3D printer recommendation

[bristleworm]

I'm really liking my new Snapmaker U1 but that's definitely geared more towards people who do multi color printing. I do print stuff for my tanks in PETG but only in a single color and it's a bit overkill for that.

My suggestion would be to check FB Marketplace or Offer Up for used Creality CR-10 or Ender 3 or any Bambu Labs printers and see if you can get a good deal on something used. They should be cheap enough that if you only decided to mess around and print a few things it's probabaly worth it. And those printers have tons of resources (YouTube, FB Groups, etc) available.

Just an FYI, and this applies to all multicolor printers, just don't think in terms of color, think in terms of multimaterial prints. I started using PLA for support on PETG prints and its a game changer.(They don't stick to each other.)

 

[cilyjr]

Just an FYI, and this applies to all multicolor printers, just don't think in terms of color, think in terms of multimaterial prints. I started using PLA for support on PETG prints and its a game changer.(They don't stick to each other.)

I have but man it adds time to print.

 

[cilyjr]

I have sold my Creality k1 and went to a bambu p2s with AMS2.
Print quality is marginally better but the multi filament printing helps in some situations. What I really like is how easy maintenance is, changing the nozzle for example is very easy. No screws, it's magnetic with a latch. Also the machine does a better job cleaning the nozzle so there is less of a chance of junk on the print bed.

 

[13rodo]

I have a coworker who 3D prints as a side gig and swears by Bambu Lab. He has a H2D and his prints are amazing. I’ve used a Prusa MK3S that we can borrow from work and I’ll never spend money on a Prusa. The premium you pay for essentially a DIY project is ridiculous. I spent more time calibrating the thing than printing and relative to my coworker’s prints the quality was lackluster. Personally I’m planning to buy a H2S with the laser cutter model.

 

[bristleworm]

Snap maker is multi head so it goes a lot faster, but yes, adds some time.

 

[cilyjr]

Snap maker is multi head so it goes a lot faster, but yes, adds some time.

That likely significantly speeds it up. The p2s being a single head needs to do a filament change at every layer.
Which with supports can turn a 2 hour print into 6hours or more.
I absolutely see the advantage to multi material prints.

 

[dantimdad]

I have a coworker who 3D prints as a side gig and swears by Bambu Lab. He has a H2D and his prints are amazing. I’ve used a Prusa MK3S that we can borrow from work and I’ll never spend money on a Prusa. The premium you pay for essentially a DIY project is ridiculous. I spent more time calibrating the thing than printing and relative to my coworker’s prints the quality was lackluster. Personally I’m planning to buy a H2S with the laser cutter model.

Agreed for the most part. I had my mk3s+ for a few years and sold it to a buddy who is a prusa die hard. After I finally got it tuned and tech support replaced the bad display, I couldn't kill the thing. No, the prints are as perfect as my x2d, a1 mini or Qidi x-max3, however, they were suitable for utility prints and I could always count on it being ready and able. My big issue was I couldn't reliably print ABS or ASA and the fumes from those two weren't a good thing. I print PLA and PETG on the Qidi and mini and ABS, ASA, PC, etc on the x2d.

Say what you want about Bambu and cloud printing, I run a side gig and have been printing for almost 9 years now and won't go back to i3 style printers or probably another brand either.

 

[13rodo]

Agreed for the most part. I had my mk3s+ for a few years and sold it to a buddy who is a prusa die hard. After I finally got it tuned and tech support replaced the bad display, I couldn't kill the thing. No, the prints are as perfect as my x2d, a1 mini or Qidi x-max3, however, they were suitable for utility prints and I could always count on it being ready and able. My big issue was I couldn't reliably print ABS or ASA and the fumes from those two weren't a good thing. I print PLA and PETG on the Qidi and mini and ABS, ASA, PC, etc on the x2d.

Say what you want about Bambu and cloud printing, I run a side gig and have been printing for almost 9 years now and won't go back to i3 style printers or probably another brand either.

Ya I mean I've basically heard the same thing from everyone who switches to Bambu. They never go back. Don't get me wrong every single 3D print I have came from the MK3S, but having used it I wouldn't spend money on it :)

 

[PPBlimpy]

Can’t go wrong with a Bambu.

I am still rocking my creality cr-10 that is going on 16years. Other than nozzles I am just ordered a replacement fan for the hot end. Sat in my garage for 5 years unused, cleaned up, plugged in and printed with the pla that was still spooked up. Love 3d printing!!

 

[bristleworm]

Thread hijack coming...
I'm an old school hippie and refuse to buy into the bamboo walled garden ecosystem which runs counter to the open source marker community ethos.

I've been printing for over 20 years including Stratasys commercial printers. The Snapmaker U1 is the real deal.

 

[commod0re]

I started using PLA for support on PETG prints and its a game changer.(They don't stick to each other.)

tried this a few times too, works ok sometimes and disastrous others, sometimes you need the supports to stick

Thread hijack coming...
I'm an old school hippie and refuse to buy into the bamboo walled garden ecosystem which runs counter to the open source marker community ethos.

