this post was submitted on 18 Aug 2023
52 points (94.8% liked)

3DPrinting

15570 readers
195 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: !functionalprint@kbin.social or !functionalprint@fedia.io

There are CAD communities available at: !cad@lemmy.world or !freecad@lemmy.ml

Rules

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 1 year ago
MODERATORS
andypiper@lemmy.world
henry_rowengartner@lemmy.world
j4k3@lemmy.world
GrayBackgroundMusic@lemm.ee
52
Please help me choose my first 3D printer, with the features I need (lemmy.world)
submitted 1 year ago by PlutoniumAcid@lemmy.world to c/3dprinting@lemmy.world
49 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
[–] squaresinger@feddit.de 2 points 1 year ago

Better mechanics are never bad. But the points we where talking about weren't that at all. We were talking about automatic alignment of multiple Z motors. That doesn't apply to any stock Ender 3, because they all only have a single Z motor. No alignment needed, and actually no alignment possible.

Regarding the other points:

  • Metal extruder is nice if you want to print hotter materials and it's a bit less maintainance, but the trade-off is that it's a fair bit worse for PLA, which incidentally is what most beginners print exclusively.
  • The older stock hotends for Ender 3 wheren't great. The new one isn't exactly great either, but better. So not a bad thing.
  • Better springs are better mechanics.
  • ABL doesn't do much at all if your hardware is set up correctly and is mostly used by beginners to mask a badly calibrated bed, which in turn creates non-dimensionally accurate prints.

But of course the recommendation would be for the newest version of Ender 3, because there's no point in starting off with an outdated machine.

Again, the upgrades the other guy mentioned where not that.