3D printing is a pricey hobby, from the printer to keeping a stock of good quality filament, so we always perk up when a manufacturer produces a machine that doesnt cost an arm and a leg.
While you can get a 1kg roll of filament for as little as $18 or so, you can also find yourself spending $40, $60, or even $80 for a roll of a specialty filament. Sign up for Lab Report to get the latest reviews and top product advice delivered right to your inbox. The Anycubic Kobra emerged somewhat out of nowhere in early 2022, wowing both us and makers worldwide with a range of premium features that simply hadnt been seen on a printer under $300 before. Here, I mostly relied on finding what was available and then cross-checking against formal reviews and user feedback.
Over the years, I have reviewed iPad and iPhone science apps, plus the occasional camera, laptop, keyboard, and mouse. The running theme behind the Anycubic Kobra is to deliver a hassle-free and user-friendly introduction to 3D printers but it might not have enough to satisfy the needs of more demanding makers.
For a budget printer with a 220x220x250mm build area, the machine has a few decidedly non-budget features. It uses a 1.75mm filament.
However, the lower price you go, the less features, precision, and reliability you get. The newest versions, the Creator Pro 2 and Creator Max 2, expand into new territory: IDEX 3D printing. With an 8.9-inch 4K monochrome display, Mono X has a larger build area, allowing you to build bigger models.
The Ender 3 V2 certainly fits the bill, with good quality printing that can generally be relied upon. It has a heated bed, but it doesn't have Wi-Fi. The risk is that cost-cutting will make the printer a shoddy product, causing more hassle than quality prints, but the Voxelab Aquila. Therefore, we have included cheap 3D printers that still offer good reliability, quality and are not too difficult to use. The catch is that these budget machines usually require some tweaking to get right. If you want to experiment with a larger variety of filamentswhich include water-soluble filament, wood- and metal-laced composites, and both tough and flexible varietiesyou may have to pay more, although a few discount models support a wide range of materials.
You can trace a pattern or draw freehand, and even draw in three dimensions as the plastic quickly solidifies and hardens once extruded. Just bear in mind the tiny build area. But it also produces amazingly detailed results. These include the build volume, the type of frame, the varieties of supported filament, the software, and the connectivity mix. You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time. But we have to replace the Ender 3's Top Pick slot from our last update with the Elegoo Neptune 2, which is everything the Ender 3 is, but less expensive and with generally smoother prints.
For most makers looking to buy a cheap 3D printer, you want reliable, adequate printing on a machine that doesnt give you a headache with its constant errors and faults.
It pays for itself if you can recover five or six rolls of otherwise useless filament.
Most 3D printer manufacturers have either developed and refined their own software, or have adapted an open-source printing platform such as Cura(Opens in a new window). Most 3D printer manufacturers (even the discount ones) have a mobile app to launch and monitor print jobs, and a few provide access to cloud services from which you can print. Be sure to follow me on Twitter at @DavidGewirtz, on Facebook at Facebook.com/DavidGewirtz, on Instagram at Instagram.com/DavidGewirtz, and on YouTube at YouTube.com/DavidGewirtzTV. Which brings us to the frame "form factor" question: open-frame versus closed-frame.
Rather than tracing out a programmed pattern, you use the 3D pen much like a normal pen, except that you draw with molten plastic. Therefore, you pay for versatility, a hot commodity in 3D printing. It aims to provide absolute beginners and young budding makers with a compact, easy-to-use machine that allows users to channel their creativity free of the time-consuming and technical aspects that usually weigh down 3D printing.
The Toybox 3D Printer does, however, come with a set of limitations that mean it isnt suited to more ambitious projects.
While gimmicks are always a little hit or miss, the Toybox 3D Printer is undoubtedly a success. Prints from USB drives, SD cards, or mobile devices. It appears users either love it or hate it, which may go to the cost controls necessary to reach that price point with dual filament functionality.
While the smallest build volume of any 3D printer we have tested is 3.9 by 3.9 by 4.9 inches, we consider any build volume smaller than 6 by 6 by 6 inches to be small, any between that and 10 by 10 by 10 inches as medium, and any printer with at least one build dimension of more than 10 inches as having a large build volume.
