3DPrinterCzar - AVOID AT ALL COSTS

These images show what happens when you try to print with their Rostock Mini Pro kit:

[imgur.com]

Everyone I've showed these to has agreed that the design is stupid...PLA directly on the hot end.

Is there something wrong with the hot end that caused this? Maybe; originally the hot end came fully assembled, but apparently the thermistor was bad. They sent a thermistor leaving me the trouble of figuring out how to remove the cement or whatever they had sealed it with and figuring out how to install the new one with no instructions or help.

My first attempt at warming up the printer resulted in the above images within 15 minutes.

I sent these images to 3DPrinterCzar days ago, but they've stopped replying to me. For the money spent on this kit, I expected it to actually be able to print. Silly me.

Additionally, during the course of assembling the printer I realized the actual print volume is nowhere near the volume they claim in their specifications. So, even if it could print, it couldn't print what they claim it can.

Save your money and your sanity, avoid 3DPrinterCzar.

Completely agree with you on the print area, was a little annoying.

However, I am pretty sure my parts were ABS, not PLA. And if I had to guess, I would say the thermistor wasn't reading the temperature correctly which led to the severe overheating you encountered.

Hindsight being 20/20, I wouldn't recommend a delta for a first time printer. I think they require a little to much calibration to start with. But I was otherwise very happy with my purchase from 3D Printer Czar. It was the cheapest kit I could find at the time (once you factored in shipping from other sources) and it has proven to be a learning experience for me. I constructed the kit with little assistance and even rebuilt the J-head on my own with some help from YouTube.

I will admit that if I had to do it all over again, I would likely go with a PrintrBot Simple ($350 with free shipping from Adafruit), eventually looking into a Kossel. But that has nothing to do with the Rostock Mini Pro Kit or the service I received from 3D Printer Czar.