What's a good 3D printer for a beginner?

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posted in Community by the_freakk

Hey all, quick question:

I'm looking to buy my first 3D printer in a few weeks. I'm somewhat technical and willing to hack a bit, but don't have a ton of time to build or maintain something from scratch.

I realize a lot depends on money, but... I'm mostly just looking for a good product.

I'll be making thingiverse type stuff with it.

10 years, 6 months ago

dougcostlow - Getting your own printer is a great decision. you should know with pretty much all consumer level printers you'll have to learn how to set up the machine at the begining. This can take some effort but once you learn what you need you can start making some really nice parts.

I've been printing with a MakerGear M2 for over a year now and have a rock solid reliable machine. In that year i've had to replace is the hotend once but thats only because I didn't want to bother cleaning it. I've had to many jobs here on makexyz to have any lesser of a machine. I can slice the model and walk away. I don't even bother watching the machine even at the begining. Just hit print a few hours later the part is done. The M2 is also priced right in the middle of many other printers out there.

This is my opinion, check the M2 out for youself.

10 years, 6 months ago

chaz - anyone have an experience using a solidoodle current gen printer? is it capable of printing the average thingiverse model?

10 years, 6 months ago

nyl0cke - Ultimaker is my 2 cents

10 years, 6 months ago

tjones - what do you like about the ultimaker?

10 years, 6 months ago

hananmoiseyev - I started with the old Revision3Dp Orca V2 back at the time. Comes 80% assembled. They are now selling the Revision printer, which is a bit more accurate (I have it). It's the same quality as the M2 I believe.

10 years, 6 months ago

augusta3d - Makerbot. They are more expensive but their tech support is really good because I can guarantee you something WILL break/stop working

10 years, 6 months ago

nyl0cke - The ultimaker has a great design and prints really quickly and accurately , and has a way bigger print area because of its design. The maker bots are almost all H-Bots and they are inefficient with space, and from what I've seen lack in quality I would expect on small parts. Also, I've heard about a lack of reliability in getting a working out of the box replicator, especially the 2x. It's difficult to get the hotness lined up reliably. Also the Ultimaker is easily modifiable, thing overuse has loads of stuff for it, and you can do anything with it. The replicator is really closed source in comparison.

10 years, 6 months ago

fabhappy - I went from Cupcake -> Mosaic M1 -> UP! -> Replicator 2. I think the UP! and Replicator 2 are extremely easy, and nothing like the early days of hobbyist 3D printing. The Mosaic M1 is still a good machine as long as you have a good piece of software to run it. I happen to like to use Simplify3D Creator for the M1. It also works with the M2, which is a pretty piece of hardware as well. Can't say enough good thinks about Rick Pollack of MakerGear!

10 years, 5 months ago

toybuilder - nyl0cke: none of the Makerbots are H-bots. They do have a bigger extruder carriage than the Ultimakers because they are direct-drive, so there is definitely a loss of volume in the build chamber.

10 years, 5 months ago

nyl0cke - Every single replicator is an H-bot, and it's not because of the direct drive that it looses space. Seriously, look at the shape of the x and y acids, it makes an H, hence the name H-bot. I realize it is not CoreXY, maybe you're getting that confused with it? Makerbot runs with one if the most compact extruder designs, and it doesn't take up much space. If you want proof that an H-bot is bad as being compact, look at the Rapman. Same build area as the ultimaker, but it takes up way more volume. Rapman is an old H-bot made by bits from bytes before they became cubify.

10 years, 5 months ago

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nyl0cke - Axes I meant to say, not acids.

10 years, 5 months ago

3dbk - I can't say I have much experience with various printers, but I bought my 1st gen Cube about a year and a half ago with no knowledge of modeling or printing. I have some technical knowledge but wanted something super easy - and I really believe the Cube is the reason I haven't given up. I taught myself to model with Cubify's software, Invent, and use just that (sometimes Rhino). Not sure if you'd be looking for something with the limitations of the Cube (ex, plastic cartridges) but it has been an amazing printer. I've replaced the head twice by myself (they have awesome tech support) and re-soldered some contacts with no problems. If you're looking for efficient simplicity and absolutely zero fuss, I really think it's the way to go. You can check some of my prints under the name 3DBrooklyn on social media sites to see the quality and print possibilities, which again, seem great to me.

10 years, 5 months ago

jms3dprinting - I am happy I bought my Afinia 479. It worked out of the box and most problems have been user error.

10 years, 3 months ago