Looking for a beginner printer

Minibiker said:
Hi all

I'm tempted to get a 3d printer and start off doing it, Is there a decent lower end priced 3d printer that I can start off with? I have no clue what's needed to do the jobs so I will have to watch a lot of YouTube videos

Cheers
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What did you end up getting ?

I keep doing the research, deciding on one and then having cold feet at the last minute. I`m back doing the research again on the latest. Prob my 4th go at getting a 3D Printer.
I keep looking at the Ender 3 V2 but I cant really afford £180+ and on Ebay there is a few sellers (or possibly the same sellers) selling "Unrepaired" Creality printers for around £100-£120 that seem to be returns from Amazon which is a lottery.
Then I looked at a bargain basement one JGMaker Magic for £80 but the community fell off in 2021 although there are a lot of articles and a few upgrades DIY eg adding 3D Touch levelling.

I`m a tinkering so I dont mind getting a cheapo one that might not be brilliant but would suffice for me.
 
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i have same kind of question. Wondering if its worth getting a second hand Ender 5 pro for ~150 just to mess about with kids?
 
img said:
i have same kind of question. Wondering if its worth getting a second hand Ender 5 pro for ~150 just to mess about with kids?
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ender 5 is an amazing printer which can be top notch. I've an upgrade thread in this forum which is worth a look. it'll be better than any bedslinger for under £750
 
I think either a 'just works' printer is great for a beginner, like a P1S if budget allows, or a second-hand printer from facebook market place. They often have aftermarket upgrades included to give you great results at a low price.
 
i got a weefun tina2 printer for 100 quid when they were on offer. simple to use and good prints too. helps with learning curve. didnt realise how useful it is now im printing small enclosures for circuit boards like mini buck converters and mini bluetooth receivers etc. very handy
 
I wanted something that I knew would work reliably and relatively well out of the box and bought a Prusa Mini+. After the first three weeks where it ran for about 15 hours a day non stop and when I bought about 20 boxes of filament, I now rarely use it. It's still very useful, I know I can switch it on, feed the filament in and get a decent print but I just don't have a regular need for it.

Cyber-Mav said:
printing small enclosures for circuit boards like mini buck converters
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Now that's a good use, I've got a couple of those just hanging on my desk, didn't even consider printing a little enclosure for them
 
Feek said:
I wanted something that I knew would work reliably and relatively well out of the box and bought a Prusa Mini+. After the first three weeks where it ran for about 15 hours a day non stop and when I bought about 20 boxes of filament, I now rarely use it. It's still very useful, I know I can switch it on, feed the filament in and get a decent print but I just don't have a regular need for it.


Now that's a good use, I've got a couple of those just hanging on my desk, didn't even consider printing a little enclosure for them
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i was so shocked i got those tiny bluetooth pcb receiver boards and made this case for them: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4740626
the actual practical uses of a 3d printer are staggering if you look beyond making mini figure toy things the kids always want to make.
i even made a replacement arm for the lock n load gym weight quick release system that was busted in my local gym.
 
I ended up with a Neptune 3 Pro. Excellent printer out of the box. Made the Ikea Lack enclosure for it upto a point where I created a remix and posted it on Printables.

Most uncommon print I have done so far is a new radiator knob for one of my radiators in the house.
 
Neptune 4 pro is really good out the box, easy to learn on, great machine.

In the past I had a creality Cr-10 and to get decent prints felt like I needed a masters degree, night and day difference to the Elegoo neptune 4 pro
 
Bambu Lab A1 Mini £269

uk.store.bambulab.com

Bambu Lab A1 mini 3D Printer

Fully Automated, Multi-color Printing with AMS lite, Bed-slinger with CoreXY Speed, Bambu Lab latest 3D printer A1 mini makes 3D printing easier and better with cutting edge features and reliable performance.
uk.store.bambulab.com uk.store.bambulab.com

You’ll not find anything better with input shaping for the money
 
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murah said:
Neptune 4 pro is really good out the box, easy to learn on, great machine.

In the past I had a creality Cr-10 and to get decent prints felt like I needed a masters degree, night and day difference to the Elegoo neptune 4 pro
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out of curiosity what do you find easier on the N4PRO?

@Minibiker what did you ender up buying?
 
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