Subscribe to updates

Generally speaking, at the lower price bracket of the desktop 3D printer market you’re looking at one of two options. Either you buy a box of bits that you must fix together into a working 3D printer — the Anet A8s and TEVO Tarantulas of the world — or you turn to small plug-and-play machines like the Monoprice Mini and XYZprinting da Vinci miniMaker.

Falling within this latter segment of budget 3D printers, the Geeetech E180 is a recent addition to the market. A successful Kickstarter campaign back in the Autumn of 2017 saw Geeetech raise $56,513 (the goal was $50,000) to bring the E180 to retail.

An evolution of one of the company’s earlier machines, the MeDucer, the Geeetech E180 takes its forebear’s bulky box design and shrinks it down into a shell popularized by Malyan and its M200 3D printer (and Monoprice, who rebadged it as the Select Mini).

Naturally, for a new printer there is something fresh to it. Here a sleek black and white color scheme and trim completes a look that the company claims makes it a “harmonious fit” for the workplace and home.

In terms of action, the printer is of a simple design, with the business end of the printing happening on a cantilever arm suspended over a print bed that moves on the Y-axis.

Utilizing fused deposition modeling (FDM) as its 3D printing style, the Geeetech E180 lays down thin strings of molten plastic, building them up layer by layer into a completely formed model.

1

Geeetech E180: Review the Facts

Tech Specs

Dimensions: 284 x 320 x 156mm
Print volume: 130 x 130 x 130mm
Nozzle: 0.4mm swappable cores
Filament: 1.75mm, PLA
Max. print speed: 110mm/s
Max. print temperature: 230 degrees Celsius
Heated bed: No
Layer resolution: 0.05mm
Print precision: +/- 0.11mm (X/Y), 0.0025mm (Z)
Connectivity: WiFi, SD, USB
Screen: 3.2-inch color touchscreen
Software: EasyPrint 3D, EasyPrint 3D app
Packing type: Fully assembled
Other: Break-resume feature, Dual Microcontroller Unit

Back to Contents

2

Geeetech E180: Review the Facts

Price & Features

At the time of writing, the Geeetech E180 will set you back approximately $200 to $300 dollars, depending on where you look. Considering the similarity of looks, this puts the Geeetech E180 a shade more expensive than the Malyan M200/Monoprice Select Mini.

The Geeetech E180 boasts a few tricks up its sleeve that set it apart.

For one, it features a quick release removable nozzle system borrowed from one of Geeetech’s other printers, the Giantarm D200. Not unlike that of the Ultimaker 3, with the flick of a switch the nozzle assembly drops out of the print head for easy replacement.

These nozzle cores appear to have a ceramic shell, which the company claims reduces thermal loss and keeps the exterior of the hot end at about 100 degrees Celsius.

WiFi connectivity grants control via Geeetech’s EasyPrint 3D software and mobile app. Beyond printer control, the EasyPrint 3D suite also allows for the upload of photos and videos to other Geeetech users.

A color touchscreen relays print information and (in addition to the EasyPrint 3D app and software) grants fine tuning control over the Geeetech E180. Included in this is an assisted 5-point bed leveling system.

Positioned as suitable for indoor/office environments, the Geeetech E180 is limited to printing PLA only.

As a 3D printer part funded through Kickstarter, it’s inevitable we would find some criticism in our analysis (very rarely do these things ever run flawlessly). And boy did we find some.

Backers on the platform that have their hands on the Geeetech E180 (as recently as mid-January) cite under-extrusion as a problem. Some even go as far as to diagnose the issue themselves, claiming incorrect extruder gears and firmware errors as possible causes.

Additionally, other backers of the Geeetech E180 appear to have issues with the screws provided to mount the printer’s spool holder not being long enough.

Outside of the crowdfunding bubble, customer reviews on traditional online stores err on the positive side. It could be that Kickstarter backers (as is often the case) received the first production run of the Geeetech E180 3D printer, complete with kinks yet to be ironed out. Possibly. Or maybe the issues exist in a percentage of all of the Geetech E180 units. We can’t say for sure, so take it all with a healthy pinch of salt.

Back to Contents