I am looking to buy a 3D printer for my son (and for myself too). We want to print, not tinker, so it should be something that gives great results right from the start.
Can you guide me to a sensible choice?
My first choice would have to be the Prusa MK3S Plus but it is outside the price range I am shopping for, except if I buy used – would that be bad to do?
Realistic choices:
- €380 used Prusa MK3S+, with 10 days printing time
- €400 new Prusa Mini+
- €250 new Ender 3 V2 Neo
Criteria:
- High quality, no hassle. I want to print, not tinker.
- Preferably (semi)assembled.
- Auto bed leveling.
- Auto error detection (filament, power, etc.?).
- Budget up to 600 EUR/USD including extras, excluding filament.
- Speed is not important.
- Size is not important.
- Must not be cloud-based.
Questions:
- Surface?! Smooth, os satin, or textured? (Why) Should I have more than one kind?
- (Why) Do I need an enclosure?
Can confirm, this is how I printed my ASA Voron parts. That said, my I3 clone was acting fairly flakey toward the end (stopping mid print despite progress still incrementing at the normal rate on the display). I wonder if it was because the electronics were inside the cardboard hat too.
It took quite a few boxes taped together to enclose the printer with the spool holder on top, but it worked.
This might get more fiddly, but an easy way is to add a shelf beneath the heated bed- or rather, 2 shelves that come together (or slightly overlap) with cut outs to accommodate any moving parts/things that pass through.
Also, I’d say that’s a reasonable assumption.
Though foam board is nice and cheap for prototyping or maybe corrugated plastic sign board, but that’s relatively hard to cut.), and if you print up some hinges, maybe a magnetic door clasp, you can fold the thing up when you don’t need it.
When you get a design you like, convert to acrylic or something.