Recommend a 3D printer?

[mv213]

What‘s a good, semi-affordable, good, maybe upgradeable, good 3D printer? I read a comparison article between a number of printers, and the one they liked the best was the Prusa. Which of course I had never heard of, and isn‘t sold on Amazon. Creality seems like the most popular on Amazon. It does not have to come from. Amazon, I just shop there a lot.

I have no experience at all with 3D printers, but I was an IT tech for years, have done a fair amount of coding and played with Raspberry Pi a bit. I want something I can learn on, but not so limited I would want to replace it within 3 months.

 

[Cruzan80]

Prusa was a brand and has now evolved into a style of printer. Creality is a Prusa design.

What do you want to make with it? Personally, I am a fan of the enclosed printers, with the extruder running x and Y, instead of the bed Y.

 

[colintrax]

Creality is Chinese, high quality Chinese but still Chinese. Akin to Pittsburgh from the HF.
Prusa is European and higher quality. Also more expensive. Akin to Wera. Kinda has a community to it.

Prusa's website supports model sharing, they sell their own filament (great quality) and offer a great, and free, slicer program.

Creality is a little more on your own. 3d printing community can give you all the upgrades you'd ever want to get to the same level as a Prusa.

Personally I avoid stuff made in China, so I own a Prusa. I've used Creality printers with success. Some of the other Chinese printers are down right dangerous and have burned down homes. If you're going cheap, go Creality.

Look at matterhackers for parts, filament, etc.

The higher end enclosed printers are very nice, they're also expensive and have weird idocrincies like needing their own brand filament, or only using their own slicing program. Lots of fantastic higher end printers if you have the budget. I made an enclosure for my Prusa. Good enough for home use.

 

[Cruzan80]

Actually, I was thinking of the Flash forge Creator X. Down in price considerably, runs standard 1.75 filament and regular slicers. It is a MakerBot clone.

 

[jfleisher]

Creality 6 SE, self leveling, standard components, very upgradable.

 

[Sneezer]

We researched and got a Prusa for our son. He is currently working out a space in the house and a proper bench/table for it to sit on, so we have not yet assembled it. I have been patient, but I am ready to mess around with it too! We had to order direct from them, but shipping was pretty reasonable and did not take too long either.

 

[mv213]

Thanks for the replies!

 

[mv213]

Creality 6 SE, self leveling, standard components, very upgradable.

Very cool!

 

[ihateminimumwage]

I jumped in on an Ender 3; Low start price, easy to resell if not into it, and upgrades are cheap or printable. I'll eventually upgrade to something with a self leveling bed since I really enjoy printing.

 

[PCMusicGuy]

I have a Creality CR10S. Most of the creality machines are pretty solid; it is just a matter of how big of parts you want to be able to print. Prusa's are nice because of the continual design improvements they make. Either brand can produce fantastic prints. My advice is to get a cheaper machine such as a Creality or similar clone and spend money on learning filaments. If you decide to move on to another printer you can always sell the current one you have pretty easily and recoup most if not all of the cost.

 

[zze86]

I have a Creality CR10S. Most of the creality machines are pretty solid; it is just a matter of how big of parts you want to be able to print. Prusa's are nice because of the continual design improvements they make. Either brand can produce fantastic prints. My advice is to get a cheaper machine such as a Creality or similar clone and spend money on learning filaments. If you decide to move on to another printer you can always sell the current one you have pretty easily and recoup most if not all of the cost.

This was essentially my reasoning when I purchased my Creality 5 Pro. The Creality has such a large fan/user base that I figured I could always sell it on later down the road at very little loss or use it as a second printer.

There are known issues with the Creality5 out the box. Not any major issues but little things where if you upgrade this and that it improves the print process. Part of my intention was to learn what parts affect what and so I was OK with tinkering and sinking more money into it.

If your intention is to start designing and get printing ASAP then the Prusa may be a better fit.

