Quote Originally Posted by 1000Calories View Post
I have some experience 3D modeling and am very tech savvy with computers. So I am looking into a buying a printer from a brand that has great customer service. I have no knowledge on this market, nor the parts that make up the printer. I've been making prototypes, however it becomes irritating when you have to wait a while to get the part. The time has come to actually get one so I don't have to wait. PLA and ABS are the only materials I use. Is it true that a heated bed and sturdy metal frame is worth having?

Budget: $150 - $250

Any info is appreciated!
As was already said, you are looking at the very low end of the cost/quality spectrum. You should expect to make some compromises, and in some cases modifications. Also, take with a grain of salt those that say that you must modify a printer to optimize it. This is a hobby for most people and as such they are often looking for ways to modify the printer whether is needs it or not. Think of it like car enthusiasts, a person might spend $1000 on a spoiler for their Honda Civic, while they will likely see no real performance gains at normal speeds. Or in a more extreme case, they might put a snorkel onto their truck and extend the breather tubes for the differential. All the while knowing they will likely never drive their truck into a body of water, or even off-road in many cases. Why do they do it? Mostly because it looks cool. Is it better to have truck that can drive through 3 feet of water? Sure, but if you never need it, what is the point?

I would argue this point, you should get a kit and build it yourself.

1: It will get you to understand all the components and how they work.
2: The printer will break eventually. When it does, you'll be prepared to troubleshoot and fix it.

I recommend Folger Technology kits, they are all aluminum frame, have good instructions and a large user base. Cost starts about $300