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The Monoprice Maker Select V2 is a budget-oriented 3D printer suited for newcomers as well as experienced and professional users. It has a fairly big list of features, including support for a wide range of materials, a big print volume as well as an easy to use interface and easy to follow print procedure.
Don’t let the price of the printer fool you, this is a serious, high-performance 3D printer for making small fun items as well as making complex and detailed parts and prototypes for actual products. The performance of this 3D printer should not be underestimated as it is in the same league with other, way more expensive 3D printers.
In the following sections, we will list the core features of the Monoprice Maker Select V2 3D Printer as well as the Pros and Cons. At the very end, you will find the final summary of this 3D printer with an overall rating.
When it comes to appearance, the Maker Select v2 and the Duplicator i3 are much alike. But there’s one crucial thing that separates one from another: the location of the spool holder. The spool holder is mounted at the top of the frame instead of on the control box when it comes to the Maker Select v2. This spool holder setup actually makes the printer more similar with the Original Prusa i3 MK2.
The large 8 x 8 inches build plate and generous 7 inches vertical spacing means that you can print larger, more complex models.
Table of Contents
Core Features of the Monoprice Maker Select V2 3D Printer
- Big Print Volume: Available print area is something most budget 3D printers struggle with and often compensate in that area to bring the cost down. This is not the case here, with a 7.9″ x 7.9″ x 7.1″ (200 x 200 x 180 mm) total available print area, the possibilities are endless.
- Heated Bed: An essential feature by today’s standards, the Maker Select V2 comes with an aluminum build plate that is heated. A heated bed is very important, especially when printing exotic materials that need to be slowly cooled down. It is also important so that prints will stick to the build platform, something that is far more important when printing big objects with no support material. It also helps to prevent any warping at the edges of a print.
- Material Freedom: While most budget-friendly 3D printers are limited to printing in PLA, which is relatively easy to print, the Monoprice Maker Select V2 give the user the choice to print on any material they want. Thanks to its heated bed and versatile nozzle design, this printer can print in many materials such as PLA, ABS, NYLON and more. Having the ability to print in a wide range of materials gives this 3D printer a huge advantage, as it can be used to print many different items for many different usage scenarios that have to withstand different environments.
- Print Now: Unlike DIY kits, this printer comes almost fully assembled, requiring just 4 screws to secure the frame to the base and 2 screws to attach the filament holder. Additionally, the printer comes with everything you need, including sample PLA filament and a microSD card with sample 3D model files, ready to print.
- Open Source: As if this printer was not already too good, Monoprice made sure that their 3D printer is compatible with many different slicing software by using the open source and standard G-Code. This is an excellent addition as it gives great flexibility to the user. The compatible software list includes Cura, Repetier-Host, ReplicatorG, Simplify3D, and anything that is just generating G-code.
- Simple connectivity: Monoprice kept things simple and standard, by only including a USB port and an SD card reader for loading 3D models. It might feel lacking compared to other printers available, but sometimes it is better to have fewer but stable connectivity options than having more that are prone to bugs and problems.
- Price: It is pretty clear that to make a 3D printer for the masses the price also needs to be realistic, which is why the Maker Select V2 comes at just $299 (check this listing for the latest live prices)
The Assembly
The Maker Select V2 is not a DIY kit. However, it isn’t fully assembled as well. Instead, it comes with the majority of the parts already adjusted in their place. So, even with its poor instruction manual, putting the pieces together is an easy process.
First of all, you have to check all the parts before you start any assembling process. Check everything twice for loose screws or bent areas. Now that you have everything tested and you are assured that there are no broken or defective parts you can move on with the steps:
- Attach the Z-axis frame with the print bed frame by binding the setup with the screws from the package.
- Connect the wires. Everything is well labeled and there shouldn’t be any confusion as to which goes where unless you are not paying attention to the labels.
- Install the spool holder at the top of the frame
You are done. Now you can start printing. The process should take nothing more than an hour or two. Don’t worry, everything you need is in the package. Some people may prefer to build everything from scratch, but, not everyone has the time or patience do so.
The large 8 x 8 inches build plate and generous 7 inches vertical spacing means that you can print larger, more complex models.
Key Specifications
The following are the key specifications of the Monoprice Maker Select V2 3D printer.