 

[orangeglo]

Prusa is a better printer out of the box. The creality can get there, but you are probably going to have to fiddle and tweak more.
Not to say you won't have to fiddle and tweak on a prusa. And not to say the creality is always going to be bad out of the box.

3D printers are a still in a rough spot for the consumer market. The reliability to price point puts them out of the range for most people with a casual interest. You will put in a good amount of effort to produce quality prints consistently over a long period of time.

If you are short on cash and want to make this a hobby you spend a lot of time on, the creality will save you some money.
If you have the cash and want something easier to deal with and has a good community and customer support, go prusa.

Either one can be upgraded to an unrecognizable degree to keep expanding your capabilities.

 

[vavet]

I have a creality ender 3 v2. i have to level the bed periodically, but it has been bulletproof otherwise. Once you get that down, it takes less than 5 minutes to do. I haven’t done any tweaks or upgrades to it. I ran a 42 hour print over the weekend and it ran flawlessly,

the Prusa is expensive, but everyone I’ve talked to who has one loves it and say they are great. I couldnt see spending that much more for essentially the same machine.

 

[JackOfDiamonds]

Prusa. The Prusa mini isn't even that expensive, and it can print polycarbonate out of the box.

I actually have a sidewinder X1, but it's too big and needs some extruder/hotend upgrades. Almost any printer will work but but a popular one so you can get upgrades and parts.

 

[will335i]

If you want a printer that is great out of the box, good quality and repeatability, go Prusa. If you're not sure 3D printing is for you and you like to tinker go with the Creality. I have an Ender 5 that I probably have more in upgrades than I do with the printer itself. My only regret is not getting the 5 plus for the larger build volume. They have expanded their lineup so there's lots of options and the subreddits for their printers are really helpful.

 

[Citation]

I think a critical question that hasn't been asked or answered is do you want an FDM printer or a resin/UV cured printer?

https://all3dp.com/1/types-of-3d-printers-3d-printing-technology/

The above website is just what came up when I did a quick search. The FDM and VAT polymerization (DLP, some SLA) are ones that have reached consumer level prices. FDM is cheaper per cubic inch of material. It uses a string of plastic which is heated then squirted out kind of like a baker layering frosting on a cake. The VAT polymerization printers use a liquid resin that is cured with UV light. The resin is more expensive but the fidelity/detail of the parts is much better. It's really worth looking into both types as this is a big trade off between size vs detail in the parts.

BTW, for a while I had access to a laser cutter. In general laser cutters are much more expensive if you are getting one that can cut larger parts/thicker material. However, something like a CNC router might be a neat option. The benefit to both is you can cut flat material and build complex items via assembling "tab in slot" type structures.

 

[vpd66]

For around $200 (watch for sales) a Creality Ender 3 Pro is tough to beat. Two years ago I bought a standard Ender 3 for $175 not knowing if it would work or if I would really get into 3D printing. Since then I've run the wheels off the thing and it has been one of the best bang for the buck purchases I've ever made. For the first month I was just printing upgrades for free to make the machine better. It took me about 3 hours to assemble the printer and my first test print came out perfect. I had only seen a 3D printer on the internet and had no idea what I was getting into.LOL

 

[mv213]

Wow, lots to think about. I like tinkering but not sure if I want to take that on with the printer yet. At this point I’m leaning towards the Prusa although the price of the Ender 3 Pro is very tempting. Ugh.

 

[TNToy]

What do you want from your printer?

If you want to treat it like your PRINTER for your house, you want a Prusa. An appliance. No one tweaks or hot rods their coffee maker. It’s job is to produce the designs you draw up in CAD in the background while you’re doing other things in the shop.

I own a Prusa MK3s for this reason. It makes parts I need and I need it to work as consistently an boringly as my toaster. It’s two years old, completely stock, and still works nearly flawlessly.

If, on the other hand, the printer itself will be a hobby? Something you enjoy tweaking testing and tuning, investing time & energy into to make it run like a top?

