First 3D printer advice
Hi everyone, i'm looking to buy a Core One kit as my first 3D printer. I'd like to know what I should buy first to avoid additional shipping costs, i'm in the European Union so i don't have any customs problems.
I was thinking about a satin sheet, buddy camera, advanced filter, accelerometer, and an obsidian nozzle. As a starting filament, I was thinking of buying one spool of PLA. Do you recommend something different? Should i buy more spools or other materials?
Thank you
RE:
If I would start over again, I would still probably go for a basic (and cheap) bed-slinger first. I've had too many hobbies where I would go all-in up front, find out either it wasn't for me or I was bored with it, then whatever I bought collects dust.
This is my personal opinion only, but I think the Core One has too many issues for a beginner and may end up frustrating you. My advice would be to pick up a MK4S instead and once you get up the learning curve, purchase a Core One conversion kit. Probably 99% of what you will want to print can be handled by the MK4S with a lot less grief.
I've only been printing for 4 years (started with an Ender V3), replaced it with a MK4, upgraded to MK4S and then a Core One. If I had started with a Core One I'd probably have taken a sledge hammer to it by now. That being said, I'm (2 months later) reasonably happy with it...
RE:
I've only been printing for 4 years (started with an Ender V3),...
Not that it matters but to correct a typo, it was an Ender 3 V2. Was cheap, a PITA to get a decent first layer but once that was ironed out a decent printer for the price. The MK4 and then MK4S was a major step up. Like most people, I started off with PLA but needed functional parts that would occasionally sit outside in the Sun so I switched to PETG. I didn't really need to step up to the Core One but then, this for me is a hobby plus I wanted to get into to some more technical filaments that require an enclosure. The MK4S has an enclosure available but the Core One has a smaller footprint and I wanted to graduate to a CoreXY printer. I don't run a print farm so the extra speed afforded by a XY printer is really not a requirement in my case. I just like to build new things.
RE: First 3D printer advice
I agree with hyigers reasoning, that is a sound starting point. Think about what materials you want to be printing, if it is mostly PLA and PETG you don’t need a core one to start with. In my case I still got the core one as my first printer mainly because the workshop requires an enclosure and I could see myself advancing in materials for some of my projects. If you intend to start off with printing PLA and PETG I would skip the advanced filtering unit, after adding this to my printer I must print PLA with the top off which kind of defeats the purpose of the enclosure. The camera, despite its quirks have saved me from some cleanup projects being able to stop the prints from remote when I see them heading south. Other than that since I print mostly functional parts for my own use my experience is that the core one is better than it may sound on the forum, my printer mostly just works and does what I ask for it to do. I did one mod replacing the tension pulleys with Chris Hills design as preventative maintenance.
/Anders
RISPONDI: First 3D printer advice
I was thinking of opting for the core one right away because it is closed, it should be safer in case the cat sneaks into the room. The idea of getting a prusa 3d printer is mainly given for the future possibility with the experience of being able to make spare parts and accessories in asa and pc for use on mechanical equipment to be used in the fields. I was hesitant to buy the advanced filter right away because of the temperature management issue, so i think i'll buy it later. Thanks.
RE: First 3D printer advice
After a few years in 3D printing using Prusas and printers of other brands, one thing I know for sure. If I had to start from scratch, the last brand I'd consider would be a Prusa.
RISPONDI: First 3D printer advice
After a few years in 3D printing using Prusas and printers of other brands, one thing I know for sure. If I had to start from scratch, the last brand I'd consider would be a Prusa.
Why? Which brands or models would you recommend?
a satin sheet
Good idea.
buddy camera
I installed a camera on my first MK3, after a week I removed it and repurposed it as a nature cam as I had no use for the pictures/videos; IMO a waste of disc space.
advanced filter
Don't get one yet, you shouldn't attempt using filaments that require it for many months and perhaps never.
accelerometer
Only of use to dedicated tinkerers.
an obsidian nozzle
OK, you may need one later on when you get to abrasive filaments, you may as well wear out the default brass nozzle first which will take several months with 'ordinary' filaments.
As a starting filament, I was thinking of buying one spool of PLA
Buy one spool of good quality PLA and use it for the first few weeks but after your first monthly maintenance session you should have built enough confidence to handle lower quality filament so buy 10 spools of the cheapest PLA you can find and use this for experimenting/prototyping then switch back to the quality stuff for the finished product.
