1

So just a quick backstory to why I am only spending $200, I have a csgo knife that is around $250 and I don’t play csgo anymore.

So I was looking around and I found 2 printers that seem fairly decent, the Monoprice Maker Select (It literally went up to $320 on amazon as I post this) and the Anet A8. I heard that the Anet A8 is good but I would need to upgrade the extruder as well as the motor to get something really great. More specifically they said an e3d v6 extruder with a titan motor.

I do not have any experience with 3d printers but have always been interested.

Thanks for your help!

2

I got my Anet A8 from Ebay (seller: mayunstore) for only $150 and the print quality is amazing. I did install a few upgrades such as an X and Y axis belt tensioner, a spool holder and a control box cover but you can print all of them with the same Anet A8, so there’s no need to buy any additional parts. The only thing I purchased was an inductive sensor for autoleveling for about $8, and I also installed an ATX psu (EVGA 80+ BRONZE 450W for $40 on Amazon) instead of the cheap chinese power supply that comes with the printer. I can’t be happier with the overhall printer quality.

1 Like
3

I would say go with the anet a8 it will be easier to mod and upgrade

4

ANET A2+ on fast tech.com for 165ish… Spent the extra money on a MOSFET and your golden for under $180

5

I have an Anet A8 and I am super happy with it. Printed out a bunch of mods and the print became smoother and smoother, now its really good. I don’t see why you would change the extruder it does the job stock so why?

6

Looks a lot like the Tevo Tarantula. Also what do you mean mosfet?

7

The only problem I have with eBay is there is no support if the item comes broke. Do you recommend any site that might have it?

8

I bought it from 3dprintersbay. Cheap and the shipping is ok ?? Be sure to buy an auto leveling kit. I didn’t and I regret it ?

9

I have an A8 and I think it’s amazing. Be aware though that to get really good results and prevent possible safety issues, you will need to mod the heck out of the machine. Braces/frame stiffeners, mosfets, belt tensioners and a better power supply are the recommendations. Before anything, get a higher wattage power supply than the one provided. At least 350watt. The original power supply is underpowered and prone to dying due to the power consumed by the machine. I run a 600w but also plan on upgrading to multiple print heads.

Invest in a bunch of filament. To print all the mods, you will need about 2-3 1kg spools. Being new expect a few prints to fail hence the reason you will need more.

if you good at soldering, upgrade the wiring to the print bed and solder the wire directly on the bed and get rid of the clip. It’s prone to overheating and burning. Soldering will give it the best connection.

The mosfet to help in the power regulation to the print bed. Better regulation, better temp control. And also thermally insulate the bed. Plenty of videos on YouTube.

the belt tensioners will help in tightening up the lines on the print. Slack causes print head wobble and that and create rough lines and also what’s called shadowing where you see certain parts almost repeated.

not too critical but a good idea would also be to upgrade the linear bearings. Igus drylin bearings make for quiet and very smooth movement to get a better finish.

If your only printing PLA filament from there you should be golden. If you plan on other filaments like ABS, you will need to build a housing for the printer to keep temps stable. ABS will warp with temp fluctuations.

I am only printing pla and these mods have created some wonderful prints. This may sound like a lot, but it’s definitely worth the upgrades. If I had to choose again, I would still get the A8 for the value and quality after mods.

10

It depends on a few things, are you happy to assemble a printer? Would you consider building a printer from parts?

At sub £200 there will be compromises, print quality, bed size, heated bed…

Are you looking to start a hub or just do some printing for yourself? I would recommend a pruslai3 clone. Over time this can be upgraded as your knowledge and experience dictates.

11

It is similar to the tarantula. Do some research on MOSFETs, any printer as inexpensive were discussing in this thread will need one. Basically, these cheap printers (not the anet specifically, any cheap printer, even done expensive ones) are built to the max capabilities of their parts. In the case of the heated bed, their using a board capable of sustaining about 10 amps and making it run a bed that will run at ten amps ( or higher). A MOSFET takes the load off of the board. It’s a safety thing. Both my A8 and my A2 almost caught fire and I destroyed 2 beds before I learned what a MOSFET does.

img_20170203_191006.jpg
img_20170203_191006.jpg720×960 175 KB

12

I was just going to ask about the auto-levelling, it seemed really cheap for such a nice feature so I was skeptical. Thanks for the assurance. Does the auto-levelling come with instructions?

13

Is 450W too much or just fine? Would I need to splice the wires and solder them differently?

14

- 450w is perfect, and you will have extra juice in case you want to install any mods afterwards like an octoprint server, led lighting, etc…

-Yes, autoleveling is cheap, but make sure you research a little before buying the sensor. There are 5v and 12v PNP and NPN inductive sensors, some work with the stock firmware and others only work if you install the Skynet firmware, there’s bltouch as well, so read a little before you make the purchase, Try to get a 5v sensor, otherwise if you get a 12v one (like me) you will need a couple of resistors to make a voltage divider. The sensor does not come with any instructions, but you can find plenty of guides on youtube

-Yes, ebay does cover you if the printer has any damaged part, you can just file a claim and normally, the sellers refund you a certain amount of money depending on the part that is damaged. In my case, I got the printer from mayunstore here Anet A8 FDM 3d Printer Precision RepRap DIY & LCD USA Ship for sale online | eBay and the PSU died after 2 weeks, and the seller refunded me $18. It was enough to buy another cheap PSU but instead I used that money to buy a $40 EVGA 80+ certified 450w atx PSU.

-Finally, I don’t have any afiliation with that seller, but I do encourage you to get the printer from him. I have seen other people buy from different ebay sellers and they get a Tronxy printer instead of the Anet A8.

15

Yeah I am fine with building it as long as the instructions are decent. I do not want to buy each part separately. Just not a fan of buying everything.

The printing will just be for me.

16

The Anet A8 comes with some really shitty instructions printed on paper, I say shitty because there’s no way you can follow instructions on paper that are screenshots of an assembly video. However, the Anet A8 maker made some pretty good instruction videos, here: 3D Printer Instruction--The Newest Anet 3D Printer A8 Assembly Video 1 - YouTube

17

I speak a bit of German and am fluent in 1990-2000’s kids cartoon shows, but a lot of what you said was in a different language. I assume there are videos on what you are talking about or some guides!

Seems like I will have to read up on some upgrades, but I think I’ll buy the A8 and look into the upgrades while it ships. They don’t seem too expensive to upgrade. Olivler mentioned a EVGA psu for around $40, the mosfet is around $15, and the belt tensioner I can print.

Someone in another forumn mentioned a full metal hotend, a better extruder, and a better motor. A lot of people here say that the extruder and motor are fine, so should I bother with a full metal hotend?

18

Seems like a fairly good deal, only $160. Someone in the reviews gave it a 2/5 because they said it wasn’t an Anet but was a Tronxy. Now I do not know what a Tronxy printer looks like or what is different, but before I buy one should I ask the seller or do you think the reviewer is mistaken?

19

Tronxy and Anet are pretty much the same thing, the only difference is the frame, and that there are many mods for the Anet A8 while not many for tronxy. If you get your’s from the link I provided you can rest assured you will get an Anet. In the case that doesn’t happen, you can file a complaint and get your money back.

20

Here’s my advice: Buy just the printer for a start, everything else are considered “upgrades” hence they are optional. Once you get your printer you can start learning about how they work, the advantages of good belt tensioning, why you should replace the stock bearings with Igus linear bearings, etc… The only thing you need to get started is the Printer and a couple spools of filament.