Then the substantial cost savings via Creality or similar machines is the way to go

 

[colintrax]

Wow, lots to think about. I like tinkering but not sure if I want to take that on with the printer yet. At this point I’m leaning towards the Prusa although the price of the Ender 3 Pro is very tempting. Ugh.

If you buy the Prusa you're gonna wonder if you should've spent that much. If you buy the Creality you're gonna be mad you didn't just spend the extra cash and get a Prusa.
If you aren't looking to make larger stuff, look at the Prusa mini. Prusa quality but more comparable in price to the Chinese printers.

Ive used multiple printers from both Creality and Prusa. IMO the additional cost for a Prusa is worth it. Not everyone would agree with me though. Personally I wouldn't buy anything with a bowden extruder either because they struggle with flexible materials even more than the direct drive extruder. If you aren't doing flexible materials then don't worry about the bowden set up.


Also. Theres not enough widely known information about the materials and dangers. Do not buy ABS if you plan on printing in the house.
Start with regular PLA and then research other materials as you look to expand. PETG is a good next step. Keep in mind different materials need different prep work for the build plate depending on what build plate you have (glass, PEI). Some materials require a hardened nozzle.
PLA prints nicely on the machines as they come and doesn't release any obnoxious smells. It is relatively safe to print in the house as well.

 

[Diffident]

I also have a Prusa. I bought it because it's not made in China and it's Open Source. Source code for the firmware, software and .stl's for the printed hardware pieces are all available on Github. If design updates are made, you print new pieces.

 

[JatoTheRipper]

A Prusa i3 MK3 for sure. It's my second 3D printer. My first was a reliable starter (Monoprice Select Mini), but Ron Popeil would be proud of the Prusa. Set it and forget it!

 

[Craftfab]

My Prusa Mk3s prints great, but new out of box the white tube the filament travels through (can't think of proper name) was clogged and I spent a few hours taking it apart and installing a new tube (luckily it came with a spare one). After that nonsense it has printed very well for me. Would purchase again.

 

[Aaron_W]

Prusa has incredible instructions and comes with gummy bears.

 

[Regnar]

I bought my son a Creality CR6SE. 8 screws and a plug we had it put together and printing in about 20 minutes. It’s self levels and does an amazing job. After 10 prints my 9yr old has its down pat and is making all kinds of custom stuff for his nerf guns.

 

[JatoTheRipper]

My Prusa Mk3s prints great, but new out of box the white tube the filament travels through (can't think of proper name) was clogged and I spent a few hours taking it apart and installing a new tube (luckily it came with a spare one). After that nonsense it has printed very well for me. Would purchase again.

Bowden tube. Did your printer come assembled?

 

[Outlander]

Agree with the above - Prusa or since this is GJ, Creality line should be more appealing I went with the Ender 3 Pro, and am learning very slowly (time contraints).

@mv213 - don't neglect your overall workflow! There is a parallel learning curve there. CAD (if you don't just use prepared .stl files from Thingiverse), then slicing (Cura, Prusaslicer or other) then gCode creation and file management. Lots of this you can start well before your printer is shipped. I think I tried several tools for each element before reminding myself I better pick something and go with it.

3D printing is all about managing the variables, option and settings. You Tube and other place (like the "everything 3D printing" thread here) are your friends.

Oh, and since I just posted in the Windows vs Linux thread, look into getting a Raspbery Pi running OctoPrint (easy to install and configure using OctoPi).

 

[Craftfab]

Bowden tube. Did your printer come assembled?

Yes, it came assembled. It was the hot end PTFE tube that was clogged.

 

[JatoTheRipper]

Yes, it came assembled. It was the hot end PTFE tube that was clogged.

That's bad on Prusa. I have heard not great things about the assembly quality.

 

[LeonardY]

For starters, I have a Qidi X-Max and an Elegoo Mars.

I'll give the short answer to why.

I bought the Mars when it first came out because I build models. Both personally and professionally. It was inexpensive and I liked the fact I could buy the resin on Amazon. I did do some mods to make the machine more accurate. Build volume is limited but the quality is fantastic.