Creality has made a name for itself by selling low-cost 3D printers with reasonable build quality. Its very much a complete package and ensures the printing process is enjoyable from start to finish.
You'd have a great solution with either one, but the decision ultimately will come down to which features you want most and whether you want to use the Chitubox or Lychee slicer with the Elegoo or the Photon slicer with the Anycubic. 3D printer is widely considered a cheap 3D printer when the price falls under $300 to $400, dropping as low as under $200 for the lowest-cost options.
It's also enclosed, which helps manage the heat dissipation and can result in nicer prints.
Budget price for printer and filament spools.
Recently, there's been a surge in slightly more custom monochrome displays, which offer higher resolution and more clear light, resulting in faster, cleaner prints.
However, it's more sensitive to heat, so don't leave your 3D prints on the dashboard of a car on a hot day. They are generally replaced by rotary knob controls that while functional dont have the intuitive appeal of a touchscreen. Top Pick | Filament | Assembled $399; Kit $349, Filament | $399 from Amazon | $349 direct. I've added "Top Pick" indicators to the first few printers.
Most home 3D printers use PLA or ABS plastic.
Theres a reason why its currently the best-selling 3D printer in the world.
By contrast, I recommend filament printers to those who want to build objects that meet specific functional needs (rather than display needs). We would have liked to see a removable build plate because some of those prints adhered to the bed like a puppy to mommy during a thunderstorm. Automatic print-bed leveling is the norm, and you can usually remove 3D-printed objects from heated and/or flexible build plates with a minimum of coaxing. Here are two I recently reviewed.
At a certain level, it is worth paying an extra $30 for the peace of mind and to avoid the headache of an inconsistent, often faulty printer.
What printer should you get? It exhibits generally good print quality, but it was unable to print two of our test objects.
By now, you've probably figured out that there are a lot of differences between 3D printers, with a lot of different capabilities and functions. 3D printing software performs three main functions: processing an object file (resizing, moving, rotating, and in some cases duplicating it), slicing it (into virtual layers, based on your chosen resolution), and printing it. Any higher, the cost pushes the printer into the mid-range portion of the 3D printer market.
Most also have a USB Type-B port for connecting directly to a computer, and some offer Wi-Fi, too (or as an alternative), while a handful let you connect via Ethernet to share the printer across a local network.
You can do this for two-tone highlighting or use one filament as the final object and one filament for supports.
Closed-frame 3D printersand most semi-open models, which have a rigid top, base, and sides but are open in front and, often, backtend to have small build volumes, while open-frame printers, lacking as rigid a physical structure, often have relatively large build volumes for the price. Here's what to consider, Cloud computing is growing, but so is regulation, Best 3D printer: FDM, resin, and more compared, Best 3D printer 2022: FDM, resin, and more compared, The 6 best Samsung phones: Explore a new Galaxy, The top home batteries: Essential battery backup systems, Our favorite pellet grills: Alternatives to gas and charcoal, The 5 best wireless headphones: Great sound untethered, The top GPS trackers and devices for kids: Find your child fast, Chitubox Pro is an extra cost license after one year, Sometimes difficult to get the exposure-to-weight ratio right, Prints are often very difficult to remove, Hundreds of instructional videos and tips, Exceptional price for dual filament printer, It can be expanded with a laser engraving kit, Sometimes difficult to get dual printing to work.
Testing 3D printers is an in-depth process. Some printers use a liquid resin, which is much more difficult to handle but offers sharper details.
It takes all the best features of the Ender 3 S1 and latches on an improved all-metal extruder with a titanium alloy tube and heat block that opens the door to a maximum extruder temperature of 300. Some require assembly, being essentially kits, and most require more setup care than a closed-frame printer, plus more maintenance to keep them running smoothly. Supports PLA, ABS, and several composite filament types.
Were talking about the extra niceties that you sacrifice in paying less, which would make your printing experience that much more enjoyable and, to an extent, hassle-free.
For those that want something even more sophisticated, its also worth considering the Ender 3 S1 Pro.
This article is designed to break through those questions. For under $500 filament printers, we like the Prusa and the Elegoo Neptune 2.
They're the "can't go wrong" choices. It got me comfortable building in the workshop and helped me create solutions I use every day.
