First timer purchasing 3D printer

[686 Shooter]

You have to take some of the advice you get here with a grain of salt as well. Contrary to what some believe, Creality make some very good machines that do not require endless tinkering.

That being said some i3 clones are definitely excellent machines. If you don't want to tinker, be warned that the Geeetech machine Aardvark recommended, while a good machine from what I've read, comes in pieces and has to be put together. So that one starts with tinkering. A good starting printer in your price range that I would recommend looking at is the Anycubic i3 Mega. I had one and I really wish I wouldn't have gotten rid of it. Very little to put together to start. Screw the gantry to the base, screw on the spool holder, level the bed and your printing. One bonus of the i3 Mega is it's printing surface. It's called an Ultrabase. When heated prints stick like glue and once the bed cools prints pop right off. No messing with glues or tape. Plus print quality is excellent.

While your searching I would also recommend you speak to folks who own printers to see what they like and don't like about their printer. It's easy for someone sit behind a computer and give info about machines they have no actual experience with. Also speak with some reputable dealers who sell multiple brands. They can give you the pros and cons of various machines. A bonus is if you buy from a reputable dealer they will be able to provide support as well if you need it.

Good luck in your search.

[TreeTolber]

You have to take some of the advice you get here with a grain of salt as well. Contrary to what some believe, Creality make some very good machines that do not require endless tinkering.

That being said some i3 clones are definitely excellent machines. If you don't want to tinker, be warned that the Geeetech machine Aardvark recommended, while a good machine from what I've read, comes in pieces and has to be put together. So that one starts with tinkering. A good starting printer in your price range that I would recommend looking at is the Anycubic i3 Mega. I had one and I really wish I wouldn't have gotten rid of it. Very little to put together to start. Screw the gantry to the base, screw on the spool holder, level the bed and your printing. One bonus of the i3 Mega is it's printing surface. It's called an Ultrabase. When heated prints stick like glue and once the bed cools prints pop right off. No messing with glues or tape. Plus print quality is excellent.

While your searching I would also recommend you speak to folks who own printers to see what they like and don't like about their printer. It's easy for someone sit behind a computer and give info about machines they have no actual experience with. Also speak with some reputable dealers who sell multiple brands. They can give you the pros and cons of various machines. A bonus is if you buy from a reputable dealer they will be able to provide support as well if you need it.

Good luck in your search.

Thank you so much for the input!

Funny you should bring the Anycubic i3 Mega. I am looking at the Mega Pro currently as I have decided to up my budget a bit. Also the Mega Pro has the laser engraver attachment which I find very interesting.

My assumption would be that the Mega Pro would be very similar to the Mega in build quality, firmware and output quality. Do you agree? Also, do you think the laser engraving feature is worth trying or maybe more gimicky than useful?

Thanks again for the input!

[686 Shooter]

Thank you so much for the input!

Funny you should bring the Anycubic i3 Mega. I am looking at the Mega Pro currently as I have decided to up my budget a bit. Also the Mega Pro has the laser engraver attachment which I find very interesting.

My assumption would be that the Mega Pro would be very similar to the Mega in build quality, firmware and output quality. Do you agree? Also, do you think the laser engraving feature is worth trying or maybe more gimicky than useful?

Thanks again for the input!

I would think the quality would be the same between the two. They look very similar. As for the laser, I don't have any experience with laser engravers so I cant really comment on it. Given my experience with my Anycubic machine though I would think their laser would be decent too.