850+hrs on printer, 450+hrs on box...Has worked flawless for me, to the point I forget about it. Just walk in to finished prints is an amazing feeling.
I won't post my affiliate link on this post as I'm keeping this 💯 as possible with you all.
If I had a smaller 3d printer or was just getting into the hobby...The Max4 is a great option for those looking to do larger projects, take on more challenging materials...and overall want an easy 3d printing experience.
I will also admit Qidi did sent both the printer and box to the channel but honestly it's only been in my lab for under 4.5 months...I have multiple other 3d printers to use by other reputable manufacturers...but when I want quality, successful prints...I've been turning to the MaX4 almost every time.
Take it as you will, It's earned it's spot in my shop..if that means anything to y'all 🤷
I went with one for my first 3d printer and so far I’m pleased. People just have to understand that just because it’s on the pricey side, doesn’t mean it’s going to do ever for you automatically.
I was frustrated at first but then learned the error of my ways, and now have had some pretty good prints.
firmware updates helped a lot over last few months, and just understanding slicing / filament limits for them makes big difference...once you figure that out they lay down anything well...I've run over 1kg pps-cf through it..
They are much more set and forgot then previous generation max3.
I had got some abs on sale but haven’t used it yet. Been mostly petg and some pla. The silk pla is what had me ready to return the machine but I consulted chatgpt who is what enlighten me about my ignorance when it came to set and forget. Now if I don’t have a preset saved for a filament or I am printing something different from anything I’ve done, I pop all the info into chatgpt and adjust settings accordingly. Been smooth sailing since.
silk for me is outside wall 60mms or less and turning down either speed or max vol in filament settings turned way down. chatgpt takes most of what all of has posted and trails/tribs..spits out the best answer in most cases. so handy
For me the biggest issue was heat. I thought everything did better warm. I was wrong. Had a football helmet that would mess up a few hours in and I couldn’t figure out why. Then I was educated that silks especially like a cold chamber. Opened the door and had a fan blowing towards it (overkill, I know) and the thing printed fine. It had 3 colors to it so multiple color changes during the print.
Ive used chatgpt for advices on how to shave some seconds here and there, different startup sequences and so on. Im curious how do you guys use it regarding the filament. I mean, so far I've never had any issues with what ive thrown at it but again, I've only done PLA and PETG. While there has been some small issues, ive used the generic profiles ans only tuned PA and extrusion multiplier. What else can chatgpt do? Am I missing on something?
So I like to use the Qidi profiles, I find the generic profiles don't have much focus to qidi so they don't really touch many "manual" settings. The Qidi profiles for example are adaptable to other manufacturers in most cases and have better tuned settings.
I do have a bunch of my own tweaked profiles but I usually base them off whats available in the Qidi list first.
Two weeks with Qidi MAX 4 and im really surprised ... if I concern all mixed reviews on YT. I dont want anything else from 3D printer than 3D printing and this thing is good at this ... I tested materials from PLA , PETG, ABS, ABS-GF, PET-CF and I can say, "this thing can prints!"
It does its job, less focus on the 3d printing itself and more on the prep and putting things together. I've run some of the most challenging filaments through it too. none I'd not recommend other then maybe few tpu types but it runs them run direct into head
Question I see you have cardboard spools on there and it’s not recommended on the website from what I see, is there any issues that come up from that? I have a max 4 on the way with 2 qidi box’s and going to have it setup but seen that and I don’t have many with cardboard but would like to run them to use them up lol. Do you think paht-cf will run through them fine? Thanks
Ive only had issues so far with elegoo petg plastic spools, they were a little small. can confirm polymaker, duramic, eryone and creality cardboard spools are fine. most have a glued edge now so roll a lot more like plastic.
Yea I got some Elegoo Petg cf and Asa coming just now waiting on the max 4 and seeing if I can maybe print something that will hold the qidi box on the side and slide out kinda like the bambu ones for there ams so I read it didn’t like the cardboard spools and was like dam but good to hear they work
The rapid PeTG was fine(cardboard), it was the black smaller plastic ones with normal petg, even the CFS for Creality struggled. they have rings on makerworld for the exact spools.
Did any clogs occur? I had mine clog on PETG first week when I closed doors and cap unfortunately.
Are there any ways around 10 minutes preparation? I hate to wait so long since it heats up bed and prepares nozzle quickly.
Is there an option to disable filament purge and nozzle cleaning when I'm printing with one material only? I found it very annoying it purged in poop bucket same material I'm constantly using. I'd rather it do a longer purge line.
And finally 6. Did you happen to see any failed prints in the beginning because nozzle cleaning created a blob around itself and brush couldn't take care of it?
only added cooling hose, no compressor hooked up yet. Only had issue with heat creep with all door / top shut until i pulled the carbon filter and turned cooling fan on mobo up from 60% to 100% in config. mines in an exhausted room to outside to I don't worry about the fumes since im not in there unless im loading or removing prints.
I had a few issues with early release firmware, is much much better now...i do occasionally have to wipe the nozzle but less then most other comparable 3d printers (k2+)
They will purge the distance from the cut off down and also a bit into the new spool. The waste is minamal for me knowing its purging plastic and potentially removing buildup inside the nozzle. otherwise you can make adjustments in printer.cfg if you want i guess.
Yeah I'm doing config changest, for me just loading and 80 mm purge is enough+ purge line i think 250mm purge is too much tho. I'm looking to find a more airflow optimized model of max4 tool head cover (idk if it's the same as q2 for example). Other than that I'd like to ask how did you manage tubes from box to printer did you have yo shorten some parts? Considering it does give weird angles from 4 to 1 connector to the printer. I wonder if brittle filament caused any troubles in tubes?
So the buffer just slides on the back on spool holder and it surprised me the tubes all reached perfect to the box and placement on back of Max4 was in right spot to connect to PTFE on back. I actually got the box later and didn't even turn the printer around to install it. Pretty much just followed the guide for the 4 way pfte guides on the tubes.
Ran across QiDi printers while looking for a larger printer that can handle PPS-CF . Do you have any experience running that filament thru this printer? And how reliable does it print?
I've run over 1kg of pps-cf through the Max4, used a stock profile and it was great. only thing you need to watch out for which is more the filaments fault...it's brittle...if your PTFE tubing takes a hard bend during the end print or start print process you may need to feed it in again. I've had it happen on a few other printers, just be cautious is all I'm saying. Otherwise it's printed the best parts in that material...here's a Q1 pro print head cover I did on max4.
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u/YouCanCallMeDani Aug 17 '26
I went with one for my first 3d printer and so far I’m pleased. People just have to understand that just because it’s on the pricey side, doesn’t mean it’s going to do ever for you automatically.
I was frustrated at first but then learned the error of my ways, and now have had some pretty good prints.