Im looking to get my first 3d printer and was wondering what do y’all think is the best choice here in the USA under $500? I have looked at review after review and keep getting contradictory information. One report will say this printer “x” is best and printer “w” is crap and the next is the opposite. Looking for y’alls opinion, thanks
I just got the monoprice maker select and really like it so far. Marvin isn’t printing perfect yet, but larger models are printing great. I highly recommend it. It is the same printer as the wanhao duplicator i3 as well so there is a large support group for the printer.
It really depends on what features you are looking for in a printer; heated bed, bedsize, resolution, etc.
Best beginner type printers are a plug n’ play. Though all printer’s need to be troubleshooted to get the greatest prints I would highly recommend looking for a printer that has a auto bed level like a printrbot play. This will at least save you one headache on learning how to properly level a print bed which is one of many reasons why beginners get frustrated with 3d printing and return their printers.
Buy something that requires less maintenance and calibration and focus on learning how FDM works in different combination of material, speed, temperature and so on. Later you will find out what you need and will find the right model yourself. All the 3d printers are good in the way they work, it’s almost always human error, assembler, programmer or user that affect the quality and performance of the machine. Like if you feed a $2000 printer with cheap quality filament, don’t expect to get a nice and shiny print. Or if you are not taking care of the moving parts and lubricating them properly then don’t blame the manufacturer. For $500 or less I would get one that can be used right out of the box without a hassle. No assembly, wiring or calibration. Just click and print. I have bought and used many different brands but the only one I liked that everybody can use is Makerbot Replicator Mini. It doesn’t have the best quality for printing PLA but it is very safe to work with, small foot print, you can quickly set it up and run it, a bit noisy but have a cool look on your desk. Yes everything matters even how it looks 
Original Makerbot PLAs are pretty pricey but you get what you paid for, the best quality/strength on the market. Later when you become a pro and have time and knowledge to mess with your printer you can buy a customizable one and push it for best quality/performance.
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I got the QIDI for my first printer. A little higher than your cost target (699 at Amazon) but I am having good luck with it so far. Using it with Simplify3D and most things have been fairly straight forward. It has taken a lot of reading and googling to figure some things out.
Enza3D
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Hi @Christopher_Bur!
When getting your first printer, there are a couple things to consider, so before I offer a suggestion I’m going to ask a few questions to better gauge what printer would make the most sense for you!
What do you see yourself doing most with this printer? Do you see yourself printing more statues and figurines, or printing functional objects like radio knobs and household gadgets?
Do you have a preferred printing material, i.e. you know you want to print with ABS or extotic filament (wood PLA, metal PLA)?
What size objects do you plan on printing?
I see myself printing more toys and figures for my son but then again there are alot of gadgets/mechanical parts. It would be in a variety of materials depending on what it is going to be used for.
After a alot more looking around I may be able to increase my budget to around 700. I have been looking at the FT-5 and original prusa i3 mk2. What are y’alls thoughts on them or is there a better option at that price range?
