I read the Maslow weekly update yesterday (July 25), and the specific statement “we want to stop selling kits and focus on working to make parts available directly from the manufacturers” caught my eye.
What are the plans to execute, when will that happen, how many manufacturers will I have to purchase from to get said parts, what if I really do prefer to buy a kit, will it be cost effective from a part cost and shipping, and probably many more questions that I could generate.
I’ve put off the purchase of a Maslow for too long, and now I wonder if I’ve missed my opportunity to get a complete kit. I’ve read a couple of the other forum topics, and there are some great ideas for streamlining and outsourcing, even if it raises the price a small fraction it would still make economic sense. Eliminate any parts (nuts, bolts, screws, etc) that are readily available at a hardware store (unless there’s not a hardware store available, add that to a separate kit for a nominal charge).
I saw on the forum that there is a list of mechanical parts with vendor names and part numbers. What about the custom parts specific to Maslow, such as the ring and the z axis bracket? If I have to go from McMaster, then another vendor for the motors, and a third for the custom brackets, is that really doing me (the end user) any good, or saving me any money, particularly on shipping? It seems that even if a nominal number of kits are sold per month, that enough parts can be purchased in bulk on a regular schedule to provide an economy of scale, thereby creating savings for all the community in the end.
Maybe I’m rambling a bit. It boils down to this question: Will kits be available in the future, and if I order one right now, will it ship next month? Thanks for any discussion.
It’s up to the community to decide at this point. If a member wants to take that on, they’re free to. I imagine you’ll see some enterprising individual set up a supply chain not only for kits but for individual parts.
As far as what’s available now (and when it will ship) you’ll probably have to ask @bar or @hannah.
I can’t give you exact answers to any of those questions but the goal is that we will make all the parts available and hopefully that will encourage multiple people to sell kits. Financially Maslow is going great and at this point all the up front costs are pretty much paid for so I would be very surprised if nobody jumps on the opportunity. If after a couple months it doesn’t seem like this new system is working, we’ll go back to the drawing board and try something different, but I’m optimistic that after a little bit of time we’ll see kits more available at a lower cost.
If you order a kit with an EU power supply right now it will ship today, and kits with US power supplies will ship in two weeks when we get the sprockets that the last ones we have boxed up are missing.
Thanks, Bar! I went ahead and ordered a kit, a few bits and an extra motor (can’t be without an extra just in case). We will be moving in the month of August, I’m having it shipped to a relative’s house so I can pick it up and not worry about where I’ll be in the interim. I look forward to getting the Maslow and putting it together!
One other question. I’ve seen the map feature for all the Maslow users. Is there any way to contact nearby users directly?
…and if you can’t find their username, you have to go to the map coordinates and start shouting “Maslow CNC!” over and over again until they come find you. Better hope they put their pin pretty close to their actual location!
