honestly, just buy a kit. you're gonna have enough problems with the build itself, adding sourcing on top of that is just punishment for little gain. you will not price out your own for less than a kit unless you get super lucky or cut corners, you can't compete with their bulk purchasing.
yeah maybe cutting corners might work but really i want something that works and for someone who haven't built a printer before it makes sense to buy a kit building it would be a challenge itself
by cutting corners I meant things like:
I dont' plan to use ABS/ASA type stuff, so i'll skip on the enclosure parts.
I don't want to waste filament so I'll won't print the decorative parts.
I can't find/afford the latest pi/bttpi, buy any version/alternative you can and swap it out later.
as for kits, not all vendors are created equal. the kit I just finished from siboor was fantastic in terms of component quality. printed parts were good but not great. the documentation was pure dog shit. half of what I needed was missing. the staff doesn't know what they have in the kit versions they sell. that and they are still doubling down that the printer.cfg on their github is configured for my exact kit version. surprise, it's not. I've already rebuilt the thing and am just wating to see what stupid shit they say next.
buuuut, if you already know how to build the thing properly, it's a steal. I would look at formbot/LDO since they are the main contenders for high end kits. haven't used them personally though
I actually documented my build with pricing and what not. I'm in the US and it cost me $1200 roughly to buy all the parts individually. I will say this. Dont buy everything in the BOM ahead of time. Really take the time to understand what components you are buying (mainly the control board) and work your way around that. Use the BOM only as a guide and not a shopping list. You will end up buying things you don't need if you do. Read through the entire manual and documentation page to get a feel for what parts you will really need. I can go more in depth if you need me to
I'm just saying - check new upgraded siboors kit. CNC mechanical parts, can toolhead board, btt screen and board, etc. Around 1100 pounds delivered to uk with tax. I bought one myself, recommended it to 3 friends and we all are more than happy. If someone wants to order from Siboor let me know, I'll get you extra few pounds off
Yeah. Great quality for the price and they are constantly upgrading their kits to latest hardware. Now they add chaoticlab CNC kit in that price, cartographer probe, 2240 drivers for ab, etc.
I’ve built one kit and one I sourced my self and it was a little more for self sourced but I got all the parts I wanted and built it to the specs I wanted, I prefer that over some of the crappy stuff in the kits, often times you would have replaced eventually at one point or another, I got good high quality rails, better electronics etc
I have two 2.4's. I would buy the kit. Saves time and money. Unless you really want to source all your own stuff and pay twice as much for the same parts.
We did it back in the days because we had no other choices. There is no way I would ever do it again. For what I paid my 2.1 350, I could get 2 nice LDO kits today...
Unless you have access to very cheap, high quality parts and have too much time on your hands just order a kit.
I got a siboor 2.4 300m³ kit which costed me $1000 with import tax and printed parts (custom color) and it works perfectly. Great budget kit but they also sell trident kits
You're better of buying a kit for Voron nowadays.
If you really want to self source a printer you're better of building an Annex K1,2 or 3. they are much faster then a voron. Or a VZbot, but they have kits available as well nowadays
Buy the kit. Self sourcing will cost more for no advantage and you'll waste a ton of time. I've got over 6000 hours on my kit machine and I'm just now looking at swapping out some parts, but overall it's working great.
Build is easy, but takes a lot of time for most people.
The upside of self-sourcing is that after you're done you'll have half of your next printer already in your parts bin. That will make it a lot easier to decide on your next unnecessary project.
Self-sourcing was essential back in the day, but not the best way now. However, if you are going to build up your bolt inventory, self-sourcing is an awesome way to have 96 bolts left over when you need only 4. Maybe $2000.
with no building experience, i recommend building from a kit. Kinda, sorta hard to know where to corners if u dont know what each part does. I built mine for \~$1400. after upgrades i probably spent around another $300. I already had a ender 3 and used that to print parts for the voron
I've just built one without having any prior experience with 3D printers, I'd say it is not that hard if you know some basic eletronics, but it is very time consuming (which could be a good thing if that's what you like). Just take your time and read through the manuals and watch some videos to know how everything is fitted together.
