"Wanhao Duplicator 5S & Mini 5S" Topic

Does anyone have any experience with the Wanhao Duplicator 5S or Mini 5S? 3D printing is not my thing (yet…) but from what I've read both appear to have fairly decent specs and the build volume on the 5S is huge (although it might be slightly overkill for "miniature" based works).

Backstory:
I had never heard of Wanhao until I came across a local ad for a used 5S that was a couple of hundred dollars off MSRP. After enquiring with the seller it appears the units are quite heavy/large/awkward (around 40lbs or 80lbs respectively) and thus a bit of a challenge to resell unless it is a local pickup deal.

So, any thoughts? Might such a machine have potential as a launch off point (at the right price) for ones 3D Printing hobby?

I haven't any practical experience with 3D printing but deposition printers tend to leave ridges, so I would look at a detailed picture of a print to see if it is acceptable. It only accepts 3mm filament – not sure if that will make the rides more prominent or not.

It looks like a robust printer, and will probably work out of the box.

John

Thanks for your thoughts John.

From the research I've done, the printed samples floating around the web appear to be fairly smooth. The 3mm filament made me raise my eyebrow as well, but not being a 3D guru I'm not sure if it would make a huge difference to the finished print quality.

I have a thought – find a free model and ask them if they will print it and send to you as a sample.

If it doesn't meet your needs that will be frustrating and it is too heavy to be a paperweight

John

A wise idea John. I will likely do just that if the unit continues to linger (and the price is right).