As the very first 3D printer a recommendation ?
Hi
I am an IT technician and have been thinking about a 3D printer with my wife for some time.
The whole thing is a difficult topic because there are many manufacturers.
There are many users who think printer A is great and other users say printer A only makes mistakes.
First I thought Ender 3, then Ender 3 Pro and later Ender 5.
Now I came across Prusa and seems to have a very good name.
I also like that it is not a Chinese company, because of warranty.
Now I thought the MK3S was a good price, at least for a beginner who didn't do anything with 3D printing.
Now I would like to offer the Mini.
I think the 18*18*18 should be enough.
As a beginner I should rather take the Mini and gain experience with it and rather buy material for it, or rather pay the 1000 Euro for the MK3S ?
I don't dare to assemble it and I think 1000 Euro for the first 3D print might be a bit exaggerated.
bye
Markus
RE: As the very first 3D printer a recommendation ?
[...] As a beginner I should rather take the Mini and gain experience with it and rather buy material for it, or rather pay the 1000 Euro for the MK3S ?
Prusa has given us a new option that didn't exist a year ago, and with it some tough choices. The biggest difference is, of course, the build size. If the Mini is large enough to print what you expect to print for the near future, it's a great choice. The Mk3s is equally great, a good bit bigger, but of course more expensive. It is, however, available now. A Mini ordered today can't be expected for at least a couple of months.
In your situation, if you can afford the Mk3s, I'd say go that route. It's a quality machine and should get you going and productive quickly. I bought mine as a pre-built and have no regrets.
and miscellaneous other tech projects
He is intelligent, but not experienced. His pattern indicates two dimensional thinking. -- Spock in Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan
RE: As the very first 3D printer a recommendation ?
Out of curiosity - what makes you think you won't be able to assemble the printer yourself? I consider people working in IT on technical positions somewhat naturally curious, if you have no issues following instructions to assemble Legos, IKEA furniture or anything related to computing, that basically qualifies you to assemble the kit 😉 Manual is really well done, see for yourself: https://manual.prusa3d.com/Guide/1.+Introduction/1045?lang=en If you engage your wife into building, you may have some nice time spent together.
If it bothers you, or there are other reasons like space (printer assembly will occupy at least one table and surrounding area) or time (few evenings after work, one-two days on weekend) I can understand why getting assembled product may be better. If you cannot justify high price for assembled kit, MINI is great choice. The only issue is you will wait till April if you order one now.
RE: As the very first 3D printer a recommendation ?
MK3s kit would be my recommendation now.
Fun to build. Still have warranty+support. Firmware and Hardware pretty stable. Huge fan base.
Prusa Mini is on the way but this will be my recommendation end 2020 after first upgrades and better availability.
Often linked posts:
Going small with MMU2
Real Multi Material
My prints on Instagram
RE: As the very first 3D printer a recommendation ?
Hi
since the Mini doesn't come so fast, I ordered the MK3S.
With a bit of luck it will come until Christmas, but I suspect it will be at the beginning of January.
However, the built version 😉
bye
Markus
RE: As the very first 3D printer a recommendation ?
The only issue with the mini is that nobody has one yet so we can't really confirm how good it is. That said, Prusa deserve the reputation they have which is why so many people, including me, ordered a mini as soon as it was announced.