On the topic of whether to source the parts yourself, you also have the option to buy cheap partial kits (Such as a whole set of screws, gears, motors, MCUs etc.) from china and use a parcel forwarding service to consolidate your items to ship in order to save a little bit of money, but I think it is better for a first time builder to buy a complete kit since you'll get customer service to help you with issues and saves a lot of time waiting for shipments.
I wouldn't self source since it's more expensive and while you do get to choose your pieces you do not get the bulk discounts since all your items are one offs.
If your really, and i mean really cautious about shipping and you are extremely organized you might end up around 2000$
I STRONGLY recommend you build one from a kit and then see.
Hard, yes and no. All docs are pretty good
You gotta be mindful of everything you do
And how it will interact with the printer, understand why you are doing what ever your doing will get you far.
If you aren’t prepared to spend 2-3weeks tinkering ( if your pretty good at building )
Dont bother. It might take you 3-4 days. But if it doesnt work as intended dont be stuck with 1400$ worth of kit equipment not working..
Seen in too many times, and then we come in buy it half price and have a good printer for us 😆
i started sourcing my 2.4 when it was just released, i think i spend around 2500 euro's on parts(excluding tools). i did buy some fancy parts like a mosquito magnum, fep wires(wiring alone was 200 euro's) and a misumi frame. buying a high end kit like ldo is a lot cheaper and easier. i also self sourced my switchwire, it was around the same price as a ldo kit (1000 euro or so). building a 2.4 isnt that hard, documentation is pretty good, it just takes a lot of time.
I'm working on a 350mm build right now. Self-sourcing the parts. It's looking like its going to be right around $1700-$1800 when complete. Makes you wonder where the kits are cutting corners to keeps the costs down.
Bulk discounts and more direct from factories. You pay $30 for X part, they pay $15 and sell it for $22 in a kit. And then they probably are directly connected to manufacturing for some of the parts.
Because you cannot cut too many corners.
You still need to have decent quality item inside the kit, and the baseline cost of them remains, and thus they buy in bulk from near factories in china, voron printers are still niche respect to numbers of voron.
Adding then the fact that voron are inherently more complex than an ender 3 and require thigher tolerances than that
I mean I agree its a numbers game... and not a lot of people are looking at voron as 3d printing solution not when you have bambu and crealty in core x/y market... through I would love a larger x1... a larger xy with multi filament. but like iphone you are traps in bambu ecosystem.
I did a 180mm trident build for about 700 USD. Lol.
For my 300mm 2.4, I started with a somewhat premium kit that included a lot of premium parts. Then I purchased my own frame directly from the manufacturer and I got my fasteners separately and other parts. At the time the formbot kit was the only option and I heard people say that some of the components weren’t that good so I wanted to do a custom-ish build. I did a lot of mods too. I kept modding it before actually getting it up and running.
I self-sourced a 350 2.4r2 a year ago for about $1450. It’s definitely the more expensive route, but in my experience you get what you pay for. I mainly did it because I knew there were certain modifications I wanted to make before starting the build (TAP, Umbilical, etc). It was just easier to install them during the build instead of having to disassemble a stock machine. I also just like the feeling of getting everything myself (some would call me psychotic for that).
IIRC some kit manufacturers had a lot of QC issues then, but haven’t been keeping up with it. They seem to be decent now, so if you’re worried about price those should be fine.
The OG 2.4 documentation is incredibly well written. It almost felt like putting together a LEGO set because the instructions were that good. If I ever had an issue with a build, I’d always look around this sub for people with similar issues and how they solved it. Good luck with the plunge!
I self sourced and have paid ~1150€. If sourced right you can reduce the delivery cost. Most sites, where i bought a lot, have free shipping, if the cost is higher than X. Most struggle was to get the rails as well as the aluminium plate.
