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’m on a bit of a war path against these Creality recommendations. I got a CR-10, and their software is AWFUL. I don’t know if that’s a universal thing, but I’ve never seen a product that’s as poorly translated, hackishly constructed (the touch screen isn’t even secure, it just hangs there off some screws, and the diagonal supports aren’t even properly sized pieces, they just basically made a giant bolt that’s split in the middle and said “do it yourself”), with such horrid software (the damn thing can’t even connect to WiFi properly or use a freaking Ethernet connection properly), and worst of all, even if you get past all that other stuff it’s extremely unreliable at its most basic function, printing (I’ve still yet to get the dang thing to print something without the print detaching from the base).
Creality is junk, I can only assume Prusa is better because the bar is so low; literally the worst product I’ve bought in years.
This is very different than my experience with Creality, with the exception of having a hard time getting prints to stick. And as I said, that issue was solved by simply getting a PEI plate. I also have a few other friends and family who have Creality printers and I haven’t heard any bad stories. Maybe it’s that model?
Others commented also in this vein - apparently it is very much hit or miss. With luck it’s a decent unit, no luck with and it’s a unit like yours. That variation alone is enough to turn me off.
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.