3d printer buying advice

Looking for recommendations for a printer or printing software? Have a printer you recommend? Or one you strongly recommend *against*? Post it here!
Lpoolm
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3d printer buying advice

Post by Lpoolm » Fri May 19, 2017 5:32 am

so seeing all these 3d parts and people developing new things/ideas i think its time i look at taking a dip into the 3d printer market...

so advice please, due to the level of use i can not justify a large amount anything getting over £300+ i do not think is worth it to me
but i do know you get what you pay for, "buy cheap, buy twice"!
what should i be looking for, certain sizes, print speed, cost of materials?
stumbled across two below, there are cheaper ones on amazon but didnt see the point in listing a massive list i am more looking for advice on what to specifically look for to get something decent for my needs.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Geeetech-Acryl ... 3d+printer

http://www.gearbest.com/3d-printers-3d- ... urce=tt_de

all feedback, personal experiences appreciated
thanks
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stumpers
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Re: 3d printer buying advice

Post by stumpers » Fri May 26, 2017 7:46 am

I'm in a similar position and curious to know people's thoughts. My friend has access to a Stratasys uPrint SE at work and has been able to do me some favours, but it's not a long-term solution and I definitely can't afford to buy one of those ;).

I've read good things about the Prusa i3 in a few places, is this generally considered a good place to start then?

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Re: 3d printer buying advice

Post by cpeb » Fri May 26, 2017 3:40 pm

I bought the tevo tarantula from aliexpress.com, cracking looking unit in all the reviews and only £150 shipped to uk

Lpoolm
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Re: 3d printer buying advice

Post by Lpoolm » Sat May 27, 2017 11:05 am

cpeb wrote:
Fri May 26, 2017 3:40 pm
I bought the tevo tarantula from aliexpress.com, cracking looking unit in all the reviews and only £150 shipped to uk
Thanks, will take a look at that one now.
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Lpoolm
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Re: 3d printer buying advice

Post by Lpoolm » Sat May 27, 2017 11:06 am

stumpers wrote:
Fri May 26, 2017 7:46 am
I'm in a similar position and curious to know people's thoughts. My friend has access to a Stratasys uPrint SE at work and has been able to do me some favours, but it's not a long-term solution and I definitely can't afford to buy one of those ;).

I've read good things about the Prusa i3 in a few places, is this generally considered a good place to start then?
I am also watching a few prusa i3 on Amazon currently, if one dropped below £200 I would be tempted, they are close now but not close enough :D
They seem to get decent reviews.
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djbriane
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Re: 3d printer buying advice

Post by djbriane » Sat Jun 03, 2017 3:47 pm

I have owned the ANET A8 (Prusa i3 clone) since November of last year and love it. It's definitely geared towards someone who likes to tinker given that you have to assemble it essentially from scratch. That being said, once I got mine up and running it's been almost entirely hassle free and I haven't found anything I can't print (of course I only print PLA but it is capable of printing other materials).

Lpoolm
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Re: 3d printer buying advice

Post by Lpoolm » Mon Jun 05, 2017 5:45 am

i was so close to the anet a8, than read about the tevo tarantula and struggled to find anything to split them!
due to the frame decided to go for the tevo.. but both get great reviews on youtube.
so in 10-20 days i should be printing :-))
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the antithesis
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Re: 3d printer buying advice

Post by the antithesis » Tue Jun 06, 2017 11:10 am

If you get a 3D printer, be prepared to tinker. A lot. This goes for the cheapo Chinese printer to the $2000 models. There may be less tinkering at the higher end, but there isn't no tinkering. I like to think of it like teens in the 50's tricking out their hot rods. You buy a product with the expectation that you'll add mods to (and sink money into) your printer to make it uniquely yours. As well as fix problems. My Anet A8 binds on the right z-axis which makes it nearly impossible to level. There are means to fix this, but I haven't tried it yet. Get ready to have to do such things.

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Re: 3d printer buying advice

Post by Lpoolm » Wed Jun 07, 2017 2:31 am

the antithesis wrote:
Tue Jun 06, 2017 11:10 am
If you get a 3D printer, be prepared to tinker. A lot. This goes for the cheapo Chinese printer to the $2000 models. There may be less tinkering at the higher end, but there isn't no tinkering. I like to think of it like teens in the 50's tricking out their hot rods. You buy a product with the expectation that you'll add mods to (and sink money into) your printer to make it uniquely yours. As well as fix problems. My Anet A8 binds on the right z-axis which makes it nearly impossible to level. There are means to fix this, but I haven't tried it yet. Get ready to have to do such things.
yer, thats fine looking forward to it, reviews say it takes around 8hrs to build, or lots of days spread out :lol: i like to build things so this will (hopefully) be fun...
also i find it funny i will need to print parts out to improve it! already ordered some fans for it to help print quality.
Check out my modding and repair channel of retro and modern consoles:
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