Last Updated: November 25, 2018 (Refresh Now)
Monoprice Maker Select Plus 3D Printer
Last Updated: November 25, 2018 (Refresh Now)
6.8
SCORE
/10
Total Reviews
619
Old Reviews
155
Unverified
56
Spam Test
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Micro SD
SD CARD TYPE
Yes
USB
Review Analysis - 408 recent, verified reviews
Detailed Mode
Print Quality
159prints, print, printing, 3d, print quality
+86%
-14%
" ... Print slow and the results are great. ... You can also change infill and other settings for different sections of your print. ... It just makes a HUGE difference in print quality no matter what printer you are using. ... Still prints good without it, but when you see the difference you'll know. ... "
" ... I'm giving the printer 5 stars because I believe it offers a utility-for-the-price that's still pretty much unmatched on the market. ... "
" ... Printed 10+ so far & still happy ... "
" ... Great starter 3d printer. ... "
" ... I bought this printer with some skepticism and have been very pleased with it. ... Right out of the box it's printing very high quality prints. ... "
" ... Absolutely one of the best prints for first time 3d printers. ... Not for someone who expects perfect prints right out the box. ... But with time and patience you can get some quality prints out of this machine. ... "
" ... Have printed many items and am happy with the outcomes. ... "
" ... This printer did a good job on printing few jobs for me. ... "
Product Reliability
120printing, monoprice, extruder, print, smoking
+38%
-63%
" ... Had to unplug it to get it to stop. ... "
" ... DO NOT BUY, it did work for a month but it’s doomed to fail it’s not properly wired the handle the amount of voltage it’s taking in. ... "
" ... Within a month this machine had issues with the extruder. ... "
" ... Computer module overheated and smelt like burning components after 4-5 months. ... "
" ... 6 months later on July, I started having issue with the machine randomly cutting off. ... So it took almost a full month before I gotten the printer back. ... They quickly sent me an rma and here now I had to wait a solid 3 weeks. ... I just thought it was the stepper motor not working anymore. ... This takes about 2 weeks before I get the motor. ... No, this did not fix the issue. ... It was the main board that's causing the issue. ... "
" ... These work ok for a few months then they become useless. ... I made the mistake of buying 3 of them and now not a single one is working. ... "
" ... However, the replacement printer had electrical problems after only a few hours of printing. ... "
" ... The H-bridge for the extruder motor failed for no discernible reason after about 40 hours of total print time. ... "
Build Quality
74build plate, extruder, rods, carriage, nozzle
+54%
-46%
" ... This is almost essential in improving build quality overall. ... "
" ... To permanently fix that I bought the Micro Swiss CNC Machined Lever and Extruder Plate upgrade. ... The new gear it is shipping with has a section with no grooves where the grub screw is at. ... "
" ... Z frame stable. ... "
" ... The quality control on mine at least seems to have been very solid. ... "
" ... But I've also made several practical things that are real world parts. ... "
" ... It's built with some solid metal and building initially is just connecting two parts together with 4 screws, setting up a spool of filament and you're ready to print some small samples. ... The bed uses Build-Tac which I love but some might want to switch it to glass. ... "
" ... -Z-Brace Mod ... "
" ... I would also recommend buying a new carriage plate and installing a glass bed to prevent eventually warping. ... "
Setup
58printer, print, assembly, easy to setup, assemble
+84%
-16%
" ... Setup was fairly straightforward, though had to find a workaround to use the newest version of Cura instead of the older version that is bundled with the printer. ... "
" ... Set up was very easy. ... "
" ... Took all of 10 minutes to install ... While I was installing it I realized the extruder gear was on backwards from the factory. ... "
" ... The printer works great after some initial setup. ... "
" ... The printer is well built and very easy to assemble. ... "
" ... I was actually able to get a print within 10 minutes of unpacking. ... "
" ... Easy to setup ... "
" ... Very easy to set up, took about 20 minutes from unboxing to starting the first print. ... "
Price
53printer, money, save, dollars, 3d
+87%
-13%
" ... My first 3D printer but I spent a lot of time comparing machines in this price range. ... "
" ... For the price point it's definitely hard to beat the MS Plus. ... "
" ... This thing is better than the price would lead you to believe. ... "
" ... There are several slicers in free, freemium, online, and paid. ... Overall I think this is a great printer for the price range. ... "
" ... I got a "used-very good condition" one to save a bit of cash . ... "
" ... But all in all, I find this an excellent printer for the price. ... "
" ... Of course that means spending more money. ... "
" ... This is the best printer you can buy for the money. ... "
Ease of Use
