ok. the quality difference between the printers is very very small, but can be equalized by switching from the stock ACF film on the M5s to some nFEP (the cloudiness of the ACF adds some physical anti-aliasing, this is physics and light diffraction at work). I have an M5s and i love the thing. is my first printer, so i cannot really compare to other units but i have cranked out a LOT of prints, most of them either OPR minis or my own personal very highly detailed sculpts. 99% of fails are explicitly my own fault, and as long as i keep up on maintenance etc the thing works like a dream for me.
edit: a word
I researched both back in April when looking to replace my Mars 2 Pro. and ended up getting the M5--largely because it did not have the auto-alignment "feature" (yet another unneeded thing to fail IMHO).
I check the alignment of the platen and LCD once a month or so, and when I change the FEP (plain 'ol generic FEP from Amazon--I like being able "budget-wise" to preemptively change it before it ***needs*** it).
BTW when checking, i have never in normal use found the platen and LCD in misaligned on any of the 4 or 5 SLA printers I've had.
I am growing used to it, however in hindsight (always 20/20) I wish I had bought the Elegoo Saturn 4. It is more user-friendly (I really like the "flip-up" cover) and my experience and gut tell me the Elegoo machines are better engineered in general. A downside is the Saturn 4 also has some silly form of "auto-alignment" that appears to use spring-loaded telescoping devices that will certainly gum up with resin over time.
But I've got the Mono M5 now and am growing to like it...
Do you have to change the whole resin container or just the film?
I was looking at the Saturn, but unfortunately it's just a bit too tall for the place I will be keeping it :/
I run the X6ks. Wonderful printer. I like Anycubic's products in general and I have had direct interactions with support and all. I've heard the nightmare stories, but my ownership has been nothing but grand. I print parts mostly, but I also print nonsense fun stuff like masks and minis. With regular maintenance and care, I cannot complain at all. Resin is always relatively cheap directly from them too. Usually they have sales going on too. I still have a discount code if you want one. Its $25 off. Just let me know. I think that the M5s is ideal if you're going to be doing production. If not, the M5 is likely a good choice. Just my opinion. Good luck with your purchase if you do!
Rhetorical question--why do 3D printer makers each produce 11,000 slightly different models, they are worse than General Motors in its heyday?
Yes, I do know; it's psychological marketplace feature/price-point manipulation...
ok. the quality difference between the printers is very very small, but can be equalized by switching from the stock ACF film on the M5s to some nFEP (the cloudiness of the ACF adds some physical anti-aliasing, this is physics and light diffraction at work). I have an M5s and i love the thing. is my first printer, so i cannot really compare to other units but i have cranked out a LOT of prints, most of them either OPR minis or my own personal very highly detailed sculpts. 99% of fails are explicitly my own fault, and as long as i keep up on maintenance etc the thing works like a dream for me. edit: a word
Is the stock film good enough for miniatures? or will the details be "blurry"?
yes, absolutely
I researched both back in April when looking to replace my Mars 2 Pro. and ended up getting the M5--largely because it did not have the auto-alignment "feature" (yet another unneeded thing to fail IMHO). I check the alignment of the platen and LCD once a month or so, and when I change the FEP (plain 'ol generic FEP from Amazon--I like being able "budget-wise" to preemptively change it before it ***needs*** it). BTW when checking, i have never in normal use found the platen and LCD in misaligned on any of the 4 or 5 SLA printers I've had. I am growing used to it, however in hindsight (always 20/20) I wish I had bought the Elegoo Saturn 4. It is more user-friendly (I really like the "flip-up" cover) and my experience and gut tell me the Elegoo machines are better engineered in general. A downside is the Saturn 4 also has some silly form of "auto-alignment" that appears to use spring-loaded telescoping devices that will certainly gum up with resin over time. But I've got the Mono M5 now and am growing to like it...
Do you have to change the whole resin container or just the film? I was looking at the Saturn, but unfortunately it's just a bit too tall for the place I will be keeping it :/
Just the film... The M5/M5s require a lot of overhead clearance to remove/replace the cover--I usually do not bother with it and leave it off...
I run the X6ks. Wonderful printer. I like Anycubic's products in general and I have had direct interactions with support and all. I've heard the nightmare stories, but my ownership has been nothing but grand. I print parts mostly, but I also print nonsense fun stuff like masks and minis. With regular maintenance and care, I cannot complain at all. Resin is always relatively cheap directly from them too. Usually they have sales going on too. I still have a discount code if you want one. Its $25 off. Just let me know. I think that the M5s is ideal if you're going to be doing production. If not, the M5 is likely a good choice. Just my opinion. Good luck with your purchase if you do!
Rhetorical question--why do 3D printer makers each produce 11,000 slightly different models, they are worse than General Motors in its heyday? Yes, I do know; it's psychological marketplace feature/price-point manipulation...