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3D printer for hobbyist
Monoprice Delta Mini V2 3D printer review: Great for beginners
Tom's Guide Verdict
The Monoprice Delta Mini V2 is an excellent 3D printer for the price, and a good way to get started in 3D printing if you don’t want to pay up for the Monoprice Voxel or Polaroid PlaySmart.
Pros
- +
Low cost, fully-featured 3D printer
- +
Prints PLA, ABS, PETG, and other materials
- +
Excellent print quality for the price
Cons
- -
The software has some rough edges
- -
Prints are limited to 4.3 inches in diameter
- -
Can’t work with flexible materials
Monoprice Delta Mini V2 3D printer: Specs
Price: $199.99
Type: Delta Fused Filament Deposition (FFD) 3D printer
Filament Size: 1.75mm
Filament Type: PLA, ABS, PETG, Other
Interfaces: USB, WiFi
Storage: Micro SD
Size: 9. 75 x 8.5 x 14.5 inches
Weight: 2.2 pounds
Even though it sports an unusual look for a 3D printer, there’s something familiar about the Monoprice Delta Mini V2. That’s because this is actually the second version of this device — we reviewed the original Monoprice Mini Delta a while back when it was a low-cost if flawed way to get started in 3D printing.
Does the new version address those flaws, which included unreliable USB connections and printing modes along with other bugs? Our Monoprice Delta Mini V2 3D printer review finds a much improved device, though software remains a weak spot.
Monoprice Delta Mini V2 3D printer review: Price
- Monoprice Mini Delta V2 3D Printer (Black) at Amazon for $179.99
You can get the Monoprice Delta Mini V2 3D printer for $179, a very attractive price for entry-level printers. Consider that our top rated choice for best 3d printer — the Monoprice Voxel — costs $449, that’s quite a bargain.
The Monoprice Delta Mini V2 is available directly from Monoprice .
The Monoprice Delta Mini V2 is a cute little printer, measuring just 14.5 inches high. While most 3D printers use left-right and forward-back rails that the print head slides along, the Delta 2 uses three spider-like arms, with the print head attached in the middle. Move one of these legs up, and the print head moves in that direction. By coordinating all three legs, the Monoprice Delta Mini V2 can move the print head anywhere in the print area.
(Image credit: Monoprice)It’s a rather compelling motion to watch, but it does have one limitation: the print area is circular and is smaller than a more standard printer of the same size. For the Mini Delta 2, the print area has a diameter of just over 4.3 inches and a height of just over 4.7 inches. That’s a total of about 81 cubic inches, which is somewhat smaller than the 107 cubic inches provided by the Polaroid Playsmart.
(Image credit: Monoprice)The Delta Mini V2 features several ways to connect to the outside world, including a micro SD card slot, a Micro USB port and a Wi-Fi interface.
The latter option is of limited use, though — you can’t control the printer over a web interface or connect to it directly with a slicing app to send files. Instead, Wi-fi only works through a rather poor mobile app.
Monoprice Delta Mini V2 3D printer review: Controls
You’ve got several options for controlling the Delta Mini V2 — an on-device display, the PoloPrint Pro app, or through a slicer app such as Cura.
The small touch screen on the printer itself can be used with a fingertip or with an included plastic stylus. The latter is preferable, especially for precise jobs like entering a Wi-Fi password via the on-screen keyboard. Fingertips are fine for simpler jobs like pressing the start button, though.
(Image credit: Monoprice)The pre-release version of the PoloPrint Pro app that I tried is available for both iOS and Android. It’s a bit rough around the edges: I found that it often crashed or failed to connect to the printer. When it did work, I was able to start a print from the micro SD card or from the online library and monitor the print progress, although there is no camera in this low-cost printer that lets you see the print in progress.
Another omission here is the ability to load your own models and print them from the app; Monoprice told us that this might be added at a later date.
