Hi All this is my First post and question

Hi I am trying to help my son find a 3d printer, We went to Microcenter and seen a Ender 3 on display that was plugged in so after fiddling with the controller I got it to start printing a boat (don't remember the name) it did a line on the side of the table then started trying to print but the thing didn't stick to the table and was dragging around a mess of strings at first then it started to stick and make the boat, after a bit a salesman came by and said it didn't stick because a cold draft from the warehouse cooled the table off. I didn't really think he knew what he was talking about but i thought i would try it again. So I stopped the print and removed what was made of the boat ( about 1/4" ) and started it again this time I put my arms around the table but this time it didn't stick at all. The reason for this long story (sorry) is I want to make sure this isn't what I or my Son has to expect from trying to buy and use a 3d printer? is this part of a long learning curve, or is this just a bad display? I hope this makes some sense Thanks Eric

ender 3 are CRAP do not buy one !

terrible design, cheap components no support worth mentioning.

There are however a lot of very good machines out there.
probably the best plug and play machine at the moment is the prusa mini - around $400 with p&p.
well worth the money.
Also take a look at monoprice and qidi printers on amazon, monoprice might also be in some shops.

Monoprice buy in and rebadge, while qidi are one of the best chinese direct manufacturers around. Both for support and quality of their machines.

Basically the ender 3 is the machine with the most problems raised on this forum in the last 2 years.
We have had more: 'my ender 3 does not work' threads than for ALL OTHER 3d printers combined !

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Originally Posted by curious aardvark

ender 3 are CRAP do not buy one !terrible design, cheap components no support worth mentioning. There are however a lot of very good machines out there. probably the best plug and play machine at the moment is the prusa mini - around $400 with p&p. well worth the money. Also take a look at monoprice and qidi printers on amazon, monoprice might also be in some shops. Monoprice buy in and rebadge, while qidi are one of the best chinese direct manufacturers around. Both for support and quality of their machines. Basically the ender 3 is the machine with the most problems raised on this forum in the last 2 years. We have had more: 'my ender 3 does not work' threads than for ALL OTHER 3d printers combined !

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Thanks for the super quick response! I was looking a the Prusa Mini and was trying to see if the upgrade to the multi color attachment works with this unit.I will look into the qidi. Its funny i was making a list of the upgrades for the ender3 and watching videos on how to do them, with the prusa mini it seemed like it already had all of the upgrades. but what is the big deal with the extruder?

I think you should concider flashforge finder. You can also read this article by forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/billrob.../#2ad9b0c370ca
You can ask on forums like this and can ask on facebook groups as well.

the flashforge finder is also available from monoprice under a different name. :-)

Ask autowhiz about the prusa mumu, he's got one. Not sure if it's been plugged in yet as he's got distracted with one of his other machines :-)

LOL it's not that the prusa has any upgrades it's just that creality took the originbal prusa design and downgraded it to the point that it barely works, but was dirt cheap to make.

No idea about the prusa mini extruder - but if it's different then it's different for a good reason :-)

The qidi and flashforge finder looks good also
My Son showed me this one
https://www.anycubic.com/products/an...pro-3d-printer
It looks like the qidi I think
This seems so hard to know who made the original when all the printers feel to be copies of someone

I have an Ender 3 Pro and an Artillery Sidewinder X1. I have enjoyed both very much. The Sidewinder has a larger build surface and prints much faster with its direct drive extruder, but the Ender has been a very good machine for me. The biggest problems I have had with my Ender are when I add an upgrade and then it takes time to dial it in again. Whatever you decide to get, the main thing, in my opinion, is to just play with it. Don't do any upgrades until you are thoroughly comfortable with the machine and whatever quirks that particular machine may have. Yes, there will be a learning curve, 3D printers are not like an inkjet printer where you set it up once and forget about it and maybe change the ink sometimes, 3D printers require care and attention, but I wouldn't really want it any other way personally.