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 1 year 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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[–] andypiper 2 points 1 year ago

tl;dr I would have been delighted if I'd started with the Prusa Mini!

I started with a (very cheap and cheerful) EasyThreed... then jumped all the way up to the top of the consumer space with the Bambu X1... but... then I bought a Prusa Mini as well!

Every single one of your bulletpoints are exactly what drove my decision to buy into Prusa. I bought the self-assembly model which is a bit cheaper than the semi-assembled one, and I have to say that the experience of building the printer was a delight - it is clear as one goes through the instructions, the level of knowledge and quality that is behind the kit and the printer and the Prusa team.

Now - I have to tell you that my daily driver is the Bambu, but as I mentioned, it is at the top end of the more consumer price scale. My favourite printer in the set is the Prusa Mini! I've printed a bunch of add-ons to the frame to improve the utility (tool holders and such), and it is a lot more fun and interesting to use and play with. I chatted with the Prusa folks at the TCT 3Sixty event in the UK a couple of weeks back and honestly said, "Thank You" - the experience of using their machine is brilliant.