by JeremyBP » Thu Mar 29, 2012 10:00 pm
I use a makerbot mk7. Before Bart designed the adaptor, I screwed down the mk7 plate the the extruder carriage, and that worked well enough. Then I got a proper adaptor, and it worked much, much better.
There are many other good choices. As far as pre-built or complete kit extruders go, the makergear is also a very good choice.
And then there are the ones you have to build yourself. The "greg's wade" is one of the best, but right now it looks like the reloaded version is hands-down the best printable extruder there is. I've never built one myself, but Enraged is working on one. Maybe he'll chime in on that.
If you go that route, you'll also need a hot-end. The makergear hot-ends and the j-heads are all very good.
Like anything else, choosing an extruder is about the pros and cons. For example, I don't really like the drive mechanism of the mk7, but love that the hot-end is so short. Compared to something like a j-head, I get an extra 20-30mm of build height. I also have a makergear extruder. The hot-end is longer, but I like the drive mechanism a lot more. Just pick what's important to you (size, engineering, cost), and select the design that satisfies them as well as possible.