I am looking to purchase a 3D printer as a hobbyist, not for any commercial use. I have limited options with local 3D printers but that’s good as they’re mostly cheaper low end printers so I can look at them thoroughly.
When I’m comparing the different 3D printers I’m mainly looking at the following: Cost, nozzle diameter, layer height, volume, and viable filaments.
My question is, is there anything else I’m missing? Are there important things I should be considering or avoiding?
Different printers have different resolutions but for my purposes it looks like they’re all highly accurate and way past what I need. Not worried about speed either. They all mention bed and nozzle temperatures but I assume they are all within the necessary range for the filaments they allow right? So does it matter?
Also, any advice for maintenance? How to make it last as long as possible any mistakes I should be wary of. Thanks.
Honestly, I started with an Ender 3 for less than $200 and it’s just fine. You’ll have to calibrate and fight with it for a bit, but once you get it running it’s just fine.
We jumped in with 5x of the ender 3 s1s. I can’t recommend them enough. After very little calibration and upgrading to a pei bed, they ran flawlessly for ~18 hours a day for 2 months straight.