“Which 3D printer should I buy?” is a common question for new and old users in the 3d print community. Do you own a printer currently? Help others out by posting your printer(s) here and the pros and cons of using said printer(s).
Printer: Printerbot Simple Metal
Pros:
- Print Quality
- Sturdiness
- price
- Community Support
Cons:
- Requires some tweaking for best results.
- Small print envelope
Printer: Ultimaker 2
Pros:
- Ready to go out of the box
- Sturdiness/build quality
- Community Support
- Print Quality
Cons:
- Feeder mechanism often has issues and causes failed prints (machine dependant)
- Build area not enclosed (makes using ABS/PET+ a little harder)
EDIT: It looks like most of the issues I described about failed prints have now disappeared and it is behaving really reliably. The main difference is that we put a filament cleaner on the line before the feeder. Seems to have solved all of our issues. With that in mind, it’s a fantastic printer!
Ohhh boy, that is a complicated question to answer.
(FDM and FFF) Pick a brand/model, read Amazon reviews(not 3DHubs), find the forums and Youtubes users.
Short answer = Get which ever one you can get your hands on immediately. You have to learn all the variables that are involved with making a 3d print, b/c it will effect your design choices and decisions. And that knowledge will guide you, when you are ready to upgrade to another printer.
Long answer = How much time and money do you want to invest in your new hobby/business venture?
-
- Do you want to learn “how” to 3d print? = Lots of time, but little money.
.Gcode machines = Printrbot Simple(s), the wooden models are very cheap, easy to understand, fun to tinker with, and will teach everything you need to learn about the mechanics and software options available. Metal, Play, and Plus are better engineered and won’t require as much tinkering.
Also the .X3G code machines: Wanhao Duplicator4 X, Flashforge Creator X & Pro, MB Replicator2. All 3 have enclosure options available, for optimum ABS printing.
- Do you want to learn “how” to 3d print? = Lots of time, but little money.
-
- Or, do you “just” want to print? = Lots of money, but less tinkering time.
= (sub-$2,000) Makergear M2 ““HIGHLY-RATED”” by experienced printers(ppl).
Ultimaker2 is great, they are beautiful, fast, and well engineered, but a little pricey.
FusionTech F100&F100L, is new, might be worth looking at as reviews start to come in, and is an incredible bargain for the build volume you get, 12"x8"x(7"&22")
= (sub-$4,000) Type"A"Machines. It’s Huge, 12" build volume, cantilevered gantry, webcam, wifi, 8GB storage, usb and power buttons on the front (brilliant), all metal hotend, etc…
- Or, do you “just” want to print? = Lots of money, but less tinkering time.
Printer: 2… ummmm, dozen.
Pros: You wouldn’t believe how many different ways these things are put together, and the SW that runs them
Cons: You wouldn’t believe how many different ways these things are put together, and the SW that runs them !!!
Fav: Wanhao Duplicator4, w/Sailfish 7.7 FW…
Dream machine: Yes, I dream of many machines, lol.
Aleph Objects - Lulzbot Mini V1.0
Pros:
Auto-leveling feature
Plug and Play
Cura-Lulzbot edition
Extensive filament compatibility
Nozzle cleaning
Open Source Hardware/Software
Customer Serivce/User Forums
Used printer pricing
Cons:
Small build volume
Fixed chassis
No SD Card slot
Final Thoughts:
An all around pleasure using this printer so far. Its build volume isn’t the largest but its a darn good printer. Its defiantly designed as more of a plug and play setup. Lulzbot (Aleph Objects) has been a great company to deal with and their customer service has been amazing. They also provide open source hardware and software and recently, they have shared the plans needed to make a tool head that can use flexible filaments with the all metal hot end.
The chassis of the Lulzbot Mini V1.0 is all metal, unlike the Taz version of printers that are made from 80/20 profile, the mini is all pre-bent metal making chassis upgrades potentially more difficult in the future.
Aleph Objects - Lulzbot Taz 3
Pros:
Large build volume
80/20 Profile chassis (Customization)
LCD Control/SD Card reader
Up-gradable
Dual extruder capable in both Hard and Soft filaments
Low used prices
Same chassis as the Taz 4 and Taz 5 models
Cons:
No Auto-leveling
Non all metal hot end
Final Thoughts:
My Lulzbot Taz 3 printer has a large build volume which just opens up so much for me. Not having auto leveling makes setting up the build plate tough, at least for me. Lulzbot forums however have users that have shared multiple ways to add leveling to the printer.
I haven’t used the Taz 3 as much as ive wanted but its an all around great printer. They can be found used for cheap now and since they have the same chassis as Lulzbot’s most recent printer, the Taz 5, you can fully upgrade the Taz 3 to the Taz 5. Lulzbot provides all of the plans and well detailed instructions on how to build all of the parts for the upgrade. The user forums are also a great place to find things out.
In short, ive been happy with both printers from Lulzbot. I don’t feel I will be changing to a different printer any time soon. Once I can get my Taz 3 up and running better I am sure I wont hit my limits with these printers for a while!
Chris,
1 Like
Lulzbot Taz6 vs Ultimaker Pro2 vs MakerBot replicator2 - Which is best 3D printer for under $3000 ?
Lulzbot Taz 6
Apparently this model is even better than the Taz6 because it uses smaller 1.75mm filament.
http://www.deltamaker.com/
Can always convert to a 1.75mm filament in the Taz series
This is a common question which generally arises in mind when we are going to buy a 3D printer. Hp printer support provide you best solution for this.
The latest list of 3D printer
• XYZprinting da Vinci Mini.
• Ultimaker 2+
• Formlabs Form 2.
• M3D Micro3D Printer.
• FlashForge Creator Pro 2017.
• LulzBot Mini.
• CubePro Trio.
Recently i bought a brother 3d printer, initially it was good but after few days it shows an issue https://www.printererrorrepair.com/blog/brother-printer-offline-windows-10/ while printing so i want a proper solution how to remove this error as soon as possible.
what do you guys think about these printers? are these good for beginners like myself and others
Yes I agree With this statement. This is the Imp thing You should know before you go for a 3D Printer.
I can say this because i am Working in a 3D printing and Vacum casting Organisation Called Binashree. So I am quite aware about 3D printer and about this technology.