I'll start out by saying that the Creator IS compatible with Makerbot's 7.2 firmware, Makerware, and .X3G files. Totally and completely. Plugged it in through USB with Makerware up, and it registered it as a Makerbot. No hiccups or problems flashing the firmware. It all just worked.
The machines are not identical, but they're very close. The Creator is obviously based on The Replicator, and a lot of parts are the same, or very very similar. The Creator's screen in the front is bigger, and brighter (it's blue with white text) and if you're lower than it, it's very easy to read, even from half a room away. However if you're above eye-level from the screen the viewing angle is crap and you have to bend down to read it. The refresh rate is also a lot lower, so you have to scroll slower to actually be able to read it.
The buttons on the Creator are really nice. I love that they're separate instead of one continued squishy square. I also love how the Creator's buttons are very 'clicky'. The Replicator's buttons are very soft and mushy, and sometimes I can't tell if I've pushed them or not, or accidentally let my finger slip to the side and then end up going back in the menu.
The build platform seems nice and consistently flat so far. At first I was worried that it wouldn't be very leveled, but I haven't had any problems with it. I've actually had more problems with one of my makerbot's that has a slightly warped platform in one corner. The Creator does NOT come with a roll of Kapton tape, however. So you'll definitely need to make sure you buy yourself a roll from somewhere. The build platform comes with tape already applied to it, but you'll need to change that out after a while, so get yourself some tape.
--editing this bit - My Creator came with MK7 nozzles instead of MK8 nozzles and I actually ended up replacing it with an MK8 that I ordered from Makerbot. However my friend got two Creator's about two months ago, and his came with MK8 nozzles, and they work beautifully, so I'm assuming they've upgrades since I originally bought my bot.
--/edit
Overall, I'm happy. It's definitely a decent alternative, but I'd say it's slightly more finicky than the Replicators in some areas. Might need a bit more love and attention, so it might not be quite as user-friendly.
Also, there are enough differences around the Extruder area that the mods out there (like the baring and spring replacement for the craptacular Delrin Plunger feed mechanism) won't work as they are, and you'll have to make modifications to get them to fit and attach properly. --edit-It actually appears that they redesigned the plunger area so it actually mimics the barrings mod that I prefer to use on my replicators, so... good on them! This is a definite improvement --/edit--
Oh one other difference is that the Creator doesn't have all the fancy LED lights all over the place, like the Replicator does, but this is honestly a feature more than anything else. The LED arrays in the Makerbots are notorious for causing electrical shorts, which cause the fuse capacitor on the Mightboard to blow, requiring a replacement of the whole darn board. Creator got rid of the LEDs all together, and I think this is good because it reduces the risk fo shorts and static zaps.
Anyway, I've only had it a few days, but so far I'm satisfied.
The spool holder is interestingly different gives greater room for different spool sizes, but it doesn't hold them on very well, so you've got to keep your eye on it for the first few prints since it'll want to unravel and get tangled around the holder.
--edit--
OKay, so now that I've had the thing about 5 months, I figured I'd update this.
I still like the Creator as a viable alternative. Although mine is actually down at the moment because of a blown x-stop cable.
I wanted to add in this because I know more and more people with no experience with 3D printers are looking into them. They are not end-user-friendly devices. This isn't like your average consumer-level machine where the thing just works without much tinkering. They break down regularly and you will have to replace parts. Over the last year, on all of my bots, I've gone through xstop cables, thermocouples, nozzles, replaced plungers with barring mods, replaced ALL of their heated build platform cables, replaced fans, and even had to replace one of the stepper motors. This is normal. It's true for Replicators and it's true for the Creator. (In fact, one reason to stick with an actual Replicator, over a Creator, is that they cover their machines under warranty, so when something breaks, they'll send you replacement parts for free.)
