<TLDR> • Experience: none • Size: > 20x20x20 cm • Price Range: 800-1500€ • Print Medium: PLA </TLRD>
Hi all! I would like to join the group of 3D printer owners but I don’t have any experience. I don’t want to buy a cheap printer just to find myself buying a better one in a few months so I set my price in the middle segment (I think).
I am going to set it up in my office which has AC but direct sun light for some hours a day. Is a full case recommended?
What printer can you recommend for me and what software (windows) can I use to design and print some parts?
If you need any more info please let me know.
Kind regards in anvance
If you want something to just print without tinkering, the new Bamboos are what’s hot right now, but if you want to learn and tinker with 3D printing, I wholeheartedly recommend Prusa. I followed 3D printing for years before finally deciding to buy one and I got a Prusa MK3S+ early last year and it has been a workhorse. So much so that I just bought a 2nd one a few months ago. You can buy the kit for cheaper and put it together yourself and you’ll learn a lot about how they work. I’ve got tons of mods done to mine plus a printed enclosure for one and I’m working on the 2nd one. The main selling points for me is they are open source and Prusa the company and owner are really involved in the community.
They also run printables.com which is a huge repository of print files. Also Prusaslicer is their slicing software that works great. Lots of people use it even without Prusa printers. They can be finicky at times, but I think that’s all printers really. Good thing about Prusa is everything is replaceable or printable and aftermarket mods are plenty. (Revo nozzles especially if you like to switch nozzle sizes often). I just like how open they are and how heavily involved in the community they are. That means so much more to me than a “just works” printer. If you do go with Prusa, they just came out with the MK4 which has lots of improvements. I’m also planning on picking up the XL sometime when I have extra monies. Shoot me a DM if you want to chat about it.
For your first printer I would recommend getting something you can build from scratch if you have the time. You’ll learn about all the different parts of a printer so you have an idea of what to do when something goes wrong. Prusas are great in that aspect as they have wonderful documentation and assembly instructions and it’s easy to buy replacement parts if you need it, plus they’re pretty low-maintenance once built. In your price range I think the MK4 kit would be a good option, just keep in mind that assembly can take upwards of 10 hours depending on how fast you go.
However, if you want to buy something and just forget about it, one of Bambu Lab printers would probably be a better option. Their parts are more proprietary and you won’t get the same learning experience, but its dead simple to setup and use. (Not to mention incredibly fast).
Either way, you’ll be getting a solid printer that should last you for a while, so have fun and be sure to post here if you have any more questions!
I’m eyeing this https://www.prusa3d.com/product/original-prusa-mk4-2/ as my second printer
in that price range you can get a bambulabs X1 carbon, which is an extremely high performance and high reliability machine. If you want to save a bit, the P1P is also really good.
I am a hardcore custom printer guy who loves building everything themselves, but even I have to admire this machine.
Don’t listen to people recommending ender 3s or anything creality, but prusas are also a good option, if a bit outdated.
I like the X1 as a printer. But BambuLabs is not a company I’d want to support.
I’m considering getting one for my next printer. What’s wrong with them as a company? I’m out of the loop.
I’ll just list some I remember
Their slicer has a fork called orca which included some nice extra features and calibration tools which work for all machines not just the Bambu ones. In the latest update of their slicer they just copied all the code from the fork but never mentioned the person that did all the work until they were publicly called out on it. Which seems to be a recurring theme.
Also many functions of the printer are locked behind it being always connected to the cloud which has been proven to have multiple vulnerabilities. One of the most annoying is sending files over to the machine over wifi is linked to the printer having acces to the Bambu labs servers which have been experiencing some downtime lately. Meaning a lot of functions of the printer are only there as long as Bambu labs exists.
I think the main issue with them is that everything is proprietary on the machines meaning little aftermarket support or user mods. Traditionally, most printers up til now have used generic parts that anyone can buy from 100’s of different retailers.
FYI. The Bambu P1P is currently going for $599 USD. It’s a core xy , with impressive print speeds, with an upgrade path to a proven multi materials solution.
Since you are placing it near an AC, you’ll need to print the side panels to partially enclose it. Lots of community upgrades available.
Good luck.
