Gift for teenager/1st time user - which 3D printer would be best?

[SCUBA]

I have done some research & am having difficulty finding an easy to use (out of the box) 3D printer for a teenager that is no more than $700.

We looked at Printerbot (sounds difficult to calibrate properly) --> Makerbot (too expensive) --> DaVinci 1.0 & 1.1 plus.

Lots of confusing & conflicting info.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[ssayer]

I tried a couple Davinci printers. They went back.

I considered the Printerbot. Seriously, I doubt it's more "difficult" than any other.

That said, I opted for a Creator Pro clone from Microcenter because of price. They no longer carry that one, so... another Creator Pro clone (from Monoprice) would hit your price point (http://www.monoprice.com/product?c_i...seq=1&format=2).

I'm sure there are many other possibilities...

[SCUBA]

Thank you! I will look into it.

[MiniMadRyan]

I'd argue that the printrbot is easier to calibrate. Auto bed probing is pretty well implemented on the Simple, and there are numerous upgrades available!

[curious aardvark]

yep one thing the makerbot clones aren't are easy to calibrate out of the box.

Lot of different variables that go into a good calibration.

The printrbot is definitely going to be easier for a beginner.

[MiniMadRyan]

I think you get a better 'bang for your buck' with the Makerbot clones, like the Flashforge and Microcenter's, but I tend to lean toward printrbot's (Simple and Play) as they seem to be much more forgiving to the abuse that a first time user will put them through. They aren't the fastest, biggest or have the most filament choices, but they are a rugged, forgiving machine, and Brook's done a great job of offering a lot of cool upgrades for them too.

I'd say, maybe look at getting a Printrbot Play, see if they really enjoy it and use it, and then if they do, get a Makerbot Clone next birthday or Xmas

[3DPrintBlog]

I have the Ultimaker 2 and am very satisfied with it, but it is quite pricy. Depending on the technical abilities, maybe the Ultimaker Orginal Kit? It's still a high performance printer and delivers very solid results.

[Sebastian Finke]

A lot of printers out there for that money. Good printers too, fwiw. Ease of use is an issue though. 3D printers aren't difficult to use but do require a learning curve and some effort on the users part. Tramming, calibrating, repairing, modding... its all part of the 3D printing experience. Take the time to learning and sit with the (sometimes tedious) processes and you have get amazing results.

[LambdaFF]

As a printrbot user I can tell you I'm satisfied. I would agree with the others, the automated calibration on the Play & Simple make them really easy to setup and the metal frame make them extremely rugged compared to other printers (wooden, plastic).

[Feign]

Feels a little strange to recommend another company's product, but the MOD-t is pretty much exactly what you want. It costs $399, there was less setup than a paper printer and the auto calibration on it is spot-on right out of the box.

The thing is, the limits of the MOD-t (Small build volume and PLA only) become apparent pretty fast. For the price, it's a good fast and easy way to figure out if you at least like the 3D printing hobby.