- Printing Technology: FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling)
- Build Area: 7.9″ x 7.9″ x 7.1″ (200 x 200 x 180 mm)
- Layer Resolution: 100 microns (0.1mm)
- Printing Speed: 100 mm/sec
- Firmware: Open Source
- Filament Diameter: 1.75mm
- Filament Compatibility: ABS, Conductive, Flexible Materials, HIPS, PLA, PVA, Wood
- Max Extruder Temperature: 500°F (260°C)
- Max Platform Temperature: 167°F (75°C)
- Extruder Nozzle Diameter: 0.4mm
- Extruder Nozzle Temperature: 338 to 464°F / 170 to 240°C
- Display: LCD Screen
- Product Dimensions: 19.7″ x 18.9″ x 11.2″ ( 500 x 480 x 285 mm)
- Operating Temperature: 59 to 86°F / 15 to 30°C
- Connectivity: Micro USB and MicroSD
- Software: Cura, Repetier-Host
Pros of the Monoprice Maker Select V2 3D Printer
- It’s simple: This is not a fancy 3D printer with 10 different types of connectivity, cameras, and other stuff. This is a workhorse 3D printer. It lacks some of the features of some more expensive, similarly performing 3D printers, but none of these features are about the actual performance. It is a serious 3D printer that is meant to be simple and easy to use and tweak with. If assembled correctly, it can create great print quality with the default print settings.
- Heated Bed: This is a huge plus for a printer with such a big print bed. It instantly makes the 3D printer one of the most versatile budget 3D printers on the market. Heated beds are standard on high-end printers and make a huge difference in the print quality when printing materials that need to be cooled down slowly to avoid warping. It also helps with making sure the print stick to the build platform, which is very important since the printer can print very tall objects.
- Support: Monoprice has a support team that is always available to help users before and after making an order. They can answer any technical question about the 3D printer, as well as help with troubleshooting or even suggestions for products to fit the user’s particular needs.
- Software: The fact that you can use any software to generate standard G-code and print is a huge selling point. While the interface is not as fancy as in some competitors, it is simple enough for the majority of people. The sky is the limit when it comes to this printer.
- The price: This printer costs just $299.99 (check this listing for the latest live prices). This is probably the most budget-friendly printer on the market while offering features that are usually found on $500+ 3D printers.
Cons of the Monoprice Maker Select V2 3D Printer
- Separate units: This is not really a con about the printer’s performance, but more about the way it is built. While most 3D printers out there have all the electronics inside the main body of the printer, the Maker Select V2 has an external bulky unit for the electronics and control systems.
- Ease of Use: It is true that this is not the easiest printer to use, especially for beginners. While it is very basic and straightforward, there are parts in the process that only someone with experience would know how to do. It takes time to get used to how the 3D printer works, and that is not always a bad thing, as the user learns more about the printer. But if a new user just wants to quick and dirty print an item, then this printer might not be the most suitable.
Some Monoprice Make Select Alternatives to Consider
This is a tough one, as budget 3D printers with similar performance and print volume are not that common. The following alternatives are based on printer performance as well as some additional features.
1) New Matter MOD-t 3D Printer
This is a similarly priced 3D printer with some more bells and whistles, such as a more easy to use interface, a way more beautiful design, and wireless connectivity which makes the printing process more smooth, but it lacks a heated bed.
2) XYZprinting Da Vinci 1.0 3D Printer
This 3D printer is also very budget friendly, and it does have similar performance quality to the Maker Select V2 with an added bonus of having everything in one, clean unit.
The Final Print:
When we sum up the Monoprice Maker Select V2 review, we can without a doubt acknowledge that we’re talking about an excellent 3D printer that comes at a very low price. The Monoprice Maker Select V2 can print in many different materials, is based on open source software, and has the volume and speed to print big and detailed items. It really is a step up from the company’s lower end printer, the Select Mini.
The Maker Select V2 is the big brother with similar performance, but a bigger build area as well as more high-quality components. While this 3D printer is great for experienced users, it might be a bit strange and complicated to beginners, but thanks to the excellent support of Monoprice, any problems and difficulties should be able to be resolved in no time.
The large 8 x 8 inches build plate and generous 7 inches vertical spacing means that you can print larger, more complex models.
Further Research
Not the right printer for you? Check out some of our other guides: