So, after nearly 10 years of faithful service, my shitty ol’ Wanhao i3 Plus is finally ready for retirement. Steppers are buzzing, occasional collisions with the bed, and the heat block just doesn’t… heat as quickly as it used to.
Talking to a mate who does a lot more printing than I, it seems I can’t pass up the Ender 3 V2. The right price for what I typically do, and is backed by a mature community.
I’ve ordered the auto-level kit with it, but nothing else. My i3 already sits in a Lack Rack I made, and it should comfortably take the new printer.
I have a couple of functional print projects on the backburner that were waiting for me to make a move, but wanted to get some advice on mods and upgrades first, that might make the first experience with the Ender even better.
So, asking the more experienced Ender owners out there: are there any essential upgrades, preferably 3D printed, you think I should look at first?
Cheers in advance!
Some really great ideas here - thanks. I’m thinking little things like end caps and tool holders are a great way to start calibrating the printer. I’ve got a RasPi running Octoprint for the i3, so Klipper seems like a really quick, easy win too.
I’m thinking I’ll try out the Bowden tube for a while, but may upgrade the plastic extruder bits - I hear the plastic handle breaks too easily.
I’m going to have a think about upgrading to a PEI sheet on a magnetic base. I did that to my i3 and it worked amazingly well. But it prevented me from printing higher temps stuff, like ABS. I hear there’s high temp PEI sheets available, so will do some research before buying. My mate (who has three Enders going) swears by cheap hair spray on the stock glass bed, so I might give that a go. Not afraid to experiment and tweak - that’s the fun bit. It’s like a never-ending series of puzzles!