The Qidi X-Max was much more pricey. About $1000.
I started out looking at the Elegoo Neptune 2. It was $160 with a OK build volume. Figured at that price I could mess around with it. But it was impossible to get. I kept getting directed to the Ender 3 since the Neptune 2 wasn't available. Of course that lead to looking at the Ender 5 and then the the Ender 5 Pro. I kept upping my price. $160 went to $300 jumped to $600 then...
I went down the rabbit hole on upgrades. I talked to a colleague that has a Makergear M3. During the discussion he began to recommend a number of upgrades to make the printer perform better.
I finally came to the conclusion that I wanted to do design and not have to modify a printer. I used the Ender 5 as a base printer and added up the cost of all the upgrades. In parallel I began to look for a printer that had all the upgrades I wanted. That's what led me to the Qidi. I considered the X-Pro and the X-Plus but decided that I would go with the X-Max for the build volume.

I was able to print right out of the box . No tweaking.

I get the desire to tinker. I do it all the time but I didn't want my printer to be the hobby.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Aaron_W]

I get the desire to tinker. I do it all the time but I didn't want my printer to be the hobby.

That was the major consideration that led me to a Prusa 3. The Crealty printers are super popular with the tinkering crowd because they are cheap and very easy to upgrade, but several people (many with a Crealty printer) pointed out that by the time you add all the features to make it the equal of a Prusa, they had spent almost as much money and did a lot of tinkering. I am far to easily drawn to explore rabbit holes, I wanted a 3D printer to help with my other hobbies and do not need to add building and upgrading 3D printers to my long list of distractions.

 

[Diffident]

I still "tinkered" with my Prusa. I replaced the stock extruder assembly with a Bondtech geared extruder and Mosquito hotend. With the Mosquito I can do one handed nozzle changes without fear of damaging the heater cartridge wires or snapping the heatbreak off like you can on the stock E3D hotend.

 

[Farmall450]

I jumped in on an Ender 3; Low start price, easy to resell if not into it, and upgrades are cheap or printable. I'll eventually upgrade to something with a self leveling bed since I really enjoy printing.

How are you liking it? $189 currently w/ prime

 

[Legion Prime]

I got an Ender 3 V2 last winter, only thing I've upgraded on it were the bed springs. The ones it comes with are ****, I ordered upgraded springs but before they showed up I got some silicone blocks and haven't looked back since. It took a bit to get the hotend and especially bed temps dialed in but no problems since and with the silicone blocks I check the bed level but hardly ever have to adjust it.
A buddy got a Prusa since he just wanted to take it out of the box and print ABS. He had some issues initially but once he got things sorted with Prusa he's been printing like it's going out of style. The Ender you have to put together so it's a bit more work but as long as you take it slow, check to make sure everything is square and keep checking as you tighten everything down and double check again you shouldn't have too many issues.

 

[ihateminimumwage]

How are you liking it? $189 currently w/ prime

It's been great, no complaints. I haven't done a ton of mods (bed springs, quiet board and hotend) to it since it's all dialed in. Maybe someday I'll upgrade for some other features, but it does everything I want.

 

[Farmall450]

It's been great, no complaints. I haven't done a ton of mods (bed springs, quiet board and hotend) to it since it's all dialed in. Maybe someday I'll upgrade for some other features, but it does everything I want.

The manual bed leveling seems killer. There's a pro new on marketplace by me and some other units...going to have to do some learning on this one lol.

 

[mv213]

I’m the OP. I see this thread had a post recently so I’m adding an update. A couple of weeks ago I ordered an Anycubic Vyper. I ordered from Amazon because it was instock, and Anycubic was backordered for a couple weeks.

You would not believe how well packaged this machine comes. Custom cut high density foam (not styrofoam). Really well made machine. It comes mostly assembled, you just attach the gantry and the LCD screen, then cut the 4 zip ties and plug the cables in.

