monoprice-maker-select-plus

Checked: 2026-10-17

Summary

The Monoprice Maker Select Plus is a discontinued 2016-era rebadge of the Wanhao Duplicator i3 Plus whose recurring faults are heated-bed wiring and connector damage, bed-temperature limits and early fan or endstop wear. A used unit needs a live heat and print test before purchase, because a damaged bed harness is expensive to repair. Running cost is dominated by filament, about $103.95 a year at 100 g a week plus about $6 of electricity, so a working machine is cheap to run but risky to buy sight unseen.

Common problems and fixes

Heated-bed connector damage — owners report partly melted, loose connectors that can stop heating even after the connector and wiring are replaced; reject a unit with browned plastic, charred contacts or brittle cable, and have electrical damage repaired professionally. [4]
Fractured bed thermistor wire — the moving bed’s thermistor conductor can break invisibly under its insulation and stop heating; replacing the bed wiring fixes it, so check cable routing and strain relief on any used unit. [5]
12 V heater fitted to a 24 V machine — a documented case of a heater cartridge swap shutting the printer down during heat-up; verify controller and replacement-part voltage before buying any heater. [6]
Bed struggles above its rated range — an owner saw the bed reach 110 °C during ABS printing, then fault and fail to reach 100 °C; the stated operational range is only 30–70 °C, and original beds are hard to source. [1][7]
Early fan, endstop and feeder failures — one buyer saw cooling fans fail after about a month on one unit and a Z endstop wire plus a feeder part fail after eight days on another; two units are not a rate, so test the specific machine. [8]
Electrical irregularities after long prints — owners report inconsistent thermistor readings and reboots after multi-hour prints, sometimes following accidental tool damage during cleaning or mods rather than spontaneous failure. [16][17]
Documentation and leveling quirks — manual errors, a leveling wizard showing “x/4” for five steps, an excessive “millimeter away” leveling instruction, and an included knife that can gouge the bed. [9]
Stock bed surface grips too hard — BuildTak-type surface can make prints hard to remove. [9]

Parts and consumables

1.75 mm PLA filament (MatterHackers MH Build, 1 kg) — $19.99 per spool, $14.99 per spool in a 12-pack; replaced as used, not on a schedule. [10]
MK10 wear-resistant nozzle for PTFE-lined hotend — $14.99 each from Micro Swiss; replace if worn by abrasive filament, damaged or impossible to clear. [11]
Micro Swiss all-metal hotend with slotted cooling block — $49.99 from Micro Swiss; an upgrade or repair for the matching clone, not routine maintenance. [11]
Nozzle for the all-metal MK10 kit only — $14.99, or $19.75 plated hardened steel; does not fit the stock PTFE-lined hotend. [11]
CNC-machined extruder lever or plate — $13.00 to $28.00 from Micro Swiss; for a worn or cracked stock feeder, after confirming the exact part. [11]
All-metal thermal tube — $23.50 from Micro Swiss; not a replacement for the original PTFE tube. [11]

Yearly running cost

At 100 g of PLA a week (5.2 kg a year) and the one-off MatterHackers price of $19.99 per kg, filament runs about $103.95 a year; at an assumed 100 W average over 312 hours, electricity adds about $6.24 at $0.20 per kWh, for roughly $110.19 a year combined. That excludes the purchase price, shipping, failed prints, upgrades and repairs; a single all-metal hotend adds $49.99 in an upgrade year. [10][2]

When it is a good buy

Monoprice no longer sells it new: the official product page says it is no longer available, and $399.99 is a 2016–2018 price rather than a 2026 offer. [1][3] Used prices on eBay in October 2026 ran $84 plus $162.96 shipping (about $246.96) and $100 plus $162.96 shipping (about $262.96), plus a parts-only unit at $120 with free shipping. [12] Treat it as a local-pickup project: $0–50 for a unit that demonstrates working hotend and bed heat, working axes and a finished print; $51–80 for a complete working machine if you want legacy hardware; $81–100 only with live test prints and visible bed wiring; above $100 delivered, skip it. [12] Alternatives: a new Creality Ender-3 V3 SE at $186 (Creality US store, October 2026) with automatic bed leveling and a 220 × 220 × 250 mm build; a Sovol SV06 ACE at $239 (Sovol, October 2026) with auto leveling and Klipper controls; a Bambu Lab A1 mini at $249 (Bambu US store, snapshot) with automated calibration and an 180 × 180 × 180 mm build. [13][14][15]