50setup, learn, easy to setup, software, printer
+94%
-6%
" ... Set up was very easy. ... "
" ... It was pretty easy to get it up and running. ... "
" ... Easy to print. ... "
" ... There is a learning curve but with a bit of research you can figure it out. ... "
" ... It isn't the easiest thing ever to assemble, but don't require much knowledge to do it. ... "
" ... The prints that come out are quite good and it's relatively easy to use. ... "
" ... It's open architecture makes it easy to mod or work on. ... "
" ... This isn't an Ultimaker, if you aren't willing to learn its ins and outs, its not for you. ... "
Returns
38replacement, returned, sent, monoprice, amazon
+11%
-89%
" ... Ok so the RMA only took about 4 days for it to happen and I sent it back. ... "
" ... It was damaged during return shipping. ... "
" ... I was sent a RMA to ship the unit back to their California warehouse. ... I had to contact them again because of this issue. ... Again, They said this time, that they're send me an RMA and they're fix it for me and test it to make sure it's in working proper order before they send it back to me. ... I'd also like to mention that once you buy this unit from amazon, and it goes over the amazon time limit to return. ... "
" ... Item was returned to Amazon. ... "
" ... I contacted Amazon to see if there were any other ways that I have to receive some form of technical support and they kindly sent me a return mailing label to return the item. ... "
" ... The first one I received was totally broken and I had to return it. ... I returned it and ordered another one because I needed a printer ASAP because of a project that I was working on. ... "
" ... I don't know how good their support is, but I know if I spend a week going back-and-forth with them, my return window for this piece of crap will expire and I may still get stuck with a terrible machine. ... "
" ... Very frustrating, had to return the whole thing. ... "
Marketplace
34monoprice, support, warehouse, request, sent
+35%
-65%
" ... Thanks for the being useless Monoprice. ... "
" ... I was sent a RMA to ship the unit back to their California warehouse. ... Told them that the unit was not bent before shipping it and that the rods were fine before I sent it to them. ... "
" ... Item was returned to Amazon. ... "
" ... They responded quickly and were helpful until they found out that I purchased the item through Amazon Warehouse. ... They told me that they cannot support items purchased through Amazon Warehouse. ... "
" ... If I had it to do over again I would have bought directly from Monoprice. ... "
" ... I am having to beg Amazon to take it back. ... "
" ... Below is what they WROTE to me with my “interpretation” of what they were actually SAYING in [brackets]. ... On July 17, Ian from Monoprice wrote: ... I sent the above to Monoprice customer “support” and asked, "Is Monoprice proud of that kind response to a customer’s complaint about a defective product THEY JUST BOUGHT!? ... On July 18, Ian from Monoprice wrote: ... "
" ... The first two I purchased came broken, not a big deal. ... "
Speed
27printer, printing, prints, minutes, printed
+63%
-37%
" ... Print slow and the results are great. ... "
" ... I had this thing out of the box and successfully printing in 20 minutes. ... "
" ... This makes it less accurate and require slower print speeds for decent prints. ... "
" ... Two days of perfect printing. ... "
" ... Quick and easy set-up and have over 100 hours and well over a dozen prints now. ... "
" ... Great printer about 80% of the time. ... "
" ... From what I have read and seen online there many mods that make this printer print better which is awesome since I already think the quality is perfect ... "
" ... I was set up and printing in about 15 minutes, which was really astonishing to me. ... "
Fit
19spools, filament, thingiverse, nozzle, holder
+47%
-53%
" ... Because of the run-out caused by the bearing rods and the flex of the original carriage plate, the springs included are too tall on 2 corners and the bed can't be lowered enough to clear the nozzle, and on the other 2 corners, they're helpfully much too short, meaning they can't maintain tension on the nuts, which then back off as you print and as the bed temperature cycles. ... "
" ... The Y carriage is made of a thin aluminum which bent as because of the buildtac and how well it adheres. ... "
" ... My last complaint is that the belt tensioners are springs ... "
" ... The one bad part of this printer is the poor quality linear bearings on the Y slide. ... "
" ... Never fit right. ... "
" ... I took the assembly apart and confirmed that the nozzle was clear, but the gear that drives the filament slips and won't feed. ... "
" ... Stuck in on position. ... "
" ... The spool holder is too narrow to hold some spools. ... "
Delivery
18shipped, unit, shipping, box, ups
+33%
-67%
" ... It was damaged during return shipping. ... "
" ... It took another 5 days before they contacted me saying the unit arrived with it being bent. ... The unit arrived, but with an issue. ... "
" ... Unfortunately the product arrived damaged and was not operable. ... "
" ... It arrived in about two weeks from the time I ordered it. ... "
