Edit: wow I’m overwhelmed by all the help I received in this thread, I was gonna reply to everyone but it’s gotten to a lot. You’ve all given me a lot to think about, thank you so much.
Hello there, hope everyone is doing well. I could use a bit of help/wisdom choosing my first FDM machine.
I get it, the technology has advanced a lot and I’m so lucky to be getting into this when I am, spoiled for choice with great options which is kind of the problem.
Realistically, my main goal is building functional, engineering style parts for my work as a cinematographer, think things like custom viewfinders, cable ties, precision rollers, and general parts and accessories for my rigs.
I do have a kid and family home too so I’ll definitely want some toys for him and knick-knacks for the house but that’s secondary.
So I know I need an enclosed core-XY with high temp hardened steel nozzles/heated bed for these special abrasive engineering materials.
I don’t want 3D printing itself to be my hobby, but I definitely know how to tinker, I’m also not half bad with CAD/3D modelling.
Folks recommend Bambu but I’m also conscious of much cheaper options available that would do what I need.
I think I’m almost settled on the elegoo Centauri Carbon, but I’m worried about regretting not having multi-color right away (they’re supposedly bringing an AMS style add-on but it’s not there yet), and even when it does, it’ll have the massive waste issue all these systems have.
So then there’s the brand new options that are just coming out like the Snap maker U1 which sounds amazing but I dunno about getting something so new and apparently they don’t have great track record.
Also looked at creality, flash forge, Audi Q2… It seems I discover a new brand/option every day even after a month of research, lmao.
So, what are your opinions? What would you get as someone in my situation? I’d rather not spend too much on the printer (hence not listing Prusa) but I also don’t want buyer’s remorse and wanting to upgrade in a few months, ideally I get a work-horse that’ll serve me for years to come right away and skip the upgrade paths…
Thanks in advance for your thoughts 🙏
You must log in or # to comment.
How long can you wait? Snapmaker U1 comes out in November. Early reviews look good and it’s completely open. Klipper firmware with Orca slicer.
Qidi and Creality both make good quality enclosed printers.
I have the Bambu A1 myself (not enclosed, but they do have the P1S which is), but I would not recommend any Bambu printers in hindsight as they are locking down their ecosystem and blocking third party software, like OrcaSlicer and I think OctoPrint too. I have my A1 set to LAN only, perpetually on firmware v4.0.0 and use Tailscale to access it remotely.
Creality has the K2 Plus which is enclosed, has its own AMS-like system (no idea how good it is though, never used it before), and is also larger than Bambu’s P1S and X1C.
Qidi has their Q2 and Plus 4, the former being newer and the latter being larger. I haven’t used any of Qidi’s printers, but I’ve heard lots of good things about them.
Background: I just got my first printer (Bambu Lab A1 mini) last year. I am also not an engineer and, like you, don’t want the printer itself to be the hobby.
Based on my experience, and what I’ve seen others say online, Bambu Lab is still the king of “it just works”. If you’re not as ideologically motivated by right to own as I am, I’d say go with Bambu.
While I have zero experience with the company, Prusa seems to be the most consumer friendly, though they have their own issues. If I buy a second printer, it’s likely going to be the Prusa Core One.
Also something to consider, the average size of what you’ll be printing. Yes, you can make things in multiple pieces, however if youre constantly printing parts that dont fit the “standard” ~250mm cube you may want to look at the larger format printers
I’m going to throw the Prusa Core One into the ring:
The first thing you will probably notice compared to something like Bambu Labs printers is the price. Yes, it’s high. However, Prusa is doing a lot more than just building 3D Printers, they are also developing the slicer software PrusaSlicer which many, including Bambu Labs Slicer, are based on and make it available for free to anyone. Also, their customer support is top of the line.
Don’t let the fact that you assemble the printer from the ground up let you scare away. I am not exactly a precision engineer myself and got everything working flawlessly on my first try.
they are also developing the slicer software PrusaSlicer which many, including Bambu Labs Slicer
Fucking Bambu turned a good slicer into the fucking worst slicer I’ve used.
Really I prefer orca.
I had to put my Prusa i3 mk3s+ in storage for about a year when I was looking for a bigger place. I tucked it under the couch’s cushions when I moved from the east coast to the Rockies, and literally only had to blow the dust off the build plate before I was able to print again.
I can’t imagine most other printers going through that without needing at least a recalibration or leveling.
That reason alone will have me strongly considering Prusa when looking for my next printer.
I heard 3d printers are quite cheap on the used market, so maybe its worth a look for you.
I thought that I would constantly need an AMS, but it turns out for me at least it is just not needed… You could always design your prints in a way where you just manually change the filament on a specific layer (set in the slicer) and print with the other filament that way. Sure an AMS can do much more, the question is how often would you need that capability.
Yeah I really don’t think I’ll need it that often, definitely not for any of the practical parts, it would just be for the fun things I’d print for the kid.
I think autocorrect screwed you. Qidi was changed to Audi. I haven’t used the q2 but my max 3 has been so solid that i bought a second one. Side note, i bought the kobra 3 combo when it was first introduced. It’s not terrible… i would go qidi over kobra for sure. I did get a centauri carbon for my dad a few weeks ago. He does hobby type stuff but has run it nonstop and it hasn’t missed a beat.
