The newer castable v2 resin? I can guarantee it is not. I’ve used both. The difference is that the original resin is a clearish blue. The newer resin is opaque. This is definitely the older version of the castable resin. In my experience, the newer version produces smoother results. 
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Maybe you should post a few then.
Posted above. Just a quick shot to show the difference in color, not quality. I’m heading out the door, but wanted to clarify! The transparent blue birdhouse was printed by a local dealer, but when I received my Form 2, I purchased the second version of castable resin. You can see clearly (pun intended!) the difference. I’ll take a better picture without flash, but this shows the smoothness of the new resin. This is about 18 mm wide. (Don’t laugh at my risers…I’m experimenting!)
I can not believe that either, that there is a bias, or just pure lack of knowledge, RE… settings/orientation.
I am certain that I can print any of those examples better than shown from the Form 2. It’s likely most of the “bad” you see, is because the Form 2 part wasn’t properly cleaned, post print.
When considering work flow… pre-processing, post-processing time and difficulty. Formlabs won, hands down. I don’t buy any of these photos. I’ve printed many parts with features just like these, and they were exemplary.
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I use F2 for jewelry only that does not use the blue resin I’m working with the ash to make mold in the silicone, I do not know the Solus anymore the F2 has met my need.
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This is turning into one of those apple vs pc things. Good luck going into an apple forum and arguing that a PC that cost half the price and is twice as fast is better.
Pointless conversation. So just get the printer that makes you happy lol.
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It’s not pointless…I would hope to educate others and hopefully save them the time I spent researching the technology last summer. Sure, people have biases, and want to believe what they bought is the best. But we are sharing our honest experiences after much research and real-life application. I got my Form 2 in July, so I have real-world experience with it that does not match up with the photos above, which appears to be an older photo.
When we see information that is incorrect or presented in a way that is misleading, we feel the need to set the record straight. The Solus looks like a good printer, but there are some things that we liked better with Formlabs, which were detailed in our posts.
I am not bashing the Solus in any way…the print quality looks great. However, for me, the cons on the Solus were having a separate DLP unit that was not provided by the company, the requirement of a dedicated machine to drive the unit, significantly smaller print size, and the lack of interchangeable cartridges/materials for different applications. In the “pro” column for the Solus was great print quality and they claimed faster printing because of the “flash” of an image rather than drawing it with a laser. At the 50 micron setting, they are comparable, with the Solus being a little faster. The price is essentially the same, so it came down to features.
I can also say that with any printer you will figure out tricks. As I look at several of the models on Junction3D’s site, I can see how raised lettering, for example, can be made more prominent, and would therefore print better. I’ve had a similar experience on my Form 2, and occasionally modify a design in order to maximize the quality of the print I get from the machine. For example, many people will tell you that you MUST angle a print. However, I sometimes get the best results with the print standing straight up…it might take longer to print, but the quality of text or protruding designs is clearer. I also noticed some layering in the models on their site that I hadn’t noticed when I first looked, but I also think that any printer in this price range is still not going to be perfect in all printing situations.
And to give it an Apple/PC perspective, with the photo with the Solus and Formlabs prints…it would be like saying “let me compare this Windows 8 PC with this 2002 vintage iMac.” Or comparing Windows 98 with MacOS Yosemite. It’s comparing two similar technologies at different phases in the product life cycle.
There are a number of jewelers and artists on the forum using the newer castable resin successfully, and I feel the need to make sure the comparison is fair for potential buyers…the photos above are not a fair comparison. If you want to compare the newer second version of castable resin to Solus’ output, that’s a fair comparison. And I don’t work for Formlabs, nor do I have any relationship with them other than being a regular user.
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