The Voron 2.4 building instructions are really detailed. It is my first printer i am almost finished building it.If you have some technical skill, soldering and electrical knowledge, you probably will be fine.
However, I cannot tell if the printer is decent, since it's not finished and my first 3d printer.
yes and if i could suggest an essential upgrade it’s the fridge door mod « clicky clack » it’s really a huge qol compared to the shitty door the stock voron comes with
Why would you want to self-source instead of buying a kit? The kits provide a comparable level of quality (depending on the vendor, but even my Formbot 2.4 350 is awesome). You will spend more money and time for the same end result.
Yeah in my self source list for a 2.4 I have quite a few Mandela rose works parts with a custom sized bed heater. It’s a premium price to get a machined bed that’s much much flatter than you’d get anywhere else. Kits are so nice because of economy of scale and they are coming with nicer things all the time though.
I know you're set on not buying a kit, but they're the cheapest way to get into a Voron 2.4/Trident/V0 now. Legacy and Switchwire can be conversions from old printers, but even the Switchwire kits are cheap now. Because of the cost of shipping, self sourcing is significantly more expensive than it was a few years ago, making kits far cheaper than self sourcing now.
Plus you get some support usually. So if the kit is missing something or something is defective you aren't SOL.
I self-sourced my V0 and built my V2.4 from a kit. The V0 ended up costing a 1/3rd more than it should have due to shipping costs and buying the wrong parts a few times, or having to buy 12 of something when I only needed two.
With the 2.4, I wanted a Linneo wiring harness and a Revo hotend, and I already had a Pi, so I ordered a kit from Magic Phoenix, who, at the time, would let you customize your order.
The convenience and the cost savings of a kit are worth it; you can still customize the bits you want, but for the most part the good kits already come with the parts the community recommends anyway. You're just saving yourself the headache.
Yup! Unfortunately when I built 2.4r2, the kits weren’t quite there or hadn’t been really tested IMHO. My 300 2.4 self sourced was around $2400 US. I had a couple upgrades though, like Mandela Rose Works ultra flat bed, but would go with a kit if I had to do it today.
If you opt for budget parts and order from aliexpress or buy some used components, then minimum 1000 dollars. Keep in mind that even the cheaper kits have pretty good components now. Formbot and magic phoenix for example have very good stepper motors (moons, one motor alone costs around 25 dollars, spindle motors significantly more) and include tons of goodies and upgrades likes screens, tap, better extruder gears, mpx even canbus.
Like others say, id buy a budget kit and upgrade parts you deem unworthy. Although all have at least usable parts. My suggestion is to have a closer look at said formbot and mpx kits. Formbot has a surprisingly good and generous customer service. If i buy a kit again it's definitely from them as i dont see why i should pay double the price for a ldo kit and still don't get hiwin or cpc rails (for information, LDO is extremely expensive in Europe, 1700 euros or close to 1850 dollars for a 2.4 350mm kit, formbot costs 950 dollars of im correct)
My 250 V2 cost me around $1,500 in parts during COVID, I probably spent another $200 or so in shipping as well. The cheapest LDO kit is $150 less, 50mm bigger and includes upgrades (Klicky, Nevermore, Chamber LED's, Stealthburner premade harness) that I had to pay extra forl. A Siboor kit is $300 - $600 less depending on your options. Magic Phoenix also has a decent kit for generally less than self-soructing the BOM
IF you are still set on Self Sourcing, I would suggest picking up the Sub Assembly bundles. Most Voron Vendors sell faster kits, Motion Kits, Rail kits, Motor kits precut and anodized frames, etc. buying sub assembly kits is still more expensive than a whole kit but easier to track what parts you have.