If you're the sort that's afraid to mess with a machine when something goes wrong, a 3D printer probably isn't for you. There's a reason that it was the DIY community that started this home 3d printer movement. The founders of this movement, and the people who drive it, are all tinkerers. Building the 3D Printers is just as much part of the fun as actually using them. If you think that sentence is totally mental, then 3D printers aren't ready for you yet. Wait a few more years until they get more end-user friendly.
However, if you're willing to try and learn, it's not really that hard. I was never much of a tinkerer, and definitely never could have imagined myself replacing a heated nozzle, or trouble-shooting the latest inexplicable problem, a year ago, and now I do it all the time. The learning curve isn't *that* high.
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Amazon suggests a shorter reply but if you are going to spend 1300 dollars on something you probably want to know as much as possible. So will do this in point form, overall it does deserve a 4-5 star rating with the difference being how much fiddling you are willing to put up with for me I'm tolerant and I like the tweaking so it gets a 5.Why I bought this printer:
Price for a printer with two extruders could not be beat.
-at the date I purchased, I stopped looking after I ordered
Google groups showed some problems and company seemed to be addressing the issue as they came in a fair manner, and revising design
Similar to makerbot replicator, other post here highlighted the differences
Why I almost didn't buy this printer
Flashforge website is a bit of a mess seems there are two sites that link back and forth with one another
One report of a shipping problem (how would I deal with that kind of problem being 12 timezones away)
Positive First thoughts
Arrived well packaged, box wasn't beat-up to badly but it defiantly wasn't handled with kid gloves
Was able to print in an hour or so of opening the box
Printing something in 3d is defiantly something to watch the first few times you do it
They emailed me the most up to date manual the day my printer was to be delivered, (a nice personal touch I thought)
They include Spare parts (screws that will roll under something, molded plastic retaining hardware so it will still look stock if you accidentally break something )
Negative First thoughts
Manual mentioned black screws to install extruder assembly there were no black screws in my package of parts, a screw length would have been more useful
Some advice on how to prepare the print surface would have helped
Clear example of how to do your first print may help someone who hasn't researched skienforge/ makerbot/ maker ware/flashforge
Positive a week later
Firmware update scary but was easy (sailfish firmware was worth the update)
Dual prints work well (although I still have to figure out deprime settings)
Happy to find makerware works to generate Gcode
Still lots of filament left despite heavy use the first few days
I feel comfortable enough to start a print and go to bed now
I was happy to find the makerbot replicator design files on thingiverse, so claims that this is built from an open source design were easy to confirm. It makes me just that little bit happier I bought this one.
The flashforge team really put a good device together, branching off an ok design and getting it just right, it really works just out of the box.
Negatives a week later
Weaknesses appear to be in software it is almost all open source so not FF fault
-It's always improving but if you don't have the patience to deal with software updates, non ideal workflows and several different ways to do things, maybe wait to get a 3d printer
My only faults in dual prints are the other colour oozing out of the extruder (again likely software configuration/proper use issue)
I have some issues with warped bottoms on larger prints; however use of fresh kapton, a wash of acetone/leftover plastic seems to work well for me if I need a perfect print.
Open issues:
PLA printing (CLOSED see addendum)
-Seems to be fixed in later printers
-Not sure if my printer is in the "fixed" or" partially fixed" batch not an issue for me right now. However I would like to see the Level of effort to make the fix. I think it's just to replace the nozzles but I am not sure.
well that's my review hope it helps someone sitting on the fence one way or another
Addendum:
good news
its been almost 5 months now still runs like a champ
flashforge sent me an upgraded extruder so in theory i can print PLA, i need to get around to trying that out but news on the forums says it works fairly well
-found printer travels well if you add plexi glass panels... everything you need piles into the printer and a box making it easy to bring it some where to show.
software is a little better. but that combined with unchecked models on thingiverse is still the cause of most of my failed prints.