Finally, decide on how much money you can spend.
Objects printed from ABS are durable and nontoxic, though the material can be tricky to work with.
At this price, the Elegoo Mars 3 is the best resin printer for the money.
But there are some machines that are classics. There's a filament run-out sensor and a power loss detector.
There are also more robust, faster, or more capable printers above $500. You can print giant pieces of cosplay armor, or small statues to give as gifts.
If you look at my Ultimaker 3 or Ultimaker S5 reviews, you'll notice that this has the same bed lift mechanism and the same extruder carriage design. Since 2004, I have worked on PCMags hardware team, covering at various times printers, scanners, projectors, storage, and monitors.
You can read our full hands-on Anycubic Kobra test for the details.
Print beds had to be manually aligned. Then, decide on how big the objects need to be. Unfortunately, the hot end isn't all metal, so you're not popping above 300 degrees, which does limit some materials. This is expensive for a budget printer, but well worth it if you want a large enough print area to make something special. I use a dissolvable PVA support filament on the Ultimakers to create complex, intricate prints.
Kits (printers that come only semi-assembled) are judged by how long, and how difficult, the assembly process is.
Comes as kit or pre-assembled.
Manufacturers either include their own 3D printing program or modify an existing platform such as the open-source Cura. Chiefly, the small 70 x 80 x 90 mm build volume is tiny, and the Toybox 3D Printer is only compatible with PLA, limiting your options for experimentation with other materials.
Pro-level printers are more robust and -- unfortunate for beginners on a budget -- often have conveniences like automatic bed leveling that makes the printing process easier.
Print quality using PLA was quite good. If your aim in 3D printing is something closer to freehand design and free expression than computer-centric, structured, and repeatable output, you might give one a try.
At a glance, 3D pens may appear to be toys, but some artists and craftspeople have taken to them, as it is possible to make quite complicated and beautiful objects with them.
Overall, an excellent printer and a favorite for folks setting up small print farms with inexpensive printers.
I've also written a host of articles about astronomy, space science, travel photography, and astrophotography for PCMag and its past and present sibling publications (among them, Mashable and ExtremeTech), as well as for the PCMag Digital Edition. James built his first PC when he was just 11 and has been in love with cutting-edge technology ever since. The upgraded Ender 3 V2 is not too dissimilar from the hugely popular original: for $60 extra you get an improved carborundum glass bed for better print adhesion and print quality, and this bed also makes removing prints easier lessening the chances of damaging the model during removal. With a 220x220 build surface, there's a heated bed that can improve adhesion. 1996-2022 Ziff Davis. Some printers support storing 3D files on an SD or microSD card (which may also contain the printers system files). Theres no automatic bed leveling, it features a Bowden extruder system rather than a direct drive, and the build quality is a far cry from even printers a few hundred dollars up the pricing scale.
Be aware that there will be some assembly required for this printer.
Let's run through those in turn.
Prusa 3D printers are meticulously designed to be as simple and effective to use as possible.
I recommend resin printers to people who want to produce small items of fine detail.
(We say a part because a 3D-printed object can consist of multiple parts that are printed, then glued or otherwise pieced together.)
If a relatively large build volume is a priority, youre likely to get more bang for the buck with an open-frame model. The Anycubic Vyper is easily the best budget 3D printer available now.
New upgraded version with key improvements, Speed improvements to create figurines faster than ever, Wide filament choice (including tougher filaments like PC), 3-in-1 3D Printers (with CNC & Laser Engraving), full hands-on Anycubic Kobra test for the details, 7 Fastest 3D Printers 2022 In Every Price Range, The 11 Best FDM 3D Printers 2022 (In Every Price Range). Building it with my son gave us a lot of good insights into how a 3D printer works, and potentially how to fix one. The Photon M3 is our pick for best cheap resin 3D printer, over the Photon Mono 4K, with the M3s larger 7.6 screen for the larger build volume.
Its also fast, able to print at up to 200mm/s, and is famed for its reliability and durability.
The MINGDA Magician X checks off a lot of the boxes for a filament 3D printer. All rights reserved. The Mono X also has an improved gantry for smoother prints and better support.
