3D Printer advice

[Billy Pilgrim]

Do you have any recommendations for a good 3D printer in the $150-$200 range?

I am currently looking at the Monoprice mini select V2: https://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-Select-Printer-Heated-Filament/dp/B073ZLSMFT/ref=as_li_ss_tl?creativeASIN=B073ZLSMFT&imprToken=YZoCi8dlRZGKRopCuB2Fqg&slotNum=2&ie=UTF8&linkCode=w61&tag=insider04-20&linkId=e8a6fe635495fa5ea88022d291d790ea&th=1

[TheBean]

IMO, thats a pretty small work area. 

i would go for those chinese no-name brand ones. they are cheaper and usually have larger work areas. 

 

I have never tried/used/bought any 3d printer. this is just from my own research. I have no idea of the quality of the chinese ones

[airdeano]

i have an ender 3 and 2 cr 10 minis, and the ender 3 is a printer to 'cut-your-teeth' on for the price point you are looking at.

but before settling on what, lets explore why and level of need and usage.

buying something you'll never want to use after 3 weeks use isn't practical your you and your wallet.

[Gegger]

Anet A8, though the first things you should print are some better parts for the printer

 

and if you are willing to stretch to $300, Flashforge Finder, and print some filament spool holders first pls

[werto165]

15 hours ago, Gegger said:

Anet A8, though the first things you should print are some better parts for the printer

 

and if you are willing to stretch to $300, Flashforge Finder, and print some filament spool holders first pls

I've had to replace my anet a8 after two years of usage, just couldn't figure out what was wrong bought a new e3d v6 for it too, I think my bed just warped and my mechanics were fucked after two years of usage. I've recently bought the ender 3 and it's a solid machine. just make sure you mess with the eccentric nuts otherwise the bed will have a lot of play. 

[Pixel5]

after having a 300€ printer myself and switching to a 800€ printer later i have to say the difference is huge and after switching to the better printer is spend almost no time trying to troubleshoot the printer, instead im just printing and focusing on things i wanna design.

 

i highly recommend that you dont buy a printer for 200 bucks as you will not be happy with it.

[JSFetzik]

I have owned a Monoprice Maker Select v2 for a bit more than two years now. This is the ~$260 big brother to the Mini. I have done a number of mods, including setting up Octoprint, so the total cost for me is about $400.

 

I agree somewhat with Pixel5. Working with a $200-$300 3D printer can be a very frustrating process. It can also be a good learning experience. The problem is that the quality control at this price point is all over the place. So for the same model printer, from the same manufacturer, one will work great and the next can be a complete lemon.

 

Considering the above if you are willing to treat it as a learning experience and not counting on an out of the box plug and play experience, then go for it. I would not suggest getting the Monoprice Mini however, not because it is bad, but because of the size of the community out there. I would suggest getting something like an Ender 3/5 or CR-10 that have a huge number of users, and thus a large community out there that can help you out.  Also the Mini has a really small print bed, so you are very limited in what you can print.

[Handmeat]

I would reccomend the Creality Ender 3. It routinely (and currently) is on sale for $180 US. Big print bed, lost of community support, plenty of accessories already available on thingiverse. Link: https://www.creality3d.shop/collections/ender-series-3d-printer/products/creality-ender-3-3d-printer-economic-ender-diy-kits-with-resume-printing-function-v-slot-prusa-i3-220x220x250mm

[Streetguru]

On 9/24/2019 at 6:23 AM, Billy Pilgrim said:

Do you have any recommendations for a good 3D printer in the $150-$200 range?

I

Did you buy anything yet?

You should definitely go for an i3 clone, Anycubic's stuff is pretty good and is cheap on ebay

[Pixel5]

prusa just released their new prusa mini for half the price of the mk3s, its seriously a no brainer to go with the new prusa one.