Which printer would you recommend?  

RE: Which printer would you recommend?

All 3d printers are going to take a bit of "tinkering" to get them to work.  You will need to learn how to get the first layer the correct thickness.  It is something you have to learn by doing and takes patience not to give up.   It's like riding a bike, after you learn it, it comes naturally.  But you do fall off.

If you are sure that you will like 3D printing then and not give up on it then, buy the MK3+.   It has the ability to do more such as using the MMU2S.  Prusa so far has offered upgrades to their printers so when the MK4 comes out, you upgrade yours.

If you aren't sure if you are going to like 3D printing, then the Mini+ is a good option since that would be less money just sitting around in the closet  collecting dust.   However, the Mini+ is a very capable 3D printer and makes a good starter printer.

You will need to learn how to troubleshoot the printer when you have problem and have to learn how to the maintenance to keep it running. If this isn't something you like to do, you need to factor that in your decision to purchase a printer or not.

RE: Which printer would you recommend?

@k7zpj

Thank you for your advise, I appreciate it!

I started with the XYZPrinting DaVinci as my starter printer. It worked well and printed decent prints with minimal "tinkering", until their support sent me a bad extruder as a replacement for the one I got clogged (trying to print an unsupported type of filament) and the printer doesn't print anything anymore. The logical solution would be to replace their $100 extruder, but I'm so frustrated with their support (or the lack of) that I'm reluctant to put any more money into that brand.

I turned to Prusa for their great quality and support that tops all the reviews. To help me better understand my choice, can you please tell me - does the Mini+ support metallic filaments and "wood" filaments, like Metallic PLA and Wood PLA? 

RE: Which printer would you recommend?

@oleg

does the Mini+ support metallic filaments and "wood" filaments, like Metallic PLA and Wood PLA?

Ok, mine is a Mk3 so I don't know the Mini  - but both those filaments are well within the working parameters of the Mini so, as long as you change to the appropriate nozzle for each filament, I would expect good results.

Cheerio,

RE: Which printer would you recommend?

Posted by: @oleg

@k7zpj

Thank you for your advise, I appreciate it!

I started with the XYZPrinting DaVinci as my starter printer. It worked well and printed decent prints with minimal "tinkering", until their support sent me a bad extruder as a replacement for the one I got clogged (trying to print an unsupported type of filament) and the printer doesn't print anything anymore. The logical solution would be to replace their $100 extruder, but I'm so frustrated with their support (or the lack of) that I'm reluctant to put any more money into that brand.

I turned to Prusa for their great quality and support that tops all the reviews. To help me better understand my choice, can you please tell me - does the Mini+ support metallic filaments and "wood" filaments, like Metallic PLA and Wood PLA? 

@oleg

Both the Mini+ and the MK3S+ support wood / metal filled filaments since the plastic base is PLA.   However, you would need to change to a hardened steel nozzle with a larger diameter than the stock nozzle.   You can check with the Prusa Material guide for more information on the filament specs.  Material Guide

If you download Prusa Slicer and install it for the Mini+ and MK3S+, you could look at all of the officially supported filament profiles.

I hope this helps.

My approach, if I can't decide which one I want, is to just buy both of them. 😀

RE: Which printer would you recommend?

I have both, an MK3S and a Mini. The Mk3S is a more robust machine, and I prefer the direct drive over the Bowden drive of the mini, and the Mk3S standard E3D v6 hotend assembly. The Mk3S also has more options to modify the operational characteristics of the machine in its Settings menus.

From a practical perspective, however, the Mini is a very capable machine and above and beyond the other two (non-Prusa) machines I own in that price range. No problem with PLA-based wood or metal filaments.

Personally, I prefer the Mk3S, mostly because of the larger print surface (I frequently print game inserts and functional parts). And just a small thing but important for me because I switch frequently between textured and smooth plates: The Mini doesn't allow you to store sheet profiles in memory. It's supposed to come in a future firmware release but at this moment only the Mk3S supports this feature. 

RE: Which printer would you recommend?

Posted by: @fuchsr

I have both, an MK3S and a Mini. The Mk3S is a more robust machine, and I prefer the direct drive over the Bowden drive of the mini, and the Mk3S standard E3D v6 hotend assembly. The Mk3S also has more options to modify the operational characteristics of the machine in its Settings menus.

I have to agree with this.  

RE: Which printer would you recommend?

I found this discussion useful at the right time, because I am also looking for a good printer. Thanks!