I just picked up a Max 3, and yeah, after a quick calibration, it’s been rock solid. I picked mine up for about $650.
I just got my first printer too. Some dude was selling an Ender 3 v2 in a junk shop for $30. I bought it, tinkered with it for a bit, spent $100 on bits for it, and it’s going like a champ now. New, it would have cost me $450. It took me like 2 weeks and a lot of input from this community, but I’m confident with it now. I highly recommend the printer, even for a total newb. Cura, TinkerCAD, and Blender are all free, and I’m basically just having a blast. Stay away from Bambu - even new to the game, I know that much. Good luck!
I’ve been running a FlashForge Creator Pro for over 5 years now and have been super pleased with it. I haven’t had to replace anything aside from some TPU hoses to feed the filament in all this time, but the parts at least at the time were easy to obtain since the platform was shared by multiple manufacturers like qidi. I’ve done dual color prints maybe twice ever on it. I felt it wasted too much filament on the ooze wall and still has streaks, so instead I design my models to be different colored separate parts and either snap or glue together for a cleaner end product. I think the only real limitation it’s had is the small bed size. I’ve had to do a lot of multi part builds to make anything large.
If you’re an engineer, go with the prusa if you don’t want to dick around with the printer itself after. Get the XL multi tool of course if you want multi material.
You should not that multi material isn’t analogous to multi-colour. You’ll never get the shading and a million colours with multi material (or mmu/amu style) as you need your filament to be the colour you want to print in. Post processing ipso facto is the only way to get true colour shading.
You can go with prusa HT as an affordable (10k) engineering printer. It will print up to amorphous Peek. Of course there’s no multi material with this.
Bambu p1s + ams.
My maker space got one because we were sick of farting around with half working printers, it’s been a workhorse for like 2 years now.
Then I bought one 6 months ago and I can count on one hand the number of failed prints.
Thank you for the input 🙏
As much as I’m worried about Bambu doing a rug pull (and they already have to a certain extent), my P1S is my 5th 3d printer, but my first casual one. I can leave it unused for 6 months, then just print something with no warning and first print success.
I guess I might have to bite that bullet, I can’t help being attracted to newer models and cheap alternatives but the P1S with AMS would be in budget and then I have Bambu…
I think of the Bambu P1S as the inexpensive alternative to the Bambu X1C or a comparable printer from Prusa, at least in terms of print consistency and ease of use.
My Bambu was my fourth 3D printer (second FDM printer) and it took 3D printing from a frustrating, time consuming hobby to just a thing I do to enable other hobbies. I don’t have to spend time tweaking settings to get a decent print, because the default settings are already good enough. Instead, I can focus on designing models or working with finished prints.
What’s the best option for people who hate proprietary cloud BS?
I’d personally be looking towards Prusa, in that case.
Prusa has their own proprietary cloud BS too.
Do you need one? There is a 3d printing service near me that has better printers than I could afford that is happy to print for me. For many the cost of a service is less than printer for as little as they really print so something to think about. Check your options. If 3d printing isn’t the hobby but a means this might be your better option. Don’t forget that once you agree to outsource creating parts you get access to wood, metals, and additional plastics. You also get many more processes (injection molding, lathe, milling machines, SLA/Resin printers) which lets give you many more options. And you get access to machines that wouldn’t even fit in your garage.
I’m not saying don’t get a 3d printer. For some it is the right decision. I’m saying don’t overlook the other options. Even if you get a 3d printer you should use the other services instead of making everything a nail just because you have a hammer.
I have been printing some prototypes for something my coworker is designing after he initially went with one of these print services and they charged him $40 for a tiny little 1" tube that costs me literal pennies to print and about 20 minutes of print time. I would only recommend these services in extreme circumstances because they’ll really price gouge you.
I would add to this, see if your local library either already offers such a service, or else would consider it if enough people ask. The one I work for does it and our prices are much, much lower than similar commercial services.
I’ve abused a friend with a P1S before but the reason I want my own is because I find that I want to try things out, make a test print, rework the design, refine the tolerances, etc etc. You make a good point about getting access to the other technologies and materials though, I’ll see if I have something like this closeby as well.
For yout needs, a QIDI plus 4 will fit the bill. Large volume, CoreXY, enclosed with chamber heater, their AMS-equivalent sold separately.
Avoid Bambu lab due to their rugpull practices and general fucking over of customers.
I’ve been happy with my VoxelLab Aquila. It’s an Ender 3 clone for under $200.
As a general rule the more you spend up front, the less you will spend (in time and money) to fix and maintain the thing.
3D printers are finicky which is why they often become a whole hobby on their own.
As part of that, I’d strongly recommend you stick to one of the easier to work with materials (PLA and TPU seem to be popular rn). Those are good enough 99% of the time, and printing more exotic materials is more work. If you really need a better material, prototype in PLA and then buy a professionally printed final piece (I’ve personally used Shapeways a couple times. I wouldn’t call it cheap but for small parts it’s reasonable and the quality of the end result is quite good).
I personally am using an EnderV3 right now. It’s very customizable, and was one of the cheapest options when I bought it, but it tends to take a lot of debugging every time I want to make something.
