Who makes the best, most complete kits?

[AbitNuutzT00]

I'm looking at building a Voron 2.4. I want to build one with premium components. Who makes the most complete kit? I'm not interested in chasing down parts but I also want the best parts available. As you can tell, I'm new to Voron world so any help would be appreciated.

 

[Sanity Agathion]

Hello, this is a bit of a tricky question. Kit manufacturers try to keep prices within reasonable range, while trying to provide "good enough" components. Some compromises are always made though. Right now the most complete kit seems from LDO, There are also Magic Phoenix worth looking into, and then also Formbot Pro kits are pretty popular due to their price/performance ratio.

If you want the ultimate build with gucci premium stuff (originalTHK/IKO/Hiwin rails, SKF bearings, Original Gates belts, pulleys and idlers, Mandala Roseworks bed, or Graviflex magnet sheets, Moons or LDO 2504 motors,...) - and all that in one package, you will have to reach for for self-sourcing and chasing down parts. Because while LDO may have original Bondtech gears, Revo hotend and touchscreen plus materials for additional QoL mods like Klicky and Nevermore, but they don't have Hiwin rails like Magic Phoenix kits, or Moons motors and polycarbonate panels like Formbot.

As I said, compromises. If money is not a factor, go with LDO kit, see how well it performs, and then replace components you feel could be better. Focus on motion and extrusion system, that's the most important for good 3D prints.

 

[AbitNuutzT00]

Thanks for that very helpful answer. It's given me a lot to look into and research.

 

[majic79]

I've just built a Formbot Trident kit (300mm) and aside from the V6 clone, it's been very good. Not premium, but certainly good enough - I'd recommend it to anyone looking to build a voron and doesn't want to self source everything. That said, I did replace the hotend with a Revo (I have that on another printer, so it's nice to have parts). Criticisms of the Formbot kit:

• M5 bolts were on the limit (one bolt actually had no thread and if I'd not had an M5 die, I'd have had to order some more)
• The V6 clone is adequate, but typical problems with the V6 hotends that sometimes ooze despite hot tightening
• PEI build plate is double sided and the smooth side is a sticker and noticeably uneven (I'm contemplating ordering a single sided build plate just to verify that's the source of my bed unevenness)
• The included BTT Octopus Pro board is a 1.0 and it's not clear how to differentiate 1.1 from 1.0 and documentation is a bit tricky to read in some places
• BMG kit had some quality defects that I was able to resolve with an aftermarket set of hobbed gears

Happy parts:

• Frame built square - no sign of warped extrusions
• Rails all had good preload and greased fine
• Belts were near perfect (1 tooth difference in initial length - plenty of excess to get them trimmed)
• Cable chains can be opened
• Good quality motors (moons in the chamber/oukeda in the electronics bay)
• 24v fans are all GDStime (decent)

My first voron, but third personal 3D printer (helped a few friends build reprap prusa i3's, mendel90's and deltas back in the day)

 

[AbitNuutzT00]

I saw a comparison that kind of surprised me. It was between an LDO and Formbot. I was under the impression that LDO motors were the cats A$$, the best you could get. However, the Formbot kit used Oukeda motors. An issue arose where the vertical fine line artifacts were caused by the LDO motors being very rough between steps. It was easily felt and seen when moving the printer head by hand. As I said, I was really surprised that LDO motors caused this. Maybe it's my ignorance but I just assumed LDO motors were the gold standard.

 

[majic79]

I'm not sure who was "first" but the LDO kits were the first I saw talked about on YouTube videos - I'm assuming this is an influencer effect. I've got no way to compare the kits, so I couldn't say if one is better than the other.

Both LDO and Formbot are Chinese companies, and it feels like LDO are pushing their motors and creating market space for themselves, while Formbot are putting kits together. I couldn't say one is better than the other, but they are competitors, and have slightly different products. At this point, all I care about is "is it good enough? Does one kit offer anything tangibly better than another?" Bang per buck, the Formbot kit edges it for me. Realistically, any deficiency in any kit can be rectified with an upgrade or mod.

For me, the advantage of a kit is being able to jump in, knowing I was close to "complete", and by the end of it all, I should be printing. That metric certainly worked out for me, so I've no complaints. "Deluxe" at this point would be printing out of the box, and if you're buying a kit, that's never going to be the case

 

[claudermilk]

I think Formbot were among the first--back in the "BOM in a box" days. LDO came later, but they spent some time putting together a premium kit with value-added features.
I recently built an LDO V0.2r1 kit and it's as close to print out of the box as you're going to get with a Voron. It went together really well, all the parts are great, and it is a wonderful little printer.

 

[Sanity Agathion]

If I can add, https://lecktor.com/en/150-printer-kits
Also complete kits including printed parts, with some premium/gucci upgrades.

 

[MichaelOToole]

I purchased the LDO kit, I would rate it at 99.8%
I also purchased ChaoticLab CNC Kit and Tap, each of which I would rate at 100%.

Although not complete yet, advice I would give myself and others:

• "Build it stock, get it working, then you can mod it."
• "Stick with CW2" (even if you opt for CANBus or USB).

Are we there yet?
Mike

 

[Dave32]

"Deluxe" at this point would be printing out of the box, and if you're buying a kit, that's never going to be the case

The "95% Pre-Assembled" Troodon probably gets you the closest to that target?
They are "Voron-Inspired" machines... Recognizable, but pretty far off the path with many design changes to simplify mass assembly.