Total Noob. First printer. What to buy?

[rkf_bomb]

Hey all,

Just found this site. Seems to be one of the better ones out there. I've read thru the posts and have seen the suggestions for other noobs. I just don't feel like they pertain to my situation. Also budget plays into suggestions too.

So I'm a total noob and know nothing about these things. I don't know any CAD programs(but I know I could learn). I also don't know what I'd even be printing. I want to get my 13 year old son started in 3d printing, but I'm also interested. I would guess we would start off printing already made projects available online.

I'm very mechanically inclined and wouldn't mind getting a kit if that's an option. Putting something together from scratch is always the best way to learn about it.

I would like to keep it between $400-$700.

Appreciate any advice, thank you,
Ron

[minneapolis-matt]

Hey all,

Just found this site. Seems to be one of the better ones out there. I've read thru the posts and have seen the suggestions for other noobs. I just don't feel like they pertain to my situation. Also budget plays into suggestions too.

So I'm a total noob and know nothing about these things. I don't know any CAD programs(but I know I could learn). I also don't know what I'd even be printing. I want to get my 13 year old son started in 3d printing, but I'm also interested. I would guess we would start off printing already made projects available online.

I'm very mechanically inclined and wouldn't mind getting a kit if that's an option. Putting something together from scratch is always the best way to learn about it.

I would like to keep it between $400-$700.

Appreciate any advice, thank you,
Ron

I am struggling with the same decision. I feel the time is ripe to own one of these even in the midst of Chipaggedon and my brief recent ownership certainly opened my eyes to enormous potential to use these things.

Unfortunately, narrowing down the advice in your price range will probably require narrowing down your priorities for what you want the printer to do for you.

For what is is worth I am currently strongly leaning towards this model

https://www.amazon.com/TENLOG-Indepe...98&sr=8-3&th=1

from advice I received in my other thread.

But there are so many options out there it is hard for me to not hesitate before ordering again. hopefully something like a consensus will emerge in these recent threads.

[fred_dot_u]

I'm keen on the genuine Prusa i3 MK3 kit, but it's a hundred dollars higher than your top end budget reference. It's worth every penny, though, as the support forums that cover the Prusa line of printers are top-notch. The kit is quite easy to assemble and the instruction included are probably the most comprehensive instructions on the market. Each step of the instructions also has a corresponding video for even more clarity. I helped the local library makerspace assemble a MK2, which is slightly more challenging to assemble. The printer is sitting idle due to recent regulations, but it ran wonderfully in a public exposure environment, with nearly zero problems. One thing that was learned was to not print on PEI is the same location every time. That's an easy fix.

For the student to develop design skills, consider Tinkercad as a starting point. In short order, he and you may discover that there are some things not easily accomplished in Tinkercad at which point it's time to consider big-boy programs like Fusion 360 (free for hobbyists), OpenSCAD (text based modeling program, good for logical, programmer-type thinkers), OnShape and many others. Developing flexibility in various program use means not getting mired in one program forever and keeping your tool kit filled with many choices.

All of the above is opinion, of course.

[rkf_bomb]

Thanks for your input. I'll check out the Prusa. I don't mind going over budget a bit. One thing I should have mentioned, and it seems you answered it, is that I would like to get one that is reliable. I understand these things require maintenance and that things may break, I guess I just want to stay away from the ones where stuff is breaking that should never break.

@minneapolis-matt. Yeah I don't really know what we'll be printing. I just figure you gotta get your feet wet sooner or later. After owning and using one for awhile I figure what we print will just work itself out lol. Of course it will have to fit on the bed.

[fred_dot_u]

The TENLOG printer is an interesting one in that it has IDEX configuration. I have a Sigma R16 which is also independent dual extruders. The mirror and duplication modes cut multiple prints quantity times in half. The TENLOG is a bit better than my Sigma in one regard; the direct drive extruders make it superior to the Bowden tube on the Sigma. Even though dual extrusion can be "fun" and useful, it's something that doesn't get as much use as I had expected and dual material support printing is somewhat problematic. I'd consider the TENLOG as a second printer and the genuine Prusa i3 MK3 as the best first printer. Regardless which printer you select, ensure that you are assembling it on a fully planar surface. The slightest bit of ripple in your work surface will haunt you. We assembled the Prusa i3 MK2 on a plastic topped work table and chased alignment for a while which would have been solved had we assembled on the marble desktop a few meters away! The MK3 eliminates a lot of the alignment variables as it uses well machined and squared components.

[minneapolis-matt]

The TENLOG printer is an interesting one in that it has IDEX configuration. I have a Sigma R16 which is also independent dual extruders. The mirror and duplication modes cut multiple prints quantity times in half. The TENLOG is a bit better than my Sigma in one regard; the direct drive extruders make it superior to the Bowden tube on the Sigma. Even though dual extrusion can be "fun" and useful, it's something that doesn't get as much use as I had expected and dual material support printing is somewhat problematic. I'd consider the TENLOG as a second printer and the genuine Prusa i3 MK3 as the best first printer. Regardless which printer you select, ensure that you are assembling it on a fully planar surface. The slightest bit of ripple in your work surface will haunt you. We assembled the Prusa i3 MK2 on a plastic topped work table and chased alignment for a while which would have been solved had we assembled on the marble desktop a few meters away! The MK3 eliminates a lot of the alignment variables as it uses well machined and squared components.

can you elaborate a bit more on the advantages that an owner of a genuine Prusa i3 MK3 will enjoy over the TENLOG?

