I'm getting set to pull the trigger on a 3D printer after ya'll helped to educate me on the software side of the process. Originally I was going to go 5, then I came down to 3 Pro...and now I'm thinking about the 3 because, at the end of the day, I'm looking at really simple prints. And it'll just be to play around with. Not something for school, work, etc.

Any specific reason I DON'T want to go Ender 3...and it's worth it for someone who's never 3D printed anything to spend more (than $150)?

Thanks!

Heck yes!  The basic Ender 3 is perfect to get started.  Just be sure to pick up a roll of PLA filament from a reputable seller like eSun on Amazon.  Once you get it running you can print tons of upgrades with the printer itself.  Check out Thingiverse.com for Ender upgrade prints!

Ok thanks.  So for printing little trinkets (cookie cutters, dice/cubes, toys, etc.).... no big downsides in doing so looking at the Ender 3?

I'm planning on buying a micro SD card, downloading Cura on my work computer, then coming home and printing things out.  This seems like a ridiculously cheap option to get me started.

Thanks for the info.  So these don't come with filament?  I'd like to get into ABS for increased durability but I see I'd need to enclose it.  Any reason I can't just put a cardboard box over the printer to keep the heat in?

Thanks!

Box would be fine.

I drape a bath towel over my printer (not an ender)

ETA: plexiglass window is nice...

Cool, good to know!

Thanks!

Honestly ABS is a bit of a pain to start off with.  I'd learn PLA first and then go to ABS once you have a few prints under your belt.  The warping will drive you nuts - so much so that I just spend the extra couple of dollars per roll for PLA+ or PolyMax.  It's as tough as ABS but prints like PLA.

Does the new pla+ handle high temps like abs yet?

Any links to a roll of black with that PLA+ or PolyMax?  I'll try searching ebay/amazon.

Thanks!

eSun PLA+ - I have no personal experience but I've heard that it's tough.  Reviews look a bit rough though:

https://www.amazon.com/Filament-SUNLU-Dimensional-Accuracy-Printers/dp/B073LKLDV7/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?

This stuff is more expensive but it prints so well that I keep buying it . . .

https://www.amazon.com/Polymaker-Polylactic-PolyMax-Spool-Diameter/dp/B00YXBNBTO/ref=sr_1_3?crid=386PQE6CFYMSQ

The Esun PLA+ prints good on my Ender3. For regular PLA I use a lot of Hatchbox and 3D Solutech. I'm scratch building a new printer right now. All the printed parts are in PLA+.

I pulled the trigger on an ender 3 pro last week. It arrives tomorrow. If you do pull the trigger I suggest watching an assembly video as it appears you get a couple of good assembly tips that the instructions don't tell you. This is the one I will probably refer back to as I assemble

Nice! My Ender 3 pro will come in a couple days.

Pay a few extra for the pro, and order a glass bed, yellow springs, and Capricorn tubing for your first mods.
Edge of Tech has a lot of YouTube videos focusing on the ender 3 pro. Definitely watch the assembly video, makes more sense than the printed instructions.

What are you building?    What will it do that the Ender 3 won't?

Not sure I heard anything about that. Any more detail?

Contrary to what you may get the impression of, an ender is not even close to a high quality printer.

It's quite literally the result of the race to the bottom for printers. It's decent enough, after fixes and upgrades, for a hobbyist getting started so doesn't want to invest much money to dip their toes.

I'm quite aware that it's at the bottom/beginner level.  I figured it was worth asking.    What extra features does your scratchbuilt give you?   Its it something you have come up with, or is it something there's plans for online?

Stiffer springs than the stock ones.

Could be any or all.

I rebuilt my r1 with high quality parts and upgraded extruder and hot end. You can get high quality main boards, drivers, etc.

Take a look at the feature list of a prusa or ultimaker for an idea of features you can get.

I already have an Ender 3 Pro. What I'm building will be kinda Prusa/Anet A8-ish but built out of 20x40 extrusion and have a tall Z height. I could have just bought a new printer but I like building things.

Why's that?  From the vids I've seen comparing the 3 to the 3 Pro, they all seem to indicate it's not worth the ~$100 difference.  But what are your thoughts?

Thanks!

Off the top of my head, the Pro has a beefier Y axis, better cooling for the main board, and better power supply.

