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3DPrinting
3DPrinting is a place where makers of all skill levels and walks of life can learn about and discuss 3D printing and development of 3D printed parts and devices.
The r/functionalprint community is now located at: !functionalprint@kbin.social or !functionalprint@fedia.io
There are CAD communities available at: !cad@lemmy.world or !freecad@lemmy.ml
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I'm biased to say save and get a Prusa. It is what I did. It is not a printer project. The hardware specs are a misnomer. The continuous investment in the community is the real selling point. I spent more initially, but my Prusa is still worth nearly what I put into it even as a MK3S+ when the 4 is a thing. Everyone knows it will still work, and continue to do so, while parts will always be readily available. No one worries that it is some failed project.
Now if I tried to sell my little modified KP3S Kingroon, that thing is pretty much worthless now even though it works okay most of the time. I spent more on it at $200 than I did on the Prusa at just over 3× as much. I barely used the KP3S, wasted $100 on "upgrades" and it is now all loss. I got it after the Prusa knowing it is a project to screw around with. Spending more can often mean spending less when you consider long term value. That is just my personal opinion. I don't regret buying the Prusa.
That's one option and the one I was also thinking about. But it is triple the price for a few of the budget options.
Speaking as someone who wetn cheap and got an ender 3. I've spent 90% of my time with printer maintenance and calibration. Not printing...
You buy a budget printer if you want to get into 3d printers. You buy a prusa if you want to get into 3d printing.
If you want to learn how everything works, you should get a kit. After it’s assembled you should be able to print nearly endlessly with nothing more than basic maintenance.
If you value your time more than you like to tinker with your printer, then the cost makes sense.
If you like to do more maintenance and prefer to save the money up front, then the budget printers make sense.