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Consensus on best "cheap" newby 3d printer?

E

euphoricd00m

n00b
Joined
May 15, 2016
Messages
6
Hey guys,
Have never owned a 3d printer before, however I think they open the door to so many "maker"/tinkerer possibilities when it comes to tech projects and the like.

I had a look on Amazon, I saw a few models with many 4.5/5 star reviews in the $170-$300 range. The main issue for me with those is that they seem too small.

I would like the ability to print reasonably sized parts, maybe 12"x12"x12"?

I don't want to spend all that much on it as It's just a toy for me to tinker with.

Also, how's the software compatibility between various models? Is there a standardized file extension these printers use, or is it a free for all? What's the most common software platform for making designed and models to be printed? Something like Blender? Or CAD software? What's everybody use for their modeling software?
 
My ender 3 v3 se was cheap and has made lots of good prints.

I pay a few bucks for solidworks as that's what im skilled with.
 
I use an Ender 3 V3 (not SE or KE) and it works fine out of the box and with minimal issues that are more or less just slicer setting familiarity. They have a 'Plus' version that would fit your large format size. Alternatively Elegoo has a 'Neptune Max 4' which is an even bigger build volume.

how's the software compatibility between various models? Is there a standardized file extension these printers use
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Basic file extension is STL and is universally used.

what's the most common software platform for making designed and models to be printed?
Click to expand...
Depends on the project, but here's a good infographic on options. https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/wiki/makingmodels

What's everybody use for their modeling software?
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Blender and Fusion360.
 
Depends really. Majority of bed slingers are roughly 9 1/2" x 9 1/2".

I started with a used Ender 3 v2, and as much fun as it was to set up and learn on, (which im glad I did) they are pretty slow unless you swap out the boards, or run klipper.

I have a Anycubic Kobra 3 and a Kobra S1.

The S1 is a badass printer for the price, but it is a bit out of your price range.

The Kobra 3, is what Id recommend for a fairly setup and print printer. Think they can be had for about $200 with out the ACE unit.
 
I'm still running an Ender 3 V2. Speed isn't good but doesn't bother me too much right now. The biggest thing for me now is trying to make the jump from Tinkercad to FreeCAD.
 
12x12x12 is big for a 3d printer, at that size you're getting one that advertises itself as a large print bed and will be paying a premium. If you can take 9-10" instead, id recommend bambu labs a1. Fairly cheap, super easy to use.
 
mnewxcv said:
12x12x12 is big for a 3d printer, at that size you're getting one that advertises itself as a large print bed and will be paying a premium. If you can take 9-10" instead, id recommend bambu labs a1. Fairly cheap, super easy to use.
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I agree with this. Also I believe they are on sale right now at a good price. Really good gateway drug into printing.

anything 12inch+ is a premium or going to be a bed leveling nightmare if you go too cheap.
 
i started with an ender 5+ over 5y ago, well it is my son's. He is going to move out soon and I bought the Elegoo Centauri Carbon and love it. way faster, way cleaner printing, etc.
$300...
contemplating a 2nd or 3rd...
 
I made the leap from an Ender 3 V2 to a nicely discounted open-box Flashforge AD5X at one of the local Micro Centers - we're talking sub-$300 for a CoreXY printer with ceramic heater hotend, filament changer, load cell-based bed probing, input shaping accelerometer in the toolhead, the works.

It'd cost far more to upgrade the E3V2 to similar spec, and that's accounting for having a second Ender 3 Pro that I never used that could be mashed together with the existing printer for a Duender build.

We've come a long way in these past few years, it's kinda staggering. Much of it seems to be everyone hastily responding to Bambu Lab disrupting the market with a bunch of reasonably affordable, easy-to-use printers that aren't nearly as fussy as the Ender 3s of old (the extrusion profile-framed ones, anyway, the V3 models are practically in-name-only at this point), and basically copying their designs but even cheaper. Creality K1/K2, Elegoo Centauri Carbon, Flashforge AD5M/AD5X, the list goes on. You could easily get any of those for a bit less than a Bambu P1S, though the P1S itself is already down to $400 without the AMS filament changer.

I would highly recommend going CoreXY over a bedslinger if your budget permits; it's much faster, a bit more compact on account of the massive bed not having to sling its massive footprint around, and easier to enclose for printing high-temp filaments like ABS or ASA (if it's not already fully enclosed like a K1, CC or P1S; AD5M/AD5X and most Voron kit builds require additional enclosure panels).

One word of warning: cheap 3D printers, while very nice to have, often end up being one hell of a rabbit hole to fall down to the point of becoming their own hobby. Start with a cheap Ender 3, and next thing you know, you're building a Voron/RatRig/VZBot/etc. using whatever suitable parts you can cobble together. It's kinda like the CNC machine equivalent of building a custom high-end PC.
 
NamelessPFG said:
I made the leap from an Ender 3 V2 to a nicely discounted open-box Flashforge AD5X at one of the local Micro Centers - we're talking sub-$300 for a CoreXY printer with ceramic heater hotend, filament changer, load cell-based bed probing, input shaping accelerometer in the toolhead, the works.

