The Pros and Cons of Qidi X-Max
The Qidi X-Max is one of the most popular 3D printers and one of the only printers ready straight out of the box. After 3 years of working with 3 versions of Qidi X Max’s, here are my pros and cons.
PROS:
Easy to work with
Of the dozens of 3D printers, I have worked with, Qidi X-Max is without a doubt the easiest out-of-the-box printer to work with. It is as close to plug and play as a 3D printer can get. It is quite bulky, but once it’s out of the box, it is very intuitive. Simply unbox it, plug it in, load up the filament, do a 1-minute auto level, and you’re ready to print. It is so easy that the instruction manual is quite unnecessary.
Excellent customer support
One of the key highlights is Qidi’s customer support. They are very responsive and generally know more than the typical Stack Overflow or Reddit answer. Any problem you will run into, they will most likely have an answer to and the links to purchase whatever parts is required. Here are the emails for Qidi Technology support: linda@qd3dprinter.com or sophia@qd3dprinter.com
Very intuitive Slicer
Qidi Technology has its own slicer that, while not as powerful or versatile as Prusa’s, is extremely easy to use. The presets are relatively well labeled and easy to tamper around with. There are limitations to customization within this slicer, but for most users, it does all they need and more at a significantly more stylish way than Creality’s slicer.
High Temperature Filament
The Qidi X Max is the most affordable Hight Temperature 3D printer in the market. There are very few printers at around $1000 that allow high temperature filament 3D printing. With its enclosure and high temperature magnetic baseplate, it provides everything you need to print filaments like Carbon Fiber or Nylon. The nozzle can heat up to 300 C, which will do most filaments and the bedplate can go up to 100 C.
Availability
I purchased my printer on Amazon Prime. It got to me in 2 days. This was a pandemic impulse purchase, and it was probably the best printer I could’ve bought. Unlike Prusa’s 1 month wait time or Creality’s 2-hour setup time, Qidi’s take 10 minutes to setup. The hardest part was just getting it out of the box and getting the packaging out.
Bigger Bedplate and Stability
The X Max comes with a 300x250x300mm build volume. This is much larger than most printers at this price range. Along with the volume, it has a double Z Axis, which means it will most likely not cause ringing (it’s what makes patterns on the sides when printing too quickly). This just furthers how reliable it is straight out of the box.
Cons:
Price
This printer does cost $1000. It is not the most expensive, but also not the cheapest. Although it provides the least amount of resistance to start printing, the price does reflect it. Considering that it has an enclosure and a massive bed plate, it is significantly better than Prusa’s i3 MK3S+ and $100 cheaper.
Slicer inefficiency
To be cut and dry, Prusa Slicer is better simply because it supports so many more printers and customizability. Qidi’s slicer is less daunting because it does not provide a billion options, but it does occasionally make untrustworthy supports and infill. Make sure to look at the X-Ray model before printing anything with thin details that require supports.
Ribbon Cable
I’ve only run into this once, but the ribbon cable is prone to getting damaged. It may be the design of the printer, but it has a tendency to get bent so often that it cannot provide enough power. The solution is to purchase a ribbon cable off Ebay and replace it, which is not the easiest thing to do. One way of preventing this problem is to print another casing for your extruder, which are all free.
Lack of instructional videos
If you run into problems with a Qidi, there are not many videos on how to fix them. Even with email support, you have to think on your own two feet. For replacing the ribbon cable for example, that was just a complete shot in the dark on how to do it. Thankfully, a 3D printer is not too complicated as long as no soldering is involved.
Conclusion
The Qidi X Max is the most budget and user-friendly high temperature 3D printers on the market. I would highly recommend it over a Prusa if you are not looking to put dozens of hours of labor into a printer and want to print straight out of the box.