I’m shopping for my first printer, I don’t have any experience with 3d printing but I’m vaguely familiar with the whole process and I understand there will be a learning curve and I’m looking forward to that part.
I’m leaning towards the Creality S1 Pro because I remember the huge hub-bub about the Ender 3 when it first came out and it seems like everyone and their brother suggests it as a good first printer but then when I read reviews it seems kinda janky and I’m an adult with a job so I don’t mind fussing a little but I don’t want to fuss a lot.
I picked the S1 Pro because I think it has an auto-leveling print surface and the name recognition from the previously mentioned Ender 3, but when I try to research other printers I’m completely overwhelmed by the options.
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Depends on your budget and how deep you want to dive.
I bought Ender 3v2 as my first 3D printer, and it traumatised me to the point I’ve not printed anything in a year. 3D printing has it’s learning curves, but Creality gives you no ropes here. Which is great and ultra frustrating at the same time. You will learn a lot about 3D printing, even stuff that you don’t really need. But it will take you a long time and loads of sweat and tears for your first successful 3D print (unless you are lucky and your printer will be good to go from the box).
This makes me feel so much better. I had the same start as you and was pulling my hair out a bit. I knew there would be some learning curves but not this hard. I just felt like a moron for a bit. Some things would be fine then the next print would be spaghetti for no reason. Don’t even get me started on the 4 contact points for balance/ leveling.
Don’t even get me started on the 4 contact points for balance/ leveling.
One feature I definitely want is auto-leveling. I hope it softens the learning curve at least a little bit.
I mean it wouldn’t even be so hard if they just put a small level bubble and just 3 points of contact so you don’t have to worry about the center being convex or concave
Yeah, it’s pretty overwhelming when you’re first starting out. Aside from budget constraints and the type of printing material used, you need to ask yourself, do I want to tinker with the hardware AND have the time to do so. That will steer you in the right direction.
Personally, I don’t, which is why I bought a Elegoo Neptune 3 Pro several months ago. It’s very similar to the S1 Pro in many ways. I’d recommend taking a look at that one since it’s been well reviewed and also has been working like a champ for me. It’s not perfect, but it’s got the best bang for your budget, especially when first starting out, and it works right out of the box.
Creality’s been a popular brand for years due to the low price point of their printers and its modding community. However, their base printers use cheaper parts, plus their QA isn’t always that great, so I would hesitate recommending them for your first printer.
Overall, nearly anything from Prusa will print with beautiful results, and if you run into a snag, they’ve got robust support to back you up, justifying why they’re more expensive than other printers.
Other companies like Bambu Labs and Flashforge make easy to use 3d printers, with the former getting a lot of deserved hype for how fast their models can print. While they both offer great products, keep in mind that they use closed source designs and require you to buy replacement parts from them, which can hurt you in the long term if something’s discontinued and/or if the company folds. If all that doesn’t jive with you, look elsewhere.
TL;DR: Elegoo Neptune 3 Pro over the S1 Pro since Creality can ship lemons; Prusa = quality + support + $$$; closed sourced printers offer simplicity now with potential drawbacks later.
My advice is to buy based on the availability of replacement parts. A red flag to me is a brand where there are no third party nozzles or hot end components. Because inevitably something is going to go wrong and you’re gonna have to fix something. Some printers make it really hard to get at the hot end components which will make it really intimidating to troubleshoot for the first time.
What is a good example of a brand that has parts vs one that doesn’t?
I’m a fan of the aftermarket parts offered by micro swiss (store.micro-swiss.com) so I check there before taking a printer seriously. Hope that helps!
Thanks for this question: I’m also looking at starting this as a new hobby, and I’m also an adult who would prefer to pay a little more to avoid constant fussing. I haven’t gone very far into looking into it though, except goi g to my local shop and saying “cool! But I wonder what’s different about different machines”
Can anyone comment on integration with Home Assistant, for whatever printer you’re recommending?
While I haven’t yet done homework on printing, I did like that Home Assistant has an OctoPrint integration so you can see or notify on printer status. It looks like the Prusa models, at least, are proprietary
Most 3D printers really don’t draw a lot of power, but be aware that smart plugs are usually limited to 15 A. Some might be just 10 A. If you are thinking about using a smart plug to control your printer (and be sure it’s off) just look at the rating of the power supply of the printer ahead of time.