It'd cost far more to upgrade the E3V2 to similar spec, and that's accounting for having a second Ender 3 Pro that I never used that could be mashed together with the existing printer for a Duender build.

We've come a long way in these past few years, it's kinda staggering. Much of it seems to be everyone hastily responding to Bambu Lab disrupting the market with a bunch of reasonably affordable, easy-to-use printers that aren't nearly as fussy as the Ender 3s of old (the extrusion profile-framed ones, anyway, the V3 models are practically in-name-only at this point), and basically copying their designs but even cheaper. Creality K1/K2, Elegoo Centauri Carbon, Flashforge AD5M/AD5X, the list goes on. You could easily get any of those for a bit less than a Bambu P1S, though the P1S itself is already down to $400 without the AMS filament changer.

I would highly recommend going CoreXY over a bedslinger if your budget permits; it's much faster, a bit more compact on account of the massive bed not having to sling its massive footprint around, and easier to enclose for printing high-temp filaments like ABS or ASA (if it's not already fully enclosed like a K1, CC or P1S; AD5M/AD5X and most Voron kit builds require additional enclosure panels).

One word of warning: cheap 3D printers, while very nice to have, often end up being one hell of a rabbit hole to fall down to the point of becoming their own hobby. Start with a cheap Ender 3, and next thing you know, you're building a Voron/RatRig/VZBot/etc. using whatever suitable parts you can cobble together. It's kinda like the CNC machine equivalent of building a custom high-end PC.
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Well..
I got centauri carbon .. love it..$300 core xy
 
TeleFragger said:
Well..
I got centauri carbon .. love it..$300 core xy
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Very nice entry point there, if you don't mind the lack of multicolor/filament changer support (which I suspect is due to Elegoo cutting costs on RAM on the printer's motherboard). I haven't used one, but I was real tempted.

Honestly, it's kinda startling what you start doing once you have a 3D printer. Need organized containers? There's models for that. Need a mounting bracket for some specific piece of hardware? There's models for that. Need parts for your other 3D printers? Many of 'em are actually designed to have some of their structural bits 3D-printed in true RepRap fashion. (In fact, I took the AD5X back and bit the bullet on a Bambu printer precisely to print ASA/ABS parts reliably so I can try and build a Voron or similar machine...)
 
TeleFragger said:
And hit wallet harder
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There's a reason they have somewhat of a cult following - 3D printing takes time - and anything that promises EASY and RELIABLE prints ends up being worth it - I considered going cheaper and I'm glad I didn't. Nothing sucks more than have a 18 hour print fail and Bambu did a lot of help prevent stuff like that. Do I buy their pricey filaments? Almost never - it's amazon or ali for that. But for the core mechanisms? Bambu all the way
 
This past year I've gotten into 3D printing at a beginner level so far, using the Ender V3 SE. I adjusted some settings immediately out of the box based on various recommendations for "initial setup for best printing" for this printer that I've found- most of which seems to entail slowing it down a bit speed and acceleration-wise to get nicer prints, and I have to say I'm quite happy so far. I print PLA with zero problems. I've been dialing in PETG which is a bit harder to work with but already close to the right settings.

And honestly though I kinda of got into the hobby on a whim, it might be one of the most fulfilling things I've ever fallen into. Being able to manufacture small parts yourself for practically nothing in terms of cost is just awesome. You start finding all SORTS of problems you can solve using a 3D printed piece, or print things that you can't buy anywhere else- and if you could- they would be far more expensive. The thing has practically already paid for itself.

I use Orcaslicer for slicing and I make prints in either Tinkercad (simple web 3D design tool from Autodesk) or FreeCAD, the latter of which I've been trying to learn more lately just so I can design things in an open-source tool with no licensing restrictions. Tinkercad is nice for extremely fast/simple things though when I just want to throw something together in a couple of minutes that doesn't need a lot of detail (quick bracket or whatever)
 
xx0xx said:
This past year I've gotten into 3D printing at a beginner level so far, using the Ender V3 SE. I adjusted some settings immediately out of the box based on various recommendations for "initial setup for best printing" for this printer that I've found- most of which seems to entail slowing it down a bit speed and acceleration-wise to get nicer prints, and I have to say I'm quite happy so far. I print PLA with zero problems. I've been dialing in PETG which is a bit harder to work with but already close to the right settings.

And honestly though I kinda of got into the hobby on a whim, it might be one of the most fulfilling things I've ever fallen into. Being able to manufacture small parts yourself for practically nothing in terms of cost is just awesome. You start finding all SORTS of problems you can solve using a 3D printed piece, or print things that you can't buy anywhere else- and if you could- they would be far more expensive. The thing has practically already paid for itself.

I use Orcaslicer for slicing and I make prints in either Tinkercad (simple web 3D design tool from Autodesk) or FreeCAD, the latter of which I've been trying to learn more lately just so I can design things in an open-source tool with no licensing restrictions. Tinkercad is nice for extremely fast/simple things though when I just want to throw something together in a couple of minutes that doesn't need a lot of detail (quick bracket or whatever)
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you will find uses that you would never think of!

Today, realized our roomba pushes the base up over the quarter round.. so i am going to make spacers that i will double sided tape to the back of the charge station so when roomba drives on on charge station, it wont push it back.
 
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