I just spent $441 on a tenlog and the Prusa is probably outside my budget, but I'd love to better understand how to directly compare these machines, especially if my purchase falls through and I find myself printerless and saving long term for a prusa instead.

Furthermore "the slightest ripple in your work surface" scares me a bit. How can any home owner be sure that *any* surface in their home meets that standard? is it good enough to pivot the old bubble level around 360 degrees on the table top and verify it doesn't stray from centered anywhere or do I need something laser flat within 0.01mm along the entire printer foot print *and* perfectly level besides?

[rkf_bomb]

can you elaborate a bit more on the advantages that an owner of a genuine Prusa i3 MK3 will enjoy over the TENLOG?

I just spent $441 on a tenlog and the Prusa is probably outside my budget, but I'd love to better understand how to directly compare these machines, especially if my purchase falls through and I find myself printerless and saving long term for a prusa instead.

Furthermore "the slightest ripple in your work surface" scares me a bit. How can any home owner be sure that *any* surface in their home meets that standard? is it good enough to pivot the old bubble level around 360 degrees on the table top and verify it doesn't stray from centered anywhere or do I need something laser flat within 0.01mm along the entire printer foot print *and* perfectly level besides?

Where'd you find it for $441? The link in your previous post at amazon is $639.

[minneapolis-matt]

Where'd you find it for $441? The link in your previous post at amazon is $639.

sorry, this thread and my dual extruder thread were at x-posts most of their lives.

well...I am now awaiting the arrival from Amazon (seller Amazon Warehouse) of a:

TENLOG TL-D3 Pro Independent Dual Extruder 3D Printer, 300 Degree High Temperature Nozzle,Silent Mainboards TMC2208 Drive,600W Power Supply,Support PVA TPU ABS PLA Nylon,11.8''x11.8''x13.8''
Sold by: Amazon.com Services LLC

$441.29
Condition: Used - Acceptable - Large cosmetic imperfection(s) on top, front or sides of item. Accessories may have cosmetic damage. Item will come repackaged.

I am naturally worried about the "Large Cosmetic imperfection" turning out to somehow be more than "cosmetic" but I couldn't care less about purely cosmetic damage and I definitely needed to hold costs down to avoid provoking my wife. Here is hoping the replacement has enough superior functionality vs the voxel that I have no regrets about the hopefully purely cosmetic issues and the extra $41 and change in expense.

The link will link to the "new" version of the tenlog that Aardvark originally linked for me but I found the $441 version and the description I quoted here from a "New and used from" link that Amazon will include for returns of an item that are available with the prices available listed after the "from"

My $441 purchase is surely a gamble as it is the lowest amazon category "acceptable" and while the amazon warehouse team described the damage as "cosmetic" in some cases customers have reported that such "cosmetic" damage rendered products inoperable. In which case I'll exercise my Amazon prime free return option and be back to square one. But for now I am crossing my fingers and hoping that the damage really is just something like a missing manual and some scratches on the aluminum frame.

additionally I found that it appears that at the moment the same printer is available from tenlog direct for $545 new plus $10 US shipping so I hope that may be an option for me in the event that my gamble is too good to be true.

[FrankyMC]

The TENLOG printer is an interesting one in that it has IDEX configuration. I have a Sigma R16 which is also independent dual extruders. The mirror and duplication modes cut multiple prints quantity times in half. The TENLOG is a bit better than my Sigma in one regard; the direct drive extruders make it superior to the Bowden tube on the Sigma. Even though dual extrusion can be "fun" and useful, it's something that doesn't get as much use as I had expected and dual material support printing is somewhat problematic. I'd consider the TENLOG as a second printer and the genuine Prusa i3 MK3 as the best first printer. Regardless which printer you select, ensure that you are assembling it on a fully planar surface. The slightest bit of ripple in your work surface will haunt you. We assembled the Prusa i3 MK2 on a plastic topped work table and chased alignment for a while which would have been solved had we assembled on the marble desktop a few meters away! The MK3 eliminates a lot of the alignment variables as it uses well machined and squared components.

Agree with that, anyway Sigma is a wise pick. But for the last 2 months they getting expensive, don't you think so??

[rkf_bomb]

So make sure it's on a solid flat surface. Check. What about ambient temperature? I planned on keeping it in my garage due to the smell that the printers give off. I keep my garage at 50* in the cold winters we have here in Michigan. I can always turn the heat up if need be. In the summer I would guess it gets to about 85* or 90*. We have a basement, but kind of a small ranch house so it doesn't seem feasible to run it inside the house.