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[3dTedW]

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[daftscience]

A lot of what he said may be true. Regarding the sanding of the injection molded parts. I haven't heard about having to sand laser cut parts (maybe he wasn't paying attention to the orientation of the cheapskates?)

The rambo doesn't need heat sinks because it will shut of before it overheats.

I believe the acytels break in, which require re-tensioning but I haven't had mine wear out on me.

I agree, it was a bit confusing with the LCD screen but luckily instructions are available here and there is an adapter now.

The tensioners, eh, I'll give him that. I hate them.

However, all of his problems could be solved by looking at this forum. This was my first 3d printer and I really didn't think it was a "Difficult" assembly.

AFAIK this was the first and still is the only rostock style kit on the market. If he had done research he would have known about every single issue he brought up. He also would have found a solution and people who could have helped him.


Tom

[Zodd]

I know this review and it is not untrue. In my opinion is the Rostock Max nothing for people without any good mechanical knowlege.He is not mature 100% and you should also have opportunities to get a lathe for example.

I only buyed the Rostock because I am engineering technician with the knowledge how do fix something when it doesn't work.

[cassetti]

I watched this review when he first posted it. It's funny - he deleted several comments (from myself included) and is now moderating the comment section (not letting me post any responses)

He shouldn't have expected a 'perfect' printer - the Rostock designs were only released last august - no way could any company rush to market with a reliable finished product that fast! In my opinion, the reviewer was impatient, and didn't do his due diligence when deciding which printer to buy. Instead he opted for the cool looking printer with a larger than average build volume.

And if he had used the resources available like customer support and these forums, he might have had a better experience. I really wonder what the heck he was doing with the Acytel bearing covers to chew them up like that.....

[cambo3d]

also notice this guy never had a build log or ever posted for help here either...when he did his thread got locked? and he posted that video.

[geneb]

As far as I can tell, the only actual fact in the whole "review" is that there is indeed a Rostock MAX present in the video.

The longest I've run my machine has been 11 hours. I trusted it enough to let it run overnight in my home.

There's ZERO wear. The kind of wear this moron describes isn't even physically possible unless you were to coat the tower extrusions with 60 grit sandpaper.

IMO, he got in way over his mental and technical ability and has decided to try to smear the machine instead of admitting his own failures.

When you start out whinging about the masking tape (which is there to protect the melamine surface from laser flashback), you know it's going to be a long day.

It's a poor craftsman indeed that blames his tools.

g.

[mhackney]

My biggest concern about this and the very few other "problem posts" I've read is the apparently complete lack of trying to resolve an issue with the company. I just don't understand that behavior. If you have a problem, contact the company, work it out. No legitimate business intends to sell inferior products and have unhappy customers. SeeMeCNC is not a fly by night company, they do want to help but you have to let them know what the problems are. If you do and after a reasonable amount of time (remember, they are traveling a lot to promote and attend events, etc) then you have a legitimate issue that should be aired and addressed. But this "throw it over the wall" attitude that these posters have is ridiculous in my opinion.

On this specific video, It is obvious he did not seek out this forum, geneb's excellent assembly guide or any other source for information like the RepRap community and the Rostock wiki pages. Work in a vacuum if you want but don't complain when you have no idea what you got yourself into!

[cassetti]

Originally, I posted a response to his video and John i think from SeeMeCNC responded I could readl the 'full' story on the forums. But to date, I still haven't been able to find the review by this user. I think I wasn't able to find the review because the forum's search keept telling me my keywords were "too common". Sigh

Still, I personally wouldn't recommend this printer for anyone that hasn't built a 3D printer before (it's doable, but there is a LOT more information available on other more traditional models like the mendelmax)

[JakeCShake]

Just a perspective....my brother-in-law and I spent two weekends building this awesome machine. He is pretty good with software but not a pro. I worked in finance but have worked in plastic modeling for a long time. Together we put this machine together and had excellent results within three weeks. Neither one of us has ever worked with 3D printing nor engineering backgrounds. This kit is awesome and based on the community support....there is nothing out there like it. I was a little offended at the start of this thread...but realize people always want perfection. I wished it took me LONGER to build this kit because it gave noobs like me a chance to be involved in this new technology while learning all the Details and complexities of it. Without this experience, I would have never researched all that encompasses this marvel...Kisslicer, G-code, electrical engineering, delta prototypes, mechanical engineering, etc. If nothing else, I wish I had entered these fields now....AT BEST, I hope to pass those knowledge to my nephews and let them know this IS the future........ Buying a pre-built is fine....but it definitely takes away from the problem solving skills that I think every child, and adult should benefit from today. We were an early kit, #6, I believe....and got along fine without GenB's guide (but definitely from his guidance and the forum)....just enjoy the moment. This thing is awesome...

FYI...this is a reposted from "that" other thread

[harley573]

This guy frustrates me a bit. I hope others considering purchasing a Rostock Max kit will have the sense to look at the forums first. Perhaps Steve and John could post some reviews on the site to help future buyers sort through misleading info like this guy's review. Like another user, I found it very telling that pulling masking tape off the melamine parts gave him a blister. Seriously? If your hands are that tender and sensitive, maybe this hobby isn't for you. Using tools probably isn't for you. Leaving the safety of your bed may be pushing it. My laser cut parts were incredibly impressive. I had no problem assembling the kit aside from documentation. As far as critical feedback for the folks at SEEMECNC, they need to work on their documentation. I think it is probably pretty straight forward for a guy who has built printers before, but this was my first build. The videos online are of little value. The resolution is too low and they are way too long. I don't think it is too much to ask for a comprehensive, detailed and professional set of build instructions when you spend $1000 on something. My suggestion would be to post the instructions online in a format other than .pdf so it can be edited by others in a wiki style format. All of the difficulty I encountered during my build was due to lack of detail in the instructions. Or rather, lack of detail in certain places. The youtube build videos need to be re-shot with better resolution and broken down into specific tasks so you don't have to search through an hour and a half of video to find the section you need help with.

