What printer to get under $400?

**bint** · 12-11-2016, 09:28 PM

The Monoprice V2 is good.

**curious aardvark** · 12-12-2016, 09:29 AM

Originally Posted by skyjuice

Thank-you curious Aardvark! Can I ask why you recommend that one?

all metal frame, good reviews and wanhao have improved it with each release. Plus for the money what you get is ridicuklous. And it's already been built and tested, which takes a lot of hassle out of it.

Heated build plate - which is an essential for me, card slot for computer free printing. seperate control panel and power supply so it's easy to enclose if you want to.

If I had any more desk room I'd have bought one by now :-)

**skyjuice** · 12-13-2016, 12:40 PM

Hahaha! The MP select looks nice, but too small. Grab yourself one!

**Gilligan8** · 02-26-2017, 12:54 PM

What is the difference between the Folger kit first recommended and the Geetech or Monoprice ones listed later?

**curious aardvark** · 02-26-2017, 01:49 PM

geetech tend to get bad reviews, and is a kit.

The main difference between a kit and a ready built machine is that one is a kit that you build yourself and may or may not work properly and may or may not have all the bits, some of which may not work.

And the other is a factory built machine that is supposed to have been tested and should work. And you don't have to build it, so you don't get the chance to bollix up the build :-)

That and about $100.

**Roxy** · 02-26-2017, 05:36 PM

I have a GeeeTech printer. The quality is very poor. And it doesn't even really work. Who knows??? Maybe somebody out there has had a good experience with their Geeetech 3D-Printer, but I don't know who that person is.

**Gilligan8** · 02-26-2017, 07:22 PM

Upon looking more, I think I really want to get a dual element unit. *edit* Maybe I could get away with a single element unit.

Any recommendation on an i3 or similar machine?

I originally was leaning towards a delta style, like a kossel or similar.

This will be my first printer... Keeping the same budget as op in mind.

Gilligan

**Roxy** · 02-27-2017, 06:46 PM

If it is your first printer... It really is better to start with a Prusa i3 type machine. That will be easier to keep running. And it will be easier to get advice when you do run into a problem. Dual extruder machines are very cool. But they add a whole new dimension to the problem of getting something to print. My suggestion would be to start with a single extruder machine and move onto dual extruders later. It maybe the machine (kit) you choose has a dual extruder option so you can just bolt on the extra hardware later. But even if it doesn't have that option... RepRap printers are great for the Do It YourSelf type. You would just modify the X Carriage and put a 2nd extruder on it. And then reconfigure your firmware to know about it.

**curious aardvark** · 02-28-2017, 04:31 AM

I'm with roxy.
I've actually removed the nozzle from one of my machiens to turn it into a single extruder.

And apart from some specialist printing, the other mainly just uses one nozzle. Useful for having 2 filaments loaded - but changing filament takes a couple minutes.

I've got 2 dual extruder printers and I;d have to say over the last 3 years I've done 99.99% single extruder printing.
Have a look at the wanhao duplicator i3 and monoprice maker (same printers, different badges). Around the $3-400 mark and good kit with lots of support and a huge user community.