bad news
had to replace the x-axis end stop wire with the included one (again 20 min of my time so no big deal just scary when it failed that's all )
i am not printing every day (but i never expected i would be running 24/7)
(also fixed some typos above)
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We received our unit in the mail from China yesterday. We received prompt and quick service and any questions were quickly answered. The unit appears well designed and the pressed wood panels are better in my opinion then if they were produced in plastic. The paneling is more for looks than structural strength anyway. It took us awhile to figure out how to properly configure and calibrate the base plate and extruder. The Replicator is based on an open source hardware design and uses a community based and maintained software suite. This can be somewhat frustrating during the learning curve as the community is constantly updating the software and its associated companion programs and they don't always play nice together. Sometimes this doesn't go smoothly. However, before too long we were on our way printing our first article, a small whistle with moving ball inside. It actually printed the ball inside the whistle one layer at a time, then closed up the case of the whistle. Its quite interesting to watch it work. A great investment for children to learn the basics of mechanical 3D structures and rapid prototyping. And yes, the customer service was much better than many of my American experiences.Update: We have had this for awhile and still printing things out. We have had an issue with the display. One of us shocked the unit (The unit sits on a table in a carpeted room)and caused some digits to quit working. The company was nice enough to send us a replacement, but I managed to damage that one too. I would add some ESD protection to the display interface. At any rate one thing I may suggest is that I think the unit does need to be tested for FCC compliance part 15 and have a certificate placed on the unit.
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I have no experience with 3d printers so I have nothing to compare it to. That said this printer has exceeded my expectations. Within an hour of starting to use it I was printing my first object. After that I made a test design in sketchup and was able to print it as well. My son has been downloading designs from thingiverse like mad and printing them, he even printed an object that clips on to the printer to help feed the filament.The company was great to deal with, kept in touch with me and answered my questions promptly. Even though this shipped from China I got it in a week.
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My third 3D printer. I have a cupcake, highly modified Thing-O-Matic and now this one. This is a clone of the MakerBot Replicator. I normally would not support a company that sold a copy of a product but since you can no longer get a Replicator from MakerBot this was the best alternative. I have no interest in the Replicator 2, I believe the original Replicator design to be a better printer.So I ordered this late Thursday night and it arrived at my doorstep on Tuesday morning via FedEx. It was very well packaged, no damage to anything.
Here is all you need to do to get up and running;
Switch the power supply to 115V.
Attach the extruders using the two shortest silver screws found in the hardware bag. Attach the spool holders, put spools of filament on. Install the two black plastic filament guide tubes in the plastic clips found on the back of the machine.
That is it for assembly. Do not forget to switch the power supply to 115V.
Next download MakeWare and install it. The Flashforge instructions tell you to use RepG but you can use MakerWare instead it will be easier. In MakerWare you need to tell it that you are using The Replicator (dual). Once you plug in the USB cable and it connects you will be able to upload new firmware. Currently the latest is 7.2 and it has worked perfectly so far.
Then level the build platform and load the filament into the extruders. There are built in utilities for both of these.
There is also a program under utilities for calibrating the extruders. Use this to dial in the offsets for the dual extruders, mine was slightly off.
Positives:
Well made
Comes with two full spools of filament, black and white (not natural)
Some spare parts are included such as several screws, nuts, fuse, thumbscrew for leveling the platform, linear bearings, a three foot long cable (for limit switches I think), belt, fan, and the plastic clip used for securing the filament guide tube.
2GB SD card included
Easy to set up first print was flawless.
Much support available since nearly all Replicator tips, upgrades or solutions will also apply to this machine.
Arrived in less than five days.
Works with MakerWare
Negatives:
The fan that cools the mainboard is mounted on standoffs which tend to vibrate, there is a gap between the fan and the floor of the machine. A glob of hot glue securing the fan to the panel helps a bit. I will probably replace it with a quieter fan.
Right extruder nozzle a few thousandth higher than left I will need to adjust it.
Buttons frequently register a double press getting used to it.
Somewhere there is a loose fastener, I can hear it vibrating when printing but cannot locate it. Has no negative effect on printing.*
* The noise was coming from the Y axis rods. I loosened their mounts and retightened while holding a little pressure outboard. This small adjustment was enough to eliminate the rattling.
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