Hey, I’m a complete newbie when it comes to 3D printing. I have a chance to pick up this printer second hand, and I was wondering what the community thinks of the product. Would this printer be decent for a beginner? Thanks!

  • cryball@sopuli.xyz
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    1 year ago

    I might be a bit late with my answer, but overall the ender 3 is a decent beginner printer. I’ve had no major problems with mine.

    You and others please note that there are 4 different models of the ender 3.

    • ender 3: loud board and stock everything
    • ender 3 v2, new screen, silent board, adjustment knobs for belts and a glass bed
    • ender 3 neo. silent board, old screen, auto bed leveling (BL-Touch), glass bed
    • ender 3 v2 neo: Basically a v2 + neo

    IMO the neo is a sweet spot for beginners. It has most of the upgrades people do on their printers, while being cheaper than doing them yourself.

    EDIT: just read that you’re buying used. Depending on the price the v2 would be completely fine. Just add bltouch later if you want.

    • calculuschild@vlemmy.net
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      1 year ago

      Seconding this. V2 has been awesome for me, but I had to add a bltouch to get consistently good results without fiddling with leveling all the time. Now, V2 gives me flawless prints with minimal tinkering.

      Neo adds this by default, plus a few other upgrades other people are mentioning, that I think make it perfect for a newbie who just wants to start printing.

      V2 is “the same machine” but you would need to buy the upgrades separately (bltouch is really the only one you “need”). Good if you want to spend a little more time getting to know the machine and putting it together. Gives a good feel for how the machine works and is a good experience on its own if you want to get deeper into the hobby.