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May 2016
6 / 9
May 2016
May 2016
3dprintss
May '16

So I have some cheap filament but I have heard that higher quality will actually give better prints, is that true? Also what are some good websites to get filament from I dont mind spending extra as long as it will be worth it.

SOC3D
May '16

Filament quality can be related to cost. Especially in the sub $20 per kg roll. A lot of mid-range filaments print with very similar results but at very different print settings. This makes changing filament brands often a bit more difficult.

3dprintss
May '16

Ok, I am looking to make a transition to one company so I can do all the fine tuning once, do you have any recommendations, I just ordered a spool from matterhackers, is there any other place that would do better?

3dpGeek
May '16

That statement can be true for some manufacturers but not true for all. In the price you pay you have to think about a few points, a large point being location of manufacturer, I’m in the US so ColorFabb and other European companies charge an arm and a leg just to ship compared to local manufacturers. You also have to think of how large the company is, larger companies may tend to produce more filament at a lower cost where as younger, smaller companies may produce less filament at a high cost. Larger producers also may be about quantity and not quality or may have more experience with producing filament to have better quality.

Something else I have discovered, in the US at least, is that most brands are produced my the same manufacturer and just branded different. For cheap proto-types I tend to use Inland Filament at MicroCenter because I have one 5 minutes down the street from me and its hard to beat $14.99 a spool and even sometimes $4.99. With these though being so cheap I have only bought a handful of terrible spools and for the price it a risk I am willing to take.

In the US I like to use MakerGeeks for the basic filaments and Proto-Pasta for exotics. To make sure I don’t sink a lot of money in subpar filament I buy a couple samples in a few different colors and plastic types that way they are not all form the same batch.