" ... Item arrived DOA. ... "
" ... That included leveling the Z-axis, which is fairly normal considering shipping. ... Been using this pretty much non-stop since I got it, taking a break while I wait for my mosfet to be delivered. ... "
" ... I got a replacement for it and this one is dead on arrival. ... "
" ... I hate to do this because I was really looking forward to this item, but mine was shipped with a defective thermistor and without extensive work was completely unusable, only returning "def error's" This is unacceptable. ... "
Design
18looking, look, pla, info, red
+61%
-39%
" ... Part of this is generally solid construction of a generally solid design, and a lot of it is the huge support community that exists for the machine and it's variants/rebrands. ... This is almost essential in improving build quality overall. ... Black smoke and everything. ... "
" ... This was causing only half the filament to be gripped and it was really easy to see looking into the openings. ... "
" ... man that thing is so freeking cool . ... "
" ... much better design ... "
" ... This is not an out of the box and go style hobby it takes learning, time and a love of making things work to be really successful. ... "
" ... - Looks durable for now. ... "
" ... The parts come out with great detail. ... "
" ... You need supports when your design has overhangs. ... Also, when looking at designs on Thingiverse, look at the recommended settings that the designer gives (the ones nice enough to give you that info). ... If that doesn't give you enough info, go to "made" and look at each person's design that they have made and see if they give you the settings they used. ... I'm sure there have to be differences, but frankly I can't imagine what they are (besides the size of your design). ... "
Storage
17print, included, microsd card, gcode, cura
+53%
-47%
" ... The software on their SD card is MUCH better than what I downloaded from the slicing software website, mostly because it was customized for this particular printer. ... "
" ... The included sd card includes a few models and I was able to just barely print 3 of them with the included sample filament. ... "
" ... The manual also showed some 3d models that were supposed to be on the micro sd card, but after choosing one at random (for some dumb reason all the models are just named gcode) I was surprised to see a couch print out when it was finished instead of either a robot, vase, unicorn, or gear. ... "
" ... Installed Cura, used the default settings from the version that came on the SD card. ... "
" ... I exclusively print using the microSD card now. ... "
" ... I just happen to have the printer on my work bench across the room from my computer, so I use the SD card. ... "
" ... I printed one of the test prints that was on the SD card and that worked great. ... "
" ... Put the GCode on the SD card, and the printer will let you print it. ... "
Apps
17cura, slicer software, mods, honeycomb, filament
+71%
-29%
" ... The free Cura software works OK but the results are less than phenomenal. ... "
" ... The software on their SD card is MUCH better than what I downloaded from the slicing software website, mostly because it was customized for this particular printer. ... "
" ... There is a HUGE community of users on Facebook that are willing to help if you have any issues. ... "
" ... I have experience with machining, g-code, and engineering but there was still plenty to overcome. ... "
" ... No problem, I thought, and downloaded it online. ... "
" ... Read the web page I linked. ... "
" ... * The stock interface . ... "
" ... I then ran a .stl file that came with my CADD system as an example, the software is easy to use and set up perfectly. ... "
Cables
17control box, connectors, labeled, umbilical cord, ribbon cable
+41%
-59%
" ... The case was that one of the wire inside the power supply was fraying. ... "
" ... I'm sure getting into the guts of the thing voided the warranty anyway, so I removed the connector entirely and soldered wires directly to the board to drive the MOSFET board. ... "
" ... I opened the case and did not find any loose wires or anything so I put it back together and truned it in. ... "
" ... The heated bed connections are not fastened on the bed end so the movement of the bed stresses the solder joints joining the wires to the bed. ... "
" ... These connectors will melt under the strain of ABS causing it to smoke and eventually catch fire. ... "
" ... I had to unplug the power cord in order to get the printer to turn off. ... "
" ... First off, the power cables inside were loose and just messy inside. ... "
" ... While trying to install this, the very fragile heater cartridge wires broke. ... "
Cleaning
17clean, clogged, collecting dust, clean the nozzle, filament
+41%
-59%
" ... Now for the down and dirty. ... "
" ... Then, during one of my overnight prints, the nozzle apparently clogged. ... and was attempting to print nothing into thin air. ... "
" ... After less than two months this is already collecting dust in my attic. ... "
" ... A year later and it's still collecting dust. ... "
