All Micro Center Retail Stores in the US Now Carry Ten Different 3D Printers

Back in July, Home Depot and MakerBot made news when they announced that 12 Home Depot stores would begin carrying MakerBot 3D printers. This came after RadioShack announced in May that they would be carrying Printrbot 3D printers in their stores. Undoubtedly consumer level 3D printing is becoming more and more common as the months go by, and large retail outlets want to get in on the action. This is a key indication the 3D printing is finally becoming at least somewhat mainstream, as retail outlets  seem to be feeling the demand for these machines, and are in turn beginning to stock them.

Yet another large computer & electronics department store has now begun carrying a variety of 3D printers. Micro Center, a privately owned company which has 25 stores nationwide, throughout 16 states, now carries, not just one 3D printer, but a staggering 10 different options for consumers to choose from.

A Micro Center store in Denver, Colorado (image source: Mike Miller)

Ed Lukens, the Marketing Communications Manager at Micro Electronics, Inc., which Micro Center is a subsidiary of, has informed 3DPrint.com that the company, which began selling 3D printers online back in 2013, now carries multiple 3D printers from five different manufacturers in each of their 25 store locations. Those brands include:

• PowerSpec
• 3D Doodler
• Printerbot
• MakerBot
• DaVinci

You may recall that we originally reported on the DaVinci line of 3D printers being stocked in Micro Center stores back in August, and we have since confirmed that these stores had actually been stocking some 3D printers for as long as a  year or more. However, the ability for a consumer to walk into a retail store, and not only be shown one option of 3D printer to choose from, but several, should go a long way in creating a much more competitive market for the industry.  We don’t just walk into a Best Buy and have a single option to choose from when looking to purchase a laptop or a TV, so why should 3D printers be any different?

What do you think about this latest news of Micro Center stores carrying such a vast array of 3D printers in all 25 locations? Have you had a chance to check them all out in-store? Discuss in the Micro Center forum thread on 3DPB.com.