Hi all.

My venerable ender 3 has likely printed it’s last benchy. Plus side, the tech has advanced significantly since I bought it. Down side, I’ve not kept track of the newer options.

Can anyone give me a rundown of which are worth looking at, and which to avoid?

I’m mostly concerned with reliability, but a speed boost would definitely be welcome. A heated chamber and/or multi material would also be very nice to have.

I would like to keep the costs closer to £500 ($680) but can stretch that, if there is a machine worth it.

I also have a complete no on bamboo printers. I don’t like what they’ve done regarding abuse of the open source movement.

Thanks all!

Edit to add. I’m not against non open source printers. I just have an issue with companies trying to burn the ladder behind them and lock their customers into a bubble.

Double edit: The snapmaker U1 seems like my best option. Ticks all the boxes, while remaining well in budget.

  • the16bitgamer@programming.devEnglish
    3·
    15 hours ago

    I like many here can recommend Prusa but honestly if you wanted to shop around this is the specs you are looking for:

    Core XY is the new hotness thanks to Bamboo. But unless you want to print fast and loud a bed slinger still works.

    What makes the biggest difference is the horned style and a direct drive printer is a game changer to print consistency. MK4s planetary gear is scary how much torque is in it but if you find any printer with a motor in its print head it’ll be worth it.

    The other major improvement is auto bed levelling. Again Prusa’s nozzle solution is amazing, while magnets sensors are outdated but still works great if you printing on steel and the venerable plastic stick works but harder to recommend.

    Finally magnetic sheets is a nice to have but finding a durable print bed like Garolite is better, just know that no one makes a Garolite bed so you’ll need to craft your own.

    Other gimmicks you’ll find is ways to accelerate printing but I’ve honestly haven’t seen much improvement by using them and prefer the print quality when printing slower.