to have resolved the y axis issues. I guess zip ties that hold the belt slipped in shipment or packing? I've had a few issues with platform adhesion but most prints are working now. I ordered filament with the printer and Monoprice shipped me the wrong color. I talk to CS and were not overly helpful, they did send me the right filament but it took ax extra few days to get it. I had to ship the incorrect color back because they wanted to charge me full price for it to keep it. I expected they would let me keep it since 1, they screwed up, 2, it costs them to ship it back. 3. It caused me delays and inconvenience. No discount was offered so I sent it back. The included SD card is no longer working after a few prints. Its not recognized by the printer or my PC. I had another card laying around so that isn't a huge deal. Just be aware that the included card is low quality and is likely to fail. I've seen this issue several other places so I wan't terribly surprised. Overall its a good printer and I plan to make some mods soon to increase speed and print quality. Connecting to the PC seems flaky, I haven't had success with this. I've been printing from SD card.

PROS: Print Quality
Frame
Price
Lots of community support for advice and mods.
Print quality.


CONS: It takes a little tinkering.
SD card is low quality.
USB connection is flaky.
Y axis belt was loose out of the the box causing a few bad prints.

The printer prints very nicely; small details are handled well and the surface is smooth and consistent.
The setup instructions, however, are a bit confusing. The pictures provided lack context, making it a bit difficult to figure out how things fit together. For example, it wasn't until I re-opened this page to get an overview picture that I understood that the main frame mounted at right angles to the tray. Also, the example files provided on the SD card are completely different than those in the manual, and are rather unhelpfully named 1.gcode, 2.gcode, etc.

Was delivered before the estimated ship date.
The Maker Select was up in running within an hour versus a weeks labor for a DIY kit.
Literally just need to bolt the Z-axis to the Y-axis, tighten up the rest of the bolts (as it is being shipped out), level the bed (which is pre-leveled but comes loose during shipping) and you're ready to go for your first print!
Make sure you order some 1.75mm filament as the supplied sample is only enough for a single print.
Check out reddit (google reddit maker select v2) and you'll see a few very detailed guides on how to get the best out of your printer.
The printing is slower compared to my DIY i3, but the results are a very clean print.
The XYZ calibration cube and Benchy came out pretty decent without any modifications. Some settings will need to be tweaked.
Due to some iffy electronics, it is very advisable to (with the power OFF) re-wire the heated bed directly to the power supply. This may sound daunting, but you only need a screw driver and the allen/hex key that is included.
Lastly, keep in mind that 3D printers do require upkeep. I haven't had to replace anything yet, but I'm sure the bearings will need to be replaced within a month of heavy-use (those full Z-axis braces & extender, different fan ducts, belt tensioners, spool holders and guide, benchy's and calibration prints).

First off, it is NOT ready in 10 minutes. Took that long to unpack all of the pieces. The average person will take a lot longer. Not an issue, just worth mentioning. I don't mind taking a few hours to set it up correctly.

The prints are awesome! I ended up using blue painters tape on top of the stick layer that comes on the bed. It seems either one wears out after a few prints, which is fine, just peel it off and add a new layer.

Leveling the bed is fairly simple but time consuming, and I find myself doing it after a few prints.

Would recommend printing a raft/brim/extra filament at the start of each print. My extruder won't extrude until halfway through the first layer of the raft.

That being said, this printer comes with EVERYTHING you need to print, no need to buy anything else to start out. You will need filament rather quickly, I'd recommend buying it at the same time as the printer.

PROS: Great set up out of the box
Durable construction
Comes with EVERYTHING

CONS: Longer setup time than advertised

If you want user-friendly, get a Plus model. If you are willing to learn how the mechanics of these printers work and you aren't afraid of geeky technical stuff, then save some money and get this one. I now have two of these that were purchased AFTER my Plus model. These are much easier to work on.

This is my first 3D printer, so much of what I have to say will probably be "well, duh" to experienced users. That said, I've done some limited testing with two different machines (more on that later) with both PLA and ABS, and found that they worked well, mostly. The printing hardware itself works quite well, for all it's still a bit fiddly with print bed leveling, filament loading (yes, bias cutting the filament helps a *lot*), and finding the right temperature for the filament you're currently using... but unfortunately, the printing hardware isn't everything.

