Best 3d printer for ~400$

I don’t know what I’m looking for as far as features or size but any great deals on something u recommend around this cost?

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I am waiting on a tevo tornado from aliexpress now actually. Think they are on sale today for 368$ or similar. Many consider it as the best printer for under 400$

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I did a little research and the Creality CR-10 keeps coming back as the winner for around $500 . Preston (Press Reset youtuber) is a big 3d print guru and he recommends the CR-10 as well.

cr-10 seems nice. also prus i3

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and you could probably get an used Ultimaker original for that price. That´s a very reliable printer

https://www.amazon.com/Assembled-3D-Printer-Source-Features/dp/B07421SR9J/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1511813070&sr=8-1&keywords=robo+3d

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Yeah I would definitely recommend the Tevo Tornado or CR-10 both are great printers for sub $400 and the biggest print volume for that price as well. I have a Anet E10 and it’s quite nice, but has a smaller build volume.

I bought a Monoprice Maker Select V2 for $254 on sale. It’s normally $299, but it’s a surprisingly great budget 3D printer if you don’t have a ton of cash to blow. You can buy a lot of filament with the remaining cash if you got this one. Haven’t tried the Tevo.

CR-10!!! its the best

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Spend a couple hundred more and get one of these kits. You won’t regret it:

If you really can’t squeeze out that extra $200(trust me its worth it). Try to find a used printrbot simple metal on craigslist or something… My simple metal has been flawless.

OR, I just got done building one of these bad boys(mine is in cnc config, but you can make a 3d printer):

https://www.vicious1.com/assembly/

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Here’s some pics of my machine(30 x 30 x 6):

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https://www.gearbest.com/3d-printers-3d-printer-kits/pp_796478.html?currency=EUR&vip=3209191&gclid=Cj0KCQiAjO_QBRC4ARIsAD2FsXPo7lRVTUD3fhSXQqkTPS-wFPp2qXen-KeUv1CpQUDEX9VN2U9R8K4aArjkEALw_wcB

The CR 10 great for the price, even better the CR 10S. However, it’s still a chinese Printer and can have some problems once in a while. But after 2 months of fairly heavy use i never truly regretted my purchase.

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I’m running a wanhao i3 with Marlin firmware. To tell you the truth, I’ve printed everything with it (motor mounts, pulleys, enclosure, etc.); from the softest materials (for dampening) to the hardest ones (PETG with CF). It’s a workhorse :wink:

Today, CR10 really is a tough deal to beat.

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I have a monoprice maker select v2. Basically an i3 clone. Works great for 300$.

cr-10 here, best purchase i ever made. You are going to have a lot of trial and error though to print anything other than PLA.

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@Hummie I use a Teebot on my side, not widely known but based on same Prusa / Marlin / Reprap style structure and firmware.

Main goodies :

  • it comes with heated aluminum bed
  • E3D hot-end
  • “direct drive” type feed (can’t remember the other type which feeds into a tube)
  • print area is a 200x140x300mm approx
  • it is a suitcase so it actually folds if you need to take it with you

My pros and cons after more than 2 years with it : Pros

  • it takes it all filament wise, no stuck or anything ; for Nylon and PETG it has done great
  • heated bed for some materials is a must (still a layer of washable Helmer for Nylon needed, nothing else for the rest)
  • actually durable and is almost “Ready to print”
  • regular performance IMO (no random issues)

Cons = it is a bit soft due to suitcase walls and 2x single rails on Z axis (would be solved with T pillar and 2x dual rails) = cooling of the control unit is flawed from standard so I had to rethink it (caused errors during print after some time) = I’m a dumbass so never took time to set up nozzle correctly, it leaks a tiny bit = it is noisy and will upset your wife

I was looking on the market but apart from a DLP SLA type printer like Duplicator i7 or better I realized I may be better off upgrading what I have.

I can’t recommend enough trying HIPS and PETG for hard materials. Cheap quality parts strong and able to take hits. Nylon is hard to print correctly and softer material but it is also really hard to destroy. More like “it can tear not break” style.

If anybody has ideas to make it 40-43db max that’d be great, right now it would be around 50-60db when motors move which is too much.

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got a zortrax m200 used and really happy with it…but waiting for a .4mm needle to show today so I can unclog the nozzle. otherwise it’s been good but a bit of delaminating off the bed.

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Build an enclosure to keep the temp up, that helped me with bed delamination.

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^ necropost

whats a necropost…post from the grave? I got a printer and shocked how even though it has an open top, if I put the door on the front I’m much less likely to delaminate. also some thin slurry is a sure thing

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