New to 3D Printing - Need Help Choosing a Printer

[talldrin]

So I am new to 3D printing and I am looking to get myself a 3D printer. I am a college student so my budget is $400 and I am looking for something that will work "out of the box." I know I will have to end up doing maintenance and making modifications, but I am looking for something that will at least run and has good review. I have narrowed down my options to:

Smartrapcore ALU Basic Kit http://smartfriendz.com/en/home/70-s...462281828.html
I am leaning toward this one because of the price and greater upgrade potential.

Wanhao Duplicator i3 http://wanhaousa.com/products/duplicator-i3-steel-frame

Any help, advice, or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Are there any benefits to getting a Prusa i3 based printer over a corexy? What are the main differences or pros and cons of each one?

[Charlie1]

I purchased a cheap chinese kit for $300, and am sorry I did so. I think the Wanhao is a much better choice.

You will find that you need a control board, and an ability to run the printer on a standalone basis. Many prints can take a couple of days to complete, and tying a computer to the printer for a couple of days is probably not practical.

And I should mention that soldering the wires to the heated bed is a real problem. Due to the heat the bed runs at, you cannot use regular electrical solder - it softens, and the constant motion of the bed causes the joint to fail. You must use lead free solder, which has a 75 degree higher melt point. Unfortunately, most soldering guns don't go that high. Trust me. Been there. Done that. Hated it.

I'd go with the Wanhao. Not a perfect printer by any means, but they have US based support and parts and warranty services. The Wanhao is very good value for the money. And there's a well established user base, which means that there will be a lot of solutions to common problems already designed and available for free on thingiverse.

If you don't choose the wanhao, go on aliexpress and look at the 3d printer kits there. Don't buy an acrylic frame - they break. Make sure you buy a metal frame. I would not buy a delta style machine, and I don't think you'll be able to fit an ultimaker style machine into your budget. This means you'll be using a Prusa i3 clone. I had a bad experience, but I think any of the kits on aliexpress would be superior to the smartfriendz link you posted.

I had never heard of corexy - had to look it up. Strikes me that there's a lot of moving parts there, which means imprecision - and a lot of inertia, which means powerful stepper motors and inevitable print artifacts. I think there are simpler ways to solve the problem. It's an interesting thought exercise, though.

Hope that helps - Charlie1

[shwmks]

How about this one Prusa I3 3D Printer KIT, they only quote $289

https://www.makeralot.com/z605s-reprap-prusa-i3-3d-printer-diy-kit-with-lcd-screen-p1/

So I am new to 3D printing and I am looking to get myself a 3D printer. I am a college student so my budget is $400 and I am looking for something that will work "out of the box." I know I will have to end up doing maintenance and making modifications, but I am looking for something that will at least run and has good review. I have narrowed down my options to:

Smartrapcore ALU Basic Kit http://smartfriendz.com/en/home/70-s...462281828.html
I am leaning toward this one because of the price and greater upgrade potential.

Wanhao Duplicator i3 http://wanhaousa.com/products/duplicator-i3-steel-frame

Any help, advice, or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Are there any benefits to getting a Prusa i3 based printer over a corexy? What are the main differences or pros and cons of each one?

[curious aardvark]

anything you buy from china has lip service warranty only.

ie: you'll never send it back because it will cost too much.

If you're going to buy a kit make sure youbuy it from a us based supplier.

Me I'd get the wanhao duplicator i3 2.1
For the money you won't get better. And it is worth spending the extra over a cheap kit from china, which might never work properly.

[hernejj]

I've had great luck with my Makerfarm i3v kit. I hate it when people say this to me... but it applies here so.. here goes.. "If your price range we a little higher <insert compelling arguments here>". I know most of the Makerfarm stuff will be outside of your range but at least take a look at the new lower priced Pegasus models before you make your decision.

[Charlie1]

How about this one Prusa I3 3D Printer KIT, they only quote $289

http://www.makeralot.com/z605s-repra...lcd-screen-p1/

I don't like this kit for two reasons. First, it's an acrylic frame. Acrylic is extremely brittle; it will crack at the slightest provocation. There are stories all over the web about cracked acrylic 3D printers.

Secondly, it's a direct drive, instead of a bowden feed. That means more mass at the printer head, which means larger artifacts for a given printer speed.

Try for a metal frame printer. They're around $40 - $50 more, and worth it.

>Charlie1

[curious aardvark]

which means larger artifacts for a given printer speed.

that's just wrong. More filament control means less artifacts.