Friday, June 27, 2014

Four in the morning. Just had a few tweaks to finish my upgrade...

Eventually "implemented" my upgrade! I certainly did not think it would take me so long, but once you start to sort the mess that's below a 3D printer you just can spend days on it! There is a brief list after the break.


I am sure a lot of 3D printer owners share the "two minutes into two hours" syndrome.

Monday, June 2, 2014

Why you should not buy Makerbot 3D printers!

Avoid Makerbot and its 3D printers, they are both wrong.

Really! And there are many reasons not to buy: cost, reliability, human values, innovation and so.

I endorse even less Makerbot business
than I already trusted their products !
But enough is enough, this time I say why.
Seriously, Makerbot Industries care more about money than 3D printers. They so badly want your money that they start using dirty business practices. As a client, their overall strategy is simple: you will increasingly pay more to get less. The quality of the product does not count as long as they keep selling it through marketing tricks.

Update (nov. 2014): eventually, well-known resellers of 3D printers like imakr even stopped selling them because of after sale burden and heavy customer negative feedback.

Update (april 2016): interestingly, this post still holds. Makerbot just moved its production to China. A few arguments may be outdated though, so read carefully.

Do not think this is a biased joke, neither only a maker's rant (as formerly). I really want to warn would-be customers that they should not buy. And I want to try and stay objective.

But beside this, Makerbot brutal business strategy makes all this clear beyond doubt. I cannot think of any other motive than greed, or may be also for the inflating ego of Bre Pettis, its director. By the way, 3D printing certainly never was invented by Makerbot -- this is pure usurpation. Please do not fall in the trap of old and dirty business practices.