Shipping Prusa filament from USA?  

Re: Shipping Prusa filament from USA?

Prusa has alluded to a US distributor at some point in the future, but they are not saying much to avoid people setting high expectations. They'll announce it when they're truly ready. At least that's the plan.

Re: Shipping Prusa filament from USA?

For now, buy 3DSolutech. They are made in the US, so no matter what trade wars the US is in the process of winning, that filament will still be here.

Re: Shipping Prusa filament from USA?

For now, buy 3DSolutech. They are made in the US, so no matter what trade wars the US is in the process of winning, that filament will still be here.

Yikes... I wouldn't do that! If you think 3DSolutech is Made in the US, then you might be in for a rude awakening. Pretty much just relabeled Gizmodorks or any of the other imports. The 3D filament world isn't that original unfortunately.. just look at their spool. Amazon Basics or Raise3d is just Polymaker Filament, Matterhackers import is Esun, Solutech is any combo of the others. At best they might have a chinese company just buying some usa pellets and then extruding and spooling in china. But a ton of chinese companies do that because of the PLA supply in the marketplace. At least Prusa is making it himself!

Truly amazing how long Solutech has gotten away with Amazon listings saying "Made in the USA". One day they are just gonna go away without notice.

Re: Shipping Prusa filament from USA?

Inland had been my go to, since there is a Microcenter half-way between my Home and my work.
It’s cheap, but color and quality seem a bit inconsistent, it hasn’t caused me any actual problems though. For non-locals the Microcenter website usually offers free shipping, and it’s available Prime on Amazon. Their stuff explicitly states “Made in China” on the box, so I appreciate the honesty.

I never used 3D Solutech, but they appear to be well-rated on Amazon, so how bad could they be? Their website offers free samples, which I ordered about a week ago. They don’t say what you get for free, I’m expecting the standard loose coil, but hoping they give more than one to sample a couple colors. From the Amazon pricing, I’ll just say high hopes; and low expectations are in order. The Amazon page says, “100% USA. All our materials are purely grow and made in the USA.“ Which doesn’t exactly inspire confidence, but really, how much stuff really is “purely grow” in the US these days??

Prusament is a non-starter to the US until they get to Amazon due to exorbitant shipping. I did order a couple spools when they got in the store, but only because the summer survey voucher (nearly) covered shipping. In typical Prusa fashion, they can’t seem to fulfil the orders. They say they need a week to prep the order on the website, and sure enough, a week later it still hasn’t shipped.

Re: Shipping Prusa filament from USA?

For now, buy 3DSolutech. They are made in the US, so no matter what trade wars the US is in the process of winning, that filament will still be here.

Yikes... I wouldn't do that! If you think 3DSolutech is Made in the US, then you might be in for a rude awakening. Pretty much just relabeled Gizmodorks or any of the other imports. The 3D filament world isn't that original unfortunately.. just look at their spool. Amazon Basics or Raise3d is just Polymaker Filament, Matterhackers import is Esun, Solutech is any combo of the others. At best they might have a chinese company just buying some usa pellets and then extruding and spooling in china. But a ton of chinese companies do that because of the PLA supply in the marketplace. At least Prusa is making it himself!

Truly amazing how long Solutech has gotten away with Amazon listings saying "Made in the USA". One day they are just gonna go away without notice.

Do you have something that supports this claim? I need more than just you saying so to counter the manufacturer.

I have used 3D Solutech a lot and have never once had any trouble with it. I have used 6 different colors and both PLA and ABS from them, all of them have been wonderful. Their diameter variance is no more than 30 microns, which is the same as Prusament.

Don't get me wrong, once it is available in the US, if the price is right I am going to try the Prusament, just like I tried many brands. So far 3DSolutech is equal to Hatchbox, but cheaper.

I have had inconsistent results from Inland. The reduced price is not worth the potential hassle, imo.

Re: Shipping Prusa filament from USA?

For now, buy 3DSolutech. They are made in the US, so no matter what trade wars the US is in the process of winning, that filament will still be here.

