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HiroProtag0nist
HiroProtag0nist
Honored Contributor
December 11, 2016
Question

Want To Buy A 3d Printer - Which Should I Buy?

If you have one please tell me about it - how long have you had it, how much do you use it?

Is it great or awful?

    22 replies

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    falken76
    Honored Contributor
    December 12, 2016

    BloodyBastard69 said:

    I picked up a Cube 3 printer new in box for $100. They are going on Ebay for around $150. There are a lot of bad reviews for this particular model,  but it's been a great printer for me. Using blue painters tape instead of the glue helps a LOT with the PLA prints.
    For the price I paid, and since I'm a beginner, this has been a fantastic 3D printer. Been using it almost daily for 4 months.



    Does it have propriatary filament?  Or can you just buy 1kg rolls from anywhere?  Usually that's the issue, if it's cartridge based, the filament is usually very expensive.  You can get 1 kg for $20 to $35.  That's 2.2 lbs, how much do you get and what do they charge on those cartridges if that's what the cube 3 has?
    BloodyBastard69
    Up and Coming
    December 12, 2016
    They do have proprietary filament, but I believe there is a hack on youtube that allows you to use regular filament.  I lucked out last month when Best Buy did a "blow out" sale on the Cube 3 filament. It's usually $40 to $50 and they had them listed for $18 each. I bought up 30 cartridges of various colors, LOL
    Demilson
    Up and Coming
    December 12, 2016
    I'm also researching to buy one. For me, the most important is cost-effective and especially print quality!

    By my research, if I were to buy a filament I would buy the "UP Plus 2"; Because, in addition to cost-effective, the print quality of it and final finish is much better than the vast majority of this type of printer; Even more expensive printers. Already won even prizes!

    It also has automatic leveling and calibration, prints with ABS and PLA filaments, has a simpler stand-out support system and appears to be quite robust. etc. According to comments I read from Amazon buyers, some have printed hundreds of pieces on it without giving trouble and without decalibrating. Unfortunately, her print area is not one of the biggest.

    See, for example, this Youtube video comparing it to other printers and the print quality of it compared to the others: "Impresoras 3D: BQ Witbox vs 3D UP Plus2 vs da Vinci 1.0 (comparativa en español)"

    However, as I have an old DLP projector from Benq here unused; I'm thinking of trying to make a DIY project from a photosensitive resin printer; Which appears to have better quality than filaments, although it also has some drawbacks.
    jaimi
    Inspiring
    December 14, 2016
    UP Plus 2 shows the resolution is 150 microns - that's 50% more coarse than just about every other 3d printer in that price range. Print area is also pretty small - 5.5", compared to 8 for most others. Though the auto-leveling sounds like a dream.
    Anonymous
    December 14, 2016
    An Original Prusa i3 MK2 


    http://makezine.com/comparison/3dprinters/
    falken76
    Honored Contributor
    December 14, 2016

    Demilson said:

    I'm also researching to buy one. For me, the most important is cost-effective and especially print quality!

    By my research, if I were to buy a filament I would buy the "UP Plus 2"; Because, in addition to cost-effective, the print quality of it and final finish is much better than the vast majority of this type of printer; Even more expensive printers. Already won even prizes!

    It also has automatic leveling and calibration, prints with ABS and PLA filaments, has a simpler stand-out support system and appears to be quite robust. etc. According to comments I read from Amazon buyers, some have printed hundreds of pieces on it without giving trouble and without decalibrating. Unfortunately, her print area is not one of the biggest.

    See, for example, this Youtube video comparing it to other printers and the print quality of it compared to the others: "Impresoras 3D: BQ Witbox vs 3D UP Plus2 vs da Vinci 1.0 (comparativa en español)"

    However, as I have an old DLP projector from Benq here unused; I'm thinking of trying to make a DIY project from a photosensitive resin printer; Which appears to have better quality than filaments, although it also has some drawbacks.


    The up series of printers are garbage.  They are idiot proofed so you can't change any of the settings, the auto level is terrible and takes forever, it has a weird bed.  If it's like the Up Mini it forces you to print with a raft and doesn't let you select temperature.  They are produced in china and use terrible software.  When they idiot proof these they use standard settings that give generally good results so it is not going to be printing at .1mm like most of these printers do.

    Once you take the time to learn how to use the printer, they are not hard to maintain at all, they're modular in their design and are easy to work on. 

    DLP printers are nice, but their parts that they print are very weak so it can't produce usable tools easily.

    Flashforge are amongst the best printers available, another one mentioned here the Wanelo is a good machine also.  Current makerbot printers are overpriced junk that's extruder clogs so often it could be listed as a feature of the product.  4th Generation Makerbots like the Replicator 2 and the Replicator 2x are excellent machines.
    Demilson
    Up and Coming
    December 17, 2016
    jaimi and falken76, thanks for the info!

    I had been impressed with Amazon's comments and the difference of final finishing between the printed pieces in UP Plus2 and the others, shown in the Youtube video: "Impresoras 3D: BQ Witbox vs 3D UP Plus2 vs da Vinci 1.0 (comparativa en español)". For, at least for me, what matters most is the final quality of 3D printing; more than resolution, configuration and printing time.

    It seems that parts printed on DLP printers are also toxic and can not be used as food receptors?
    Anonymous
    July 18, 2019
    Clean up in aisle three @DaftnDirect

    It's almost as if you never left!
    DaftnDirect
    Honored Contributor
    July 19, 2019
    thanks Snow, cleaned and polished.... they're a bit sneaky sometimes!
    13700K, RTX 4070 Ti, Asus ROG Strix Z790-A Gaming, Corsair H150i Capellix, 64GB Corsair Vengence DDR5, Corsair 5000D Airflow, 4TB Samsung 870 , 2TB Samsung 990 Pro x 2, DK2, CV1, Rift-S, Quest, 2, 3, Pro, Windows 11 Pro 24H2 (10.0.26100)
    FitBoy01
    Up and Coming
    March 29, 2021

    Enclosed printers usually contain slightly smaller or more expensive volumes, but you can easily print a wider range of materials such as ABS. However, for new people to the hobby, printers without boxes are much easier. First of all, newbies really should begin with PLA because it is very easy to print with. You can build custom boxes for very cheap purposes, some people just recycle large carton boxes when they feel like moving on. Here is a useful guide about 3d printer. Open printers are usually less expensive. I would say that a printer without a box would be your best choice for your purposes because of the lower cost, the larger build volume and the lack of experience. Some materials like ABS are shrinking very badly, sometimes making it hard to build items which match like bobble heads or figures. You should therefore start with PLA. I hope that helps! I hope that helps!

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