It’s been a VERY long time since I posted anything. Mainly due to work taking up way too much of my time. I have two things that I’m planning on playing with so thought I’d start writing about them (Second will be a separate blog post).
3D Printing
I’ve ordered cheap 3D printer so that I can get into 3D printing again. We used to have one in the office which basically spoiled us and was a very automated and did everything for you (Cost £1000). That has since gone away so I’ve decided to get my own one. I am aiming for a budget printer in this case.
I narrowed my choice down to 4 printers (all prices were from Amazon UK at time of writing). The pros and cons are just some of the ones I was using to decide which printer to get.
1 CoLiDo 3D Printer D1315
Price: £229.00
Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B06WVSL6W1
Pros
- Looks cool 😉
- Cheap Price.
- Quiet.
- Comes pre-assembled.
- Uses non propitiatory filaments.
Cons
- Limited print area.
- Can only do PLA due to no having heated bed.
- Not a lot of information online about this one. (Based on my searching and youtube)
2 – Flashforge® 3D Printer Finder Single Extruder Printer
Price: £399
Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00ZBS86ZW
Pros
- Fully Assembled.
- Very easy to calibrate.
- Touch Screen makes it easy to configure.
- Lots of support and mostly positive reviews on the internet/youtube.
- Uses non propitiatory filaments.
Cons
- PLA Only, no heated bed.
- Cost makes it much closer to mid range than low cost.
3 – Wanhao i3Plus Duplicator Plus
Price: £349.95
Pros
- Easy to set up and configure with touch screen.
- Well made.
- Has a heated bed and can use different plastics.
- Uses non propitiatory filaments.
Cons
- Has been know to have overheating issues causing plastic to warp while printing (Fixed by a new fan and housing. Housing can be printed by this printer)
- Has had a safety recall in the past.
- Cost is approaching that of the mid-range machines.
- Requires some assembly.
4 – Monoprice 124166 Select Mini 3D Printer
Price: £211.44
Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B06XXPN8GY
Pros
- Cheap Price.
- Comes fully assembled.
- Has heated bed so can print with multiple plastics.
- Easy to use menu system.
- Solid construction.
- Uses non propitiatory filaments.
- Very popular when researching on Youtube and internet.
Cons
- Requires manual calibration. (With a piece of paper and hex key and by moving head around manually with power off)
- Has had issues with the clip on the feeding mechanism at the top breaking.
- Placement of the filament reel can cause the filament to get twisted on the reel.
Conclusion
Summing up the cost and the fact that I can print with multiple plastics coupled with the amount of people out there using them, I have chosen the Monoprice Select Mini printer. The Flash Forge came a close second, but at that price, it would probably be worth spending more and getting a printer around the £600 mark.
It has been ordered and will hopefully be arriving by the weekend.
I’ll follow up on how I get on with it.
VB Magic 