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  1. #1

    Wink my 1st 3D printer (Cheap). Help please.

    Hello, I decided to go for a 3D printer recently. The number 1 priority for me is bang for buck ratio....

  2. #2
    Hello, I decided to go for a 3D printer recently. The number 1 priority for me is bang for buck ratio.
    After a lot of research, reading and familiarizing myself,
    I decided to buy either "Creality Ender 3" or "Prusa"

  3. #3
    BUT there is something I don't understand: every one claims Prusa is the better printer, and at the same time the Ender 3 is more expensive.


    How come?

  4. #4
    for example: the "Ender 3" is 150?, with Free DHL shipping to the EU and the "Prusa" MK8 is just 72? plus 26? for postage, making it only 98? total


    aliexpress.com/item/32958272449.html


    VS


    aliexpress.com/item/1000005180006.html (Prusa 1st option)


    aliexpress.com/item/32958272449.html (Prusa 2nd option)


    And this is the version with the "MK2A HeatBed"


    (please forgive me for putting s p a c e s in the links above, there is some bug in the forum that will not allow me to post links)


    So I have decided to go for the Prusa for now, I just dont know which one of these 2 I should get.


    What is the benefit of getting the MK2A HeatBed?
    Which of the two "Prusa" variants is better?


    Thank you everyone!


    PS: obviously for the price I'm aiming and the budget I am available with, I'm not going to be making "world class 3d objects" I just need the printer for general home use.

    And I'm sorry for splitting my posts, but there is some stupid forum rule that blocks me from posting links until I have 3 posts....

  5. #5
    Staff Engineer Roberts_Clif's Avatar
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    Add Roberts_Clif on Thingiverse
    Myself I started with the 3DP11 this a a Prusa i3 compatible 3D Printer and upgraded it to the 3DP12 in the first month.
    Finally I purchased a 3DP12 giving me two 3DP12's. Now both the 3DP12's have been upgraded to 3DP17 compatible 3D Printers.

    If I have to do it again I would because I learned a massive amount to knowledge during the upgrading processes.
    Both 3D Printer I purchased were slightly used, or should I say the owners could not assemble them correctly thous the reason for there sale.
    Though I really purchased these because I saw a set of video showing the assemble links below.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-2d3tjvMPA
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cb_CXRrdv3I
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5S8lFf15UY
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTtfS0-CVl0

    Now I said I would do it all over again I would suggest that anyone else may want to start with the 3DP12 or even the 3DP17

    My 3D Printers today.

    The Twins 2018-3.jpg

    I have upgraded these 3D Printers threw most versions of Marlin 1.1.x Currently running Marlin 2.0.X
    This is what I used to 3D Print the structural frame supports for my next venture a 3D Printer / CNC

    This new 3D CNC is looking good and passed the first Drawing sketch test..
    An my latest Assembly V1 Engineering MPCNC Made to my Specs

    Any questions Post.

  6. #6
    Hi and thank you Robert! I am located in Europe so I prefer to buy a machine that is easily available from EU or UK warehouses supplies.
    Also the price for the machine you showed me is tad high for my current budget.

    Can you please answer me the following questions:
    Do the RepRap Annete type of printers and the Prusa clones use the same hardware? (mostly interested in the CPU)?

    Is the Marlin firmware compatible with both of them?
    This is important for me, because I want to be able to flash them with regularly updated and better FW.
    Thank you again!

  7. #7
    Super Moderator curious aardvark's Avatar
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    Okay for one thing you CANNOT GET A PRUSA for under 100 euros.

    What you have there is a really cheap and nasty i3 CLONE that will require an awful lot of work (I know i have one). although probably less than the ender 3 - which is a piece of junk !

    Secondly - updating firmware is generally a complete waste of time - also you will probably struggle to flash the cheap i3 clones. Although in their case you should. they come with a really horrible version of marlin. I'm not sure there i any other ;-)

    But I currently have five 3d printers all different all with original firmware.
    Never updated any, never needed to.
    repetier and sailfish are both vastly superior to marlin in my opinion.

    You buy genuine prusa's from josef prusa himself: https://www.prusa3d.com/

    everything else is just a cheaper copy :-)

    As far as bang for buck - given how much hassle you'll have with either a cheap i3 or an ender 3, you don't really get much bang - a lot of damp squibs maybe, but no actual bangs.

    For a first printer I'd recommend a larger budget. Get something that might actually work, and once you've learned a lot more about 3d printing and can make your own parts. THEN buy a dirt cheap one as a hobby fix-up :-)

    I'm quite happy with my ctc i3 prob (similiar to what you are calling a prusa) and it is genuinely a better machine than the ender 3. But it will takea fair bit of work to get it good. Less than you need for the e3, but mor than most printers need.
    Last edited by curious aardvark; 06-26-2019 at 03:31 PM.

  8. #8
    Hi, Of course they are clones, that is why I put their names in quotes (" " )
    I cannot afford to buy and "original" Prusa printer right now.
    Also, as far as I know, the Prusa is open source?

    I am thinking of buying the cheap clones and slowly printing parts for it and improve it slowly.

    My question is which one of these printers should I get? Some are clones of Annete, others are clones of RepRap, others are made by "CTC" (and everyone says that CTC makes decent low end machines)

    https://www.aliexpress.com/store/gro...12618824.html?

  9. #9
    I bought 4 Printers .
    Anet a8 is a printer for fiddler
    Dremel works , take out of the box and it works all the time
    UM2 the best which I ever had
    The best cheap printer is the anycubix Mega . Take out of the box tighten 4 screws thats all

  10. #10
    Super Moderator curious aardvark's Avatar
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    The problem is getting the cheap ones to work well enough to print the extra parts you need :-)
    That's why I would not recommend either as a first printer.

    Forget the names they are calling them - they are all just i3 clones.
    Of those two the ctc is better because it has: dual z motors, direct drive extruder and side rail supports for the printbed.

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