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?
Saying all surfaces are equal is wrong. Using PEI sheet with PETG or TPU (and no glue) is a nice way to destroy it.
Clean glass is best for pla imo. Also its flat. You need flat bed to avoid auto bed leveling and tooling plates are expensive. I know most peeps here disagree with me hehe
It’s very flat, it works well with PLA, and it’s what my ultimaker 2 came with.
I read about this so many times but I’ve printed with PETG a lot on both glass and PEI and never come close to experiencing this.
