Looking for a 3D printer in

[Paulc]

Contemplating getting a 3D printer to assist with the boring times.

 

ive seen a few floating around and watched a couple videos of mass productions like what ltt did.  I’m looking at making small parts, figurines and other cool things with it.

couple questions

whats a good budget?
what features should I be looking for?

 

i Definitely would be looking for ease of use

 

 

 

[Zalosath]

10 minutes ago, Paulc said:

Contemplating getting a 3D printer to assist with the boring times.

 

ive seen a few floating around and watched a couple videos of mass productions like what ltt did.  I’m looking at making small parts, figurines and other cool things with it.

couple questions

whats a good budget?
what features should I be looking for?

 

i Definitely would be looking for ease of use

 

 

 

Well that all depends on two main factors:

- how detailed do you want your creations to be
- what material would you like to be mostly using (and if you can't specify a material, suggest some properties you expect the material should have, such as high strength, or flexibility)

 

And should we consider speed too? Do you need really fast prints with low detail, or really slow prints with high detail?

[Scheer]

After being disappointed with results from my DIY Prusa i2 and then i3 clones several years ago, I picked up an Ender 3 Pro to print the parts to make a nice printer like the Voron or Ulitmaker clone. I still haven't bothered to print the parts and build it... I've been extremely happy with the Ender 3 Pro, and I have no idea how another printer could be as good for even triple the price. It took a bit of tweaking and $100 or so for a BL Touch, PEI on spring steel, Aluminum extruder, and bed springs, but the thing runs like a champ. Even doing a lot of ABS printing now that I have an enclosure.

 

IMO, even if you are comfortable spending $1k+, just get the Ender 3 first to know if you will like the hobby or not. It never hurts to have a backup printer, or you could get at least half your money back out of it by selling it. After you spend some time with one, you will know more about what you ultimately want in your "endgame" printer.

[ColinLTT]

Low buck -> Ender 3 -- tons of mods, plenty of knowledge bases online to get help from if you need it. 

Moderate buck (no rush) -> Prusa Mini. Its a Prusa, 'nuff said. Long wait time though

High-end -> Prusa i3 MK3S -- rock solid, friendly machine that will pay for itself over and over and over. 

[burh4n]

You mention figurines and small parts, so I might suggest exploring a few options, maybe upgrading in stages. To start, if you are comfortable with the price tag, something like the Prusa Mini is a solid choice $350 (I think), there are other options around that price point, but it's a solid choice. On the cheaper side, the Ender 3 ($200, but sometimes less) is an obvious goto for a lot of people (it's what I have and is my first printer); but look up reviews and upgrade articles as some of the stock parts aren't great. I think I spent ~$230 for mine and did the upgrades right away. Monoprice even has a mini printer ~$120 or so, but I don't know much about it so if that's of interest, it would be best to dive into some research. Something like those would be a good introduction to the hobby, but for ultrafine details a resin printer is best.

A resin printer has its downsides (and why I think you should consider it as an upgrade) tending require a lot of cleanup and shouldn't be considered if you live with small kids/animals as the resin is toxic. Additionally if you live in a small apartment or don't have a vented work area, these are not a good idea as they emit strong fumes while printing. These printers have also begun to come down in price, but have tended to be more costly. 

[Daftlander]

The ender-3 or it's pro cousin would be the go to for FDM printers. But at the moment it seems to have rocketed in price because of everyone printing masks. Easily up-gradable and there's a lot of community support for it.

 

Elegoo Mars has been a great resin printer, lots of detail and speed, but with a trade off of needing gloves and plenty of Isopropyl Alcohol to wash off your prints. Again there's a lot of support for this one. 

[Trik'Stari]

On 5/11/2020 at 6:10 PM, Scheer said:

After being disappointed with results from my DIY Prusa i2 and then i3 clones several years ago, I picked up an Ender 3 Pro to print the parts to make a nice printer like the Voron or Ulitmaker clone. I still haven't bothered to print the parts and build it... I've been extremely happy with the Ender 3 Pro, and I have no idea how another printer could be as good for even triple the price. It took a bit of tweaking and $100 or so for a BL Touch, PEI on spring steel, Aluminum extruder, and bed springs, but the thing runs like a champ. Even doing a lot of ABS printing now that I have an enclosure.

 

IMO, even if you are comfortable spending $1k+, just get the Ender 3 first to know if you will like the hobby or not. It never hurts to have a backup printer, or you could get at least half your money back out of it by selling it. After you spend some time with one, you will know more about what you ultimately want in your "endgame" printer.

I agree completely. I just got into the 3D printing scene a month or two ago and I've enjoyed tinkering with the Ender 3.

 

I got the Ender 3 pro. I've bought... probably too many upgrades. Glass bed, motor dampers, upgraded main board, etc.

 

But damn is it fun to finally have a hobby that's reasonably affordable.

[Ze_Baldachim]

I don't have a printer, but I want one. From my research, you'll definitely buy something good from Prusa- the mini, I3 or SL1. For small detailed parts like figurines the SL1 will probably be best as it's a resin printer, but those have some of their own problems.