Might want to include how much tinkering you want to do to upgrade/improve the printer. Some are good enough out of the box to get solid prints every time, others need some tinkering.I really need to get a 3D printer. Assuming I can live with printing nothing larger than say ~6x9” and I want it to work reliably.
1) what should I expect to pay?
2) any suggestions on make / model?
Good point, I would expect it to work as delivered other than perhaps adjusting for setup. Upgrading is generally fun for me and This appeals to me because I need to work with something for a while to appreciate what upgrades would be worthwhile pursuing.Might want to include how much tinkering you want to do to upgrade/improve the printer. Some are good enough out of the box to get solid prints every time, others need some tinkering.
It's time for me to get one myself. I don't want to mess with one, at least in the beginning. Want to be productive from the get go.
$800 vs about $300, the eternal trade off. How much is the $500 extra really worth in time and frustration. I've been told 3d printers are another rabbit hole. I don't need another rabbit hole to fall into. The machining rabbit hole is deep enough, thank you.Prusa is plug and go vs Ender and others. Two of the guys at work have each and the Prusa was cheaper to run vs the Ender which the needed multiple upgrades to get it to print properly. in the end he wishes to have bought the Prusa first.
Pierre
Can't argue with that. $500 is, at least for me, not minor, so wonder what else it could get me... Don't care to be frustrated with sub par stuff, though.Wasted time fixing ….is wasted life and added stress to reduce my personal time.
Does this model work well, is it reliable?I use a Flashforge Creator Pro. It's been superceded by a newer model (Creator Pro 2), so the Creator Pro original is under 500$ on Amazon these days. It has a 6" x 8.5" (ish) build plate and dual extruders.