Quality budget 3d printer for beginners?

[kdobson83]

The title speaks for itself. I am looking to get into 3d printing but I have a slim budget and have no idea what I'm doing. Lol
I've done a little research and I've seen people reccomend the Anet A8 but I've also seen some pretty bad reviews which makes me hesitant. So, I figured I'd come ask the community that has helped me so many times before.
What budget friendly begginer friendly 3d printers would you recommend?

 

[LitterBug]

Hard to go wrong with a MonoPrice Select mini V2 for a starter printer. If you want a bigger print bed, MonoPrice has reasonably priced larger printers too. Keep an eye out for sales. The mini can be had new for $150 from time to time, and the larger ones go on sale frequently too.

Cheers!
LitterBug

 

[Fluburtur]

The anet a8 is pretty decent if you put some effort into it but it might not be worth it for some peoples. The cr10 mini on banggood is often on promo at 250 so I guess this one is good.

 

[kdobson83]

Yeah, those monoprice printers are a tad pricey for me ATM. The mini is the right price range but print size is small. And I'm hesitant to by on banggood. A cheap brushless motor or props is one thing. A 3d printer is another. Lol

 

[quimney]

It really depends on what you want... I bought an a8 because I didn't want to spend a lot of money and I love to learn. I took my time building it and It has served me well. There is a lot to learn about, slicing, filament selection, 3d design,... many happy hours for me.

If you want a turnkey printer look elsewhere. My a8 is more than a year old and still going strong. no regrets here.

 

[Snarls]

Been awhile since I've researched the latest 3D printers, but this past summer the best one to get was the Creality CR-10. Now there is a CR-10s version that is upgraded and you can get for between $400-$500. It has quite a large build area and has some solid construction with the aluminum extrusions. Plenty of reviews for you to check out as well.

Personally I have a Folgertech 2020 kit. I got it for a little less than $300 and have put in around $50 in upgrades. I has been super reliable, being able to print right away after me being away at college for weeks at a time. Print quality is good enough for me, someone who prints more functional parts than art pieces. I would recommend this printer two years ago, but now you can get something just as good, without tinkering required, for just as much if not less.

 

[French]

Another vote for the MP Mini Select or MP Mini Delta. Great inexpensive printers with a ton of bang for the buck.

 

[mrjdstewart]

just got a CR-10S 300 and couldn't be happier. not cheapish but also not Luzbot territory. just started a 3Dlabs bf-109f. printing the 4 left wing sections as we speak. can't wait to see what i got in the morning.

laters,

me

 

[jaredstrees]

I got the Anet A8 here as well. It does take a bit to get it right, but has been an awesome printer. For the price it's hard to beat. Print your upgrades and roll on. I can get some very good quality prints out of it.

 

[cranialrectosis]

Another way of thinking about this might be to source a local shop or someone at a local club for some hands on time.

Here in COS, DroneSpace rents time on 3D printers. It can be an inexpensive way to get to know what is involved and learn the basics so you can make a more informed decision.

 

[Shurakair]

I'd have to agree with the A8 people. Its a very capable printer for the price. It is a very barebones setup but it can be easily expanded and it is popular enough that you can find upgrades to print (or buy) all over. If you're interested in learning something about 3D printing on a tight budget, the Anet A8 is a good way to get into the hobby. If you want a printer that prints perfectly out of the box, the Anet A8 is not the printer for you.

I bought my A8 from Gearbest a couple years ago but I don't see much of a difference between Gearbest and Banggood.

When I got my A8, I went in knowing that it may never work well. My expectations were pretty low. Kind of like a $150 gamble. I feel it was well worth the money.

 

[thenated0g]

I picked up a refurbished Maker Select v2 from Monoprice online store shipped for $199. Its been going non stop for a couple weeks now. Love it.

 

[mrjdstewart]

starting to look like a plane. i admit that its not perfect but for my first swing, i'm pretty happy. several all night prints, plus a couple that were still going when i left for work.

i am just using the g-code files 3Dlabprints supplies. i know if i was braver, and smarter, and better looking, i would be able to use the .stl files and clean up some of the issues. until that time, i will just be happy.

crazy how thin they print the walls!

laters,

me

 

[quimney]

Please nobody take offense, I mean none...

The printer is only part of the equation. you have to learn setup, slicing, filament, and more to coax reliably good prints out of a wide variety of parts and filiments. I have seen bad prints come out of printers that cost thousands of dollars, prints I paid for, done by people who do it for a living, that were worse than what I can do with my little a8.

This is an example of what an a8 can do with the spitfire wing. I can also show you pictures that look terrible, it's all about learning to use the machine and I am still learning. The a8 is capable, the only meaningful updates I have made are nylon bearings, good belts and printed tensioners, maybe $30, and I only did that when I could see what was needed. I'm in it for the journey and in my opinion any of the printers mentioned here can take you there...

 

[kdobson83]

Update - I had found a printer that Aldi was distributing, it was called the Balco 3d printer. Reviews were awesome and the printer looks amazing. Really sturdy just about out of the box printer for just over 200. But the only way to get it here in the states was to buy from Amazon, which I assume the seller stopped selling them as it said unavailable when I finally went to buy...

So, back to square one. Doing some digging, and looking at the Creality CR-10, I came across Creality's newish printer, the Ender 3. For $200 I get a huge bed compared to other printers in this price range, and it's 90% ready to go out of the box. Lots of good reviews plus it's a popular brand, so lots of support. I haven't got it yet as I just ordered it, but I'm super excited. I'm almost as excited to get into 3d printing as I was when I discovered FliteTest 3 years ago.

 

[quimney]

Congratulations! You will have to give us a review when you get it up and running.

 

[kdobson83]

After a week of printing I can say the Ender 3 is an awesome little printer. The bed was a tad warped, but putting a glass bed on with hair spray fixed that. The test print it came with came out amazing. I'm still messing with Cura settings, trying to get it tuned in but I'm getting decent prints. I've printed the center pod for the Mini Arrow and can not wait to get it in the air.
Anyway, build is quick, price is cheap, print bed is large, quality is great, plenty of spare parts, sold on Amazon, and print quality is awesome (if I can get Cura dialed in). I would highly recommend this printer. The only neggative would be the warped bed.

 

[Chuppster]

I print and sell 3dLabPrint planes on my TronXY P802 with the stock Gcode. Takes quite a bit of tweaking, but for $160 I'm happy with the printer. I only wish I could buy it with a better control board.