Your spot on with your comments, especially the pros and cons. I discovered your channel when I was looking for a solution to fix why my filament was not rotating all the time when that 360 setting was enabled. I think I ruined two brand-new spools of PLA filament because the spools were not rotating during drying and the bottom area cooked them. When I attempted to use the filament certain areas of the filament kept breaking because it was brittle while other parts were fine. Like you, I purchased my unit during the pre-order and am happy with the unit but my other grip is the top is very flimsy and feels very cheap, especially for the price of the unit. My handle is loose all the time but it doesn't fall off so I just deal with it. Thanks to your "roller sleeve" upgrade, I now believe this unit and I can have a happy working relationship. One additional improvement I would like to see Eibos make would be for the unit to go into humidity mode when the unit finishes drying. Maybe these improvements will be added to version 2. Thanks for you video!
Nice review. I like the sleeves-- definitely a good idea for this unit. Regarding Quality Control, mine arrived with an upside down control panel, and no matter what you clicked on the panel, if it was on, it went to 70+ C and stayed there. I took a photo of it running at 65 when the target temp was 50, and showing the inverted panel, and they instantly shipped me a new base, with instructions to toss the old one. So +10 for customer service, minus a whole lot for them not noticing it wasn't assembled properly before they shipped it. All in all, with a few mods, it seems like a good unit. I've been drying my antique filaments lately, and having issues because they don't fit (remember the short/fat spools?), so I think I'm going to print a rack to put them on. Or maybe remix a spool holder to fit inside and keep the spool elevated.
Great, honest review. Thanks for posting. And for sharing your TPU sleeves. Looking forward to your next video on this one. I've been trying to decide on a dryer for weeks now. I think I'll go with this one based on the fact that it rotates. I wonder if we could source a motor rated for longer life.
Thanks! Absolutely my pleasure. It might be possible to find another motor. It doesn't look like it's anything special. I'm guessing that this is just the least expensive motor they could find.
Excellent review. I think my own opinion of this unit pretty much mirrors your own, I think its probably the best dryer on the market, and the only one I really trust to actually evenly dry filament, but the QA is lazy and the rollers are just made of the wrong material. Another beef I have with this dryer is that it doesn't switch into storage made after it finishes drying -- what were they thinking? I'll be printing up your sleeves soon! Thanks for making and sharing that!
Thank you! Totally agree with you. Entering to the storage mode would have been brilliant! Seems like something they could have easily done. Unfortunately there is no path for firmware updates on this, so I guess we'll always be stuck with switching on the humidity hold mode manually. Glad you are going to take advantage of the roller sleeves!
Thanks for this review, I received my Polyphemus today and as you point out, the roller design is not great. It certainly doesn't work well with my Bambu Labs spools. I will try printing your TPU sleeves tomorrow (TPU on its way). In the meantime I have wrapped some insulating tape around the rollers and that seems to have got the spools rotating quite consistently. I am a bit concerned about how easily the spools will rotate when printing direct from this unit. I haven't tried printing from it it yet, but if I try to rotate the spools by hand with the motor off, there is quite a lot of resistance. Other than the roller issue it seems like a good unit. *Edit I have now realised that the resistance I felt when rotating the spool by hand is dependent upon when you switch of the rotation feature. If you happen to stop the rotation when the drive wheel is engaged with the roller then there is significant resistance. It would be better if Eibos found a way to ensure that the drive wheel always stopped in the disengaged position. **Edit 2 I've done quite a bit of printing from the dryer now and it works well.
Thanks Martin! Sounds like we are on the same page. When I post the teardown video you'll be able to see how that drive gearing works. I totally agree with everything you stated in your comment. This dryer is like 90% awesome with a few really bizarre quirks that could have been addressed with more testing and thought.
An excellent no-nonsense review. I agree with your points, especially the cons. I've experienced the spools walking towards the outside edges when the rotation feature is on, so your TPU sleeve is something I will consider. Thanks for sharing. On my unit, I have an annoying defect, where it appears that there is backlighting on the right column of buttons (up, rotate, down) but not on the left column. Not sure whether the backlighting is an intended feature or just light bleed from the main LCD panel. By itself, it wouldn't be so bad, except the icons are unevenly lit and hard to make out due to an obstruction behind the buttons. I realize this is a nit compared to some of the functional issues others have reported. Can you confirm whether your buttons are backlit? I couldn't tell from the video. Looking forward to your next video on the unit disassembly. How far did you go on the tear-down?
