Reddit mentions of Flashforge Dreamer 3d Printer, Dual Extruder, Fully Enclosed Chamber, W/2 Free Spools

Hi people, longtime lurker first-time commenter!

(Incoming wall of text. Just trying to be thorough!)

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I'm looking to buy a new dual extrusion 3D printer; specifically one that can support soluble support materials such as HIPS or PVA. High layer resolutions are preferred (~<0.1mm) but are not absolutely necessary.

• Budget: $1000 max; prefer staying within the $300-800 range. Amazon strongly preferred but printers sold directly from the manufacturer are okay as well.
  
• Location: US
  
• Pre-builts or kits are both fine. I work for my college's 3D printing lab so technical maintenance is not an issue. Although I would prefer not having to go through extensive modifications on the printer (i.e. printing new spool holders or installing a glass plate is fine, but replacing the motherboard and installing 10 new cooling fans is not).
  
• The printer is for personal use. I currently own the MP Select Mini v2 and love the high detail it provides. However, a lot of parts I'm interested in printing/designing are unprintable w/o the aforementioned support material or resin-based machinery.
  
• SLA/DLP/Polyjet 3D printing is not an option unfortunately. Spacing, high ventilation, and waste removal restrictions prevent me from jumping onto that fun wagon for now.
  
• The printer must be Cura/Simplify3D/Slic3r compatible (basically no proprietary only software; gcode is the go to).
  
  I've currently looked into several newer printers but can't figure out which one is likely the most reliable:
  
  

1. BIBO Dual Extruder and Laser Engraver - $829: I don't recognize this company and I'm still not sure why there's a laser engraver in the device but I won't complain (although this does raise some flags regarding safety). It seems to check all the boxes with dual extrusion, open-source slicers, 0.05mm layer res, etc., but it is a bit pricey and uses firmware I have yet to see on a 3D printer before (if anyone can elaborate on the firmware's reliability or whether it could be flashed w/ Marlin please do!).
   
2. Flashforge Dreamer - $799: Fully enclosed and working right out of the box is nice, but I know Flashforge really likes to push their Flashprint software (although reviewers state it is Simplify3D compatible so let me know if other open-source slicers work!). Product description states it can only print from 0.1-0.2mm, however.
   
3. Monoprice Dual Extruder (Fully Enclosed) - $799: I am partial to the Monoprice brand simply because all my experience with their devices were always excellent. This printer comes with some nice additions such as Auto-Resume features and print monitoring. However it pretty much requires separate spool holders (unless you buy small 200g spools from their website) and recommends its proprietary slicing software. Whether or not this device supports Cura is not confirmed in what few reviews exist for this machine.
   
4. FlashForge Creator Pro - $670: Another Flashforge machine which has all the same quirks as the Dreamer albeit for a slightly older model at a cheaper price. Uses buttons instead of a touch screen which is just a minor gripe. May have wiring issues according to some negative reviewers which is a big safety concern if true. Supports Simplify3D according to the product description but has no mention of Cura which makes this an iffy buy for me.
   
5. QIDI TECH X-Pro - $699: A company I haven't heard much about but I know they make budgety 3D printers (relatively speaking). High layer resolution like the BIBO and has Cura support (although it provides a modified version of it with a lot of options disabled according to reviewers). Firmware is also iffy and the printer may not have the highest build quality making this likely a no-go.
   
   These are pretty much all the printers I have found. Devices that merge two filaments into a single extruder are unpreferred as they are pretty iffy when printing with two different types of materials and need to create purge blocks really increases print time. Right now I'm learning towards the BIBO but would like to hear more about the device.
   
   If anyone has any other recommendations or additional experience with dual extruder 3D printers let me know!
   
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   (P.S. I accidentally turned this comment into a wall of text as there was only so much information I could find on reliable, (relatively) affordable dual extrusion 3D printing. Maybe some would be willing to collaborate to make a post covering more info so others don't have to look so far!)

Understandable- I'll be interested to hear what you have to say about it once it arrives. I think I decided the next logical step up for me will be the Flashforge Dreamer. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JRBQJ6W/ref=s9_simh_gw_p328_d0_i2?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=1Q1XKYG5BC1T426JPYNS&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1688200382&pf_rd_i=507846

I can't find many reviews out there for it, but what I have been able to find has been nothing but positive remarks.

I'm looking to replace an old NewMatter mod-t (RIP) with something a little more... um... functional. My budget is ~$1k (but for the right printer, I could go a little higher). Here's my ideal:

• Dual extruder
  
• Medium size print bed (at least ~150x150x200mm, but bigger the better of course)
  
• Fully enclosed (and reasonably nice to look at)
  
• Good range of material support (so heated bed)
  
• Support for CURA, S3D + OctoPrint (plus Octolapse ideally, so either built in camera, or good mounting point for a camera)
  
• Wifi support nice, but not required (if not Wifi, USB is a must)
  
  
  So far, these are the printers I'm looking at. Feel free to critique selection/recommend others as appropriate:
  
  
• Monoprice Dual Extruder
  
• QIDI Large Size (But this fails on the dual extruder)
  
• Flashforge Dreamer (Which I believe is more-or-less the same as the Monoprice above)
  
• BIBO Dual Extruder (Which has bonus laser engraving module)
  
  
  I'd still consider myself a beginner at this, so this may not be the best list, but hopefully someone can help me narrow down a selection.

What do you mean by multi-color?

If you mean a dual extrusion machine, check out the Flashforge Creator Pro and the Flashforge Dreamer.

Both are enclosed dual extrusion printers, the Dreamer is targeted at those who just want to print and is not designed to be tinkered with or modified. The Creator Pro is open source making it attractive to those who want to have flexibility and the ability to tinker and modify the printer. Depends on your use case as to which one would be better suited to you.

The Prusa MK3S is a fantastic printer but it only has a single extruder and unless you buy the Multi-Material-Upgrade/Unit ($300) for the unit you aren't able to do any multi material prints.

Ah, yes... that is quite the dealbreaker. I'm hoping to be up, running and familiar with the use of my printer within 2-3 months of now.

So within these limitations, where would you go:

• Not a Prusa / ships within 2 weeks (If I can get it on Amazon, even better)
  
• $1000 budget
  
• Suitable for gears
  
• Dual extruder possible
  
• Has a first-party or OEM enclosure
  
  I'm finding that I definitely want one with an enclosure as well, which I'm not seeing for PrintrBot or Prusa options, beyond what seem to be ugly/bulky hird party or DIY options... ideally I'd like one integrated into the printer.
  
  Thanks so much again for all this help.
  
  
  edit: your thoughts on this? https://www.amazon.com/Flashforge-Dreamer-Printer-Extruder-Enclosed/dp/B00JRBQJ6W/ it's a bit above-budget, but it's such a pretty, complete package which appears to check all the boxes, that I might be willing to extend the budget a touch for it...
  
  edit2: i got impatient and liked what i saw, so i bought the Dreamer - here's hoping it was a good pick!

I've been thinking of canceling since I had to first inquire back in September, and after looking at it on Amazon, I think I want the Flashforge Dreamer. I would prefer an assembled model over a kit because I don't have the proper workspace to put together a kit.