The Wait is Over: Solidoodle 3D Printers Finally in Transit, Expected Shipment Schedule Released

We all know that good things come to those who wait — especially when it comes to awesome new technology — at a wonderful price. That can’t be beat, and you certainly want it to be just right. While the Solidoodle team has hit a few snags along the way, they have assured everyone the waiting time would be worth it as they tended to some design issues, post-assembly modifications, and shipping delays. Soon though, with shipping in progress, the waiting will be over for a number of Solidoodle’s expectant customers, toe-tapping at their doorways ready to break out their new 3D printers.

Brooklyn-based Solidoodle is proving to be a good example of how easy it is to take orders and payments for a bevy of new products and price points that customers are getting very excited about, but it’s not always so easy to complete the work on time and deliver. New releases often require changes, and snags occur along the way as well. As customers held tight, the new company has suffered a multitude of delays spanning several months and has issued a number of what can’t really be called apologies, but are definitely thorough communications and explanations. The Solidoodle hold-up has turned into a bit of a saga of delays that is coming to an end now, thankfully, for excited customers.

It would seem that the team handled all the design, manufacturing, and shipping challenges as well as humanly possible. It’s certainly a better thing to attend to problems and delay a product release and shipment than to send out defective products. Throughout the history of technology, that’s certainly been done — and often enough — with highly unpopular and not easily forgotten results. So, hats off to Solidoodle owner Sam Cervantes who is obviously working double overtime to make sure their 3D printers are tiptop before they arrive on doorsteps ready for a big red bow this holiday season, or um, sort of soon after.

The original rollout of their three printers –the Press, the Workbench, and the Workbench Apprentice — was a big deal and definitely got the attention of competitors in the marketplace with the Solidoodle team offering a solid product at $1,300 or less. This received equal attention from Solidoodle’s eager customer base who set the phones to ringing and online orders streaming in for pre-sales in August, and expectations for the 3D printers to start shipping in six to eight weeks. As pressure mounted to deliver, deadlines were pushed back while they tended to manufacturing issues, missing the September date to begin shipping. The delays escalated from there, but have been strictly controlled with communications regarding necessity.

Cervantes, just back from a month at his factory in China after training and setting standards, has reported in another email that Solidoodle 3D printers are indeed ready to go and they have begun shipments on a number of these, with a schedule listed regarding dates and orders, which is as follows:

So while business is good, the follow through has been a little shaky, but we all have high hopes that Cervantes and Solidoodle are about to redeem themselves with some quality products that will have customers reporting in on positively. Hopefully the product will indeed deliver with the simplicity, quality, and reliability promised and make up for the deficits in those areas regarding delivery of product.

Are you waiting on a Solidoodle 3D printer, or do you know anyone who is awaiting delivery? Tell us about it in the Solidoodle 3D Printers In Transit forum over at 3DPB.com.