Apreciate the reply! I can confirm what you've observed on your unit with respect to the buttons on the right side. Mine are partially lit up. It's not even lighting either. It's almost like the buttons are only partially transparent so the backlight is coming through in random spots. There doesn't seem to be any light on the left side buttons at all. The tear down involved removing the bottom cover to see all the internals as I was investigating the best way to remove the motor and the rollers.
@@directedt3ch Thanks for the confirmation. Sounds like a QA issue then. Possibly the button membrane film had a protective backing and during assembly, they did not remove the left side, and the right side one did not come off cleanly leaving debris behind. Does it bother you enough to attempt to fix it? Might even be able to restore backlighting to the left side buttons... 😀
Great review, one of the better ones I've found. Do you know if when in the auto humidity mode it has any issues maintaining lower levels like 10%? Just curious how often it'd be turning on and off especially if the room humidity is a lot higher (like 70%)?
Too bad its not on Amazon! That looks really cool though, I wish my filament dryer rotated the spools. The sleeves you made look really cool, I wonder if you can design something like that for the AMS system to use with cardboard spools. I know there are other options and I haven't looked into the AMS personally to see how it works but I bet adding grip would be helpful.
They have the cyclopes on Amazon, but this one hasn't made it's way there yet. I imagine it will in time. The AMS does have rubber rollers, so it doesn't need a modification like this. The problem people run into with the AMS is the opposite, the cardboard spools are either bent/warped which causes the traction to be uneven, or the cardboard bits get on the rubber and make it less grippy.
Hopefully it does! And ahh that makes sense. I haven't looked into the AMS but see all the people having issues with cardboard spools. I'm still holding out on the AMS for when the A1 comes back in stock@@directedt3ch
Have you considered the following hack : replace the plastic panels with some insulating material, cork for example. Considering the construction, it should be pretty easy to do.
@@directedt3ch Can you confirm that the fan speed audibly changes when you adjust it? The thing is, mine doesn't. And eibos says that it's not supposed to. 🤔
@@rs90009 That's really interesting! I just tried changing the fan speed on my unit and I can't hear or tell any difference in the three fan speed settings.... hmm....
@@directedt3ch They told me that the "fan speed change" actually just changes the power level for the PTC heater. So the spinning fan icon is a bit misleading. At least I know my unit is working as intended. Thanks!
Nice review, but ... $130 for a two spool dryer for which you still have to then assemble the top yourself? That's about what a Sunlu S4 would cost and that one can hold 4 spools. I consider both overpriced. I'll stick to my Ikea 365+ boxes with dessicant for storage and $30 slightly modified food dehydrator with vertical axis spool mount whose AC heater has no problems reaching 80C or above. One day I might add some brains (like an ESP8266) to that dehydrator, but for now the stock mechanism and added $2 digital thermometer for getting reliable temperature (unlike the temps on the analog knob) works well enough.
I think that it's way over priced. The lack of quality control and overall cheapness is a deal breaker for me. We the customers should not be required to fix their products. I believe that i will just buy the Sunlu S4
Thanks for the review, I am looking for a dryer, Polyphemus is on the top of the list. My only concern with the polyphemus is regarding the motor drive. Is the motor permanently engaged on the rollers? If it is it would create extra drag on the filament when printing from the dryer box. I was thinking of TPU as possibly the most impacted. Have you noticed any issues regarding this? Thanks. After my comment I have just read a comment below regarding the motor engaging or not engaging, so it may not be a problem.
You control the motor. It is not engaged by default so that you can pull filament from the dryer when printing. You have to turn on the motor if you want the filament to rotate while drying.
Your spot on with your comments, especially the pros and cons. I discovered your channel when I was looking for a solution to fix why my filament was not rotating all the time when that 360 setting was enabled. I think I ruined two brand-new spools of PLA filament because the spools were not rotating during drying and the bottom area cooked them. When I attempted to use the filament certain areas of the filament kept breaking because it was brittle while other parts were fine. Like you, I purchased my unit during the pre-order and am happy with the unit but my other grip is the top is very flimsy and feels very cheap, especially for the price of the unit. My handle is loose all the time but it doesn't fall off so I just deal with it. Thanks to your "roller sleeve" upgrade, I now believe this unit and I can have a happy working relationship. One additional improvement I would like to see Eibos make would be for the unit to go into humidity mode when the unit finishes drying. Maybe these improvements will be added to version 2. Thanks for you video!
