QIDI Tech I Dual Extruder Desktop 3D Printer Full Review (Updated 2019)

With all of the versions and manufacturers out there in the up-and-coming 3D printer market, I found myself going back and forth.

I’m a complete novice to 3D printing and purchasing the QIDI Tech I Dual Extruder Desktop 3D Printer was my first 3D printer purchase.

I wanted to find something that required very minimal build from opening the box as long as it was under $1000. Finally, after hours of debate and research, I came to the conclusion to go ahead and make this purchase.

The features I were looking for seemed to fit the aspects of this printer quite well after receiving feedback from friends.

I originally ordered this on the 28th of September and was given an estimated delivery of between October 26th and November 2nd.

I was already ecstatic to find out that it showed up early on October 1st from China. This of course gave me a great initial impression.

Support

Because of my expected wait time of around 4 – 6 weeks, I reached out to the company earlier and emailed them asking if they could send me a copy of the software. Within just a few hours, they sent me an email explaining how to download the original MakerBot Replicator software since they use it as the “recommended” software. This gave me a chance to download it and test it out before actually receiving my printer.

Opening The Box

When my QIDI Tech I Dual Extruder Desktop 3D Printer arrived, I opened it to find a neat and well-packed proected printer. It came with two free spools of filament, one of them being Silver ABS and the other Green PLA. Furtheremore, all required hardware was included along with the necessary parts and a small toolkit. I estimate that it took me orughly 3 hours to complete the build into its final assembly. It didn’t end up being too difficult since the instructions were fairly clear on what to do. The only thing that was really required to be done first is to switch the power over to 115 volts. You’ll need to take off the bottom plate in order to do this.

Print Quality

Once this step was completed, I was extremely excited to test it out. Unfortunatelly, I had forgotten that I had already installed the MakerBot software. I accidentally installed the REplicator G and Python software along with another Windows-type fix. With all of this software installed on my machine, I ran into the problem of being unable to get the PC to read the connection properly. It took me nearly an hour of messing around before I had remembered what support had mentioned: you can’t run all of these programs at once. I closed them all and within 60 seconds, my computer recognized my printer and it was up and running.

This is something you won’t get with any other printer for around this price. The assembly may not be as easy, and sometimes you may have to recalibrate, but if you’re looking for an entry-level printer that’s under $1,000 and has extremely high-level prints, this one is going to be it. I began with leveling the print platform per the instructions and started off on my first build: a keychain. The entire design took about 37 minutes to complete and I was impressed by the fine detail that the QIDI Tech 1 Dual Extruder was able to produce. I’m currently working on printing a hydroponic top for a mason jar that is estimated to take around 6.5 hours. When setting up, make sure to mount the dual extruder into the cradle and mount the filament holders and filament along with the attached plexi-glass walls, door and top. All of this included in the instructions on the SD card. In any case, the prints come out completely smooth and detailed, and you can see this from the images shown below.

After using this printer for just a couple of weeks, I’m quite satisfied with my purchase. It has enabled me to learn things that make my life much easier and the prints are of such high quality that you wouldn’t know otherwise. The only issue that I’ve experienced so far is that the fan on the left extruder wasn’t running. I reached out to the company in China and within just a few hours a girl named Audrey contacted me and called me via cell phone. Within a short time, they figured it out and was able to tell me the solution. Not only that, but they shipped out the replacement part the next day and I received it the day after. This is quite impressive of the support staff for something to ship across the globe and arrive at my doorstep that quickly.

There are a few things I would like to point out to the reader about the QIDI Tech I Dual Extruder Desktop 3D Printer:

1. It’s important not to leave your prints on the printing bed over nighttime. Leaving things to cool on the bed can make it stick, and this will make it a bit difficult to take it off the bed. Furthermore, cleaning the melted tape off the bed is quite difficult.
2. It’s pretty common to be using rafts, but they’re more important than what you might imagine. A lot of parts  have a span that require a bit of minimal support so that they don’t underperform. Check to make sure everything is balanced.
3. You’ll need a small file set in order to clean up rafts and supports. An exacto knife works for this.
4. There doesn’t seem to be any noticeable difference between using either ABS or PLA tape. Both spools that came with the package worked out great.
5. I recommending putting your finished print in a ziplock with some acetone to create a smooth and shiny finish. This isn’t required, but it’s a nice touch.
6. In order to make sure that the guide tubes didn’t rub against the dome cover, I cut them down by 2.5 inches.