And buy a dryer or food dehydrator; a very high proportion of the problems we see here are due to damp filament - most of the rest are due to dirty print sheets so also add IPA and dishwashing detergent (Dawn/Fairy) to the list.
Cheerio,
RE: First 3D printer advice
If I would start over again, I would still probably go for a basic (and cheap) bed-slinger first.
That's just waste of money. My good friend (who's a pro in CNC machines) once told me: those who do not know (or are afraid to ask) buy three machines: first, cheap one - here they think "hey, i bought a machine" while in fact they bought nothing but a cheap useless toy, when they figure that out they buy a second one, which is "decent", but not there yet, so after a while they buy a third one, which is "the one". A waste of money. My first printer was a cheap delta one - total crap, constant problems with first layer, parts detaching from plate... Then i got (at time) MK3 and never looked back. Like going from fiat to mercedes...
I think the Core One has too many issues
Hm... i think that this is more or less thing of the past, by now many of them are solved. Personally i don't have any (serious) problems. Only thing was first y homing (banging), but i solved this quickly.
and once you get up the learning curve, purchase a Core One conversion kit.
Sorry, but again a waste of money. Doing that you end up with a bunch of useless parts which are only for trash. If that's an option it's way better to buy a whole new Core One and sell MK4S. That's what i did and looking at cost i'm here-here: conversion kit is 500€, new Core One is appr. 1100€, you can surely sell 1-2 year old MK4S for 600€.
I was thinking about a satin sheet, buddy camera, advanced filter, accelerometer, and an obsidian nozzle. As a starting filament, I was thinking of buying one spool of PLA. Do you recommend something different? Should i buy more spools or other materials?
I would definitely get a raster plate, because it makes beautiful front (bottom ) plate.
Filter - only if you plan to have printer in your room and print with "dangerous" materials (ABS...). Not mandatory for PLA or PETG.
Obsidian nozzle - you can get it anytime later, until now i didn't feel the need to have it (over 5 years of printing). Only needed for abrasive filaments, not for PLA, PETG, ABS, ASA...
Accelerometer - even i don't know why i should have it (what benefit would i get from it)... not needed (at least for now).
For start get PLA, later when you get used to it get PETG. That's pretty much all you need (for a start).
buy 10 spools of the cheapest PLA you can find
Agreed. I just got 10 rolls from jayo3d.com - under 10€ for 1.1kg. I've had it before and it's perfectly ok. Time will tell if i made a correct choice or not, i guess...
I installed a camera on my first MK3, after a week I removed it and repurposed it as a nature cam as I had no use for the pictures/videos; IMO a waste of disc space
buddy camera got a new fw and now it can do live video via RTSP and time-lapse recording (for now only on the card, though).
After a few years in 3D printing using Prusas and printers of other brands, one thing I know for sure. If I had to start from scratch, the last brand I'd consider would be a Prus
Care to elaborate? Me - after years of printing i'd choose nothing BUT Prusa. Yes, it did have problems, but they were all solved. I think that no other printer has bigger support than prusa - in a form of this forum, and also in official support (chat, mail...). The "plus" side of prusa is that you can solve pretty much all by yourself. All parts can be bought, re-printed... it's open source, so there are "tons" of stuff available not only in prusa store.
My personal advice: get Core One as you planned. YOu can get MK4S, it's very decent printer (almost identical to core one), but in that case you'll soon need enclosure, it's bigger, etc... and then you're in Core One price range.
Note that whatever problems you'll have just ask here and someone will respond. Best learning is by solving by yourself.
Good luck with chinese printers when they break, though...
RE: First 3D printer advice
I think the Core One has too many issues
Hm... i think that this is more or less thing of the past, by now many of them are solved.
Don't be fooled by forum bias. The majority of users only visit a forum if they have problems - most never bother. There are hundreds of thousands of Prusa printers in the wild but we see only a dozen or so complainers at any one time, OK they start a high proportion of the threads but mostly they get a fix and disappear. The percentage of complainants to installed printers is vanishingly low.
buddy camera got a new fw and now it can do live video via RTSP and time-lapse recording (for now only on the card, though).
We used to do it with Octoprint. Apart from a couple of time-lapses used for bragging in the early days, once the novelty had worn off they were never looked at.
