While brands nowadays try to cut corners to minimize costs, Phrozen is definitely not part of the gang. And Ross from FauxHammer has much to say about the latest large-format resin printer from Phrozen.
Simply said, the Sonic Mega 8K S looks like a much-stripped version of the original Sonic Mega 8K at almost half the price, but to say that the Sonic Mega 8K S is a cheap printer is definitely wrong because, in terms of quality, this printer is anything but cheap.
In Ross's words, "This is the highest quality, best built, large format LCD 3D printer from a highly trusted brand."
Made for Larger Than Life Prints
As a large format resin printer, the Sonic Mega 8K S is equipped with a 15" LCD screen and, as the name mentions, in 8K resolution. Printing at 43 microns, it's excellent for any of your large model prints or for batch productions of smaller models.
When talking about the features or functionality of this amazing 3D printer, Ross loves the new design, calling it a far sexier printer compared to the industrial look of the original Sonic Mega 8K. And just like the Sonic Mini 8K S, he loves how the printer resembles the old Lego Blacktron models.
Instead of the door-like design on the Sonic Mega 8K, this new large format LCD 3D printer is equipped with a solid flip-up lid that will hold your lid at any position you leave it to be.
If you're familiar with FauxHammer's previous videos, you might know that he was not a fan of the ACF film. But for such a large printer like the Sonic Mega 8K S, he mentioned that it barely even matters.
The printer comes pre-leveled and pre-calibrated from the factory, so you can pretty much just take it out of the box, do some testing, and start printing.
Love It or Hate It, You Need It
It's been a never-ending debate about the holes on the build plate—or the perforated build plate. Some people think it's a hassle because resin could get stuck and cured in it, but Ross thinks otherwise.
On a large printer and a large vat like the one in the Sonic Mega 8K S, you need these build plate holes in order to get the resin to where it should be before curing the next layers. If the layer starts curing while the resin is still flowing off the plate, it would be moving in the vat and potentially ruining the layers in the prints.
To make cleaning easier and to prevent resin from curing in these holes, the Sonic Mega 8K S is designed with an all-metal drip hook so you can hang your finished print and let all the leftover resin drip back into the vat.
Extra Features You Don't Want to Miss
When you look closely at the rear side of this large format LCD printer, you'll find some extra ports and chassis panels.
The panel on the bottom left corner was for you to install the Pump & Fill Automated Resin Feeder when you choose to purchase one, while the other one higher is for you to hook it up to a ventilation hose if you have the ability to do so. It offers a great system for more professional users, and Ross thinks it's a feature that all 3D printers should have come with.ya
Ross personally thinks the Pump & Fill is not the most critical addition to the Sonic Mega 8K S as he thinks pouring the resin manually by hand is much faster, but he could definitely see the value of it when considering that the system can remove most of the resin in the vat and make it easier to pour anything left on the vat back into the resin bottle.
He also liked how it was an add-on product, so you don't need to pay for it if you don't find it beneficial for you.
Sonic Mega 8K S Fast Printing Speed
Although people have been skeptical about the printing speed of the Sonic Mega 8K S since the beginning of its launch, now the printers are shipped to a lot of influencers and experts, they can confirm that this large format LCD printer is indeed fast. One of them is VOG, who did a test to see how fast this printer can really print.
For Ross personally, despite the printing speed, he appreciates the fact that the Sonic Mega 8K S discloses its speed as layers/hour instead of the typical mm/hour. Because as fast as the mm/hour could show, it doesn't explicitly say how fast the printing speed is, as you can easily change the layer height.
Print Quality of the Sonic Mega 8K S
Ross started with the cone of calibration test to warm up the printer. With the settings provided by Phrozen, Ross got all fully printed cones on the success side and failed ones on the failure side, showing that it's indeed a balanced exposure.
When using the resin validation test, he found that all the holes were perfectly printed but not some of the thinnest lines on the bottom, showing the lack of super fine details.
When printing his usual Wolverine model, he found that it looked just as good as his typical prints on much smaller printers. However, only when you zoom in with a macro lens can you see some voxelization on its eyes. But it's not something the anti-aliasing can't fix. Without one, you can still see some level of voxelization, even on models printed on the Sonic Mini 8K.
The results are comparable to the smaller printers when seen with the naked eye, and when you have a printer this size, you might want to print some of the biggest projects you could find anyway—which wouldn't have that many fine details to begin with. And even if you did print smaller models, this printer will give you the capability to print way more models in one go compared to your standard desktop printer.
Is the Sonic Mega 8K S Worth It?
It highly depends on what you have in mind. If you are planning to print big, big models like a life-size Katana replica Ross printed for the video, this large format LCD printer is easily one of the best choices out there for you.
If you want to mass produce lots of miniatures at once for your 3D printing business or print-on-demand services, this is also a great choice for you.
That said, if you care more about bringing out the sharpest, finest details on your models and don't worry so much about the speed and size, you can opt for smaller options like the Sonic Mini 8K S instead. After all, choosing a 3D printer should be done after you first understand your printing needs.
Want to see FauxHammer's full thoughts on the Sonic Mega 8K S? Watch below!
