As a recent beginner, don't buy one that requires tinkering unless you're ok with doing a really deep dive into learning.
3d printing is a deep rabbit hole. A beginner friendly printer will save you a good deal of trial and error.
this post was submitted on 14 Dec 2023
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Prusa Mk4. They are amazing out of the box. Easy button compared to just a couple years ago.
If you're a bit of a cheap ass, don't care about hardware support long term, don't mind the printer requiring an internet connection, and don't mind IP theft, get a Bambu P1.
I suggest looking up videos on Youtube and getting the most popular printer. You'll have so.many frustrating problems that it will be 1000x easier if you have a lot of resources to look. I bought a cheap chinese printer and regreted every second. Get the the one with most troubleshooting resorces
Ender creality 3(?) should be pretty cheap and is really popular
Fwiw, I don't recommend an ender. Admittedly it's capable of great things, but certainly not out of the box.
Although it's not a huge selection, the best printer I've used in terms of ease and quality is the FLSun Q5. Prints great out of the box, auto-levels, easy to repair, plus it's a delta (which are just magical to watch).
ELEGOO Neptune 4
works from the day 1, both PLA and ABS+ and it plays nice with Cura.
I think it really depends on what part of the hobby interests you. If the tinkering and modding hardware aspect appeals to you the Creality ender is good platform to mod. Similar to it are the Voxellab Aquila's that are built a little better but aren't as popular. You can often make alterations to them that you would make on an Ender but you have to account for the differences in them. They are also a great way to understand what you do and do not like about the hobby without breaking the bank.
However if you are more interested in 3d modeling and just printing things out without a ton of hassle, then look at the Bambu Labs offerings or a Prusa Mk4. They are stable workhorses with more premium features and make the process much easier since they have less tinkering to do in between prints and more automation to them. They are more expensive because of this but you definitely get what you pay for with them. They are still modifiable as well if you find you want to make changes to them down the road.
I second the Ender, though i have read that there are now better options (precisely than the Ender 3).
I myself have modded my ender 3 to a pretty good amount, I'd have another z screw to install, figure out a direct extruder option, add more cooling fans, and maybe put on that 0.6mm high flow nozzle i got. Then i'm not sure what i could improve without it becoming an entirely different printer.
It's great to be able to look up using your printer name and get a bunch of guides that applies to you
If you are not too paranoid about security / privacy would go Bambu. If you are, Prusa MK4.
Do you have any tips and suggestions for me about good printers?
Know what you want to print in the first place. A lot of people go for FDM, but if what you want is high details at very small scales, like miniatures for games, action figures, and overall much lower maintenance, you'll want a resin printer instead. Anything from Elegoo or Creality should be good enough.
Decide if you want to tinker with 3d printers or you just want to print stuff. This will guide your choice. I just got a Bambu P1S and it’s great if you just want to print and not tinker. Downside is it doesn’t respect open source and privacy
If you want to tinker with the printer, get a Bambu or Creality. They are cheap, and sometimes really good - but it's often hit or miss on whether your exact unit is fine or a lemon.
If you want something that just works, spend more to buy a Prusa. On a budget? Get a Mini+. Bigger budget? Get a Mk4. Or get a Mk3 used.
I have a Monoprice Voxel (same as the Flashforge Adventurer 3) and it's been great as my first printer. Completely enclosed so it's quiet and protected from my children and cat. The only tinkering I did with it was to print a larger spool holder, but everything worked great out of the box.
I've had a total of two print fails (out of probably 70 or 80 now), and both were rectified on the second try. Be sure to read up on what the different settings mean.
Sovol SV06 is great
If you want cheap-ish, go for Prusa Mini. It has a small plate, so you won't be able to print some of the larger design, but for me it was the sweet spot between reliability and not caring that much if it turned out 3D printing is not for me. You don't have to tinker that much with Prusa printers in general, which IMO is great for beginners.
Kingaroon K3PS, dip your toes in first a little.
Bambu a1 mini or a1. It's simple to use and prints extremely well. You can also add on a multi filament color changer.