Cheerio,
RE: First 3D printer advice
Don't be fooled by forum bias. The majority of users only visit a forum if they have problems - most never bother. There are hundreds of thousands of Prusa printers in the wild but we see only a dozen or so complainers at any one time, OK they start a high proportion of the threads but mostly they get a fix and disappear. The percentage of complainants to installed printers is vanishingly low.
Bias goes both ways. I'm assuming then you have access to Prusa's QC and customer service databases. Otherwise, do you know for a fact it's "vanishingly low" or just stating your opinion?
Same goes for people making a blanket statement that all Chinese printers are bad.
The OP is a beginner, one could argue that there are better printers on the market for beginners than the Core One. Maybe even a mini would be appropriate here. It will take up less closet space if the OP gets bored with it.
RE: First 3D printer advice
There are hundreds of thousands of Prusa printers in the wild but we see only a dozen or so complainers at any one time, OK they start a high proportion of the threads but mostly they get a fix and disappear. The percentage of complainants to installed printers is vanishingly low.
I totally agree, i didn't though of that, but it's true: all happy users are (mostly) silent...
Regarding camera: an alternative is cheap chines one like this one, for example
RE: First 3D printer advice
My kit Core one also works very well, only reason to change it would be to reach higher temperatures and larger print size, otherwise it has been great from the beginning, and since previous experience they stand by their products over time with upgrades and updated software for years. I thought the camera works ok, cant stream over internet yet but it doesnt really matter as long as I can monitor my prints, other than that I would really recommend the satin sheet, it just works so well with many materials, but the standard one works well you dont need to change it. If you print in your house a filtration system could be nice, especially if you will try ASA which smells really bad.
RE: First 3D printer advice
My opinion would be to buy the Core One kit - NOT the assembled - so you can learn as you build. I wouldn't buy a bed slinger at this point, there's just no point investing into 'older tech' as we know the CoreXY platform is the future. Yes it has the odd kink to iron out but it'll settle soon enough!
I also wouldn't bother with all the accessories at this point either. I'm a sucker for doing this too, but I always regret it. Start with the printer and a roll or two of PLA as a starting point. Buy accessories as and when you need them, and as you get used to the printer.
RE: First 3D printer advice
I agree on the kit and PLA, unless you are not someone that likes to meddle a bit with the machine. In this case, I'd probably say to buy something else as you will need to put hand to a screwdriver / hex key sooner or later (I owned only a prusa mk3, mk4, and now core one so I cannot comment on other brands "it just works" claims).
I would, for the little extra price, still buy the accelerometer to allow finer tuning, even if later on in the ownership cycle. It will save shipping costs and it is not really much.
My opinion would be to buy the Core One kit - NOT the assembled - so you can learn as you build. I wouldn't buy a bed slinger at this point, there's just no point investing into 'older tech' as we know the CoreXY platform is the future. Yes it has the odd kink to iron out but it'll settle soon enough!
I also wouldn't bother with all the accessories at this point either. I'm a sucker for doing this too, but I always regret it. Start with the printer and a roll or two of PLA as a starting point. Buy accessories as and when you need them, and as you get used to the printer.
RE: First 3D printer advice
Hello,
I bought my first printer for less than a month. It is a Prusa Core One and I don't regret it. Before that I compared Prusa to other major vendors.
As far as I own it, I didn't have any issue. I had to make some adjustments with the filaments from other vendors than Prusament but it's a normal process I think.
I ordered the printer with the smooth and satin sheets but I didn't take another nozzle.
I already printed in PLA and TPU(FLEX).
I now want to order the camera to avoid to go to check every 15 minutes if the printing is going well, the filter is not mandatory if the printer is in a room where you are not living in and if you want to purchase a PLA spool just to test it, do not, it is included with the printer.
I'm still wondering if I need of an accelerometer.
But to resume, if you hesitate because it's your first printer ... don't. You won't regret it.
Hi everyone, i'm looking to buy a Core One kit as my first 3D printer. I'd like to know what I should buy first to avoid additional shipping costs, i'm in the European Union so i don't have any customs problems.
I was thinking about a satin sheet, buddy camera, advanced filter, accelerometer, and an obsidian nozzle. As a starting filament, I was thinking of buying one spool of PLA. Do you recommend something different? Should i buy more spools or other materials?
Thank you