The only legitimate complaints the reviewer had are:
The plastic piece that holds the screw for the end stops was skewed on my kit. 2 of them actually. However, since they all still contacted the switch and each one is separately adjustable, it was inconsequential.
The connection of the LCD screen is confusing as hell. I'm not an electrical engineer. This could stand to be a lot more plug and play. I still haven't installed mine and I've had it for a month. Intimidating.

Aside from that and the documentation I mentioned, there were zero problems putting this kit together for a first time. Every time I have called or emailed, either Steve or John has answered or responded very quickly. They have gone above and beyond to help me out and get me up and running. I am a stickler for customer service and they have been first rate. If the reviewer had made any effort whatsoever to contact them for resolution of any of his problems, he would have a printer he was happy about.

Future SEEMECNC customers, buy with confidence. These guys are passionate about what they do and want to help you in any way they can. Talk to them. You won't be disappointed.

I am in no way affiliated with SEEMECNC and this commentary has not been solicited by the manufacturer in any way. These are just my sincere and genuine thoughts and opinions of the company, the machine and my build experience.

[halley]

Still, I personally wouldn't recommend this printer for anyone that hasn't built a 3D printer before (it's doable, but there is a LOT more information available on other more traditional models like the mendelmax)

I hope I'm not out of line, putting in my two cents, since I don't have a Rostock Max. I have built a Printrbot Jr from kit form, and have gone through all the pain of learning what is experimental and what is tried-and-true. It seems that the Rostock is in a similar level of product maturity (or better) for the mechanical side, but it is a little behind the Printrboard on the firmware side. [They use Marlin too, but have pretty much outgrown the "gotta recompile and reflash" phase for every little hardware adjustment. It seems more #defines were promoted to EEPROM variables.] I'm watching reviews and reading all I can on this site, because I plan to "step up" to a larger printer by this summer and the Rostock Max is my current target.

As I prepare for a purchase, I read user community forums like this one. You guys got a lot of cred in my book by simply saying that some of this guy's feedback was valid. Sure, he might be unrealistic or mistaken in some cases, but a few of you agreed that there are challenges in today's Rostock Max kits. I'm already seeing that improvements are being made, and it's helping me look forward to my own Rostock Max kit soon. So I guess what I'm saying is: community is just as important as hardware and software, and you can't improve your product without feedback.

[JakeCShake]

Totally agree...this product is evolving very fast and that does create some problems. But I have never received feedback that wasn't offered within a few hours. The seecnc guys are always available and never let you feel like you are alone in their emails. I've never seen customer service this high.....even Apple, for what it's worth. This is 3 D at it's best. If they get a good business plan together, this could be one of the the great companies in the future......I'd invest if public......

[cassetti]

Totally agree...this product is evolving very fast and that does create some problems. But I have never received feedback that wasn't offered within a few hours. The seecnc guys are always available and never let you feel like you are alone in their emails. I've never seen customer service this high.....even Apple, for what it's worth. This is 3 D at it's best. If they get a good business plan together, this could be one of the the great companies in the future......I'd invest if public......

Hey! Comparing SeeMeCNC to Apple is an insult! I loathe apple.
SeeMeCNC's support is awesome. My only wish is that they'd spend more time working on formalizing the instructions. But I totally understand they're devoting more time towards engineering the product and getting it out the door to fill the current demand.

Of course, we're the easy bunch, we hit the forums for help - imagine all those chaps that have no idea what the hell they're getting into and contact support directly for every little question.

@Halley I was actually considering a Printrbot Plus before I found out this printer was shipping faster and within my budget. This community has been fantastic. Compared to the last 3D printer I built which had less than 20 active members on their forum and a support team that took days to respond to emails... I'm THRILLED by this level of support.

[foshon]

Alright heres my two cents.

One, the OP made this post 8 minutes after signing up. Please don't feed the trolls comes to mind. I would be willing to place a wager that his IP could be traced to the NZ area.

Two, the man with little girl hands had a fairly clear intention with those videos. He has a few valid points (rendered invalid by customer service and this forum, but that's besides the point). Notice he isn't asking for help, he's asking for a refund. Better yet he wants a refund and does not want to pay to ship the printer back. So he wants his money back and he wants to keep the printer. I have to assume he is not silly enough to think that a company that is on a different continent is going to pay to ship the item that his poor mechanical skills fouled up. Very few online retailers will pay return shipping on exchanges, personally I know of none that will do it on a refund. It is not the retailers fault you live so far away.

Grow up, get some man hands, and stop trying to act like a gangster extorting a refund!

[JohnStack]

Beating an otherwise dead horse:

1. Facts or not, SeeMeCNC reached out and offered to help them out.
2. People like that are boring, Unfortunately, they're all over the place.
3. Filtering out the noise, I think there were a couple of things that were instructive; otherwise, it was too bold and in general, unfair.
4. They didn't allow my response either but I didn't expect them to.

What can the community do to counter?

1. Blog, tweet, FB, and post all the YouTube Videos you can. Out SEO this negative post.
2. Backlink to this forum and make sure that anyone considering building one knows that the community is willing to help; but it's not for the feint of heart. 3D anything is still in the early adopter phase, if that. It's likely still in the innovator phase, bleeding into the early adopter phase.