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Review on ๐Ÿ–จ๏ธ Gizmo Dorks Additive Manufacturing Products: 3D Printing Supplies and More by Ron Coleman

Revainrating 2 out of 5

Fractional filament and wide spools

I bought this filament to accompany my new FlashForge Creator Pro (2016) in addition to the included ABS. I have quite a bit of experience using and troubleshooting FDM 3D printers - from the MakerBot Rep2 to the Stratasys Fortus 400 - of course I've seen a lot of good and bad practices related to this technology. I don't claim to know the ins and outs of filament production or formulation, but of the types I've used, Gizmo Dork's 1.75mm PLA in Translucent Blue is probably the most disappointing. First, the spool is too wide (68.5mm) to fit in the included spool holders (ffcp 52.5mm spool) hanging on the back of the machine. Not sure how this applies to other machines, but I had to install an extension cord to fix this problem. The biggest problem I have with this thread is that it breaks all the time! This doesn't happen when he's feeding or bending over, but when he's just sitting. Threading the line in as usual, winding the correct feed path, up the tube and into the head - but if the line is not used it will snap; usually in two places at either end of the guide tube. This has happened EVERY time after using this thread. The filament is kept in a sealed dry box and doesn't make any "popping" noises, so I don't think the problem is moisture related. These two issues alone prevent me from giving this thread an excellent rating. Other aspects are ok - sticks well to the bed, extrudes evenly and the color is great. However, be aware that you may end up with a lot of useless 10 inch pieces of broken filament and wasting time restarting your machine.

Pros
  • 3D printing filament
Cons
  • Questionable purchase for seniors