First, there's the controller... it's pretty well designed for most of what it will actually be used for (setting preheats, adjusting print head/extruder positions, and the like), but it's also how you print from the SD card... and the limited display size doesn't help for that (pretty sure that's why the sample files' filenames are so very non-descriptive). Probably not much that could be done about that without making the printer more expensive, so USB printing would seem to make more sense... but I'll come to that in a moment. Lastly, the cabling for the controller is a bit short... I think the single simplest change I would make to this printer would be to add a connector at the controller housing where all the cabling comes in. As is, you have to wrestle with three large metal items attached by short cords when you're initially assembling the frame, and a connector would allow you to remove the controller from that process, easily install an extension piece if needed, and allow for the controller to be shipped back/swapped out in case of an issue rather than having to break down the whole machine.

So, USB printing then... again, back on the subject of short cords, the 3' USB cord that comes with (and has an plug-end for the controller that doesn't seem to match any other mini-USB cord end that I've accumulated over the years) just isn't long enough to be useful in many setup arrangements, so plan on buying a USB extension cord of one sort or another. You'll also need software to print with... if page 19 of the manual were to be believed, there would be a link on this page to that software, but as of this writing that's not the case. I tried downloading Cura from the official website and ran into problems with the first printer I got (opening serial connection would lock up the controller), and Monoprice quickly RMA'd that printer... but not until I verified the problem with the "known good" software included on the Micro SD card (so, if you run into a similar problem, you will absolutely need a Micro SD card reader and a Windows-compatible computer to verify with). The software included is a modified version of Cura, with a simplified install process... the only difference I've noted so far is that there's only 3 print speed options in the modified version vs. 4 in the official version, but I haven't dug too far into that yet. Once you have printing set up (software installation sets up your printer as a USB serial port, in my case I had to specify that port in the machine settings area), it's as simple as telling the software to print, connect to the port, and then start the print... when it works, that is. I've had a pair of USB print attempts in the past 48 hours just stop part-way through, and even when the print goes to completion, you get no indication of that back at the client software (the printing dialog shows a full progress bar, but you still have to cancel out to make the print dialog go away).

All in all, those should be fairly minor problems, though... if you use USB for things like temperature tests of new filament and quick test prints, and copy larger/longer files to SD for printing directly through the controller, you should have decent luck with this machine. One last suggestion, though... I found I had problems with a lot of my print attempts early on with the PLA prints refusing to "stick" to the painter's-tape print surface I set up, and I finally found an answer... the Cura program (modified version at least) inserts a bit of code at the beginning of each print that has it extrude 3mm of filament immediately before starting the print, doubtless to make sure you're starting with "fresh" PLA. That little loop of filament invariably snagged the base layer of the raft, turning everything into a blob of plastic. If you find and comment out that line in the start.gcode file, then make sure to preheat your printer and manually extrude and clean the PLA off your print head immediately before printing, you should have fewer issues overall.

PROS: Great price
Decent print quality, if you take the time to learn what the machine needs

CONS: Slow
Loud
Mistakes in manual
Dodgy USB printing

The printer prints reasonably well. The first printer came with a broken SD card port and had to return. Unpacking is easy. However, repacking was a pain. They should have added some connectors to separate the controller from the frame. Except it is a hardwired to the motors with bundled wire and the frame and the controller have to be moved in tandem.

The SD card port on the replacement printer is defective as well. The SD card does not fit well and the controller does not recognize the card. You have to remove and insert the card several times. I broke one card already trying to push it in. Now I am trying to connect it directly thru USB.

The print is of reasonably good quality. It mushes up when the support point is thin. For example, the swan file that came with the printer, printed perfect upto the neck. It started mushing up when it reached certain point of the neck. Same thing with the elephant trunk.

Overall, OK for the price. Good as a startup.

PROS: Good value for the money.
Easy to setup
Reasonably decent print quality.

CONS: SD card reader is a crap shoot.
Not modular, if you need to move it.

Metal frame, okay electronics. When you get it, check all the fittings and tighten all screws.

Also, disassemble and clean the hotend beforeprinting ANYTHING. I've had mine for a year and experienced constant jams and slow printing. It occassionally would produce beautiful prints but only at slow speeds.

Finally today after repeated jams with pla I disassmbled the hot end. As soon as I removed the brass nozzle aluminum shavings from when they cut the threads in the heater block fell out! To save pennies, they're not washing the parts after machining.

Then I used a real fine copper wire to push the plug out of the nozzle. I then cut the plug in half and found an aluminum shaving in it.

So besides tightening all the screws and going over the box electronics, I would disassemble the hot end after buying this printer and ensure there are no shavings. You can use a small brush to clean the threads.

First off, if you expect 3D prints first shot without messing around, this is not for you. I did a lot of reading before I purchased this printer and decided that for me this printer would fulfill my needs. I wanted something that was low cost, relatively easy setup and a way to learn 3D printing.

The unit I got has a slant front and it went together very quickly. It also has a Buildtak plate and a spare as well. My first few prints were a disaster. But after re-levelling a few times I finally started to get somewhere. Then I turned up the heat on the extruder and that solved 95% of my issues. For some reason, the PLA just wouldn't stick to my build platform at 190-200 degrees. At about 210 I started to get good builds.

PROS: Inexpensive
Relatively quick and easy setup
Fairly Accurate prints


CONS: No Autoleveling
Cable management could be better
MK10 extruder seems new in the market, not many spare parts/upgrades available
Poor setup instructions - go watch some YouTube videos it will help

This is an excellent printer to start on. It is well made and if you are a tinkerer there are many upgrades available in various communities for it. It has very good print quality and is easy to setup.

PROS: Takes most 1.75mm filaments
Upgrades are available (if you are somewhat tech savvy)
Sturdy
Reliable
Easy to assemble and operate

CONS: The included print bed is a little flexible
The spool holder is a little short from some spools

I've used about six different models of 3D printers from different manufacturers over the years, all of which had great reviews and were much more expensive than this one. I would rather use the Maker Select than any of them. It isn't perfect, and the concerns on many of the other reviews people have written here are valid. But my favorite thing about it is that when something needs adjusting, or isn't working they way you'd like, its not hard to figure out what is wrong or what you need to change.
My organization prints a lot of materials for people who are blind or sight impaired. So, whenever we try a new device to produce these materials we are very concerned with the tactile quality of the finished product. The Maker Select exceeds our needs in this area.
The first Maker Select we received I have been using for a couple months. We recently ordered and began to use a second one. The new one appears to be a second revision of the Maker Select, as it includes some of the common mods that people apply to the printer. The screen and control knob are now angled for better viewing. The wire bundle along the X axis is now higher and angled so it does not get caught on the print head assembly as the previous version occasionally did. The included sheets to stick to the build platform are of a better material than before and platform adhesion is improved. The SD card provided is now indeed 4GB and is of acceptable quality.

So I've been wanting a 3d printer forever and decided on this one judging from others reviews and comparisons and I am overall not disappointed, in fact I have only a couple gripes about this product. First they are not assembled well as I had to adjust and tighten several components before even beginning to use the unit. Second this is merely a rebranding of the Wanhao Duplicator I3 and I knew this going in to the purchase however they haven't incorporated all of the improvements that Wanhao has started using which is only frustrating because they have done some of them you just have to figure out which ones. Third the "sample" of PLA that they include is just that a very very small amount, however it was not sealed well and had no desiccant included and it was basically unusable because it broke into sections no more than a foot long. Even with all these things I think this was a great purchase for a beginner level and I would definitely recommend this unit to friends.

PROS: Great for beginners
Customizable

CONS: Not assembled well

I was very excited to get this printer. I think the price point on this makes for a perfect starting unit. I am not one to read the instructions, so the quick setup sheet was perfect for getting this out of the box, and on my desk. The included project files worked great, but I started to have issues using other project files. It was a bit of a trick to get to the online documentation, but once I did I made sure to keep a local copy on my computer which I reference often. The only physical change I would suggest to this machine is the cooling fan on the front needs to be moved up a bit higher to prevent interference with the project. One thing I did not expect was to see so many of my projects failing during creation. Be prepared to see large balls of tangled plastic spaghetti in the morning after hitting print and going to bed. This is a common occurrence regardless of the printer.

PROS: Easy Setup, Included Demo Projects on SD card, Straight Forward setup, good software compatibility. Excellent finish, and overall aesthetics.

CONS: Slow printing, extremely sensitive adjustments, bed leveling is constant, basic documentation with unit, requires you to go online for full manual. Cura software included on SD card is out of date. Overall great quality, but could use quieter cooling fans.

The printer is pretty dope, and it would be pretty hard to find another all metal heated printer in this price range. Bed leveling can be a tad tricky, though. If you have to do any sort of troubleshooting you can find tutorials under the name wanhao i3 or prusa i3.

