Purchasing first printer

Do we have a regularly updated thread, or is there a universally well liked online article to help guide towards a first printer recommendations? I’m not opposed to spending a little money on one, but I also don’t want to buy more than I need for features I’ll never use.

Thank you.

Ink, 3D, or ???

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3D…sorry, I thought I posted in the 3D printer forum.

You did, I’m the dufe.

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you get what you pay for, that being said a few printers ive seen are both user friendly and work well with the…less than experienced.

for the just starting out crowd, i suggest the printrbot. it can do multiple types of filament, and doesn’t need a whole lot of training a step below this one would be the 3doodler pen… great for kids- not so much for our more precise items

for intermediate i suggest the deltas or pursa. they are a little more hard on the calibration but in the end worth it. i myself have an aNet, which if not read correctly is a pain to treat.

lastly if your not afraid of spending a little extra to get bells and whistles, i suggest the polyprinter. just like the ones in 3d fab these come fully assembled and have a warranty with them- if broken down they have someone who fixes (thank you pearce) also comes with a beautiful case that helps not get fumes everywhere from ABS.

the choice is yours but i know who i am going with

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Monoprice is another consideration at the low end. I supported an Indigogo campaign for their Mini Delta after their firstvpronter got good reviews.

At $170 with 0.1mm layer height, 0.4mm nozzle, heated bed, and auto leveling, I’ve been extremely happy with its performance.

Downsides:

  • a small print volume (110mm circle) compared to Cartesian printers
  • the version 1.0 machine did not have a bottom fan so trended to overheat with ABS. I added one.
  • I replaced the buildtac bed with borosilicate glass

I would have recommended the Printrbot Simple Metal with heated bed upgrade (mandatory for ABS) but they no longer are selling it. They now have a Printebot Simple Pro for $699 which comes with a heated bed as standard.

Make Magazine does a periodic 3D Printer roundup issue: I strongly recommend picking one up and reading the testing methodology carefully: this’ll help you to understand the issues and trade offs in printer design.

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I was definitely considering a PowerPC or MonoPrice, but…

I just discovered the Original Prusa i3 MK3, and the option to upgrade to a 4 filament hotend. What are your thoughts for this compared to the PolyPrinters?

@HankCowdog Mike, thanks for the tip…got the magazine and it led me to the Prusa/Multi Material combo idea.

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If you have a Prusa i3 budget, get that. Whatever you do, don’t pick up a Folgertech printer. What a faff this melamine monstrosity has been.

@suchsojasco unfortunately, I don’t have the budget, but I can rationalize spending more on occasion…just have to give up some conveniences…like food, shelter and medical needs for a couple months…it’s all about priorities… and unfortunately I’ve learned to prioritize unnecessary tools on occasion…

My next question would be, how does it compare to the PolyPrinters (single head only) since that’s my only frame of reference?

Suffice to say there’s a laundry list of reasons why the Prusa i3 is considered the beginner printer. Check out Thomas Sanladerer, et al on YouTube for a lot more coverage on the topic of all 4 variants on the i3.

To compare it to the PolyPrinter 225s, they’re similar in that they have a fixed gantry moving-bed with the extruder itself on the Z-axis, and they have similar build volumes. While the Poly is enclosed, the Prusa is an open-bed printer. Both have bed heat, and seem to behave similarly well with common filaments. Of course, the Polyprinters are well over $2000, while the most expensive pre-assembled i3 Mk3 will set you back $999. The Mk3 does offer some really cool bleeding-edge features that you won’t find in most other printers, like skipped-step detection and power-loss recovery. Also Prusa Research develops and supports slicer profiles for their printers, which take a lot of the guesswork out of setting up.

Of course, if a G is out of your budget, Prusa still sell the Mk2S, Mk2, and Mk1, in assembled and kit form for less money. And even with the lower revision number, a Mk2 purchased today isn’t the same as a Mk2 purchased when they first launched a couple years ago. They’ve continuously refined the design and implemented a lot of improvements over time.

If @themitch22 has some time, he would be the man to talk to about Prusa’s stuff. He’s got at least one i3 in his own personal collection.

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@suchsojasco Tom is awesome …he drinks dr. Pepper at imported prices in Germany!

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I have been incredibly impressed at the CR-10 printer. I will note that it is slow as hell (60mm/s max print speed), a bit finicky to level and ABS is a no go. Overall I am impressed with the printer given its price point.

https://us.gearbest.com/3d-printers-3d-printer-kits/pp_441281.html

So after more research, and a conversation with a very nice person at Poly, I have decided the Polys are out of my price range… I am getting the Prusa MK3.

So the next things to consider will be -

  • Kit vs Pre-assembled
    $250 difference - I am okay with assembling and calibrating…but is there something to be said for it being calibrated out of the box? This is my first printer, it’s not for a business, and I’m in no rush as along as I can get it up and running.

  • How do I enclose it and add an air filter?
    My research is in the early stages. I’ve looked through a few sites, but there are some mentions of enclosing and getting it too hot? Not sure.

  • PLA vs ABS
    They seem to be same price at MicroCenter, and lots of people I read online seem to be using PLA. Why is it we choose to sponsor ABS at DMS?

My previous post ran out of steam. Now that the holidays are over, I thought I would see if I could get some feedback from our 3D community - I’m pulling the trigger today and need help with the pricing decision.

  • Kit vs Pre-assembled
    $250 difference - I am okay with assembling and calibrating…but is there something to be said for it being calibrated out of the box? This is my first printer, it’s not for a business, and I’m in no rush as along as I can get it up and running.

  • How do I enclose it and add an air filter?
    My research is in the early stages. I’ve looked through a few sites, but there are some mentions of enclosing and getting it too hot? Not sure.

  • PLA vs ABS
    They seem to be same price at MicroCenter, and lots of people I read online seem to be using PLA. Why is it we choose to sponsor ABS at DMS?

https://www.prusa3d.com/original-prusa-i3-mk3/2

I’m slowly working through building a Mendel90. Very slowly. :smiley: It has been fun and I’ve learned a lot, but… If I knew then what I know now, I might not have taken this fork in the road…

From what I gather, a PLA-only printer is easier/cheaper because it doesn’t require a heated bed to print; and because the hotend doesn’t have to get as hot. And ABS is “better” because the stuff you print can get hotter before they deform. At least that’s what my limited knowledge tells me. And I may be wrong about these things…

I ordered mine back in December, hopefully I should receive it the second week of February. Mitch really helped steer me in the right direction. And the reviews for the thing cannot be beat.

@steve Steve, did you order Kit or Pre-assembled? I’m also going to order the MMU, but wait until after I get up and running with a single filament head.

The kit, because for the price difference I can buy quite a bit of filament :slight_smile:

I did the same…we can beat our heads on the table in tandem when we run into issues…

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