The best way to set up a print is with a slicing app such as Cura. A customized version of this open-source program for Windows and Mac is included on the micro SD card that comes with the Monoprice Delta Mini V2, and that is what we used to print in our tests. This doesn’t support connecting to the printer over WiFi, but it does support USB or saving a print file to the micro SD card. So, if you are using Cura to prepare prints, you have to use USB or micro SD to print.
Monoprice Delta Mini V2 3D printer review: Print process
The Delta Mini V2 is a pretty simple printer to use. Once you’ve created your print file in Cura or another program and copied it onto the micro SD card, you hit the print button in the on-screen menu and select the file to start printing.
The first thing the Delta Mini does is automatically level the print bed, touching the print head to the bed in three places to press a switch underneath it.
That lets the printer know exactly where the print bed is— an important step for laying down an even first layer. Once ready, the Delta Mini lays down the first print layer on the heated print bed, then moves up to do subsequent layers.
I found that prints worked well, with few errors and no major failures. If anything, prints stuck to the print bed a little *too* well, as I usually had to pry the final print off the bed with a paint scraper.
The Delta Mini V2 can handle multiple filament types including PLA, ABS, and PETG. You’re not restricted to filament from any one source, as the Monprice 3D printer can use 1.75mm filament from any manufacturer. We tested the Delta Mini with both PLA and ABS material and found it produced excellent results with both.
Your biggest limitation will be the maximum temperature of the print head and the print bed (250℃ and 100℃ respectively). The Delta Mini V2 also can’t handle flexible materials, as these require a different style of print head.
Monoprice Delta Mini V2 3D printer review: Print speed
The Delta Mini V2 is a pretty fast printer in draft mode: it cranked out a 3.5-inch high Thinker figure in a little more than 3.5 hours in this mode, which uses a 0.2 mm layer height. The 3D printer is a blit slower if you run it in normal quality, as my print took 7 hours and 10 minutes. This mode halves the height of each individual layer to 0.1mm.
Monoprice Delta Mini V2 3D printer review: Print quality
We use several test models to test 3D printers, including a scan of Rodin’s Thinker statue, a set of gears and a geometric sculpture. I was impressed with the quality of the prints that the Delta Mini 2 produced, thanks to the excellent detail.
Image 1 of 3
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)(Image credit: Tom's Guide)(Image credit: Tom's Guide)Our Thinker test print came out looking very nice, with smooth, natural curves on his shoulders and good detail on the face. There was some noticeable layering, though in both the draft and normal modes.
Image 1 of 3
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)(Image credit: Tom's Guide)(Image credit: Tom's Guide)Our gears test model also came out well: All we had to do to fit the gears together was to remove them from the raft that they were printed on. We didn’t need to do any other trimming, cutting, or tweaking to produce a set of gears that turned smoothly and evenly.
Image 1 of 2
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)(Image credit: Tom's Guide)The geometric sculpture is a difficult print, which is why we use it in our 3D printer testing. It involves printing a lot of sharp edges at angles, which taxes the ability of the printer to precisely control the flow of the molten filament. The Delta Mini V2 handled it without issues, producing a print that had sharp, well-defined edges and points. Once we had trimmed off the support material that held the print in place during the printing process, we were left with a very well printed, spiky sculpture.
Monoprice Delta Mini V2 3D printer review: Verdict
The Monoprice Delta Mini V2 is a simple printer that does an excellent job.
It prints quickly in high quality and can handle a wide range of different materials. The only limitation is the size of the print bed: with a diameter of 4.3 inches, it can’t print anything wider than that or more than 4.7 inches high. That is plenty big for most users, though, and at the price, you can’t beat the value the Delta Mini V2 offers.
The mobile software issues still prove to be frustrating, but it’s hard to find a better printer at this low of a price. The da Vinci Nano from XYZprinting hovers around $200, but it can be hard to find these days. For that reason, beginners would be wise to give 3D printing a try on a low-cost option like the Monoprice Delta Mini V2.