PROS: Great print quality
Ready to go after minimal assembly
No louder than a stationary fan
Tons of online support and tutorials


CONS: Annoying to level the bed
Stock fan assembly gets a little to close to the extruder level (Can be modded with 3d printed part)
SD card slot is a little loose (Can be modded with 3d printed part)

Far better than the Maker Architect (no longer sold) as it works with Cura (make sure to download the latest version, no need to use the version on the card which is only for PCs anyways). Cura is lightyears ahead of ReplicatorG for slicing. Love the display and all the information it provides (temps, status, total hours printed, etc)

PROS: Uses CURA as a slicer (probably the best free option out there), Great build quality, takes a multitude of filament types due to the heated bed. Unbeatable price.

CONS: Changing filament isn't as automatic as on the maker architect, mounting/unmounting the micro SD and choosing a print file is a little time consuming and the dial can be a little slow, frame can scratch some surfaces so careful where its used, some patience is needed with the customer service team but they always pull through (may have to try a few times).

Wow. This is a GREAT deal for a 3D printer like this! I mean, this thing has a heated bed, a nice LCD, ability for a range of filaments, easy to assemble... The list goes on. This was my first 3D printer, and I am very impressed. I have only used a Cube 3rd gen printer before, and let me say, this thing, first of all, is MUCH quieter then the cube ($1000+). Second of all, this thing has GREAT print quality. It is capable of 50 Microns, but I have only used 100, and it is good as or even better than the cube printers prints. Oh, and did I mention it takes any generic filament you want (1.75mm)? This comes with all the necessary fasteners, AND comes with 2 sheets of buildtak (By the way, don't put the bed more than 50 c because the buildtak gets torn up from the heat!), AND comes with a scraper to scrape up prints, AND about 5 or 6 meters of sample PLA filament! This printer arrived very well packed, nothing was bent or broken, and had a test print still stuck to the bed! There are no other printers of this quality for this price. The frame is even steel!

If you are looking for your 1st printer, GET THIS!

Oh, and this is exactly like a Wanhao Duplicator I3, and theres a big forum for this and Wanhao printers.

PROS: CHEAP!
Good quality!
Came with sample and scraper.
GREAT QUALITY PRINTS! (for the price)
Quiet


CONS: Control box is attached to the frame, so don't expect to be lugging this around...
Bed becomes unleveled every few prints.

I've completed about a dozen prints on this in the week I've had the printer and I'm very impressed by the quality. It took me about 2 hours to get everything setup, this included about 15 minutes of putting it together, a half hour of carefully leveling the bed, and another hour or so of failing a couple prints, fixing the bed, cleaning it, and getting it going again.

This is my first 3d printer and my only hesitation is I keep looking over at the dual extruder model imagining the possibilities there. I love it, it's fun and pretty simple to use, and seems to work reliably once the bed is level and everything is dialed in.

Notes for success:
* Really take some time to get the bed right, they say a piece of paper should just barely fit under the extruder and that's true. It will make your life much better.
* Print the first layer SLOW! I so was so frustrated until I finally dropped the first layer / bottom layer speed down to 15 mm/s and jumped up to 60 after the bottom. With solid bed adhesion it works great and printing slow is the key.
* I found Cura to work better than Slic3r for this printer. Typical PLA settings: 1mm shell, 0.2mm layer, 15mm/s bottom layer, 30mm/s top and bottom, 40mm/s outside, 60mm/s inside, 75mm/s infill.

Enjoy!

PROS: * Cheap!
* Easy to assemble
* Comparable quality to more expensive printers

CONS: * Slower than some more expensive printers
* Single extruder
* Can require some troubleshooting to get things right.

I bought this after a bunch of research and came up with the recurring opinion from those who know more than me that this is one of the best 3D Printers under $500. There's dozens of mods available for it and some of the recommended ones aren't even needed anymore since Monoprice has seen fit to integrate those by default (specifically the bed leveling thumbscrews). I'm supremely happy with this being my first 3D printer, it took very little setup and it was easy to get my first prints running.

PROS: Easy setup, compatible with all filaments, low cost, large existing userbase

CONS: The fan on my power supply has a bad bearing in it, I'll need to replace that but it's not a big deal, to paraphrase an old tagline: "There's a mod for that."
When it arrived, one side of the Z-Axis was lower than the other, so I got out my level, put it on a level surface, disengaged the stepper motors, and leveled it by hand no problems since then.

I bought this for my husband and he's loved is so far, no clogging or power issues. works well with different filament types. I would definitely buy another one