If you are looking for a relatively affordable 3D printer, the Tevo Tarantula Pro might be the one for you. We took a detailed look at it and compare it to other 3D printers on the market.
Contents
About Tevo
To understand why this 3D printer has such a low price tag, you need to know a bit about its manufacturer. Tevo is a Chinese company that designs, develops and sells many 3D printers and components. The Tarantula Pro is a derivative of the original Tarantula, which was released in 2015. That model was not very popular, however, and Tevo decided to rework the machine.
Features and Specifications
The Tevo Tarantula Pro 3d printer features a large LCD screen on the base of the unit, which displays print settings such as temperature, nozzle height, filament manufacturer and more. It also features a large print space (235x235x250 mm) with room for upgrades to a heated bed and an additional extruder. The Tarantula Pro is compatible with a wide variety of 3d printer filament, such as PLA, ABS, TPU and more.
The Tarantula pro also features an SD card reader for loading models directly from a memory card, display screen for viewing in real time what is being printed, a mosfet (amplifies the power to the hotend), simple assembly and upgradability.
This printer is able to hold its own in competition with other printers on the market. The build quality is exceptional for a machine of this price, and it comes with a 1 year warranty.
Other features include:
- Large printing volume, 235 x 235 x 250 mm, 1.75″ – 2.85″ printing area (which can be expanded up to 3x).
- Support for dual extruders (no need for third party components).
- Supports a wide variety of filaments, including PLA, ABS, TPU and more.
- SD card reader for loading models directly from a memory card(up to 128GB) and supports SDHC card (up to 32GB).
- Supports SD Card only (not e-reading support).
- Easy print improvements through a series of modifications via an easy to use interface provided with all Tevo Tarantula Pro machines.
- Includes octopus style heater block with mosfet for improved heat distribution and more accurate temperature control.
- Nozzle diameter: 0.4 mm (default), 0.2mm, 0.1 mm & 0.05 mm (Optional).
- Heated aluminum bed plate, 100W, takes about 5 minutes to reach 100°C, which is good enough for PLA or ABS printing (no overheating).
- Filament diameter: 1.75 mm (default), 3mm, 1.5 mm & more (Optional).
- Filament compatibility: PLA, ABS, HIPS, PETG, nylon and others (Note: Not recommended for PP or TPU).
- Nozzle temperature: 200°C – 500°C (392°F – 932 °F), 230°C – 450°C for ABS PLA and support to ± 0.1 ° C temperature accuracy.
- Printing speeds up to 200 – 300 mm/s for PLA and 200 – 400 mm/s for ABS depending on the material used.
Pros Of the Tevo Tarantula Pro 3D Printer
The Tevo Tarantula Pro is an excellent choice for the budget conscious maker. It’s a straightforward, no-fuss machine that can be used to produce quality prints right out of the box with just a little bit of tinkering. Whether you want to print with PLA, ABS or both, this model can handle the variety of filaments on the market.
The Tarantula Pro is easy to use and reliable. The software that comes with the printer is pretty good and offers a wide range of options for customization. Though the quality of the prints may not always be perfect, this printer does a decent job with high-resolution models. It has an outstanding print quality as well, which makes it perfect for smaller objects and prototypes.
The printer uses minimal power and has a small footprint. The frame is rather wide, though it’s a little bit more narrow than the Tarantula Mini series. It’s capable of producing print speeds of up to 100mm/sec, which can make some models very detailed and lifelike. Lightweight 3D printers like this one are ideal for anyone looking to go on a camping trip and take along their creation with them.
Cons Of the Tevo Tarantula Pro 3D Printer
People complained about it not being able to handle large jobs, it doesn’t have the latest tech, and the software has had some stability issues. I personally found that the software on this printer wasn’t as bad as most of the reviews I have read on it, although there were a few bugs. Many people would not recommend this printer for beginners or those who are new to 3D Printing. This is because the software is not that great and it requires a lot of tinkering to get something good, which takes a lot of time, patience and money.
I also found that the heated bed took a while to heat up, sometimes I had to wait for an hour or more just to get it up to temperature. Many complained of getting poor customer support from Tevo and the printer not being delivered on time.
Final Words
All in all, the Tevo Tarantula Pro 3D printer is a great printer and it does impress with its performance. There is a lot of space to print out in the build volume which can be an issue for some people because there are parts that can get out of your way when you need it. The tracking in this printer is relatively good but not perfect and it depends on what material you are printing. The stability of the tarantula pro is very good and useful especially for beginners who are looking to learn 3D Printing.