3Doodler available at Maplin
The 3D Printing Pen is now available at one of Britain's biggest high street retailers.
We’ve talked at great length about the 3Doodler and how its price point and ease of use perhaps makes it the only true consumer 3D Printing product on the market at the minute, their latest distribution point only adds to those credentials, as the 3Doodler now becomes available in Maplin Stores throughout the UK.
Maplin launched their first 3D printing product in the shape of the Velleman K8200 unassembled kit back in July last year. The success or at least the level of interest in Maplin’s 3D Printing section is such that if you Google “Maplin” you’ll see ‘3D Printing’ listed as a sub-section to their site.
Maplin also acquired distribution rights to the UP! Plus 2 from PP3DP, whose distributor in the US, Afinia, is tied up in a legal wrangle with Stratasys. It is clear that Maplin are seeking to mark their territory as the only trusted British High Street retailer stocking 3D printers.
The acquisition of the exclusive UK rights to sell the 3D printing pen on the High Street is quite the scoop for both Maplin and the 3Doodler team. It also marks one of the first Kickstarter projects to hit retail stores in the UK, following in the footsteps of the Pebble smart watch and Ouya games console. 3Doodler's rise from a toy maker's idea to remove an extruder head and attempt to draw freehand to popular consumer electronic is undoubtedly one of Kickstarter's biggest success stories.
Co-founder Daniel Cowen told Personalize: "We're ecstatic to be rolling out to retail in the UK with Maplin. We put a lot of thought into who would be the best fit for us when we launched at retail in the UK. Their reach, hands on customer base, and phenomenally knowledgeable staff made them the ideal choice out of the gate."
Priced at £99 the pen and available both online and throughout Maplin’s sum 205 stores in the UK, it is clear that Maplin are going to try to attract a whole new customer base to the joys of extruding thermoplastics. Daniel added that Maplin will soon be also stocking 3Doodler’s excellent range of filament packs.
