What printer did you choose, and why?

[MrFlippant]

Lots of talk about people getting printers, I thought it would be helpful to have a thread where everyone who HAS one, shares which one they purchased, what lead to that decision, and what kind of experiences they've been having with it. PLEASE include how much you paid (and where you got it, if possible), because budget is usually a major concern.

I had originally planned to wait until I could talk into Target and buy one, just like any other printer. That's probably still a few years off, but then my work had an unexpected $1000 bonus. I decided to get a printer, and that would be my budget. I then asked a bunch of friends online that I knew had experience with 3D printing, either through Maker studios, or having purchased their own, for advise. Since my budget was fairly high (for consumer grade FDM type printers, anyway), I decided that my priority would be ease of use, great community and customer support, as well as ratings. It was recommended that I purchase a kit, which I fully agree with after having gone through the process. In the end, I chose a Prusa i3 Mk3. I purchased direct from the maker at http://www.prusa3d.com. The printer cost $750 plus shipping (which is currently free through tonight).

Compared to an Anet A-8, an Ender 3, or a Creality CR10, and any number of printers, that cost is on the high side. After some learning, though, it's been a real workhorse and VERY reliable. I haven't needed to make any changes or upgrades to it, and any failures have been either my own fault, or fully covered by the manufacturer.

Speaking of failures, never leave your printer running until you're 100% sure the print has started off well. I caused my own run of problems by starting a print with confidence, and then leaving immediately. This was before I actually knew what I was doing. I came home hours later to what is called a "blob." This is where the print does not properly adhere to the build plate, and the printer gathers up the extruded filament as it prints. Eventually, it forms a ball on the nozzle which gets larger as it continues to extrude while blocked. If you're lucky, you get a pile of spaghetti. I was not lucky, and caused damage to my printer. Since I had put the thing together myself, repairing it was simple after I got the replacement parts. It's also worth noting that, even though I assembled it, I didn't necessarily know the best way to fix it. I caused other problems by trying to fix it without referring to other people's guidance.

The other learning experience that I always share is that filament of all kinds will absorb (or adsorb) moisture from the air. This is why all of it comes vacuum packed with dessicant packs. Once you open a new roll, keep the dessicant and grab a gallon size Ziplock bag to put it in when you're not using that spool. If you use the same color all the time, consider a spool container that can dispense from a sealed container. Spannerhands makes a great one, and provides the model and BOM for making your own. The reason is, as the filament gets "wet", you will have problems printing. Often, these problems don't seem at all related to the filament. People even go so far as to purchase fancy filament dehydrators because of this. And no, this isn't just for people in humid climates.

Now that I know how to store my filament, and how to make sure I get a print job started properly, my Mk3 has been rock solid and churning out print after print for months. I'm so happy with it, I just ordered a second one while I start designing my own products. I'm no expert, but I'm getting pretty good at it. I've even ordered their MMU which will allow automation of up to 5 colors/materials in a single print job. Since I stink at painting, my plan is to do multi-color prints of people for my track. :)

[MrFlippant]

Don't know why I didn't see this earlier, but here's the thread that was already started with more or less the same purpose:

viewtopic.php?f=69&t=19288