Is the MakerBot Sketch Worth It for Your Classroom?

In this video we look at the MakerBot Sketch and see if it is worth the upfront cost compared to other machines.

[muddasarakram]

This is a re-worked Adventurer three, no question about it. It has the same table, build plate and nozzle.

[MrAcasiello]

I am using these at a school and cannot seem to remove the supports on anything beyond a very simple print. Any ideas on settings or techniques that will allow supports to be removed more easily?

[jenniferfutrell]

Your Dremel will likely work a-ok on the Polar Cloud- no Dremel software needed. Ours gets Firmware updates over the internet and everything works like a charm.

[shawnm]

seeing how horrible the old makerbot printer is at my school, I'd be suspicious of their usefulness outside of exploiting schools for money. would it not just be worth getting a Prusa i3 or something?

additionally, switching from gcode to something proprietary is ridiculous. But i definitely understand wanting to get something much simpler, even if I think that it's better to just learn to use something more open like a ender 3 or prusa printer

[CPersaud]

also- not sure if my nozzle is the issue, but i have some kind of significant jam somewhere that I am not super confident to fix myself.... with Enders or other printers- so much community based support available. Have made at least 4 multi-hour support calls to Makerbot- they are nice but not super helpful. I highly encourage you NOT to try and connect to school networks. Keep them independent- run off of USB if you do have one. This is my first 3D printer and I definitely wouldn't buy one again, for school or home.

[jacobwollner]

Thank you for the informative video! My school is purchasing a pair of Sketch printers, so I'm doing a bit of research.
I'm curious, where did the file for the dial caliper test come from? Is it a preloaded test on the Sketch. I'd like to run that test print on a different 3D printer I have.
Thanks!

[bubblegumgun]

but what about compared to the flash forge tho

[ctgaming]

This is so ancient comparing to something from Bambulab.

[CPersaud]

print bed size is also an issue... they are small

[Exvinlty]

Use MakerBot cloud print as a software

[lostwhocares]

No, it is not worth it. I have spent the last four years working with these machines and they're not worth what they're charging classrooms. There are a lot cheaper models that are not proprietary which can be used in classrooms.

[bobf]

Build volume no bigger than an Ender 5 and at about 20% of the price. Why pay such a ridiculous amount of money? The mind boggles!

[davem]

No wonder Statasys is suing Bambu Labs, they continue to sell garbage. I guess that is what you do when you can't compete honestly in the market, you sue to kill off your competition. Boycott Stratasys.

[brettcostley]

Don't buy anything from Makerbot. Worst customer service ever.