Richard Baguley has been working as a technology writer and journalist since 1993. As well as contributing to Tom's Guide, he writes for Cnet, T3, Wired and many other publications.
Monoprice Voxel 3D printer review: The best value for 3D printing beginners
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When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s why you can trust us.
There's a lot to like with the Monoprice Voxel, a neat 3D printer that produces high-quality prints
Editor's Choice
Tom's Guide Verdict
Home and educational users will find a lot to like with the Monoprice Voxel, a neat 3D printer that produces high-quality prints at a low cost and that's one of the best budget 3D printers you can buy.
Pros
- +
Excellent print quality
- +
Fast print speed
- +
Easy to use with cloud software
- +
Heated print bed
Why you can trust Tom's Guide Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
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The Monoprice Voxel is a neat, low-priced 3D printer that offers a lot for the home user. For a relatively low price, you get a 3D printer that can handle PLA and ABS filament with equally high print quality while also offering a decent-size fully enclosed build space.
The MP Voxel has are some rough edges, however: Buggy firmware and so-so software make printing a bit more difficult than it should be.
Even so, the MP Voxel is an attractively priced package for school or home use, and it produces high-quality prints, and we think it's among the best 3D printers you can buy, especially for budget models.
Monoprice Voxel review: Price and availability
- Monoprice Voxel (Black) at Walmart for $389.99
These days, you'll find the Monoprice Voxel available at Monoprice's website for $449. But some online retailers, including Amazon , offer the 3D printer at a discount, with the price often falling below $400.
That's not the cheapest price we've seen on a printer — you can get the XYZprinting da Vinci Nano for about $250 less. But it's a pretty good value for a printer aimed at novices.
The MP Voxel has a simple, dark design, with an enclosed frame of black plastic. Clear panels that you can lift off cover the front and top of the enclosure, providing access to the print area and the mechanism. The print volume is 6.9 inches on each side, for a total of about 329 cubic inches.
That’s big enough to handle most objects.
The print base is heated, which makes printing materials such as ABS much easier and more reliable. It is also easy to remove prints from the MP Voxel, as the whole top of the print bed slides out; it’s also bendable, which helps with lifting the print off.
(Image credit: Monoprice)A small LCD touch screen on the front of the printer provides on-device controls. They’re mostly easy to use, though I found it a little awkward to enter things like a WPA key on the small, on-screen keyboard. Once the MP Voxel is connected to the Polar Cloud service, though, you don't need to use it for much, so it's not a major problem.
Monoprice Voxel: Setup and controls
The MP Voxel is a mostly plug-and-play printer. All the setup required was to unbox it, plug it in and load filament; then, you’re ready to print. The process is not without issues, though. Despite a firmware update, I couldn't connect the printer to my Wi-Fi network.
I wasn't able to figure out why and ended up using the wired ethernet connection instead, which worked without issues.
Loading the filament for printing is also easy. The filament reel fits into a space on the side of the printer body, and the filament feeds up through a tube into the body and the printhead. Once you load the filament into this tube, it's fed into the printhead automatically.
The Voxel also works with the Polar Cloud, a free online service that allows you to control and monitor the printer from any web-connected device. Polar Cloud also supports the Voxel's built-in camera, so you can see the print in progress from a smartphone or tablet. We found this service to be simple to use, and it is definitely the easiest way to use this printer.
Test PrintOnce registered with Polar Cloud, you can upload 3D files or create them in a basic editor. These models can then be prepared for printing and sent directly to the printer from the web — no PC required.
Alternatively, you can download and use the MP Flashpoint software, available for Windows and Mac , to control the printer over USB or your local network. This software is fairly easy to use, offering the usual approach of loading a 3D model, basic editing and then outputting it to the printer or a file. This software was somewhat prone to seemingly random crashes in our tests, though.
