3DPrinting

15654 readers

240 users here now

3DPrinting is a place where makers of all skill levels and walks of life can learn about and discuss 3D printing and development of 3D printed parts and devices.

The r/functionalprint community is now located at: [email protected] or [email protected]

There are CAD communities available at: [email protected] or [email protected]

Rules

No bigotry - including racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, or xenophobia. Code of Conduct.
Be respectful, especially when disagreeing. Everyone should feel welcome here.
No porn (NSFW prints are acceptable but must be marked NSFW)
No Ads / Spamming / Guerrilla Marketing
Do not create links to reddit
If you see an issue please flag it
No guns
No injury gore posts

If you need an easy way to host pictures, https://catbox.moe may be an option. Be ethical about what you post and donate if you are able or use this a lot. It is just an individual hosting content, not a company. The image embedding syntax for Lemmy is ![](URL)

Moderation policy: Light, mostly invisible

founded 2 years ago

MODERATORS

Please help me choose my first 3D printer, with the features I need (self.3dprinting)

submitted 1 year ago by PlutoniumAcid to c/3dprinting

57 comments fedilink hide all child comments

I am looking to buy a 3D printer for my son (and for myself too). We want to print, not tinker, so it should be something that gives great results right from the start.

Can you guide me to a sensible choice?

My first choice would have to be the Prusa MK3S Plus but it is outside the price range I am shopping for, except if I buy used -- would that be bad to do?

Realistic choices:

€380 used Prusa MK3S+, with 10 days printing time
€400 new Prusa Mini+
€250 new Ender 3 V2 Neo

Criteria:

High quality, no hassle. I want to print, not tinker.
Preferably (semi)assembled.
Auto bed leveling.
Auto error detection (filament, power, etc.?).
Budget up to 600 EUR/USD including extras, excluding filament.
Speed is not important.
Size is not important.
Must not be cloud-based.

Questions:

Surface?! Smooth, os satin, or textured? (Why) Should I have more than one kind?
(Why) Do I need an enclosure?

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[–] overzeetop 9 points 1 year ago

I’ve owned 3 printers, all cheap. For what I spent fixing it upgrading them I could have bought a Prusa. More than saying my next printer will be a Prusa, I can say that I actually have one on preorder.

Also, I will never buy a fdm without a bed leveling function. No, it’s not necessary, but if you want a low frustration printing experience, it is - in my direct experience - essential. Prior to having abl I would keep an eye on every print start. With abl I send a job to the printer and check on it when I get around to it.