I’ve had access to a roommate’s 3D printer, but they’ll be moving away soon :(

Wondering if people have takes on machines that are considered entry level today but may have evolved handy features since, well, when you were an entry level user.

If this isn’t the right place for this please be nice I’m sorry

    • Dave@lemmy.nz
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      5 months ago

      Doesn’t entry level basically mean “what’s the cheapest you can get, while still being worth getting”?

      • Sami@lemmy.zip
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        5 months ago

        Depends, some people see it as what is the most accessible (eg. Prusa) while others want affordability (eg. Ender 3 and clones) and most want a mix of both.

        • mrcleanup@lemmy.world
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          5 months ago

          The Bambu printers are also great “entry level” as they work so well with a lot of features right out of the box. They aren’t cheap though.

      • EmilieEvans@lemmy.ml
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        5 months ago

        There isn’t THE entry-level:

        20x20cm Desktop FFF under $200

        50x50cm desktop FFF $500

        Toolchanger: roughly $1k

        entry level plastic SLS: $10k

        metal SLS: $50k

        nano/micro structure 3d-printer: contact us

      • HewlettHackard@lemmy.ca
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        5 months ago

        Well, that’s the key… “still being worth getting”. The $100 special Ender 3 at monoprice probably isn’t worth getting for many people because of the frustration involved.

        And so in reality the best answer for the question depends on each individual’s time-money tradeoffs.

    • pico@sh.itjust.worksOP
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      5 months ago

      Hey! Thanks for the reply! The fact that this is subjective is extremely true.

      My budget is roughly 200$ for the machine alone, with a max of 300$ with filament, extras, etc.

      • KillerTofu@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        Well then if you are not afraid of tinkering creality printers are great to dip a toe at that price point and also serve to give you a solid foundation of the hobby. I started with a standard ender3 and then upgraded for a while as I learned more and finally have settled for now with a bambulab.