Monoprice Voxel review: Print speed
We found that the MP Voxel was a fast printer, producing our Thinker test print in between 3.5 hours and 5 hours and 21 minutes for draft and normal quality.
Normal QualityThat's a short time to produce a 4.5-inch tall print, and is comparable to more expensive printers such as the Lulzbot Taz Mini 2, which took about the same time. It's also much faster than XYZprinting's daVinci Nano, which took more than 7 hours to produce the same print. Another budget printer, the Polaroid PlaySmart 3D, is faster, though it usually costs more than the Monoprice Voxel.
Monoprice Voxel review: Print quality
We were impressed with the quality of prints from the MP Voxel. Our Thinker model came out with great detail and smooth, natural curves and surfaces. There were some glitches in the draft mode, which looked like random bumps on the surface of the print. These were much less evident when we printed again using the Standard mode of the Polar Cloud software, though, which produced a much cleaner, smoother print.
Our test model of a set of gears also came out well, with the gears fitting and screwing together neatly. We only needed to do a little trimming to get rid of the odd, stray whiskers of filament.
Monoprice Voxel review: Verdict
The Monoprice Voxel represents a sweet spot of 3D printing at the moment, delivering a lot of features, high print quality and fast printing for a decent price. For around $400, it is more expensive than some entry- level printers, costing twice as much as the XYZ da Vinci Nano, though it's still not as costly as the Polaroid PlaySmart.
The MP Voxel gives you a lot more for your money than less expensive printers for novices, with support for cloud printing and the heated print bed that makes printing both easier and cheaper.
For that reason, the MP Voxel is a great pick for the casual user who is interested in 3D printing or a school or small office that wants to have a printer that several people can use.
Richard Baguley has been working as a technology writer and journalist since 1993. As well as contributing to Tom's Guide, he writes for Cnet, T3, Wired and many other publications.
Tom's Guide is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site .
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food extruder for cake lovers (and more)
News
Patisserie Numerique ("Digital Confectionery"), offers its own version of a food extruder for 3D printing with pasty sweets.
As the name suggests, this device should make ordinary sweet tooth feel like a professional confectioner thanks to the ability to apply intricate patterns, drawings and inscriptions.
Of course, it is not necessary to print with confectionery pastes. Yesterday’s half-eaten side dish doesn’t look too appetizing? We take a blender, beat broccoli, print an edible dinosaur. In general, it all depends on the imagination of the author and the consistency of the product.
The design of the device is as simple as possible and is a screw extruder driven by a NEMA17 electric motor. Marin promises that all food safety rules are taken into account, so that only parts made of non-toxic materials - stainless steel, silicone, polypropylene - will come into contact with food. All components will be properly certified and dishwasher safe.
Theoretically, the extruder is compatible with any FDM / FFF 3D printers: the only question is overall characteristics, but owners of systems with open frames, such as dry tables, should not have problems. You can remove a conventional extruder and install Cakewalk 3D in less than half an hour. The code can be prepared in regular slicers, especially since the team promises to provide profiles for various consumables.
Since the extruder was originally designed with do-it-yourselfers in mind, who always have spare parts for everything and everything, Cakewalk 3D is offered in several configurations: the base price of €49 includes only a body with a screw, a silicone mat and a bag of test yamkoy, and the standard one for € 89 added a motor, couplings and screws. Fastenings in both cases are offered to be printed independently.
Complete kit available for €129, which in addition to the above includes already printed and assembled mounts, plus two additional ingredients. If you don’t have a 3D printer at all, then it doesn’t matter either - for € 459, a dry table will be added to the extruder.
Delivery is scheduled for December this year. Additional information is available on the Kickstarter site at this link.
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Top 10 Great 3D Printed Gifts for Real Men
Yes, we know today is not February 23rd, but that's no reason to refuse such cool, useful, creative and unusual gizmos! Especially since you can print them right now on your 3D printer and absolutely free.
Or maybe tomorrow is your friend's or father's birthday?
