I recently replaced my China made generic build surface on my Monoprice Duplicator I3 V2 3D printer. First let me say I do not work for GeckoTek and I am not being paid in any way by them for my opinion. The sheet of GeckoTek in this review was purchased by me with my own funds. While considering on what to replace my surface with I caught a review by the JATMN on his YouTube channel. I was very impressed with the review and so I decided to purchase a sheet. GeckoTek is the name of the company and they specialize in hot, cold and magnetic base surfaces for filament such as ABS, PLA, PETG, Nylon, Composites. I have used BuildTak in the past and will discuss the differences in the two surfaces. GeckoTek surfaces come in a wide range of sizes and are easily trimmed to fit your build plate. I bought the 200×210 and didn’t have to trim anything, it fit perfect.
GeckoTek and BuildTak
GeckoTek gives you a very glassy smooth surface when your print is removed, whereas BuildTak prints are textured like that of the BuildTak its self. I have also found that at times I still have to use a glue stick with BuildTak unlike GeckoTek which feels like the parts will be stuck forever. GeckoTek wins hands down when compared to BuildTak, for its ability to yield smooth glass like surfaces.
My New Surface Arrives
GeckoTek sheets arrive in a flat envelope, all you have do is remove your old surface from your printer and apply the GeckoTek to the build plate. Ok well the last part is easy, but removing your old surface can be a pain. 
You will first need to heat your bed to 50 degrees Celsius, then starting at one corner carefully pull the old sheet from the bed trying not to tear it or leave any of the sticky surface behind. Once you remove it cool your bed and wipe with alcohol to remove any grease or dirt from the build plate which might cause the new GeckoTek sheet to not stick. Once applied, smooth the GeckoTek to remove any air bubbles which could cause humps 
in your prints. Now you’re
ready to print! Well not quite, you still have to level your printer. If you’re not level, prints might not stick or they might stick so good that you can’t remove them without a lot of extra effort. I found that experimenting by allowing the printer to print the first and second layer and then canceling the print worked best for me to determine what the sweet spot was for leveling. I also had to determine a good bed temp and extruder temp (for me 50 degrees Celsius on the bed and 200 degrees Celsius on the extruder) I measured the temperature on the bed and found that the GeckoTek is radiating at +10 degrees Celsius hotter then what you set for your bed temperature.
Pros
- When properly leveled prints stick fast
- Leaves a very shiny surface on your first layer (like printing on glass)
- Very easy to install
- Very inexpensive ($19 for a 200x210mm sheet)
- Very durable surface (GeckoTek states that it will last through 100 prints)
- Recommended for printing Nylons
Cons
- You cannot use a metal scrapper or you might damage the surface (buy their plastic scrapper)
- Depending on the size of the bed you are covering you might have to waste quite a bit of the GeckoTek surface when you trim it
- You will have to experiment for a long time to find the best level and temperature settings
- If using Ninjaflex, you could damage the surface if you try to remove the part without first cooling the bed
Final Thoughts
After using this surface now for close to three weeks side by side with my BuildTak surface, I may be purchasing more for my other printers. GeckoTek even sells a surface for a cold bed printer, which I am thinking about trying on my Makerbot Mini. Overall I believe GeckoTek has an excellent product here and I look forward to trying other products that they offer, such as their Magnetic Base surfaces
It’s good to hear about a surface other than BuildTak. It seems like BuildTak has the lion’s share of the market so you don’t hear much about other surfaces.
One thing I would say in defense of BuildTak is to make sure you routinely are cleaning the surface with isopropyl alcohol. It seems like even the slightest residue can compromise bed adhesion. As long as it’s clean and level before you start printing, you should be golden. 😉
I’ve never tried these kinds of surfaces. The one major worry I have with these kinds of bed surfaces is ripping it trying to get the print off. But like you said using a plastic blade/scraper we should be ok. But it seems like one wrong move could cause a rip or hole in it and that’s $20 out the door. Unless my bed is big enough to use another spot that’s large enough. I guess I need to get over my paranoia…haha. But $20 is a lot to me…I sound super cheap I know, but I seem to always have “Murphy’s Law” on my side and I keep seeing my self gouging a hole or ripping the sheets over and over…lol. You said that you’ve been getting prints with “glass-like” bottoms so it sounds like it’s not as hard to get prints off the sheet (if the level is right)…So I think I’m ready to spend the money now…I’ll come after you if something goes wrong! LMAO! J/K…I know that accidents happen now and then so it’s ok…lol.
No wonder it has some flaws, I think this is one of the greatest 3D printing surfaces available. And besides, I need not now get only BuildTak which was posing lots of troubles with my 3D printer. Credits to the writer for delivering such an important piece of information.
Looks good
Seems like a good surface
I will have to try this surface one day.