Hi guys. I am trying to buy a 3d printer for someone willing to create stuff anywhere from small PC enclosure for a radpberry PI to say awesome stands for monitors or appliances. I dont want to build outrageously big stuff but i need something beginner friendly in a cheaper side of budget (maybe 500€/$?) what would you recommend?

Edit: i am looking for the biggest dimension possible so say 300x300 dimension… i am not sure if its the biggest possible even. I read about sovol (i also like generally open source / ageless, i dont mind tinkering or learning) —

Wanted features:

300x300 dimension Open source? Maybe? Multi coloring but without much hassle

Im a noob in all this so i dont know about the latest and best features.

  • TH1NKTHRICE@lemmy.caEnglish
    8·
    2 years ago

    I was completely naive to 3D printing 6 months ago, got a Prusa mini, got printing. Pretty simple. Great explainers on the prusa website. Easy installation and intuitive software. I recommend it.

  • Aarrodri@lemmy.worldEnglish
    4·
    2 years ago

    I have owned 6 different printers over several years. Nothing comes close to bambu nowadays. It’s the closest to a consumer product currently. A1 is a great workhorse and worth the slightly above 500. Id the mini has enough built volume then that one. If you want to tinker with the printer a bit then go with some of the alternatives mentioned here.

    • ArtVandelay@lemmy.worldEnglish
      41·
      2 years ago

      And if you value open source and transparency, as an alternative I would recommend Prusa. To be perfectly clear, that’s not a diss at bambulabs, they make a great printer. It’s just a very walled garden approach.

  • the16bitgamer@lemmy.worldEnglish
    3·
    2 years ago

    A 3d printer is a tool, and in my opinion you should get a cheap tool before dropping good money on a proper one. That way you’ll know if you need the 300mm bed, or direct drive extruder and silent stepper drivers, with an enclosure.

    However when you are looking for a cheap printer, I’d try to get one with auto bed leveling, since all the good printers have one, and manual bed leveling suck with no reward at the end.

    Ender3v2/3 is a good starting point. Lots of parts online, and YouTube tutorials and guides for how to get it to work. FlashForge is another.

    When you wanna throw it out a window, Prusa is my goto, though BambuLabs is getting some clout from their marketing push. I have personal gripes about them, but so far they seem legit.

    • Bartsbigbugbag@lemmy.mlEnglish
      2·
      2 years ago

      I feel the opposite. Cheap tools often are missing many of the QOL features that make learning a new tool enjoyable. Pick up an old 80s style hollow tip soldering iron to learn and you’re just going to think soldering is difficult. Pick up a modern self contained heating element iron, and you’ll spend a lot less time wondering, “am I doing this wrong, why isn’t it melting?”

      Similarly, if you intend to use a 3d printer as a tool, you’re not going to want to spend the requisite dozens of hours of tuning and part swapping to get a solid running Ender 3. Buy a decent tool and spend your time learning how to use it, buy a cheap tool and spend your time learning to work around it.

  • IMALlama@lemmy.worldEnglish
    2·
    2 years ago

    If you’re leaning towards the budget end of the spectrum, a Sovol SV06 isn’t a bad choice. I ran a cheap and cheerful printer for 5 years or so before upgrading and it served me well. It also printed parts for its eventual replacement.