So, gift #1: 3D printed cufflinks
If your friend likes to walk around in a suit and tie (or just the position), why not complement his wardrobe with original 3D printed cufflinks? With these small decorative buttons, you can fasten the cuffs of your shirt, and at the same time stand out from the crowd. They can be personable, eccentric or just plain funny. For example, cufflinks in the shape of the Android logo (with and without a butterfly). Or in the form of a bat (especially for fans of the Dark Knight). Well, for lovers of the classics, there are always 3D printed cufflinks from le FabShop.
Gift #2: 3D printed "Best Father" award
If you already gave your father a "Dad #1" mug for his birthday last year and he has empty shelf space, now is the time to give him the appropriate award . Its design - as you might guess - is borrowed from the golden Oscar statuette.
On the base, you can put an inscription like “To the best father”, and paint the finished figurine in any color.
Gift #3: 3D printed chess
Sometimes it's great to play a game of chess with a loved one. But what if there is no chess at home? Of course, print them on a 3D printer! The Internet is full of various sets, elegant and simpler, classic and like those in the photo. The scale of the figures can be increased and decreased, you can also choose any color.
Gift #4: 3D printed golf accessories
If you love playing golf, then you know that there are never too many accessories for this game. For example, this 3D printed ball clip will help you attach two balls to your belt at once. But this multi-tool, which can be hung from a key chain or a club bag, is perfect for securing a ball marker, leveling divots, and even opening a bottle of beer. In addition, it is decorated with various images, ranging from the Batman logo to a smiley face.
If it's not enough for you to play golf only on the weekends, then print yourself a mini-club and practice in your office or in your backyard. Its author claims that the club can be printed at a resolution of 0.3 mm and with 20% infill.
Gift #5: 3D printed bike accessories
If you don't have the capacity to make a whole bike yet, try starting small: print a couple of nice accessories like this ingenious BaNanaBotCage water bottle and banana holder . It easily attaches to a bike frame and holds a bottle and two small bananas. For printing, you need to select a resolution of 0.2 mm and a high infill mode. You can also use a phone holder if you like to listen to music on the road or need to go on a map. The holder can be of different sizes depending on the phone model.
Gift #6: Smartphone stand for car
If you prefer a car to a bike, then check out this 3D printed smartphone stand.
It can be attached to the dashboard with Velcro. This is a great option if you need to follow the route or talk on the phone.
Gift #7: 3D Printable Toolbox in
Of course, you can't print a working drill or a top-notch hammer on your desktop 3D printer, but you can print a great toolbox. You can find many different models on the Internet now, but we tried to choose the best ones. This 3D-printed wristband can easily accommodate multiple screwdriver bits. You can also print a handy organizer for bits and bits. It can be of different shapes, sizes and colors (depending on your preferences). For nuts, bolts and nails, a small organizer with drawers (0.2 mm layer height, 10% infill) is suitable.
Gift #8: 3D Printed Basketball Set
If you enjoy playing basketball but don't get to go to the playground regularly, print this set for yourself. The basket, which does not even require supports for printing, is attached to a holder, which, in turn, is put on the door from above.
The designer offers several options for holders. If you don't have the right size ball, the designer will include a miniball model that consists of two 3D printed halves.
Gift #9: 3D printed coasters
This set of 3D printed coasters is sure to please any man. They are decorated with logos of cars of different brands, from Lamborghini to Bugatti, from Porsche to Mustang. The collection can be printed in different colors.
Gift #10: 3D printed bottle opener and bottle holder
If you like to sit on the veranda in the evening with a bottle of cold beer, we have a great offer for you. Choose from these three functional 3D printed bottle openers: single-handled, universal, or wall-mounted. It probably doesn't make sense to remind you that they need to be printed with high infill in order to achieve maximum strength. In addition to the bottle opener, you can print a convenient stand that will prevent the bottles from rolling in different directions.