Creality is a household name in 3D printing circles, and with good reason, thanks to the Ender 3s success. Many other sub-$200 3D printers arent great, but the Voxelab Aquila and Ender 3 are rare reliable cheap printers. Choose wisely. In this article, we listed Top Picks.
Also:Best 3D printer: FDM, resin, and more compared.
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There are some issues, though. These budget 3D printers all cost under $500 (prices can drift a bit month to month), and some are better suited to beginners than others. Limited to printing with polylactic acid filament (PLA).
They're also constantly evolving, so a printer that was at the top of its game last year may well be an also-ran this year.
Includes only a small starter filament coil, Using Cura software with the Vyper requires tweaking a couple of settings, Test prints showed some "hairy" filament residue.
After the print is done, clip the supports off with micro cutters and file down any nubs or rough edges with hobby files. The Toybox 3D Printer works well as a model designed for children, offering reliable printing from a browser or mobile device and a few thousand toys to print, plus creative options to output drawings or photos. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites.
The Monoprice Voxel is an under-$400 3D printer that's easy to set up and use.
If you enjoyed this article, you may also like: Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Core qualifiers I look at include: A key test print, representing the CNET logo, is used to assess how a printer bridges gaps, creates accurate shapes and deals with overhangs.
Frequent misprints on certain test objects.
Filament support tends to be a key area that separates the cheaper models from the higher-end ones.
Overall, its one of the best-value 3D printers for larger prints.
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If not, you want a filament printer. You sacrifice 5 microns of XY resolution (40 microns vs 35), but this is barely noticeable even on the more intricate resin projects, and personally we prefer the larger size. Therefore, we ranked the best affordably priced 3D printers, based on their reliability, ease of use, price-performance ratio, and a range of other factors. Interestingly, this seems to use the Ultimakers as inspiration. The Mars 3 is actually the fourth small form-factor resin printer from Elegoo.
Plenty of capable and reliable models sell at less than $500, and while they may not be as feature-rich as their more expensive cousins, there's no sense in paying for things you dont need. This small resin printer is Elegoo's latest model in its popular Mars line.
We handpick the products and services we write about. Its the cheapest large-format printer on the market, and the best cheap 3D printer with a large build volume. If you click an affiliate link and buy a product or service, we may be paid a fee by that merchant.
Auto bed leveling is very often the first feature to go when manufacturers look to keep costs down.
Though less of a luxury than they used to be, touchscreen interfaces on cheap 3D printers are another comfort that often goes out the window when it comes to cutting costs.
That said, if you want to get a feel for how an enclosed printer might work and do it relatively inexpensively, the QIDI is worth a look.
Assembly was easy and straightforward.
At a mere 140 x 140 x 140mm build area, it's a fraction of what the Ultimakers provide. The extruder or hot end had to be positioned just right to minimize the gap between the nozzle and the build plate (the flat surface on which the object is printed).
We've covered the 3D printing industry since 2017, tested over a dozen of the world's most popular 3D printers, and we're dedicated to being the most informative 3D printing site in the world to help democratize the technology. It achieves this with features like dead-easy automatic bed leveling, a direct drive extruder system that allows for excellent flexible prints, a responsive and smooth touchscreen, and one of the best textured PEI-coated build platforms weve seen under $300.
When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or service, we may earn affiliate commissions.
Well, you're in luck.
It produces generally above-par prints, but its print bed can be tricky to keep leveled.
The Mars 3 uses a monochrome 4K LED light source, which means all the pixels of the 6.6-inch display activate to expose the print layer.
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Its under-$200 price removes a huge barrier to entry for anyone looking to spend as little as possible for their first machine.
Also, recognize some potential negatives of open frames, depending on the model.
The cheapest 3D printers we recommend start at around $200-250, though there are options below this, but we have not found any that reliably print to the level we would recommend. Through their first decade-and-change, 3D printers have come down in price, grown easier to set up and operate, and become more reliable.
Testing resin requires different criteria so I use the Amerilabs standard test -- printing out a small resin model that looks like a tiny town. Check them out: Also: Anycubic Vyper: An under $500 filament printer with all the best features, Also: Biqu B1 3D printer review: Less than $300, some helpful features, but not perfect.
Gone are the days when tinkerers had to cobble together several different programs to get a 3D printer to run.
