Ender 3 pro or ender 3 v2??

[char3327]

Hey yall, 

     So im looking to get into 3d printing, and im wondering if i should get the ender 3 pro and spend extra money upgrading things on it(ex. Fans, new exteuder) or just get the ender 3 v2 and just use it stock? Many thanks in advance

[Levent]

v2 stock. Modding your 3d printer is not exactly a beginner friendly task.

[jaslion]

V2 but be prepared to replace the extruder in the near future as the plastic one is crap quality and breaks easily. Works fine just doesn't last.

[Imbadatnames]

What’s the budget after mods etc?

[Needfuldoer]

13 hours ago, jaslion said:

V2 but be prepared to replace the extruder in the near future as the plastic one is crap quality and breaks easily. Works fine just doesn't last.

When I bought my Ender 3 Pro, I installed the aluminum extruder kit almost right away. It's definitely worth the $11, but it should have been standard.

 

Building the printer on a glass stovetop made it really easy to get it square, too. Since the glass is dead flat, you just have to leave the frame screws a turn or two loose, get everything situated, and then snug them down (jumping around like you're doing lug nuts or a Threadripper cooler).

[char3327]

Thanks yall

Budget is around 280...since its prime day today ima buy it for 220...besides the extruder what other upgrades should i look into?

 

Also sorry to ask but could someone put a link to an extruder that is good. There are so many options and isk which one will work...thanks

 

@Needfuldoer @Imbadatnames @jaslion

[Imbadatnames]

1 hour ago, char3327 said:

Thanks yall

Budget is around 280...since its prime day today ima buy it for 220...besides the extruder what other upgrades should i look into?

 

Also sorry to ask but could someone put a link to an extruder that is good. There are so many options and isk which one will work...thanks

 

@Needfuldoer @Imbadatnames @jaslion

Just one more question, what will you be printing? Is it more structural stuff like replacement parts for tools etc or more like models? 

[char3327]

It would probably be a little bit of both but mainly structual stuff

 

 @Imbadatnames 

[Imbadatnames]

40 minutes ago, char3327 said:

It would probably be a little bit of both but mainly structual stuff

 

 @Imbadatnames 

Just was going to suggest resin if you wanted to do more detailed stuff. FFF is stronger in 2 directions and weak in the Z where as resin is more detailed and isomorphic in strength though weaker than FFF in FFF’s strongest axis. 

[char3327]

Any good resin printers you would reccomend within my budget? I'll look into it!

[char3327]

Any good resin printers you would reccomend within my budget? I'll look into it!

[Salacious B Crum]

On 7/12/2022 at 11:59 AM, char3327 said:

Thanks yall

Budget is around 280...since its prime day today ima buy it for 220...besides the extruder what other upgrades should i look into?

 

Also sorry to ask but could someone put a link to an extruder that is good. There are so many options and isk which one will work...thanks

 

@Needfuldoer @Imbadatnames @jaslion

Don’t know where your at in the world but micro center has been offering ender 3 $100

[Symptomz]

On 8/16/2022 at 11:48 AM, Salacious B Crum said:

Don’t know where your at in the world but micro center has been offering ender 3 $100

I got one of these, they sold out quick. But then restocked about 7-8 pallets of them a few weeks after the first day of the sell at the Overland Park, KS, location. Might be worth looking into.

[LapsedMemory]

On 7/12/2022 at 11:59 AM, char3327 said:

Thanks yall

Budget is around 280...since its prime day today ima buy it for 220...besides the extruder what other upgrades should i look into?

 

Also sorry to ask but could someone put a link to an extruder that is good. There are so many options and isk which one will work...thanks

 

@Needfuldoer @Imbadatnames @jaslion

I realize this is an old post, but if you're still looking the Ender 3v2 is an amazing little printer and upgrading it is really cheap.  

 

The single best quality of print improvement you can make on it is getting a glass plate for the bed.  You can get the official one, but you can also just go to a local glass shop and get a piece of scrap cut for a few dollars.  

 

Second best upgrade is to get a raspberry pi and install OctoPi on it.  This makes your ender 3 network accessible and with some plugins turns your printer nearly into a 'push button, watch print' type of operation.  

 

Everything else requires a bit more tech know-how but still can be worth it.  For instance, on mine I've installed a relay in the OctoPi that automatically turns the printer on to print, and off again when it's finished.  I've upgraded the main board to an aftermarket that makes the stepper motors nearly silent.  Added a BLTouch for auto bed leveling.  Changed out the power supply for further "quiet" operation.  It sits quietly in the corner, I can walk over to the computer, load up Cura, hit "Print with OctoPi", the octopi boots up the printer, adjusts for bed level, prints, and shuts back off.  

 

Essentially it's completely up to you how much you want to spend and how far you want to go with it, but just the base model with a glass bed will rival printers 2-3x it's cost, and octopi turns it into an appliance instead of an art project.  

 

[char3327]

Wow it's been awhile.

 

So I ended up getting the Ender 3 V2 and have since grown in my knowledge of 3d Printing. I have upgraded the bed springs, extruder, Bowden tube, and the nozzle I also added a PEI bed for easy removal of the prints. I plan on adding a new cooling duct with noctua fans and possibly upgrade the motherboard to a silent one. thanks for your input though hopefully this helps someone else! 

[GhostRoadieBL]

On 10/3/2022 at 4:36 PM, char3327 said:

Wow it's been awhile.

 

So I ended up getting the Ender 3 V2 and have since grown in my knowledge of 3d Printing. I have upgraded the bed springs, extruder, Bowden tube, and the nozzle I also added a PEI bed for easy removal of the prints. I plan on adding a new cooling duct with noctua fans and possibly upgrade the motherboard to a silent one.

welcome to the addicting game of upgrading Ender3's.

Highly recommend noctua fans (use the 10mm thick ones, the 20's don't perform any better) and print a set of squash ball or tennis ball feet for the printer