this post was submitted on 07 Jul 2026
23 points (96.0% liked)

3DPrinting

23140 readers
19 users here now

3DPrinting is a place where makers of all skill levels and walks of life can learn about and discuss 3D printing and development of 3D printed parts and devices.

The r/functionalprint community is now located at: or !functionalprint@fedia.io

There are CAD communities available at: !cad@lemmy.world or !freecad@lemmy.ml

Rules

If you need an easy way to host pictures, https://catbox.moe/ may be an option. Be ethical about what you post and donate if you are able or use this a lot. It is just an individual hosting content, not a company. The image embedding syntax for Lemmy is ![](URL)

Moderation policy: Light, mostly invisible

founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS
 

Hello! I have been on the fence about getting a printer for years. Now my wife is getting interested too, and I feel that now it's the time.

What are the recommendations nowadays? I am trying to steer clear of Bambi Labs due to their controversies (I'm also a supporter of open source software).

I've seen a few mentions of Prusa in this community. Would that be a good start? I don't want to get in at an extremely basic level and then need to upgrade in half a year.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] sbeak@sopuli.xyz 3 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

Yes, you are correct in avoiding Bambu. They have been pretty awful to their community, the open source community, and the media.

Prusa will be one of the most solid and reliable options you can get, reportedly amazing customer service and their machines are very repairable. However, if you have a tight budget, it won't be as good "value" (at least purely based on performance), where Prusa is surpassed by printers like the Elegoo Centauri Carbon, Qidi Q2 (both CoreXY), and Sovol SV06 Ace (bedslinger). If you want multiple toolheads, Snapmaker's U1 is neat and a lot cheaper than the equivalent Prusa XL.

Prusa has lots of great machines, but the "big dog" is definitely the Core One, which will later have the INDX tool changer upgrade path which is nest! If you're okay with bedslingers, you have their MK4S as well as the Mini (which has a smaller build volume than most, check what kind of models you want to print first!)

TLDR: Elegoo, Qidi, Sovol, and Prusa all have great printers (many of which are far better value than Bambu machines to be honest, plus they will be more open too with better compatibility with third-party software), though Prusa is the most reliable and trustworthy. I believe Elegoo, Qidi, and Prusa all have their own versions of a multi material system, and Snapmaker (and later Prusa with the INDX) offer tool changers if that's your jam.

pricing progression right now is sort of like this in my opinion:

  • used market (e.g. older Prusa models)
  • Sovol SV06 Ace (note: bedslinger!)
  • Elegoo Centauri (no enclosure, CoreXY)
  • Elegoo Centauri Carbon (enclosure, CoreXY)
  • Qidi Q1 Pro or Q2 (CoreXY)
  • Prusa MK4S (note: bedslinger!)
  • Prusa Core One (CoreXY)
[–] waz@feddit.uk 3 points 1 day ago

Sovol Sv08 is a corexy based around the voron 2.4 The Sovol zero is based on voron 0.2

I really wanted to build a couple of vorons, but the cost for a kit is more than a prusa core one, but the size of a core one L (300mm3 2.4 for instance) I just don’t know how I’m going to turn myself. I might go for a one L and wait for the multi head add on to come out. (INDX )

[–] sbeak@sopuli.xyz 2 points 1 day ago

And once you do have a 3D printer, you can mess around with Voron kits and build your own printer! 3D printing a 3D printer!