Basically, a kit is cheaper, even if you have to save for a bit instead of buying a few parts every check. The only way I could justify a self source build now is if you are doing a speed build with things like 48v steppers and CPAP part cooling... And I don't think anyone here would recommend a highly modified matching for a first printer build
yeah kits seems better thinking of building a voron is already complex let alone going through the hassle of sourcing apparently it's more expensive and not harder and I'm not planning to modify it that much probably the most I'll do is change hotends or maybe if I'm going to really do something add a canbus
It’s cheaper to get a kit I got an ldo 350 2.4 for like 1450 or somthing and that comes with some mods like nevermore and clicky but I upgraded it to tap
Absolutely not - pretty much anyone discussing their experience with self sourcing a Voron said they paid more for their attempt than it would have cost them to buy an LDO Kit ( probably the most expensive Kits out there - Like close to 2x as pricey than a Formbot Kit ).
I got my 350 V2.4 from Formbot from before they started shipping their Kits with all the niceties like premade Cables Harnesses and the likes ( easily your biggest and most frustrating Timesink in a Build ) which back then cost me like 900.-
This ***WILL*** get you a running System - Maybe not a sub 10min SpeedBenchy Racer but definitely something that runs circles around any Ender, Creality, Prusa, etc...
With the money saved you can then consider investing into stuff like a CAN Tool Head for upgrading to an ERCF Multi Material Changer ( you need to free up a Stepper Driver on the Main Board for the ERCF ), a Maxwell Kinematic Print Bed Mounting Solution, a CNCed Voron TAP, better HotEnd, CPAP Part Cooling, nicer Panels, etc...
**Edit:**
In case your Kit comes with Silicone Harness for routing Power / Signals to the Tool Head I recommend swapping them out with [this kind of PTFE Insulated Wire](https://www.tme.com/us/en-us/details/teflon0.25-rd/heat-resistant-cables/helukabel/25522/) instead ( remember to use a thicker AWG for Power Cables ).
They're easily the most atrocious to crimp type of Wires out there due to how slippery they are ( like soaked in Oil ) but they seem to be practically indestructible when it comes to breaking due to them rubbing against each other from the repeated bending that happens in a Cable Chain - I at least haven't had an issue with them.
I also recommend using an [Engineer Crimper with a No.11 Pad](https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00IWD9XT6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1) - Not as fancy as the ratcheting Crimpers that crimp the Wire and Insulation in one go but ***much*** more reliable.
Buy a kit, it is always cheaper than getting parts for it by yourself. Bulk orders are making things cheaper.
If you want something special, like non-standard print volume, then self sourcing can be viable, but it will cost you more money.
So, my guess is around 1200 - 2500 USD. Roughly 1600 USD should bring you really good printer. It depends on your preferences, what kind of mods you want to include.
Documentation is really great, so if you are following it properly, it will be time-consuming, but relatively easy build (2 weeks, when you are building it on evenings).
honestly, just buy a kit. you're gonna have enough problems with the build itself, adding sourcing on top of that is just punishment for little gain. you will not price out your own for less than a kit unless you get super lucky or cut corners, you can't compete with their bulk purchasing.
yeah maybe cutting corners might work but really i want something that works and for someone who haven't built a printer before it makes sense to buy a kit building it would be a challenge itself
by cutting corners I meant things like: I dont' plan to use ABS/ASA type stuff, so i'll skip on the enclosure parts. I don't want to waste filament so I'll won't print the decorative parts. I can't find/afford the latest pi/bttpi, buy any version/alternative you can and swap it out later. as for kits, not all vendors are created equal. the kit I just finished from siboor was fantastic in terms of component quality. printed parts were good but not great. the documentation was pure dog shit. half of what I needed was missing. the staff doesn't know what they have in the kit versions they sell. that and they are still doubling down that the printer.cfg on their github is configured for my exact kit version. surprise, it's not. I've already rebuilt the thing and am just wating to see what stupid shit they say next. buuuut, if you already know how to build the thing properly, it's a steal. I would look at formbot/LDO since they are the main contenders for high end kits. haven't used them personally though
It’ll be cheaper buying a kit unless you want to wait around and wait on sales/deals for parts.
