Hi guys,
I’m wondering (and perhaps more people) what are the reasons for you to buy a specific filament. Price shouldn’t be a factor in your answer (at least not the whole reason).
Do you buy the material it has the best surface finish (looks) or are you more interested in things like impact, heat resistance etc.
In short: Do you buy filament for the “prettiness” or for it’s “mechanical features”?
I understand that the answer isn’t so black and white so please do elaborate!
The cop-out answer is that it depends on the application I have in mind. Recently, since we found some filament we really like (MadeSolid) it’s been mostly related to aesthetics. Typically the prints I do are more show pieces than functional pieces so the surface finish and color are the the main factors I look for when I’m doing those kinds of prints. I’m hoping to tryout a few more mechanical applications for prints though, so at that point flexibility and rigidity will be the main things I’m looking for.
I’d be curious to know if anyone has recommendations for mechanically strong filament (parts don’t deform much when a force is applied). Any suggestions other than Ninjaflex for flexible material?
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Filament tolerance plays a big part in my purchase decisions. Some filaments have a larger tolerance than others and this can effect the quality of the print. I’ve tried Hatchbox filaments but I find the tolerance to large for my printer which has messed up many of my prints.
My favorite brand so far is a RioRand PLA that I order off of Amazon. It has a low filament tolerance and prints very clean with my printer. I have a spool of MadeSolid that I haven’t tried yet.
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For me it’s mostly about colors. I print with my kids and they always want something cool to show off to their friends, so the brighter the colors the better. The glow in the dark stuff is a big hit with the kids too!