Thinking about getting the Sonic Mega 8K S but need just that extra push to justify your move? Then, you might want to keep reading.
This article is the ultimate review of the Sonic Mega 8K S from some of perhaps, your favorite Youtubers. What do they like about this printer, the pros, the cons, and everything in between? But most importantly, should you get this printer?
Gray Scalp Miniatures’ Issue With the Sonic Mega 8K S
When Shaun from Gray Scalp Miniatures received his Sonic Mega 8K S, he was beyond excited. Although the Sonic Mega 8K S is such a big machine, it could easily fit in his grower tent, and the lift-up lid didn't take up as much space as he initially expected.
However, his excitement was accidentally killed when he encountered an issue he had never come across before. His prints failed because he ran out of resin. He never thought this could ever be an issue — hence his doubting the real benefit of the Pump & Fill. Now that he has experienced how it feels to print with such a large production resin 3D printer, he knows for sure that the Pump & Fill add-on is easily a valuable asset.
The Pros and the Cons
From his test, he successfully printed out a large bug model in just slightly over 2 plates compared to the 10 or 11 plates it would have taken if he were to be printing on his Sonic Mighty 8K printer. Taking the utmost benefit of the printer, he also printed out a whole miniature army in less than 3 hours, all without even tinkering with the settings. Shaun is confident once he gets more familiar with all the settings of this massive printer, he can easily reach a faster printing speed and more detailed prints.
After doing quite some tests, some features definitely caught Shaun's attention more than the others. One of them is the built-in metal hook on the printer. With a building plate this size, he found the hook extremely beneficial to save all the excess resin after printing. The other one is the build plate, which, in his opinion, 'feels like magic.' It held on to the models so tightly when printing, but once he touched it just a little bit with a scraper, the models just fell right off.
One of the cons, he reckons, is how the printer doesn't support internet connection and wifi. Having been spoiled by the Sonic Mighty 8K, the lack of connectivity and internal storage feels like a bummer for him. Though he mentioned, there's definitely an easy workaround that he just needs to get used to. Lastly, he expected the printer to come with a heater.
Is it the Right Printer for You?
Shaun admits that it's not a machine for everyone. It's easily the perfect printer if you are selling your prints and there are a lot of orders coming in with a tight deadline. After all, it's easier to take care of one printer instead of multiple printers with various different build plate sizes at the same time.
The printer is suitable for printing pretty much anything from terrains, props, and even an army of miniatures. It's great for his production, where printing a lot of things quickly is important, and most of all, it's a game-changer if you own a printing business of some kind.
Battle Brother Sam 1000 Kreigsmen Challenge
In a pursuit to continuously test himself with the grandiose challenges, this time Sam attempted to complete 1000 3D printed Kreigsmen models. For this, he'll rely on the capability of his new Sonic Mega 8K S printer and see how long it'll take him to complete his challenge.
How Many Can You Fit on A Build Plate?
Before Sam started playing with his Sonic Mega 8K S, he put his other printers to the test to see how much Kreigsmen could fit in a build plate of various printers. His Sonic Mini 8K S could fit 31 models and finished printing in 6.5 hours, while the Sonic Mighty 8K can fit 78. In his calculation, the 1000 Kreigsmen printed with the Sonic Mini 8K S would mean 12,500 minutes or 8 full days of non-stop printing.
Meanwhile, his Sonic Mega 8K S can comfortably fit 164 Kreigsmen models in a plate — a whopping 5x more than the Sonic Mini 8K S and will only take around 27 hours of non-stop printing.
Thinking About Getting the Sonic Mega 8K S?
For Sam, this printer is a must-buy if you are someone who loves to continuously challenge themselves with over-the-top projects, or if you are someone who does printing on-demand services.
Personally, he loves how it doesn't have a detachable lid like the smaller models because it gives him the edge of convenience in his small space. But most importantly, it fulfills his most important requirements of a great 3D printer: Ease of use and the quality of the prints.
VogMan Testing the Speed Claim of Sonic Mega 8K S
Similar to Fauxhammer's initial take on the Sonic Mega 8K S, Geoff from VogMan thinks this green large format 3D printer is the big old Sonic Mega 8K on a crash diet. Yet, it comes with a way more attractive lift-up lid and a significant speed improvement. Resolution-wise, it maintains the same 43 microns 8K screen that, in VOG words, 'is better than any of its competition.' But best of all, it's more affordable.
Does VogMan like the Sonic Mega 8K S?
The answer is an easy yes. Geoff loves the new look, and he thinks it's gorgeous. The printer comes out of the box with a pre-leveled build plate, and removing the metal door saves him a lot of space while cutting down the cost. The lid was well-designed with a stiff hinge, so you don't need much space above the printer to keep the lid open, and you can pretty much leave it at any angle.
Could the Sonic Mega 8K S Print as Fast as the Launch Video Says?
Like most people, Geoff is skeptical of the claim. With more companies promoting these crazy speed claims and him managing to replicate none, it's understandable for him to think that the Sonic Mega 8K S speed claim is just another marketing move.
Geoff also mentioned that most of these companies are coming up with a new fast-printing resin to use for these high-speed printing, but he appreciates that Phrozen is using something that has been in the market for a long time — the Phrozen TR300 Resin that was typically promoted as a heat-resistant resin instead for its printing speed.
After getting the parameter settings he received all dialed in, he started printing and was surprised that the movement of the build plate is actually quite speedy in real life. He managed to complete his 1160 layers print in 75 minutes, which is 928 layers per hour and is higher than the 900 layers/hour claim in the Sonic Mega 8K S launch video.
But are the print results as good as the speed? Well, Geoff thinks it is. While most speed claims are typically at the cost of quality, he thinks the results of his fast printing setting are actually better than what the Aqua 8K Resin can achieve at a normal speed.
VogMan's Thought on the Sonic Mega 8K S
First of all, Geoff admits that he really likes the TR300 Resin, and he would like to congratulate Phrozen as the first company to be totally honest about their print speed. He's astounded to successfully match and even get a higher speed than what was advertised.
And when presented with the option to choose the Sonic Mega 8K or the Sonic Mega 8K S, he'll choose the latter. It's cheaper, requires less space, is easier to move around due to its lighter weight, and is more attractive.
In VogMan's words, 'I think Phrozen is still the king of the Mega printers and for me right now, this is the best of the bunch.'
Miniature Hobbyist: So Many Miniatures, So Little Time
Jon from Miniature Hobbyist also has some words about the Sonic Mega 8K S. In his Sonic Mega 8K S review, he highlights how big this printer is, and even though he's a miniatures painter, an LCD printer that size could easily vomit out a full army of miniatures in just a couple of hours.
The printer comes pre-calibrated straight from the box with the option to do some testing such as LCD test and exposure test with the XP Finder. However, Jon takes a huge jump and starts printing directly with a build plate full of 70 spartan models.
He also appreciates that the Sonic Mega 8K S has a built-in drip hanger. It saves him a lot of resin to print even more miniatures and, most importantly, avoids the mess of dripping resin everywhere when transferring the build plate.
As Jon ventures more into his Sonic Mega 8K S settings and prints more with the beast, he can only see one downside from this machine: There'll be a load of gray stuff that needs to be painted with the time he barely has.
