3DPrinting

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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.

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Considering Prusa Mini as First Printer (self.3dprinting)

submitted 2 years ago by bfortified to c/3dprinting

21 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Hi! New to the community, new to 3d printing, new to all of this.

I am heavily considering the Prusa Mini as my first printer.

Want a brand that is a good citizen in the 3d printing community and Prusa seems to be on this list.
Want a high quality printer to begin my adventure with that doesn't leave me guessing if it's my lack of skill or a lack of quality hardware.
Want open design to enable to tweak and improve the hardware/software as I see fit.
Linux user who wants full Linux support in the software stack.
I want to spend as little as possible on my first printer (still want high quality) because I see myself spending a lot more fairly quickly if I enjoy this as much as I suspect I will. Fortunately I can spend what I need to meet my current requirements but keeping cost down as much as possible is the goal.
Enjoy tinkering with hardware and software. Have a background in electronics and Linux system administration.

Would you agree that the Prusa Mini is a good starting spot considering the above?

The pricing I see in reviews etc seems to be lower then what is currently being offered on the Prusa site. Do they often have sales or specials or is this just because the cost of production has gone up? I see reviews that indicate a price of $349 but it's going for $429 on the Prusa site currently.

Should I consider adding the filament sensor and any extra build sheets? Filament from them or elsewhere?

Anything I am missing or not considering?

Any and all feedback is welcomed! Thanks ahead of time!

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago

The build size is really the sticking point for me. You can relatively easily upgrade boards, drivers, extruders, etc, but you can't just slap a larger print volume on the printer. If OP is fine with a 7" build plate, it seems like a good pick.

I wanted the larger build volume so I went with a Sidewinder X2 (300x300x400) as my first printer, but I've also dumped several hundred dollars worth of upgrades (aluminum build plate, magnetic sheets, upgraded fans, genuine BL touch, klipper, pi cam) into it and still encounter issues. Seems the market is still fractured where you can spend a lot to get decent quality parts with a small build volume, or spend a little to get crappy parts with a large build volume needing lots of upgrades almost right away. After about 1.5 years of experience, I'm dead set on getting a Core XY machine next to eliminate all the issues with the bed swinging back and forth at higher print speeds, but I'm in no hurry to buy a second printer.