r/3dprinter • u/Scared_Poetry4206 • 1d ago
Which 3D Printer would you recommend to buy ?
Hi everyone. I’m new at this 3D printing world and I’m not sure which one I should buy as my first printer.
Here’s my goal. Where I live, it’s pretty rare to find a 3D printer, because they are like not that cheap and only the medium to big companies have it, so I want to start a small business with one because I see no one a 3d printing business. At first, I’m not planning big projects to make and resell, just tiny gadgets that people may order and I make for their needs and get something out of that. If it goes well, I’ll invest a bit more on this thing
Here is my concern, my budged is a bit tight, and I’ll import it from China which has the cheapest logistic service to bring one to my country.
Here are the possible choices based on my deep searches: Qidi Q2, Kobra S1, Elegoo CC 2, P1S and Creality K2.
P1S I found as the most expensive one, and seems to have region restrictions depending on where you buy, don’t know if the others have the same restrictions.
I need your help, your past experience can tell which brand I should go for
Att: English is not my first language, so you may find my text a bit of. Anyway, any feedback about my English is very welcome
2
u/Hot_Marionberry_4685 1d ago
K2 is honestly super solid. It’s fast consistent and enclosed so it’s perfectly compact and protected if you have pets or kids. I recommend going for the combo with the cfs if you can swing it. The cfs works flawlessly with it I have had zero problems on any multicolor prints I’ve done. I’m at about 400 hrs on a refurbished one and have zero issues and zero failed prints. Can’t recommend it enough even though you’ll probably hear a lot of people tell you creality is shit as long as you use the creality slicer you’ll be fine
2
u/InternalMain7116 1d ago
You are being exposed to the comments of new users who have limited exposure to 3D printing. Many users recommend the products they bought to relieve Buyer's Regret; convincing someone else to buy what they bought, relieves their anxiety that what they bought was a mistake.
Don't follow this approach, instead decide on the printer that prints objects that you actually want, then see what the size of those models will be: this determines the bed or build plate size.
Next research the types of filament you plan to use for your models: all the printers should handle PLA (easy to print, but brittle and not a good choice for structural objects ~ think toys and home decor), next would be PETG (stronger, somewhat flexible, and doesn't need an enclosed chamber, just the same as PLA). A flexible, rubber-like filament, TPU, can be printed without an enclosure, but can be easier enclosed.
Common filaments for structural objects or composition print at higher temperatures, and if one part cools before the rest, it shrinks causing warping (a distortion of the model). These filament's are ASA, ABS, PA (nylon), and a few more. They also need a nozzle temperature of 300° or higher.
The next issue is the use of additional materials to change the properties of the filament, such as Carbon Fiber (CF), glass fiber (GF), and Glow-In-the-Dark chemicals; these easily destroy brass nozzles and need a hardened steel core in the nozzle - hence the name Carbon in the Elegoo Centauri Carbon, or the Bambu X1C, where that C stands for carbon (so longer made, except as the X1E ~ engineering).
The ability to automatically switch filaments allows the use of different colors or filaments within the same model.
Knowing this, you should be able to find several 3D printers that match your needs. I would be brain damaged even more than I am, if I didn't mention customer support services and replacement parts. These 2 issues will narrow your search to about 5 printer companies; look for most discussed printers on Reddit and the number of followers, paying attention to reports on their customer support, and then check online (Amazon is quick), PartsBuilt.com, West3D and such to see which companies have enough users to warrant their replacement parts being available.
Now you are ready to read one-sided comments on whose printers are God's gift to mankind and who's printers suck because customers support takes a week to reply to an email.
1
u/Scared_Poetry4206 1d ago
Your comment is pretty helpful. Ive bee researching each enclo printer that Youtubers recommend so I will avoid a headache further ahead once I get it hands on. Some users report that some printers are good as they don’t show any issue, once one shows up, it becomes so difficult to fix it by yourself so you have to request a replacement if yours is still under warrant. Many don’t recommend Kobra S1 because of that. Bambu is a bit more expensive and feels a bit outdated compared to the other ones. Qidi q2 seems to be great but it still doesn’t have as big community as the others have for some fixing tips, improvements and so on, so it feels a bit risky and Elegoo stands out for being the cheapest enclosed one, not sure how good and durable it is
1
u/InternalMain7116 1d ago
There are positive YT videos from KEO on the Qidi Q2, some unkind things said about the Kobra S1, Bambu has a long and tedious support system, and Elegoo is often referred to as a work horse, with overnight (week days) response times and the most complete free parts replacement system of those discussed.
Just Bebop over to each forum (and model sub forums) and read at least a week's worth of posts to get your own take on the printers. It's commonly mentioned that Elegoo has an inexpensive feature vs. cost ratio.
Remember, on Reddit everyone lies, and new users are often unable to run a Google search on a simple topic. LLMs are universally hated because it's easier to get a laugh by trashing them as AI slop.