40mm vs 20mm right?  From what I saw, print quality was identical across the board, so what is the real advantage with the 40mm?

Different positioning of the fan for cooling.

Meanwell vs. no-name.  Does the no-name have a history of problems now that the 3 has been out for a while?

I like that the non-removable table means ABS is ok but I'm guessing glass/binder clips on either one is preferable.

Thanks

There wasn't a $100 difference when I bought mine, more like $30 or so.
The power supply is 24V instead of 12, plus the advantages mentioned.already.

Where did you buy yours?  Any links?  I might spring $180 for the pro.

Thanks

I have a standard Ender 3 (SainSmart)  purchased late '18 & it has the no-name 24v power supply.   No problems to date with the hardware, but I did swap out the controller & LCD for a MKS Gen L board & Reprap discount smart display (it comes with a full size SD card reader).  I changed controller boards to get more memory for running Marlin 2.0 options.

Before changing boards I did burn a bootloader on the original board so I could do firmware mods. It is not a big deal, but you do need an intermediary device (like an Arduino Uno or equivilent) to act as an in-line programmer.  Mesh bed leveling was the big incentive for updating firmware, you can implement that even without adding an ABL sensor by doing manual data point readings (micro-step head position while using paper or a feeler gauge to get consistent positioning) to build the mesh.  I eventually added a BL-Touch to make updates an automatic thing.  Mesh bed leveling can have a major impact on how good a first layer gets printed.

The ender 3 platform can do decent work but expect to do updates to make it more reliable & accurate.    The bowden tube & fittings that came with mine were ok to get started, but didn't last long before becoming problematic.  Expect to swap those pretty quickly.   The "yellow" spring thing has to do with replacing the original leveling screw springs with a stiffer set so the screws are less likely to move (& change level) on their own  during use.  The common replacements are yellow-orange.  Other desirable near term updates would be adjusters for X & Y belt tension.

You absolutely need to watch some good assembly videos that emphasize getting the frame elements square with each other & properly adjusting the eccentric wheels to reduce slop without being too tight.

Regarding clips for the build surface, I ended up with a boron glass plate and after using clips for a bit, switched over to using a 1mm thick silicon thermal transfer pad on the heat bed.  The silicon pad material is tacky enough to hold the glass securely without clips but still allows for easy removal/replacement.

Expect to buy consumables to permit regular replacement of stuff like bowden tube material, bowden tube fittings and nozzles.  Expect to change nozzles fairly frequently - it is cheaper & less hassle in the long run than struggling with partial blockages.  If it doesn't get clear in short order, replace the nozzle.   Get a decent socket set for use with nozzle changes, it is a lot less hassle than using a cheap wrench.  You also want to have a wrench handy to hold the heater block steady while removing / replacing a nozzle to avoid damage.

Herein lies the rub.
At the time, woot was offering the pro model for $229, which was a terrific deal. What I didn't know was that it wasn't an authentic creality seller. Fortunately, I lucked out, and if it wasn't a real creality machine, they cloned it so close as to have the creality logo on the LCD and magnetic pad.

It seems that lots of Chinese sellers copy the ender 3, because it's so basic.

If you can get an authentic creality pro model for $180, great.

These threads finally got me.  I ended up ordering

Creality Ender 3 Pro 3D Printer with Glass Plate, Upgrade Cmagnet Build Surface Plate and UL Certified Meanwell Power Supply

and

SUNLU PLA Plus 3D Printer Filament - 1.75mm PLA+ Filament

today.  Was looking at the yellow springs and bowden tubing, but I've got them saved for later.

@jhereg What's the first thing that you're going to print?

I don't know yet.    I've been reading about test prints and temp towers.    I figure once I have it up and running it will be a gun part like a magazine, base plate for one, or possibly something for my 37mm launcher.  I found some nose cones for film canisters that look interesting.   There were some 3" casings for the 37.  I may print one of those and see how a ping pong ball shoots out of it.    I may end up getting roped into printing something for my son.   Then there are cases for SBCs like the Raspberry PI stuff.  I own't lack for things to print.

I've seen some comments about 37mm prints. Are the prints really that easy/precise that you can print shells, lift charge and cap parts??

