Not long ago, 3D printing was something only engineers used, but now it is booming in the consumer market.
The DA Vinci 1.0 is the #1 best selling 3D printer on Amazon and it was designed with a budget in mind, so it’s a good choice for anyone wanting an affordable 3D printer with the bare minimum of features.
The Da Vinci 1.0 3D printer is a product of XYZprinting. XYZ printing has always marketed itself as a user-friendly, cost effective, and reliable printer-producing firm. The brand is a branch of the Kinpo Group that leads the world market in electronic manufacturing.
Pros
- The Price: I bought my Da Vinci 1.0 printer for $500. Now that’s what I call affordable. In a price like that one might probably find an unassembled version of a printer and yet this one is ready to use out of the box.
- Safety: The printing mechanism is fully enclosed so it protects you from the heated elements in printing and also prevents the external environment with tampering with the object produced.
- Spacious and Secure: There are two separate spacious openings – one at the top and the other at the front. Despite this, there is an alarm system that rings and notifies you through the LED if its sensor detect an open door.
Cons
- Customized Filament Cartridges: This feature means there is no way you can go shop around for high quality filaments, only specifically produced cartridges can be used and are available only at a standardized price.
- One Color: The Da Vinci 1.0 can only produce shapes and objects in a single tone and so multicolored creations are out of question.
Performance – 7
The Da Vinci 1.0 is an innovative product. It comes with a free cloud database that allows you to choose from hundreds of digital models online. The size of the product can be pretty amazing and it can weigh up to 8 kilograms! The performance of the product has been pretty flawless except for the occasional extruder Jam. Here’s my view on the key features of the Da Vinci 1.0:
Plug and Play Printer: It is a genuine ready-to-use printer with no assembly requirements. I simply plugged it in and started using it without any issues.
Closed Printing Area: The all enclosed design keeps us safe from the heated elements as well as the printing by products. This is good news for people who want to buy it and use it at their home offices.
Cloud Database: I used the cloud database to browse through several models online, and I even printed a few of them after a little customization. It was easy and worked exactly how I wanted.
Construction Quality – 7
The exterior of the printer is made of hard plastic, while the doors are transparent and allow you to see the printer at work. I saw the product being made and found it really interesting the first few times.
The printer is assembled mainly in Korea – the place where XYZprinting originates from.
The makers of Da Vinci 1.0 printer have tried to make it as easy to use as possible and the same goes for the feel of the device. It is a harmless structure that weighs a bit more than an average 2D printer and thus needs a dedicated place where it can be used.
Ease of Use – 7
It is a plug and play device and has been designed to be user friendly. I personally use it to make artwork, but this printer can be used to make several different types of models and shapes. You just have to design a digital model or search the open cloud for models and then let the printer weave its magic and make a 3D product out of thin air.
Changing the filament cartridge is a hassle-free business. The printer also has an EZ design mode that makes the printing easier and more user-friendly for the first time users. The Smart Platform Auto Calibration automatically calibrates the distance between the nozzle and the bed to achieve premium results.
Maintenance – 8
The only notable maintenance that you have to do is the changing of filament cartridges. The first filament cartridge will be 300 grams and the replacement will be a 600 gram cartridge.
A tip on using the cartridge is to hold down the cartridge and make sure it’s seated in properly before putting on the hold clip back. The cartridge filling if you don’t get it right can be a bit tricky, the rest is fairly easy.
A typical cartridge costs around $27.95, so your operating cost depends on the amount of usage you have. There are also options for buying different software but that’s totally your prerogative. The expected life of Da Vinci 1.0 is more or less like that of any other average printer. A tentative estimate of it can be 3 years.
Brand Reputation – 8
XYZ printing is the brand of Kinpo group. This is an electronic equipment manufacturing firm and is a known name in the industry.
The Kinpo Group has been an established electronic manufacturing firm for 15 years. It started back in 1973, and has grown to become a multinational manufacturer and supplier of electronic devices.
The New Kinpo Group as well as the XYZprinting brand is known as a market leader in the electronic marketing business, and the CEO of XYZ printing has said, “Our goal is to provide world-class 3D printing models that allow for widespread adoption to drive the market, and innovation in the market, forward.”
So far, they’ve been doing a good job at it.
Guarantee – 6
XYZprintings’ Da Vinci 1.0 comes with a guarantee wherever you buy the product from. The company provides a 1 year warranty. As far as customer service is concerned, in my experience they always pick up the phone and reply to your emails.
Sustainability – 6
As most other gadgets the Da Vinci 1.0 is manufactured on the concept of flow line production, thus large numbers of the product are simultaneously produced dividing the overall use of energy between the products. This production method means energy used per product is relatively less. The product is a fairly easy to build printer as it’s one of the basic models with very little complications. One can assume it still takes quite a bit of energy to produce this 3D printer and the filaments though.
These are early years for consumer-based 3D printing; however, 3D printing has been used commercially before. The 3D printing industry, especially the sector related to the consumer market, is in its early stages and the technology will improve with time. That being said, the printer works flawlessly and you can count on it to bring your designs to life with the ABS plastic filaments.
Self-Reliance – 8
It’s a user-friendly printer, with an easy-to-use interface that gives you the chance to print 3D projects without needing to meddle into the technicalities too much. But does it make a difference in terms of self-reliance?
At this point, for most people it won’t make much of a difference. But for some, it can make all the difference in the world. Wether you 3D print a new hand prosthetic for a fraction of the cost of a commercial model (that can cost tens of thousands of dollars), or you 3D print a rifle part to secure your own protection, 3D printing is a powerful force for decentralization and will only grow stronger as 3D printers get better.
Depending on your needs, the Da Vinci 1.0 is one for the years to come. I use it to make models and for different non-commercial art projects and I think I will be using it for quite a while. If you are thinking of using it commercially on a small scale, you might have to replace it a couple of years down the line. I wouldn’t recommend it for large scale commercial use though.
Value – 9
XYZ printing’s Da Vinci 1.0 is available on all major outlets at $499, e.g. on Amazon and Newegg. A 3D printer for under $500 that gives you a good printing experience, that’s value for your money written all over it.
All other 3D printers are well over the price you get this printer for, and considering the good print quality, its value stands out when compared to other products.
Excitement – 8
I have already got a lot done using this printer and while I’m excited about this particular printer, I’m even more excited about the future of 3D printing. Nano 3D printing makes me drool.
Specifications
Build volume(W*H*D): 7.8*7.8*7.8 inch
Technology: Fused Filament Fabrication
Weight (Cartridge included): 23.5 Kg
Print mode: Fine 100 macrons, Standard 200 microns
Printing Head: Single Nozzle
Diameter of Nozzle: 0.4mm
Filament Diameter: 1.75mm
Print speed: 150mm/sec
Print material: ABS and PLA
File type: XYZ format and .STL
Panel type: 4*16 LCM
Language: English and Japanese
Connecting: USB 2.0 wire
Hardware requirements: X86 64 bit compatible Macs with 2GB+ DRAM (for Mac), X86 32/64 bit compatible PCs with 2GB+ DRAM (for PC)
Operating System: windows XP (.net 4.0 required) / windows 7 or above for PC’s. 64 bit above for Macs