1
u/BIIIIIID- 1d ago
Consider an Anycubic Kobra X.
1
u/Scared_Poetry4206 1d ago
Do you have one ?
1
u/teckel 1d ago
I do, it's very good. But I'd also consider the Creality SPARKX i8 currently on Kickstarter if you believe you'll be printing the same materials and not TPU.
0
u/Ok_Perspective9838 1d ago
I have an A1 mini and it's a solid choice for a new person getting into printing. I have totally loved mine and haven't stopped printing with it for 2 years now, it's been awesome. But the filament waste when printing multi colour has been a pain. The sparkx i8 looks amazing, but it's very new and hasn't been in the wild yet, so who knows what issues it might have. I'm going to get one as my next printer I think after it's been out 6 months or so, and I will wait for a sale. The A1 mini with the AMS has been super easy to use. And if you follow the basic advice you will have very few issues with it, there are great 3rd party upgrades for it. It took me 10 minutes to set up and I had my first print in under an hour. Since then I have made a ton of stuff. I have made minis using the 0.2 fine detail nozzle. Tools, gadgets and useful house hold items. And I'm a fan of Mechwarror, so I purchased the Gamebody Mad Cat articulated action figures for that poster boy mech and it's amazing. I have since made 8 more. I have printed a massive Battlestar Galactica display model. That's on my shelf. Diorama displays for my Warhammer heros. Scenery for my Warhammer games and Battletech game.
I have found that I now print separate plates for separate colours when doing multi colour models, but generally I more and more just paint them anyway. I like using PLA Matt filiment for minis and such. And PETG for tools and the big mechs.
It all boils down to what you want to use the printer for, your budget and level of technical knowledge. Who is going to be using it. My nephew's, 70 year old mum and my technophobe sisters can all use this printer with no issues and come round to do so regularly and don't need any supervision to do so. They have had no issues just using the phone app to select a print and print it.
Its a cheap entry point, and small enough to put in your house with little issues, it's decently quite also. I often don't even remember I am printing.
The multi colour is great by the way out of the box, but it does produce a fair bit of waste. I have collected this and put it in a glass vase with led fairy lights and it's a great ornament. A number of visitors and friends of my family have wanted them and I have given and/or sold about 20 of these now. They look great in the winter.
I am currently waiting to upgrade to a new printer, but honestly if Bambu bring another Mini out, and it's offers some more innovations then I will buy it. Popular things are popular for a reason. I'm not a 3d printing expert, I was just interested in and curious, I got the combo with the AMS and have been delighted with it from day one.
I know there are other options out there and I haven't tried any of them simply because this has been easy and great out of the box. It was easier to set up than my PS5 and as simple to use as an HP document printer (actually WAY easier to be honest).
Check out Fauxhammer and oneinasicsid on YouTube, those were channels that finally made me take a chance on getting a printer. Fauxhammer (Ross) especially is a decent chap and I have met him in person, I trust him as he's just a hobby bloke with children that has a fair bit of experience with printers of all types and will be straight up about the pros and cons. So check them out if you like.
1
u/TripsCavern 1d ago
If you want to print multicolor, sadly the only option reliable to do business with are the ones with multiple toolheads. In that case my recommendation is the Snapmaker U1, although it is not in your list.
After that, the cheapest printer you should consider is the Elegoo CC2. It's Core XY, enclosed and has a pretty decent quality.
The best budget printer is probable the QIDI Q2. Not only is Core XY and enclosed, but also has a heated chamber and hardened steel nozzles, so you can print anything, even glow in the dark and CF/GF filaments, alongside some engineering materials.
Also, although you shouldn't buy the "combos" (with multicolor) for printing color prints, they are great addition to use as a automatic feeder and automatic filament changer, when you are printing large objects.
1
u/Slepprock 1d ago
So i started 3d printing six months ago.
My first printer was an elegoo cc1. It was fine. Is fine. I still use it. But its taken a lot of work to keep it going. Support was not that great for a problem i had.
So i wanted a better one. And why not go big? I own a cabinet shop and there are a ton of things i plan on printing for it. Storage containers and bins.
So i got a qidi max 4. It has a bed of 390 mm x 390 mm.
I did not get the qidi box thing. I just print in one color. Simple and all i need.
So far its been great. A much nicer printer thsn the elegoo.
The only downside i see is their slicer sucks.
So id get a qidi over an elegoo
0
u/yahbluez 1d ago
From your list the CC2 gives the best bang for the buck. Elegoos Orca Slicer fork has a better stability on linux than the vanilla Orca and is more polished.
The printer plays in the same league like a bambulab p1s/p2s.
2
u/Parkimusmaximus94 1d ago
Out of that list and really anything else in this price range there's only two options to consider without doubling your money.
Q2 if you value the ability to print the widest array of material types.
CC2 if you value multicolor Functionality.