Matterhackers import is Esunh has gotten away with Amazon listings saying "Made in the USA". One day they are just gonna go away without notice.

Do you have something that supports this claim? I need more than just you saying so to counter the manufacturer.

Nothing other than my word, but MatterHackers does get, or did get a few years back, their filament from eSun. I visited their site and got a tour and they had large shipping crates with eSun all over them.

Re: Shipping Prusa filament from USA?

I will definitely order more prusa filament when it is available from a US distributed. For now, I will stick to Hatchboc.

Re: Shipping Prusa filament from USA?

From https://www.prusaprinters.org/launching-prusament-the-best-filament-that-you-can-inspect-yourself/

From Oh, and one more thing – Prusament will be also available on Amazon within a month, because we know that shipping from Prague to the rest of the world can be a bit expensive

Re: Shipping Prusa filament from USA?

Matterhackers import is Esunh has gotten away with Amazon listings saying "Made in the USA". One day they are just gonna go away without notice.

Do you have something that supports this claim? I need more than just you saying so to counter the manufacturer.

Nothing other than my word, but MatterHackers does get, or did get a few years back, their filament from eSun. I visited their site and got a tour and they had large shipping crates with eSun all over them.

I sent a message to them asking. I hope they respond, I will post what they say here. It is something good to know.

Re: Shipping Prusa filament from USA?

I sent a message to them asking. I hope they respond, I will post what they say here. It is something good to know.

😕 MatterHackers or 3D Solutech?

I don't have a dog in this one, but out of curiosity, I did a search on where is 3d solutech filament made, where I found this: 3D Solutech – Who are they?

It's not "proof" by any stretch, but it is an indicator that the question of 3DS's filament origin has been asked by others.

FWIW, one question in the link is the physical location of their "factory". All I could find on their website is that they "ship from" Seattle, WA (Does Amazon still have a fulfillment center there?) No snail-mail/street address nor phone # is given. Their "showroom" is online only.

Curiously, a google search of 3d Solutech corporate information really didn't up much (IME, this is extremely unusual but see EDIT below)

The BBB lists 3D Solutech's street address as: 4330 53rd Ave NE,
Seattle, WA 98105-4939, and a phone # (206) 245-6075. Would it have been so hard to include that info on their website? There is also information on that page about the company's principals.
Subject to interpretation, this may not meet BBB's Standards of BBB Accreditation (as AFAIK, this information is only available on/thru the BBB site).

EDIT: I did find information on their incorporation at https://www.sos.wa.gov/corps/ I have no idea why it didn't turn up in my previous search.

I have no comment on the quality of 3D Solutech's products--that's not what my comment is about.
That said, I have no idea where this stuff is actually made. IME, it's rare to find a company that works as hard concealing pertinent information about themselves.

What's the big mystery? 😕

Re: Shipping Prusa filament from USA?

AtomicFilament states "Made in USA" and they're running a "buy 1, get 1 40% off sale" now. I've purchased a couple of rolls of their carbon fiber PETG and it printed quite nicely.

MatterHackers sells a bunch of different filaments. Their build (economy) label doesn't claim an origin, but their more expensive pro label claims "PRO Series PLA filament is specially formulated for precision 3D printing and manufactured in the USA.".

MakeShaper also has some "... To stand out in a sea of commodity filament, we chose to set the bar high and produce filament we would be proud to stamp our name on. Made in the USA, our filaments offer unique aspects that put us a step ahead of others."

I think with many of these outfits, their economy label is import, but their premiums are likely legit.

Re: Shipping Prusa filament from USA?

I haven't had a lot of experience with filament purveyors; what I have had has been mixed (one reason I go slow).
At least Matterhackers isn't shy about stating their physical location of their showroom (and invite visitors), phone # and other info. They also seem to be quite open about answering any questions, which I assume (yes, I know--a dangerous practice 🙄 ) includes those about where their stuff is actually made.

Re: Shipping Prusa filament from USA?

I sent a message to them asking. I hope they respond, I will post what they say here. It is something good to know.