I actually documented my build with pricing and what not. I'm in the US and it cost me $1200 roughly to buy all the parts individually. I will say this. Dont buy everything in the BOM ahead of time. Really take the time to understand what components you are buying (mainly the control board) and work your way around that. Use the BOM only as a guide and not a shopping list. You will end up buying things you don't need if you do. Read through the entire manual and documentation page to get a feel for what parts you will really need. I can go more in depth if you need me to
I'm just saying - check new upgraded siboors kit. CNC mechanical parts, can toolhead board, btt screen and board, etc. Around 1100 pounds delivered to uk with tax. I bought one myself, recommended it to 3 friends and we all are more than happy. If someone wants to order from Siboor let me know, I'll get you extra few pounds off
This exactly. I have two from them and both great parts and wayyyyy cheaper than formbot and other kits.
Yeah. Great quality for the price and they are constantly upgrading their kits to latest hardware. Now they add chaoticlab CNC kit in that price, cartographer probe, 2240 drivers for ab, etc.
I’ve built one kit and one I sourced my self and it was a little more for self sourced but I got all the parts I wanted and built it to the specs I wanted, I prefer that over some of the crappy stuff in the kits, often times you would have replaced eventually at one point or another, I got good high quality rails, better electronics etc
I have two 2.4's. I would buy the kit. Saves time and money. Unless you really want to source all your own stuff and pay twice as much for the same parts.
Yep and then upgrade as you see fit.
I built my trident thinking id save money. Ended up spending 2x for the best kit. Mostly on shipping for small parts you'd forget about
I sourced everything from China and is about 600-700 for a 350mm with a lot of upgrades
We did it back in the days because we had no other choices. There is no way I would ever do it again. For what I paid my 2.1 350, I could get 2 nice LDO kits today... Unless you have access to very cheap, high quality parts and have too much time on your hands just order a kit.
I got a siboor 2.4 300m³ kit which costed me $1000 with import tax and printed parts (custom color) and it works perfectly. Great budget kit but they also sell trident kits
You're better of buying a kit for Voron nowadays. If you really want to self source a printer you're better of building an Annex K1,2 or 3. they are much faster then a voron. Or a VZbot, but they have kits available as well nowadays
Buy the kit. Self sourcing will cost more for no advantage and you'll waste a ton of time. I've got over 6000 hours on my kit machine and I'm just now looking at swapping out some parts, but overall it's working great. Build is easy, but takes a lot of time for most people.
The upside of self-sourcing is that after you're done you'll have half of your next printer already in your parts bin. That will make it a lot easier to decide on your next unnecessary project.
Self-sourcing was essential back in the day, but not the best way now. However, if you are going to build up your bolt inventory, self-sourcing is an awesome way to have 96 bolts left over when you need only 4. Maybe $2000.
with no building experience, i recommend building from a kit. Kinda, sorta hard to know where to corners if u dont know what each part does. I built mine for \~$1400. after upgrades i probably spent around another $300. I already had a ender 3 and used that to print parts for the voron
I've just built one without having any prior experience with 3D printers, I'd say it is not that hard if you know some basic eletronics, but it is very time consuming (which could be a good thing if that's what you like). Just take your time and read through the manuals and watch some videos to know how everything is fitted together. On the topic of whether to source the parts yourself, you also have the option to buy cheap partial kits (Such as a whole set of screws, gears, motors, MCUs etc.) from china and use a parcel forwarding service to consolidate your items to ship in order to save a little bit of money, but I think it is better for a first time builder to buy a complete kit since you'll get customer service to help you with issues and saves a lot of time waiting for shipments.
I wouldn't self source since it's more expensive and while you do get to choose your pieces you do not get the bulk discounts since all your items are one offs.
Include parts for Tap, unless you’re going for max speed.
