11

FIELD TEST

themselves, but none of these are unique to the A8
and they affect virtually all 3D printers, regardless of
the price. We’ve had no issues printing in PLA, and
we’ve had good results printing in ABS, with a little bit
of tinkering in my slicer settings.
This brings me back to a point we made earlier;
because this is a kit that has been built from scratch,
you will know your way around this printer when it
comes to tinkering, upgrades, and (almost inevitably)
troubleshooting. Belt not tight enough? Easy – clip
this cable tie, tighten the belt, put on a new cable tie.
Clogged extruder? No problem – take it apart again and
remove the clog.

COMMUNITY SUPPORT
If you do decide to delve into the world of budget 3D
printing with the A8, you’re absolutely not going to
be on your own. This model has a huge and active
community of people happy to give you advice. The
reddit page for this model alone has 1800 subscribers,
Facebook has a number of groups, the biggest with
5800 members actively sharing their latest prints, tips,
and upgrades, as well as troubleshooting any and all
issues that could crop up.
Regarding upgrades, there are literally hundreds of
free designs online that you can print to improve the
A8. One of our favourites was the noise-dampening
feet that sit under our printer (so effective that they

used to trick the author into thinking the printer wasn’t

running when he was in the next room). For those who

wish to dive a little deeper into the firmware, you can

buy a third-party auto-levelling probe and set it up to

work with this printer, along with a custom-designed

mount, saving both time and resulting in the perfect

first layer every print.

This review wouldn’t be complete without

mentioning a key safety issue of this printer as

supplied: the heating rod for the extruder block is not

securely held in place. If it falls out, it will keep heating,

causing an obvious fire hazard. As bad as this sounds,

it is easily fixed either by updating the firmware on

the board to introduce thermal runaway protection

(a feature added in a more recent edition of the

firmware), or by taping the heat block into place using

heat-resistant tape (you could also easily and cheaply

replace the extruder block altogether).

This printer is a fantastic first 3D printer for people

who like to tinker. It does have its issues out of the

box, and you will be endlessly tinkering with it to try

to squeeze the very best out of it. What you save in

money, you’ll pay in time. If you want to print perfect

prints every time with minimal input, you will be better

served by a different machine. If you want to learn

about 3D printing, and have something you can build

and customise that produces surprisingly good results,

the A8 should be on your shopping list.

VERDICT

A great hacker’s

printer at an

almost too good

to be true price.

8 / 10

FIELD TEST

Above

The author’s first ever

print – a low-polygon,

but high-resolution fox

Design

slavikk

Left

A full-size Master

Chief helmet printed

by the Anet A8 in

around 16 different

pieces – sanded,

primed, and ready

for painting

Design

big_red_frog