I was literally printing in 45 minutes. I printed the owl and “3d Benchy” which both came out perfectly. Then 2 or three things from Thingiverse, also printed perfectly. Love this machine!

I’m devoting some time to learn the fundamentals of 3D CAD. Decided to purchase Alibre Atom. Really nice little program. There are some excellent tutorials on the Alibre site. Still working through them. Having fun.

 

[bdbecker]

EDIT: I see the OP snuck in a response while I was typing this...

I'll toss in my 2 cents...

I have a Creality CR10S4 that has been nearly perfect since the day I set it up. The only issue I've had with it was that the build plate was slightly bowed from the factory. I used a few strategically placed pieces/layers of aluminum foil between the build plate and glass to fix the issue. I even have a few upgrade parts that were purchased at the same time as the printer, but haven't felt the need to install them yet because the printer just works so well. Dimensional accuracy of printed parts is within 0.005" with no adjustments or program tweaking.

That being said, if I could do it over again, I think I would prefer to have an Ender3. The driving factor being that statement is that the CR10S4 is a monster of a machine and finding a proper home for it has been difficult. I actually ordered the slightly smaller CR10, but received the S4 because the box was mislabeled from the factory. Even then, 95% of what I've printed so far wouldn't have required the larger build plates of either model. The other 5% could have been easily been redesigned into a two piece print.

I don't think you could go wrong with the Prusa, but the Ender3 would be my first choice. As others have also stated, they generally do run very well right out of the box without modification.

Also, if you haven't seen this thread yet, it might be worth checking out:

The Everything 3D Printer Thread

So lilscorpion's Tooling (Re)Organization thread drifted off topic a few times with discussions on 3D printers so we'll start a thread here as a clearinghouse for all things 3D printing. Feel free to post your questions, comments, suggestions, tips, printers, projects, etc.

www.garagejournal.com

 

[mv213]

EDIT: I see the OP snuck in a response while I was typing this...

I'll toss in my 2 cents...

I have a Creality CR10S4 that has been nearly perfect since the day I set it up. The only issue I've had with it was that the build plate was slightly bowed from the factory. I used a few strategically placed pieces/layers of aluminum foil between the build plate and glass to fix the issue. I even have a few upgrade parts that were purchased at the same time as the printer, but haven't felt the need to install them yet because the printer just works so well. Dimensional accuracy of printed parts is within 0.005" with no adjustments or program tweaking.

That being said, if I could do it over again, I think I would prefer to have an Ender3. The driving factor being that statement is that the CR10S4 is a monster of a machine and finding a proper home for it has been difficult. I actually ordered the slightly smaller CR10, but received the S4 because the box was mislabeled from the factory. Even then, 95% of what I've printed so far wouldn't have required the larger build plates of either model. The other 5% could have been easily been redesigned into a two piece print.

I don't think you could go wrong with the Prusa, but the Ender3 would be my first choice. As others have also stated, they generally do run very well right out of the box without modification.

Also, if you haven't seen this thread yet, it might be worth checking out:

The Everything 3D Printer Thread

So lilscorpion's Tooling (Re)Organization thread drifted off topic a few times with discussions on 3D printers so we'll start a thread here as a clearinghouse for all things 3D printing. Feel free to post your questions, comments, suggestions, tips, printers, projects, etc.

www.garagejournal.com

Thanks for the perspective on the Creality. I honestly think you couldn’t really go wrong with a Creality, Anycubic, or Prusa. Anything else I might be leery of.

Was strongly considering a Prusa but the Anycubic Vyper hit the sweet spot of budget, quality, and availibility.

 

[Jswain]

I also went with creality and bought an Ender 3 pro a couple months ago. It printed perfectly right out of the box but I wanted to bulletproof it and be able to print high temp filaments.

Using the printer is the easy part, figuring out a cad program, slicer settings, and how to modify your firmware takes some time but has been well worth it IMO

If you're just looking to print STL files off the internet you should be up and running in 2-3 hours its pretty amazing really