This is assuming you’re interested in an FDM printer, and might not apply as much if you’re shopping for resin printers.

I like this list of 3d printers, it is maintained by users of the 3D Printing discord server, who I know have first hand experience with multiple printers. Unfortunately it’s not been updated with the latest models, such as Sovol SV07 and Ender 3 v3 SE/KE.

There are sadly a lot of fake reviews and paid youtubers out there, so it’s difficult to do your own research when it comes to buying tech nowadays. I fell for this and ended up with an Ender 3 v2 which I wasn’t happy with before I had spent an additional €300 and many hours on modding it (though I didn’t go for the cheapest mods, it could’ve been improved for less). Don’t trust anyone who has a strong preference for a single brand. Most cheap Chinese brands have managed to design both a few good or at least decent printers, and several bad/flawed printers.

Creality is probably the most known brand when it comes to budget printers. They got a good reputation with the original Ender 3, but after establishing their position as market leaders they began using lower quality components, and appeared to have non-existing QC. IMO they also failed to keep up with the competition and ended up selling outdated and overpriced printers for several years, while paying youtubers for good reviews. Ender 3 S1 was a step in the right direction, though a bit expensive and still a gamble with QC. Ender 3 v3 looks quite promising and actually competitively priced, so hopefully they’ve got their shit together again but I think it’s too early to tell.

Do not buy from Amazon if you have other options. Their permissive returns policy can be a double edged sword in this case. 3d printers are high precision machines, and with companies competing to make them as cheap as possible there’s always a risk of a manufacturing/QC fault. It can be something really subtle, like holes drilled 1mm off or a bent aluminium extrusion, which is difficult to “debug” even for an experienced user but near impossible for a beginner. These faulty printers are often returned to Amazon where they are repackaged to look like new and sold to some other unsuspecting customer. This is less of an issue with new models, but it has happened that people have had to return multiple printers before getting a fully working unit when buying a model that has been on the market for longer.

When you get your 3d printer, find a comprehensive guide to calibrating it and go through every step. Don’t touch the build plate with your hands more than necessary, fingerprints ruin adhesion.