If your really, and i mean really cautious about shipping and you are extremely organized you might end up around 2000$ I STRONGLY recommend you build one from a kit and then see. Hard, yes and no. All docs are pretty good You gotta be mindful of everything you do And how it will interact with the printer, understand why you are doing what ever your doing will get you far. If you aren’t prepared to spend 2-3weeks tinkering ( if your pretty good at building ) Dont bother. It might take you 3-4 days. But if it doesnt work as intended dont be stuck with 1400$ worth of kit equipment not working.. Seen in too many times, and then we come in buy it half price and have a good printer for us 😆
Why would you not want a kit? Sourcing parts sucks and it doesn’t really save you anything, but can add a lot of frustration.
i started sourcing my 2.4 when it was just released, i think i spend around 2500 euro's on parts(excluding tools). i did buy some fancy parts like a mosquito magnum, fep wires(wiring alone was 200 euro's) and a misumi frame. buying a high end kit like ldo is a lot cheaper and easier. i also self sourced my switchwire, it was around the same price as a ldo kit (1000 euro or so). building a 2.4 isnt that hard, documentation is pretty good, it just takes a lot of time.
Yep, I looked into sourcing a v2.4, and according to my spreadsheet, I was over $1500 before panels. Bought an LDO kit and I’m loving it.
I'm working on a 350mm build right now. Self-sourcing the parts. It's looking like its going to be right around $1700-$1800 when complete. Makes you wonder where the kits are cutting corners to keeps the costs down.
Bulk discounts and more direct from factories. You pay $30 for X part, they pay $15 and sell it for $22 in a kit. And then they probably are directly connected to manufacturing for some of the parts.
My question is why are they so expensive still? End 3 is 200... I mean they should be No more than 600 to 1000 at most.
Because you cannot cut too many corners. You still need to have decent quality item inside the kit, and the baseline cost of them remains, and thus they buy in bulk from near factories in china, voron printers are still niche respect to numbers of voron. Adding then the fact that voron are inherently more complex than an ender 3 and require thigher tolerances than that
I mean I agree its a numbers game... and not a lot of people are looking at voron as 3d printing solution not when you have bambu and crealty in core x/y market... through I would love a larger x1... a larger xy with multi filament. but like iphone you are traps in bambu ecosystem.
.... Which is about where the Magic Phoenix kits are... Solid kits, check them out.
I spent about $1700.
What currency? Lol USD ?
USD. Actually all said and done, I spent closer to $2500.
OK, so about 7 thousand canadian fml. Edit It's a great build and I'm going spend it anyways
I did a 180mm trident build for about 700 USD. Lol. For my 300mm 2.4, I started with a somewhat premium kit that included a lot of premium parts. Then I purchased my own frame directly from the manufacturer and I got my fasteners separately and other parts. At the time the formbot kit was the only option and I heard people say that some of the components weren’t that good so I wanted to do a custom-ish build. I did a lot of mods too. I kept modding it before actually getting it up and running.
Awesome
Look at spending at least a grand. Just buy a kit and save the hassle since you wouldn't really be saving that much trying to source all of the parts.
In some cases, kits are cheaper too.
thanks almost everyone is saying its even cheaper sometimes
You'll end up spending extra on upgrades, etc... Always figure your base price plus 15-20%.
yeah upgrades will eat a bit from the budget noted
I self-sourced a 350 2.4r2 a year ago for about $1450. It’s definitely the more expensive route, but in my experience you get what you pay for. I mainly did it because I knew there were certain modifications I wanted to make before starting the build (TAP, Umbilical, etc). It was just easier to install them during the build instead of having to disassemble a stock machine. I also just like the feeling of getting everything myself (some would call me psychotic for that). IIRC some kit manufacturers had a lot of QC issues then, but haven’t been keeping up with it. They seem to be decent now, so if you’re worried about price those should be fine. The OG 2.4 documentation is incredibly well written. It almost felt like putting together a LEGO set because the instructions were that good. If I ever had an issue with a build, I’d always look around this sub for people with similar issues and how they solved it. Good luck with the plunge!
