Random 3D printing chatter
- Thread starter Cenedd
- Start date
Whats the best entry level printer available for around a £300 budget?
Asking for a friend interested in getting into this, myself I have a Zergo G Mercury (Ender 5 Core XY Conversion) and always thought the best entry level was an Ender 3, is this the case or is there anything better at this higher price mark?
Asking for a friend interested in getting into this, myself I have a Zergo G Mercury (Ender 5 Core XY Conversion) and always thought the best entry level was an Ender 3, is this the case or is there anything better at this higher price mark?
SLA or resin?
FDM
Also worth pointing out that "best" entirely depends what route you want to take. You can go full self-build, buy something basic with the intention of upgrading it or buy something that's good enough out the box. A trade off between cash and time/sanity. The Ender is somewhere in the middle of that scale. The Prusas are well regarded for being near the top and I believe the Anker Make is supposed to be near the top too.
I've got an Ender 5 Pro as I wanted to be near the top (starting from a position of cluelessness) but it did need some upgrades: bed supports, Pi+OctoPi+webcam, fan replacements, glass bed and it needs the extruder replacing as it's naff....so I'm not sure I got all that close to the top of that scale!
I've got an Ender 5 Pro as I wanted to be near the top (starting from a position of cluelessness) but it did need some upgrades: bed supports, Pi+OctoPi+webcam, fan replacements, glass bed and it needs the extruder replacing as it's naff....so I'm not sure I got all that close to the top of that scale!
Soldato
I've just published my first model to Printables - It's basically a wedge for my speakers to give them an optimal 16 degree upward tilt. Been using them for over a year now and were printed on an Ender 3.
www.printables.com
Kanto YU4 Speaker stands by RyanMac | Download free STL model | Printables.com
Speaker stands with 16 degrees of upward tilt | Download free 3D printable STL models
www.printables.com
Last edited:
Anyone use those metal magnetic flex plates for their resin printers? I've got one and after cleaning the plate with alcohol and making sure it was clean, I stuck on the magnet, sat it face down and placed some books on it to make sure it was stuck for a day, sadly after my first print, resin got "under" the magnet and its started to lift - I do have a spare sticky magnet, but just wondered if I can do something to ensure it wont happen again (or at least not after the first print)
Soldato
I would print the inserts separate, gives you more modular customisation in the future toosetup my new (to me) ender 5 pro,
I'm having a hard time with slicing though, why does this fairly simple tray involve so much "travel"?
Ended up recommending the Sovol Sv06, out of the box it's the best machine I could find for spec at this price point.
Soldato
Has he ordered one yet?
Depending on his printing needs and bed size, I would recommend the Prusa mini for more of an out of the box experience without having to faff too much.
Edit / That Sovol does look decent though but I've not seen any reviews. I personally wouldn't touch a Creality printer again.
Edit edit / The Sovol doesn’t have any strain relief for the heated bed wires, for that reason alone I wouldn’t recommend it
Last edited:
Neither does the Ender 5 Pro (at least when I bought it). It's something you can print yourself though and you'll probably find some ready to print at places like Thingiverse.
there's several
Soldato
The issue for me is negligence, do you really want to be supporting a company who skips corners on safety. Would you buy a Ferrari with drum breaks :-/
Noo! ....it'd be vintage and faaaar more than I could afford!
Soldato
Putting M3x5x4 heat set inserts into prints is fun. I’ve got to put 57 of the damn, small, things in for the project I’m working on. I’m glad I did some test insertions into a dedicated practice print first as I had the soldering iron temperature far too high at first.