Could use some advice

[Mathew Saunders]

Opinions are going to vary... But right now a lot of people think the Prusa i3 printer is a good choice for somebody starting out in 3D printing. It might be worth while to look at pictures of the Prusa i2 and compare them to the i3. (I actually think the i2 looks better, but it has some issues with its print envelope) I have an i3 derivative. My frame is made out of MDF. Those nice printers at the high end of the price list probably use milled aluminum frames.

Alright thanks for clearing that part for me.

No matter what printer you get, if you really enjoy it, you are going to out grow it. Especially with all in one printers that have CNC milling options and laser engraving options built in. Probably you won't be able to anticipate everything you could possibly need (want). So, starting with something that does a lot at a reasonable price tag might be the right answer. And certainly, for $500 you can get a very nice Prusa i3 kit right now!

That's a good point, and the thing I find most fitting to me is that.... A: I like to build stuff, I don't feel taxed to do it.
B: With all that I do with quadcopters and computers, I've found that on the DIY things you can upgrade as needed to most fine tune it to you. Take a computer for example. If I need better graphics I upgrade the graphics card and sell the old one. If I need to stress the computer more, I upgrade the CPU and or the RAM. I feel it to be the same for the printers.

Mostly, you need to decide things like "Do I really need or want an LCD panel on my printer?" Or, "Do I care about the electronics that drive the printer?" Depending on your answers, you can shift what you buy to better meet your needs and probably lower the cost.

Really good point there. LCD panel, I feel like it's just a luxury. Sure if I can afford it and don't mind, then... Yeah it'll be nice to have. I'd rather put better electronics in to get a cleaner print. From the quadcopter aspect I personally purchase chinese parts. Yes all parts are chinese, but it's where the sticker for the brand gets put on. For the motors I spend about $25 each and get better quality than a $100 american motor. Sure there's the $150 motors that are absolutely perfect and are just so much better, but other than that anything in the $15-50 range tends to be very very similar, down to hairline differences. Now this could have been a horrible representation of the printer but hey... Maybe not!