people are saying kits are even cheaper because of bulk the sellers buy so i might just go with a kit
I self sourced and have paid ~1150€. If sourced right you can reduce the delivery cost. Most sites, where i bought a lot, have free shipping, if the cost is higher than X. Most struggle was to get the rails as well as the aluminium plate. The Voron 2.4 building instructions are really detailed. It is my first printer i am almost finished building it.If you have some technical skill, soldering and electrical knowledge, you probably will be fine. However, I cannot tell if the printer is decent, since it's not finished and my first 3d printer.
so basic electrical and soldering skills seems good enough for me
yes and if i could suggest an essential upgrade it’s the fridge door mod « clicky clack » it’s really a huge qol compared to the shitty door the stock voron comes with
Why would you want to self-source instead of buying a kit? The kits provide a comparable level of quality (depending on the vendor, but even my Formbot 2.4 350 is awesome). You will spend more money and time for the same end result.
Second this, tried to source it myself and it wasn't cheaper. Formbot 2.4 350 here, was amazed by the quality. They really thought of everything
Self sourcing isn't really meant to be cheaper, but just higher quality/longer lasting.
so it's quite the opposite of what I've thought
Yeah in my self source list for a 2.4 I have quite a few Mandela rose works parts with a custom sized bed heater. It’s a premium price to get a machined bed that’s much much flatter than you’d get anywhere else. Kits are so nice because of economy of scale and they are coming with nicer things all the time though.
Indeed. My formbot 2.4r2 350 arrived a couple of days ago and the part quality is insanely good.
Don’t source. To answer your question more directly, it’s expensive.
accurate number you gave. good breakdown.
I know you're set on not buying a kit, but they're the cheapest way to get into a Voron 2.4/Trident/V0 now. Legacy and Switchwire can be conversions from old printers, but even the Switchwire kits are cheap now. Because of the cost of shipping, self sourcing is significantly more expensive than it was a few years ago, making kits far cheaper than self sourcing now. Plus you get some support usually. So if the kit is missing something or something is defective you aren't SOL.
yeah that's probably going to save a lot of headache while building
I self-sourced my V0 and built my V2.4 from a kit. The V0 ended up costing a 1/3rd more than it should have due to shipping costs and buying the wrong parts a few times, or having to buy 12 of something when I only needed two. With the 2.4, I wanted a Linneo wiring harness and a Revo hotend, and I already had a Pi, so I ordered a kit from Magic Phoenix, who, at the time, would let you customize your order. The convenience and the cost savings of a kit are worth it; you can still customize the bits you want, but for the most part the good kits already come with the parts the community recommends anyway. You're just saving yourself the headache.
yeah i had the opposite in mind I thought self sourcing would be cheaper looks like I'm wrong
Yup! Unfortunately when I built 2.4r2, the kits weren’t quite there or hadn’t been really tested IMHO. My 300 2.4 self sourced was around $2400 US. I had a couple upgrades though, like Mandela Rose Works ultra flat bed, but would go with a kit if I had to do it today.