Glad the video and sleeves helped you out! Humidity mode would be an awesome addition.
Nice review. I like the sleeves-- definitely a good idea for this unit.
Regarding Quality Control, mine arrived with an upside down control panel, and no matter what you clicked on the panel, if it was on, it went to 70+ C and stayed there. I took a photo of it running at 65 when the target temp was 50, and showing the inverted panel, and they instantly shipped me a new base, with instructions to toss the old one. So +10 for customer service, minus a whole lot for them not noticing it wasn't assembled properly before they shipped it.
All in all, with a few mods, it seems like a good unit. I've been drying my antique filaments lately, and having issues because they don't fit (remember the short/fat spools?), so I think I'm going to print a rack to put them on. Or maybe remix a spool holder to fit inside and keep the spool elevated.
Wow, that is wild! I hope they step up QC some. Glad to hear that they took care of you though!
Just found your channel. I enjoyed your content.
Thank you Larry!
Thanks!!
Great, honest review. Thanks for posting. And for sharing your TPU sleeves. Looking forward to your next video on this one. I've been trying to decide on a dryer for weeks now. I think I'll go with this one based on the fact that it rotates. I wonder if we could source a motor rated for longer life.
Thanks! Absolutely my pleasure. It might be possible to find another motor. It doesn't look like it's anything special. I'm guessing that this is just the least expensive motor they could find.
Excellent review. I think my own opinion of this unit pretty much mirrors your own, I think its probably the best dryer on the market, and the only one I really trust to actually evenly dry filament, but the QA is lazy and the rollers are just made of the wrong material. Another beef I have with this dryer is that it doesn't switch into storage made after it finishes drying -- what were they thinking?
I'll be printing up your sleeves soon! Thanks for making and sharing that!
Thank you! Totally agree with you. Entering to the storage mode would have been brilliant! Seems like something they could have easily done. Unfortunately there is no path for firmware updates on this, so I guess we'll always be stuck with switching on the humidity hold mode manually. Glad you are going to take advantage of the roller sleeves!
Thanks for this review, I received my Polyphemus today and as you point out, the roller design is not great. It certainly doesn't work well with my Bambu Labs spools. I will try printing your TPU sleeves tomorrow (TPU on its way). In the meantime I have wrapped some insulating tape around the rollers and that seems to have got the spools rotating quite consistently. I am a bit concerned about how easily the spools will rotate when printing direct from this unit. I haven't tried printing from it it yet, but if I try to rotate the spools by hand with the motor off, there is quite a lot of resistance. Other than the roller issue it seems like a good unit. *Edit I have now realised that the resistance I felt when rotating the spool by hand is dependent upon when you switch of the rotation feature. If you happen to stop the rotation when the drive wheel is engaged with the roller then there is significant resistance. It would be better if Eibos found a way to ensure that the drive wheel always stopped in the disengaged position. **Edit 2 I've done quite a bit of printing from the dryer now and it works well.
Thanks Martin! Sounds like we are on the same page. When I post the teardown video you'll be able to see how that drive gearing works. I totally agree with everything you stated in your comment. This dryer is like 90% awesome with a few really bizarre quirks that could have been addressed with more testing and thought.
An excellent no-nonsense review. I agree with your points, especially the cons. I've experienced the spools walking towards the outside edges when the rotation feature is on, so your TPU sleeve is something I will consider. Thanks for sharing.
On my unit, I have an annoying defect, where it appears that there is backlighting on the right column of buttons (up, rotate, down) but not on the left column. Not sure whether the backlighting is an intended feature or just light bleed from the main LCD panel. By itself, it wouldn't be so bad, except the icons are unevenly lit and hard to make out due to an obstruction behind the buttons. I realize this is a nit compared to some of the functional issues others have reported.
Can you confirm whether your buttons are backlit? I couldn't tell from the video.
Looking forward to your next video on the unit disassembly. How far did you go on the tear-down?