I've been printing for over 20 years including Stratasys commercial printers. The Snapmaker U1 is the real deal.

Similar here, no fan of bambu labs, printing for 10 years, no commercial printers though mostly Prusa kits and one anycubic improvement project heavily modified

 

[13rodo]

Thread hijack coming...
I'm an old school hippie and refuse to buy into the bamboo walled garden ecosystem which runs counter to the open source marker community ethos.

I've been printing for over 20 years including Stratasys commercial printers. The Snapmaker U1 is the real deal.

tried this a few times too, works ok sometimes and disastrous others, sometimes you need the supports to stick


Similar here, no fan of bambu labs, printing for 10 years, no commercial printers though mostly Prusa kits and one anycubic improvement project heavily modified

To me I think it boils down to whether you view printing as a tool or a hobby. Completely agree that Bambu is counter to the maker ethos. But if you just want it as a tool that works and don't want to fiddle with it, I think that's the appeal of Bambu.

 

[commod0re]

won't go back to i3 style printers or probably another brand either.

To be fair Prusa has been moving totally away from the i3 line as well in the last few years, the current mk4s is likely to be the last one in that line, replaced by the Core One which is a substantially better machine

The thing I like about prusas is that you don’t have to buy a whole new machine when new stuff comes out because they sell upgrades too

 

[dantimdad]

To be fair Prusa has been moving totally away from the i3 line as well in the last few years, the current mk4s is likely to be the last one in that line, replaced by the Core One which is a substantially better machine

The thing I like about prusas is that you don’t have to buy a whole new machine when new stuff comes out because they sell upgrades too

That's true. My buddy upgraded the 3s+ to a 4 right after he bought it from me.

I do like the new one that with the enclosure but $$$.

 

[commod0re]

To me I think it boils down to whether you view printing as a tool or a hobby. Completely agree that Bambu is counter to the maker ethos. But if you just want it as a tool that works and don't want to fiddle with it, I think that's the appeal of Bambu.

That’s certainly one way to look at it but not the only one. Bambu is straightforward, but they want to lock your butt in to their ecosystem only. They don’t make or sell upgrades so you have to buy whole new machines to upgrade. and their customer support is widely considered to be pretty awful, which is not great from either the hobby or the professional tool perspective

They are at least 100% better than anycubic and creality though

 

[commod0re]

fwiw I spend about 10 minutes per year maintaining my Prusa Core One+ and XL-5T printers. Never spend any time calibrating either because they self-calibrate. Absolute workhorses. Much much better than my i3 Mk2.5S in every way, by a mile or more

 

[13rodo]

fwiw I spend about 10 minutes per year maintaining my Prusa Core One+ and XL-5T printers. Never spend any time calibrating either because they self-calibrate. Absolute workhorses. Much much better than my i3 Mk2.5S in every way, by a mile or more

Ya I looked at the Core One and assumed it'd be much better than a bed slinger. The MK3S left a pretty poor taste in my mouth, and I'm just glad I didn't actually pay money for it. I've heard nothing but positives from people I know that switched so I dunno I'm not a fan of closed ecosystems, but having had one too many prints that failed on the MK3S, I'm also not a fan of Prusa.

 

[commod0re]

Ya I looked at the Core One and assumed it'd be much better than a bed slinger. The MK3S left a pretty poor taste in my mouth, and I'm just glad I didn't actually pay money for it. I've heard nothing but positives from people I know that switched so I dunno I'm not a fan of closed ecosystems, but having had one too many prints that failed on the MK3S, I'm also not a fan of Prusa.

The mk3(s) was a very good lower cost (but not quite low cost) hobbyist printer compared to its contemporaries but a lot of things have advanced since it came out in 2017. I feel you on the failures, bed slingers can be frustrating at times. I basically don’t ever use my mk2s anymore and am planning to officially retire it soon. The CoreXYs are a different breed though, a step up in cost but the reliability has gone way up, they self-calibrate and are nearly maintenance-free. Not completely problem-free I do occasionally get failed prints but they’re rare anymore. And so fast, and they keep finding ways to improve print quality too. And prusa has the best customer support, they’re very responsive, good, and fast. Best customer support in the biz

 

[13rodo]

The mk3(s) was a very good lower cost (but not quite low cost) hobbyist printer compared to its contemporaries but a lot of things have advanced since it came out in 2017. I feel you on the failures, bed slingers can be frustrating at times. I basically don’t ever use my mk2s anymore and am planning to officially retire it soon. The CoreXYs are a different breed though, a step up in cost but the reliability has gone way up, they self-calibrate and are nearly maintenance-free. Not completely problem-free I do occasionally get failed prints but they’re rare anymore. And so fast, and they keep finding ways to improve print quality too. And prusa has the best customer support, they’re very responsive, good, and fast. Best customer support in the biz

Ya I hear ya and my gripe is probably more with bed slingers in general. One thing I think Prusa is missing on the Core One is a heated multi-material system. I would dry out my PETG the night before when I was planning a big print, and I feel like I could see the print quality degrading on long prints as it pulled moisture from the open air.