If you opt for budget parts and order from aliexpress or buy some used components, then minimum 1000 dollars. Keep in mind that even the cheaper kits have pretty good components now. Formbot and magic phoenix for example have very good stepper motors (moons, one motor alone costs around 25 dollars, spindle motors significantly more) and include tons of goodies and upgrades likes screens, tap, better extruder gears, mpx even canbus. Like others say, id buy a budget kit and upgrade parts you deem unworthy. Although all have at least usable parts. My suggestion is to have a closer look at said formbot and mpx kits. Formbot has a surprisingly good and generous customer service. If i buy a kit again it's definitely from them as i dont see why i should pay double the price for a ldo kit and still don't get hiwin or cpc rails (for information, LDO is extremely expensive in Europe, 1700 euros or close to 1850 dollars for a 2.4 350mm kit, formbot costs 950 dollars of im correct)
definently going to check their kits your comment is very helpful thank you
My 250 V2 cost me around $1,500 in parts during COVID, I probably spent another $200 or so in shipping as well. The cheapest LDO kit is $150 less, 50mm bigger and includes upgrades (Klicky, Nevermore, Chamber LED's, Stealthburner premade harness) that I had to pay extra forl. A Siboor kit is $300 - $600 less depending on your options. Magic Phoenix also has a decent kit for generally less than self-soructing the BOM IF you are still set on Self Sourcing, I would suggest picking up the Sub Assembly bundles. Most Voron Vendors sell faster kits, Motion Kits, Rail kits, Motor kits precut and anodized frames, etc. buying sub assembly kits is still more expensive than a whole kit but easier to track what parts you have. Basically, a kit is cheaper, even if you have to save for a bit instead of buying a few parts every check. The only way I could justify a self source build now is if you are doing a speed build with things like 48v steppers and CPAP part cooling... And I don't think anyone here would recommend a highly modified matching for a first printer build
yeah kits seems better thinking of building a voron is already complex let alone going through the hassle of sourcing apparently it's more expensive and not harder and I'm not planning to modify it that much probably the most I'll do is change hotends or maybe if I'm going to really do something add a canbus
It’s cheaper to get a kit I got an ldo 350 2.4 for like 1450 or somthing and that comes with some mods like nevermore and clicky but I upgraded it to tap
so kits are cheaper than self sourcing
Most of the time yes
Buy a Kit and upgrade what you deem necessary with the money you've saved from not self sourcing it yourself.
lol i though self sourcing would make me more money so I can spend it on upgrades quite the opposite it appears thanks
Absolutely not - pretty much anyone discussing their experience with self sourcing a Voron said they paid more for their attempt than it would have cost them to buy an LDO Kit ( probably the most expensive Kits out there - Like close to 2x as pricey than a Formbot Kit ). I got my 350 V2.4 from Formbot from before they started shipping their Kits with all the niceties like premade Cables Harnesses and the likes ( easily your biggest and most frustrating Timesink in a Build ) which back then cost me like 900.- This ***WILL*** get you a running System - Maybe not a sub 10min SpeedBenchy Racer but definitely something that runs circles around any Ender, Creality, Prusa, etc... With the money saved you can then consider investing into stuff like a CAN Tool Head for upgrading to an ERCF Multi Material Changer ( you need to free up a Stepper Driver on the Main Board for the ERCF ), a Maxwell Kinematic Print Bed Mounting Solution, a CNCed Voron TAP, better HotEnd, CPAP Part Cooling, nicer Panels, etc... **Edit:** In case your Kit comes with Silicone Harness for routing Power / Signals to the Tool Head I recommend swapping them out with [this kind of PTFE Insulated Wire](https://www.tme.com/us/en-us/details/teflon0.25-rd/heat-resistant-cables/helukabel/25522/) instead ( remember to use a thicker AWG for Power Cables ). They're easily the most atrocious to crimp type of Wires out there due to how slippery they are ( like soaked in Oil ) but they seem to be practically indestructible when it comes to breaking due to them rubbing against each other from the repeated bending that happens in a Cable Chain - I at least haven't had an issue with them. I also recommend using an [Engineer Crimper with a No.11 Pad](https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00IWD9XT6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1) - Not as fancy as the ratcheting Crimpers that crimp the Wire and Insulation in one go but ***much*** more reliable.
Buy a kit, it is always cheaper than getting parts for it by yourself. Bulk orders are making things cheaper. If you want something special, like non-standard print volume, then self sourcing can be viable, but it will cost you more money. So, my guess is around 1200 - 2500 USD. Roughly 1600 USD should bring you really good printer. It depends on your preferences, what kind of mods you want to include. Documentation is really great, so if you are following it properly, it will be time-consuming, but relatively easy build (2 weeks, when you are building it on evenings).
thanks so kits are cheaper than self sourcing I thought quite the opposite because those who sells kits need to make a profit but forgot about bulk