Thanks

damfino.  I've wanted one of these things for ages, but have been resisting it.   Part of resisting it was not looking that close at what was out there.  I suspect caps for film canister may work.    I wouldn't trust the printed casings w/ 40 grains of black powder which I've seen one bushing say it was set for.   Shells maybe.   I've seen some pictures here where we've got someone working on 37mm stuff.

The casings/parts I got from American Speciality Ammo are plastic.  Not sure what type of plastic.  But if using the PLA+ or ABS...I'm guessing that'd hold up.  The shells themselves are usually just cardboard.  But the internals...especially the disk that separates the lift charge from the payload/shell THAT is the part that needs to hold it's own so the thing doesn't explode in the launcher.

I'd like to see some vids of 3D printed 37mm gear in action.

I'm seriously thinking about using my credit w/ Silencer Shop to do a F1 on my Havoc when/if they ever get the eform 1 stuff back up.   Then I could shoot anything I wanted out of it.  I've got some aluminum casings for it, but haven't done anything beyond that.  I may do some more research and pickup some that will let me use smokeless instead of black powder for the lift charge.  The more I think about it, the more I like that idea.

A few years back I had a guy offer me a Havoc, a massive kit from American Specialty Ammo, and a bunch of other goodies for $500 shipped....I couldn't turn it down.

But to be honest, aside from loading up the hulls with shotgun primers, I've yet to fire the thing.  Gotta find someone with a farm that'll let me try it out... but I could also load up some cardboard tubes for 4th of July.  It's a shame that Grog's forum is dead.  That place was a wealth of knowledge and I don't know of anywhere else comparable for 37mm info.  DyerTimes and some others on ebay do have some good vids on the subject.

You mentioned aluminum shells....I have aluminum hulls....but are you talking about the actual projectiles that you can load up with HE and they act like frag grenades when launched??  I've never seen them for sale.

Can you expand upon using the silicon thermal  pads.  Did you find one for the correct size of your bed or did you use and cut to fit multiple of say 100x100 sized pads.

One of my future upgrades is a 110v bed heater and I am trying to plan it all out on how I do things.

tbd

No. They're just fired aluminum hulls.    Nothing major, and may very well not be anything I want to use in the long run.    I think I'd rather use something smokeless for the ease of cleanup if nothing else.  They were cheap at the time and gave me something to use with it.  All I've done w/ it is pop a couple of shotgun primers.   Money and life have been in the way of doing anything w/ it.

I bought this on amazon (still available) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N9HGKR1/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
$7.99  w/prime delivery

It is 400mmx210mm & is 0.5mm thick.   I cut mine so I had one full length piece that covered all but one strip at the edge.  I cut two smaller pieces to cover that strip.  Do your cutting before removing the protective film.  It is very very fragile once separate from the film.  Remove one side, apply very carefully then remove the other.

Go for it.

I have an ender 5, my brother has an ender 3 pro. I was willing to spend a little more since I like the box chassis of the ender 5. I don't regret my purchase at all but I have yet to print anything that he could not print on the 3 pro.

It's a great printer and a great way to start learning.

You will print the cute dog on the included micro SD card.

I'd be more likely to print one of these coasters.

Just got mine assembled and working on the first print. It appears Creality listened to some of the shortcomings and at least with the pro include the little clips for the couplers people used to print out. And on top of that it appears they put a silicon sock on the hot end instead of that tape like insulator. I ordered straight from them so YMMV

Start with one of the included prints.

That way you will know your machine is working properly and any problems are on the user side.

My first print was beautiful.

Attached File

Yeah, my 5 came with a bunch of upgrades that weren't listed, yellow springs, silicone sock, big.... real big leveling knobs etc.

Thanks for the link. My goofoo only led me to the smaller sized ones

tbd

Any thoughts on whether these will be discounted for Black Friday?  Leaning toward the Pro thanks to everyone here....even though I can't find a single person on youtube that promotes it being worth the added cost over the 3.

For sure!   I've learned a lot.   But your start upgrading it soon enough.

If you are serious about something in that range, get a Tevo Tarantula Pro.
Similar mechanically, similar price, but with electronics that you will thank yourself for getting in a few weeks when you figure out wtf is going on and start modding

I'll have to do some digging but what about the electronics is better?

This is the cheapest I've found it.

Any places cheaper?

Thanks!

Assembled and printing my first print! The preloaded cat is extruding as we speak.

Cool!  Can we see some pics of the result(s)?

Thanks!