This self described "knockoff" Makerbot replicator on Kickstarter is very interesting.... read the coments too, and then swing by Hackaday to read even more comments. The comments on Hackaday and Kickstarter have different views.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2117793364/the-tangibot-3d-printer-the-affordable-makerbot-re
Hrm. I'm not sure which side of that I fall on. Most arguments on both sides of the issue make a lot of sense. I think what interests me most is how well Matt Strong keeps his composure and responds thoughtfully to criticisms. I especially like his invitation for Makerbot to share an opinion.
And now there's a new, supposedly closed MakerBot. Will be interesting to hear what the official response is!
Wonder if this decision was VC related or Tangibot related.
Personally, I would want to buy a printer that just works, not super interested in hacking into it.
Also there's a lot of people saying it's not affordable at $2,200 (or the plus version at $2,800). I think if you're going to use it for several years then it's a good price. Better than spending $1,200 and a lot of time getting it to work.
Sophi
I think, for me, the extra $1k would push it into the realm of 'group buy' rather than something I'd get for myself. That is, unless I thought I had a way to make $$ off it. At $1,200 it's still around the cost of, say, a pretty good guitar, which is easier for me to rationalize as part of a hobby.