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?
I got an old cr-10 from a friend, and yes, the software and screen have their issues. But, the thing is a workhorse. At one point I had it working almost non stop, creating thousands of prints, and it handled it like a champ. This is an old printer… I don’t know how things have changed since, but I wouldn’t blanket discount Creality. I’ll say this: based on my somewhat limited experience, any printer will work great out of the box. It’s keeping it that way that becomes challenging over time.
If any printer will work great out of the box, any printer is not Creality, because it certainly hasn’t ever worked great.