Apreciate the reply! I can confirm what you've observed on your unit with respect to the buttons on the right side. Mine are partially lit up. It's not even lighting either. It's almost like the buttons are only partially transparent so the backlight is coming through in random spots. There doesn't seem to be any light on the left side buttons at all. The tear down involved removing the bottom cover to see all the internals as I was investigating the best way to remove the motor and the rollers.
@@directedt3ch Thanks for the confirmation. Sounds like a QA issue then. Possibly the button membrane film had a protective backing and during assembly, they did not remove the left side, and the right side one did not come off cleanly leaving debris behind.
Does it bother you enough to attempt to fix it? Might even be able to restore backlighting to the left side buttons... 😀
Great review, one of the better ones I've found. Do you know if when in the auto humidity mode it has any issues maintaining lower levels like 10%? Just curious how often it'd be turning on and off especially if the room humidity is a lot higher (like 70%)?
I'm honestly not sure. I've never kept it running like that. I usually just let it complete a timed cycle.
Too bad its not on Amazon! That looks really cool though, I wish my filament dryer rotated the spools. The sleeves you made look really cool, I wonder if you can design something like that for the AMS system to use with cardboard spools. I know there are other options and I haven't looked into the AMS personally to see how it works but I bet adding grip would be helpful.
They have the cyclopes on Amazon, but this one hasn't made it's way there yet. I imagine it will in time. The AMS does have rubber rollers, so it doesn't need a modification like this. The problem people run into with the AMS is the opposite, the cardboard spools are either bent/warped which causes the traction to be uneven, or the cardboard bits get on the rubber and make it less grippy.
Hopefully it does! And ahh that makes sense. I haven't looked into the AMS but see all the people having issues with cardboard spools. I'm still holding out on the AMS for when the A1 comes back in stock@@directedt3ch
Have you considered the following hack : replace the plastic panels with some insulating material, cork for example. Considering the construction, it should be pretty easy to do.
Not a bad idea!
Good review. Is the fan speed adjustable/does it change according to the "heating level"?
The fan speed is adjustable.
@@directedt3ch Can you confirm that the fan speed audibly changes when you adjust it? The thing is, mine doesn't. And eibos says that it's not supposed to. 🤔
@@rs90009 That's really interesting! I just tried changing the fan speed on my unit and I can't hear or tell any difference in the three fan speed settings.... hmm....
@@directedt3ch They told me that the "fan speed change" actually just changes the power level for the PTC heater. So the spinning fan icon is a bit misleading. At least I know my unit is working as intended. Thanks!
@@rs90009 Oh wow... hmmm... what an odd way to go about that. I wonder what the point is then...
Do you recommend this or the Sunlu S4?
@AiMaTay I don't have any experience with the Sunlu. The eibos is a feature rich dryer, but it does have a premium price tag.
Nice review, but ... $130 for a two spool dryer for which you still have to then assemble the top yourself? That's about what a Sunlu S4 would cost and that one can hold 4 spools. I consider both overpriced. I'll stick to my Ikea 365+ boxes with dessicant for storage and $30 slightly modified food dehydrator with vertical axis spool mount whose AC heater has no problems reaching 80C or above. One day I might add some brains (like an ESP8266) to that dehydrator, but for now the stock mechanism and added $2 digital thermometer for getting reliable temperature (unlike the temps on the analog knob) works well enough.
Can't argue with your solution! Glad you have something that works well for you.
I think that it's way over priced. The lack of quality control and overall cheapness is a deal breaker for me. We the customers should not be required to fix their products. I believe that i will just buy the Sunlu S4
Can't argue with ya there. Let me know how the Sunlu works out!
Motor will die after 1,500 hours? Wait, what? LOL
Yep. But they give you an extra for another 1500 hours.
Thanks for the review, I am looking for a dryer, Polyphemus is on the top of the list. My only concern with the polyphemus is regarding the motor drive. Is the motor permanently engaged on the rollers? If it is it would create extra drag on the filament when printing from the dryer box. I was thinking of TPU as possibly the most impacted. Have you noticed any issues regarding this? Thanks. After my comment I have just read a comment below regarding the motor engaging or not engaging, so it may not be a problem.
You control the motor. It is not engaged by default so that you can pull filament from the dryer when printing. You have to turn on the motor if you want the filament to rotate while drying.