It features a removable build surface plate, can heat to 110 degrees C in just five minutes, and it comes with a 12-month warranty with lifetime technical assistance and 24-hour customer service.
For the first several years, it was often an adventure getting one of these printers up and running, let alone successfully through our testing regimen.
Some are generous and some are basic, so it pays to assess what a given model offers. Liquid resin is a little more difficult to use than standard 3D printing material, and requires safety equipment.
Many other anecdotal test prints, using different 3D models, are also run on each printer.
The automatic bed leveling helps produce a worry-free finished product. Because of the 4K monochrome LCD (these printers use light from an LCD to cure liquid resin) it can print much faster than older printers.
ZDNet independently tests and researches products to bring you our best recommendations and advice. I've started adding a raft, or bottom layer of filament, to nearly everything I print.
Closed-frame 3D printers are boxlike devices, with a rigid base, walls (with a see-through door in front), and top. But now? With a build area of 230x230x260mm, it can handle a wide range of mid-range sized prints.
So, you want to get started with a 3D printer? This printer stands out because the dual filament capability is in a $287 machine. Issues with filament-basedaka fused filament fabrication (FFF) or fused deposition modeling (FDM)printers were abundant. Those are machines I've worked with and have taken off in the hearts and minds of 3D printing enthusiasts. On the other hand, Wi-Fi isnt and generally comes with a hefty premium.
ABS can emit an acrid, unpleasant odor during printing, and the bottom corners of objects being printed with it have a tendency to curl upward a bit, especially if you are using a non-heated print bed. 2022 CNET, a Red Ventures company. I recommend you make a few basic decisions. Some high-end printers have software that supports a wider range of settings you can tweak, but even the basic suites work at least reasonably well. This helps determine how accurate the printer is, how it deals with small parts and how well the UV exposure works at different points in the model. 3DSourced is reader-supported. Weve included both budget FDM and resin picks, and split our recommendations into each price range: under $200, under $300, $500, and $1000.
You'll save money, but it's a rough and tumble way to get started. As for semi-assembled or kit printers, they are generally cheaper than their pre-assembled counterparts.
PC Labs has been reviewing 3D printers since 2013. There are a tremendous number of companies and models produced.
Each has a unique methodology.
It's non-toxic, made mostly of cornstarch and sugarcane, handles easily, and is inexpensive. Connects via USB 2.0 cable, USB thumb drive, or Wi-Fi.
With a minimum layer thickness of 0.1mm, the Creator Pro 2 is fairly accurate for the price.
We would say that this is the cheapest 3D printer that you can actually rely on. The 4K is a notable upgrade on the standard Photon Monos 2K LCD, which delivers good detail on even fairly complex D&D figures and other designs.
Our list of picks for best 3D printer overall covers a much wider range of choices, but these are excellent for getting started or for buying several at once! I say "generally" because I'm not familiar with the laws of every country. For under $500 resin printers, you can't go wrong with either the Elegoo Mars series or the Anycubic Mono X.
It's not an overstatement to say that 3D printing changed my life.
Objects solidify in resin printers when light hits the resin. While we'd hesitate to call 3D printing a mature technology, you might say it has reached its teenage years. If you focus just on the features you want, you may be pleasantly surprised at what you find. The Flashforge Finder 3D Printer is moderately priced and offers good print quality, but it proved tricky to get up and running in our tests. If you buy directly from the company, you may be able to save a few bucks.
For the other criteria, I research the company to see how well it responds to support queries from customers and how easy it is to order replacement parts and install them yourself. Be aware that the price and availability for this printer do fluctuate, so depending on when you look, the price could be higher, or you might need to wait for it to be back in stock.
This can lead to unsightly prints, and/or prints prematurely pulling off the build plate, ruining them.
With the classic Ender 3 now available for under $180, the question is whether the Ender 3 S1 is worth the extra money. It requires assembly and calibration care (plus shipping from the Czech Republic), but the Original Prusa Mini is a compact, open-frame 3D printer that consistently produces superb-quality output for a great price. The time and effort required to put them together varies, but expect to spend at least 30 minutes to an hour setting up before you can print.
These are the printers I'd feel immediately comfortable recommending to friends who ask about what printer to buy.
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