" ... However, I temporarily used a folded face towel to fill the gap. ... "
" ... My nozzle became clogged and I could not find a way to easily remove the clog. ... "
" ... Sweat stains are no joke when you're putting on mass and a Krav Maga level 3. ... "
" ... This had some adhesion issues with my test prints, so after a couple of failed attempts I sprayed some AquaNet on the glass and let it dry before printing again. ... What a mess. ... "
Controls
16z axis, menu, leveled, switch would, switch
+50%
-50%
" ... Their quality control is bottom of the barrel, however. ... "
" ... The select may be my next attempt. ... "
" ... The power button in the back does not turn off the machine, where it just doesn't click to the off so i have to manually remove the plug. ... "
" ... Extremely frustrating and there is nothing in the manual on what to do about these and no hard reset button outside of the menu which you need the touch screen to use. ... "
" ... Menu (interface) very hard to use and keep clicking other menu. ... "
" ... The in 1st week the power switch would not turn off. ... "
Sound Quality
16making, fan, loud, fans, grinding
+19%
-81%
" ... Something starts to make a loud grinding noise after a a couple weeks. ... "
" ... Lastly after having the product for 2 months, the fan started making a whining noise. ... "
" ... From the start the z access was making an odd sound which progressively got worse. ... "
" ... One of the fans died, the other sounds like it's on it's way out. ... "
" ... So the next day I powered on the printer and the power supply fan was making a horrendous sound. ... "
" ... I was willing to live with it and try it anyway, but it was so loud and obnoxious while printing that I simply boxed it up and sent it back. ... I read lots of articles online and in forms of people purchasing rollers for this to fix the machine from making this noise. ... "
" ... And the fans - my gosh were they loud. ... Right out of the box it was making grinding sounds that wouldn't stop so I sent it back. ... "
" ... The only complaint I have about this printer, and it's a minor one, is that upon powering down it produces a loud noise as if something is grinding against itself inside. ... "
Software Platform
16cura, error, upgrades, trial and error, filament
+56%
-44%
" ... The free Cura software works OK but the results are less than phenomenal. ... "
" ... If you have a Raspberry Pi then you can try Octoprint (Incredibly easy to get running by the way). ... "
" ... It really helps to use the bundled software, it helps you set up prints really well ... "
" ... There are a lot of resources online that I found to initially set up the machine in Cura since these printers are directly supported. ... "
" ... * The stock interface . ... "
" ... I then ran a .stl file that came with my CADD system as an example, the software is easy to use and set up perfectly. ... "
" ... You will need to research what the terms mean in custom settings (if you're new to this). ... "
" ... It has been pretty simple to use, although time consuming and a good amount of trial and error. ... "
Features
16settings, printers, printer, auto, leveling
+88%
-13%
" ... This printer design is based off the original prusa mk2 printers with some improvements and missing features which they run over $500. ... "
" ... It does not have the fancy features like auto leveling or dual extruders but this will satisfy the average hobbyist needs. ... "
" ... Also the version I received is the v2.1 which has a lot of features already added and fixed that people complain about in the reviews. ... "
" ... The pre-installed PLA settings are spot on for the 3 brands I have tried. ... "
" ... After researching consumer grade printers I chose the Maker Select Plus because I believed it was the best value given cost to print quality. ... "
" ... Has some nice features for such a low cost. ... "
" ... there are a BILLION hidden settings ... "
" ... - Built in lights would be good ... "
User Manual
14instructions, user manual, instruction, cura, sheet
+50%
-50%
" ... The user manual is all wrong to what the software does. ... "
" ... But that presented a whole host of issues as well, as the version of Cura recommended in the instructions does not include a profile for this printer, and the instructions do not provide the required settings to manually configure it. ... "
" ... Finally did manual leveling but its unleveled. ... "
" ... - The user manual has some wrong instructions. ... "
" ... un-boxing it was a little difficult to figure out and once you get everything out of the box the manual is at the bottom and there are clear directions for how to get it out of the box ?!?! ... "
" ... The manual is highly recommended for this part, but not for others as I’ll get into later on. ... • Instruction manual leaves a lot to be desired in the later sections, as it’s blatantly show the wrong location to level the bed and for various other settings, I had to go through the UI on my own and try it out to figure out the various settings. ... "
Cartriges
14printers, 3d, maintenance, replacement, print
+57%
-43%
" ... It can easily compete with much more expensive printers. ... "