😕 MatterHackers or 3D Solutech?

3DSolutech. They have yet to respond to either my facebook message or my email. This tells me they do not WANT to respond, which can only mean it is not US created filament. At least that is my take on it.

I have no comment on the quality of 3D Solutech's products--that's not what my comment is about.
That said, I have no idea where this stuff is actually made. IME, it's rare to find a company that works as hard concealing pertinent information about themselves.

What's the big mystery? 😕

No kidding...why hide the info? Makes me suspicious. Their filament is great, so I do not care where it is made, but I would really like to know since they are not consistent in their statements.

Either way, I am certainly going to try prusament when it is shipped locally to the US (too costly otherwise).

Re: Shipping Prusa filament from USA?

One thing I’ve noticed about filament purveyors is that they all have a few fans and even more detractors.

For everyone that says a given filament brand is awesome, easy to use and reliable; there are 10 people shouting at the rafters saying the same brand is inconsistent, jammed their extruder, doesn’t stick to the bed, and even gave their dog erectile disfunction.

So the only good advice is to try it yourself.

I like that 3D solutech offers samples. I ordered a sample a week or so ago, but haven’t seen it yet...
I also ordered some spools of Prusament around the same time; they haven’t shipped yet either...
The dog is still doing well.

Re: Shipping Prusa filament from USA?

Interesting bit on Wikipedia (with plenty of references one can cross-check) : "... The Made in USA mark is a country of origin label that indicates the product is "all or virtually all" made in the United States. The label is regulated by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).[1]

In general, goods imported into the United States must have a country of origin label unless excepted, but goods manufactured in the United States can be sold with no "Made in the USA" label unless explicitly required."

So while looking for a "Made in USA" label may not always be reliable, the presence of labeling for any other origin is unambiguous. If I ordered a product claiming US origin that arrived with any other labeling, I wouldn't have qualms about returning it and posting reviews to that effect far and wide.

The lack of a response doesn't mean anything in and of itself. A small manufacturer is likely to respond slowly if at all. A large overseas manufacturer engaging already in such shady practices would likely have a bot farm tooled up for "responsiveness" along with the usual hordes of positive reviews. An email stating "yes" is no more trustworthy than the web site claims. Some manufacturers do at least show their machinery.

TBH the only label that is likely to sway me by itself is Prusa's. I might try MatterHacker's Ryno as an alternative to Colorfabb nGen but it's $10 more for a 0.75Kg spool.

Re: Shipping Prusa filament from USA?

3DSolutech. They have yet to respond to either my facebook message or my email. This tells me they do not WANT to respond, which can only mean it is not US created filament. At least that is my take on it.

After the initial post about 3D Solutech I did more research. I didn't post my results then but I will now.

I found two addresses listed for the company. Both were nice two story houses in residential neighborhoods. There were many more companies with the same addresses and company CEO/President/Owner, a couple of which were definitely based in China. Most notably a pharma company and a distribution company.

I'm with you, I believe it is made in China and then shipped here for distribution. That being said, I'm still going to use it as it is excellent filament for the price.

Re: Shipping Prusa filament from USA?

In general, goods imported into the United States must have a country of origin label unless excepted, but goods manufactured in the United States can be sold with no "Made in the USA" label unless explicitly required."

I checked my spools of MH Build Series--there is no country of origin. So would this suggest it's made here (US) like some of their other "house labels"?

Re: Shipping Prusa filament from USA?

I believe [3D Solutech] is made in China and then shipped here for distribution. That being said, I'm still going to use it as it is excellent filament for the price.

IMO, if they'll deliberately misrepresent their product in one way (as they apparently have), there's no telling what else they may be concealing/misrepresenting (as evidenced by what you found). There are enough open/honest filament purveyors selling excellent filament for the price that we have a choice.

Non sequitur: With Amazon raising their minimum wage from $7.25(USD)/hr. to $15(USD)/hr. it would not surprise me if some products see an increase in price.

Re: Shipping Prusa filament from USA?

Most are probably made in china. You can always order Proto Pasta.