I’m thinking about buying a 3D printer for creating cosplay props like helmets and armor pieces (only once I figure things out, I’ll start small of course) among other things and since there is a sale on the Ender 3 V3 series and they seem to be well received I figured that it would make sense to buy one. Having done some research, it seems like the regular V3 with it’s 220x220x250mm build volume is too small for what I’m planning to do. Though splitting some parts will of course still be required, from what I could gather the V3 Plus better matches the recommended build volume having one of 300x300x330mm. The sale puts it at about the original price of the regular V3 which works for my budget.
I’d love to hear some thoughts on this, since my knowledge is limited as well as theoretical and the quality of internet sources varies quite heavily.
I will second Mellow, the Ender 3 series is a great entry level printer for tinkerers and hobbits but it requires lots of upgrades and maintenance to turn into a quality fast printer if your goal is to work with the printed items and not the printer.
I like to tinker so that was fine with me, and when I got around to buying a big boy printer I got a Voron 350mm v2.4r2 because its a printer you build yourself. Going from an entry level printer to a $1200 printer is night and day. The features, functionality, quality, and for me most importantly the speed have been game changers.
Since you want to print Cosplay im going to assume you dont want to tinker constantly with the printer, and you dont want to be dealing with failed prints all the time.
If that is the case I would say spend what your time is really worth to you and for your hobby and get a higher end high quality printer. Enjoy the parts you print, not fighting with the printer.