" ... Absolutely one of the best prints for first time 3d printers. ... "
" ... I decided to get a "cheap" printer instead but I am glad I chose this one. ... "
" ... You will likely have to tinker with all under $1000 printers. ... "
" ... Especially for a $300 printer. ... "
" ... I used a Z18 makerbot printer before (with the first extruder) and I had a less than pleasant experience, so my opinions might be a little biased towards this printer lol. ... "
" ... I have been using it on almost a daily basis and it does a decent job for what little it costs compared to other printers. ... If you're looking for a printer that doesn't require the level of maintenance this printer requires then you should spend a little more for a better printer without the issues as listed here. ... "
" ... You can learn a lot by reading the forums for this and similar printers. ... "
Device Compatibility
14mini, print, pause, work, via usb
+64%
-36%
" ... I've had very good luck with that on my mini. ... "
" ... This is our second device. ... "
" ... Being able to pause a print - that alone is a huge plus to me. ... "
" ... Read the web page I linked. ... "
" ... I've printed everything from phone stands to D&D figures and most things come out great and even the things that haven't been as great are still mostly good and usable. ... "
" ... I knew this going into this printer, so I was fine with it. ... "
" ... get a Pi or plan on having a laptop hooked up to the printer at all times. ... "
" ... I is a simple reliable printer my kids can operate. ... "
Comfort
13pain, nozzle, feel, extruder, bed
+46%
-54%
" ... So in no way that they actually test these printers before hand. ... "
" ... If you want to work with any other materials, and you aren't comfortable with completely gutting it and rebuilding it, stay away. ... "
" ... EDIT the extruded completely gave up on me and it was a pain trying to fix it. ... "
" ... This surely causes some abnormal wear on the extruder tip. ... "
" ... -One nozzle drill for clogs (i almost bought before hand) ... "
" ... It has been nothing but headaches. ... Really feel ripped off! ... "
" ... Feels very clunky to do that in 2016, but it works. ... "
For Kids
12year old, old son, christmas, 12, year
+100%
" ... This is very quickly becoming my favorite toy. ... "
" ... This can be used by mature and engineering minded children with and adult to help. ... "
" ... I've always wanted one since I was a Freshman in high school, and by Senior year I finally had enough money to buy one, I just didn't know what to choose. ... "
" ... These were fun upgrades/projects for me. ... "
" ... (I forget the brand, but my nephew got one for Christmas. ... "
" ... My husband loves it. ... "
" ... This was a Christmas present for my 12 year old son. ... my 12 year old can operate this by himself after I researched and taught him. ... "
" ... This was a gift for my 20yr old son. ... "
Defective Delivery
11box, arrived, parts, item, defective
+18%
-82%
" ... After 10 days I reached out to get tracking on my replacement and they said the item was damaged different than what I described. ... "
" ... Unfortunately the product arrived damaged and was not operable. ... "
" ... Item arrived DOA. ... "
" ... The unit itself is not "defective." ... "
" ... And this Monoprice was also defective with warped parts. ... "
" ... Product is faulty. ... "
" ... First box missing parts. ... "
" ... The first one I received had loose screws on the dial, so the first thing I had to do was open the control box and tighten the screw down so I could make selections on the unit. ... I figured I got dud. ... "
Power Consumption
10power, upgraded, unit, turn, switch
+10%
-90%
" ... The Ramps kit is around $40, but given that the power supply in the Maker Select is not known for being particularly robust, the total conversion will cost around $80. ... "
" ... There were very light scratches on the bottom of the power supply. ... "
" ... i think the power supply could be bad too, i am unsure. ... "
" ... Apparently the power supply went bad. ... "
" ... The power supply must've cooked and could no longer operate the unit ... "
" ... I turned the power switch off and then back on, but nothing happened. ... "
" ... During the first few days I could not turn the unit's power off. ... "
" ... The in 1st week the power switch would not turn off. ... "
Display Clarity
10touch screen, lcd, display, turned, turn
+50%
-50%
" ... The computer module itslef would then turn on, but if any operations were attempted the screen blacked out. ... "
" ... goes dark, after a few seconds display comes back on but meantime your build is ruined and filament ... "
" ... After clearing a clog, I turned the printer back on and the lcd screen lights up and doesn't respond to input. ... "
" ... The fan still blows on it, but the LCD screen is dead. ... "
" ... The text on the screen would dim and eventually vanish during preheating. ... "
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Specifications
Connectivity
USB: Yes
Memory
SD Card Type: Micro SD
Recommendations
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