there’s always someone commenting on theprice of the 3d printers that have been tested on this channel, and it doesn’t matter ifit’s a 400, 800 or 2000 or $14.000 3d printer. and while there are many machines that, onpaper, are very similar to each other in pretty much every price range, there are differencesin the hardware and aspects other than the actual, physical machine that might not beall that obvious. so let’s check out what the different pricebrackets and classes of 3d printers are, what you should expect with each of them and whichone is right for you. now let me preface this with a bit of psychologyand human nature. we’re all biased.
everyone is, whether you like it or not. depending on your approach and past experiences,there might be a bit more or less reason behind whether you think a machine is worth the moneyor not. and that’s going to be a very individualthing - if you’re looking for a hobby to learn new things, and mostly looking at thefinished 3d printed parts as sort of a side effect, then you are going to be looking foran entirely different product than someone who is buying a 3d printer to use in an industrialprototyping environment. i think it’s awesome that the entire areaof 3d printing spans such a wide range of uses, but of course that is also going tocreate, uhm, misunderstandings, when people
looking for different things start discussingwhich one is the better printer. i called a specific model the best 3d printerbecause i think it’s in an awesome sweetspot where, no matter which area you’re comingfrom, you will most likely be able to put it to good use, and going up or down on thepricing scale, you start to specialize the machine itself towards different use casesand eat away at that universal appeal. so i’ve sort of plotted out the differentbrackets of 3d printers and what you should be looking for in each one. of course, this is not set in stone, and dependingon, for example, whether you get a kit or a ready-built machine or want some specialtyfeature or can do without some, you’re going
to have some leeway either way. let’s start out at the bottom with printersand kits that sell for less than about 500 $, €, gbp; whatever. these are typically either import kits andmachines with extremely limited features or build sizes. the biggest part of the cost of these is goingto be the raw material costs for motors, motion components, electronics and the cost of actuallyshipping the machine and materials around, especially if you’re importing somethingfrom foreign countries or continents. in that case, you should always also keepimports and customs duties in mind, which
can easily add 100 bucks or more to your basepurchase cost. and if you’re unlucky, since most machineslack fcc or ce conformity, you might not be able to import them at all. the low cost of the 200 to 300 buck kits justleaves very little room for anything else than the parts themselves. and that does often mean you’ll have tomake compromises on things like good print settings, after-sales support from the manufactureror even just a manual on how to build the thing. quite often, though, there are avid communitiesaround these low-end machines because there
are simply a lot of them out there, but youdo really have to put the research in and work things out yourself. and even though you’re rarely going to geta genuine hotend, good electronics or linear components, it’s usually enough to buildon and expand on, if you’re interested in treating the machine like a hobby, don’tneed a perfect out-of-the-box experience and are willing to buy an upgrade part here andthere. typical choices would be something like theanet a8, tevo tarantula or all the other prusa i3-style kits on amazon or aliexpress, linksfor all of these in the video description, by the way.
the other class of machines that fit in hereare something like the super-cost-optimized mass-production machines, some of which usea razors and blades business model with chipped filament cartridges, but most of them arebasically “take it or leave it†offers, with proprietary parts that you can’t modifyor upgrade without major hassles. prime example: davinci’s machines, whichthey will even throw in as a freebie if you buy a few spools of filament. next up, the “middle class†of 3d printers,which range from about 500 to 1000 bucks, and these are a good step up from the super-low-endoptions. of course, there are still duds in this pricerange, but if you pick the right one, you
can get an incredibly robust and reliableworkhorse that maybe isn’t the shiniest and most sophisticated machine, but will haveall the basic features ticked, like electronics that won’t burn your house down and some“bonus†features like an lcd screen, reliable autoleveling and just generally fewer questionabledesign choices. simply because the manufacturer will needto spend less of your up-front purchase price on raw components, there will be more leftover for improving the machine’s design, writing manuals and documentation, optimizingprint profiles and providing after-sales service and support. there are still a few tradeoffs to be made,especially feature-wise, but in general this
range of machines shouldn’t come with anyglaring flaws or omissions. this is also sort of a sweetspot for open-sourcemachines, as the cheaper options often just care to release source files for hardwareand firmware, while many higher-end machines don’t dare to release anything. so while that means that you still can modifyparts and add community-developed features on your own, you don’t have to, and youshould be able to expect great print quality out of the box, with at least a set of printprofiles for different materials and layer heights, ideally even with a ready-to-go softwarepackage. for me, this would be the go-to category ofmachines, i’m just tired of debugging printer
after printer with the same set of issuesand it’s nice to have that sort of tedious work done by the manufacturer every now andthen. obviously, the prime example here is the originalprusa i3 mk2, which you can get as a kit or a ready-built machine, or something like theprintrbot simple which trades a heated bed and a bit of the print volume for smarterelectronics and a more professional look. the next range of “semi-professionalâ€machines feels like it’s in a bit of a tough spot - many machines that sell for between1000 and 2000 bucks are either new manufacturers trying to sell gimmicky feautures or tryingto simply market old designs with a “pro†sticker for a 50% markup.
there are a few nice choices in here thatare suitable for a true professional environment, where the sub-$1000 machines typically feelout of place, but with a more professional machine, tinkering and modding are much lessof a focus than with the lower-priced options. things like complete software packages oreven proprietary slicers and processing tools are much more the norm then the exceptionhere, and you can expect that the manufacturer will have put significant effort into tweaking,testing and iterating their design before releasing a machine.this is also the pricebracket where mechanical components will usually be brand-name parts, especially belts andlinear guides, making for a smoother-running machine and a longer service life.
some of the high-end manufacturers releasesmaller machines to compete here, like the ultimaker 2 go or the lulzbot mini, but you’llalso be able to find machines like the zortrax m200, which are a bit more focused towardindustrial use. bonus features like wifi and cloud functionalityand apps and fully enclosed chambers for printing abs exist, but they are and will usually comeas a tradeoff for missing other bits. now, $2000 an up is sort of a vague category,but i think that’s about the threshold where you’re just not going to find maker-orientedmachines anymore, simply because, well, they’re too expensive unless you’re using them tomake money. so at that point, you should expect everythingabout the machine to be properly engineered
and built for reliability and the companiesmaking these machines will usually have proven over the last few years that they can actuallymake a decent 3d printer. obviously, you pay as much as you want whenbuying a 3d printer, but even under $5000, there are some nice options like the ultimaker3 or, if you don’t want a filament-based machine, resin-based sla printers like theform 2 or even laser-sintering machines like the sintratech. or above and beyond that, of course, withsomething like the markforged machines printing continuous fibers or full-color gypsum orpaper printers, but those really shouldn’t be the focus here.
what i want to get to is basically this: yes,there are always cheaper options out there if you just look at the raw physical componentsof a 3d printer. sure, you can get a prusa mk2 instead of anultimaker 3. sure, you can get tevo tarantula instead ofthat mk2 and of course, you can source all the parts individually and build it even cheaper,but you do have to keep in mind that with every penny you save, you will need to saygoodbye to some aspects of your purchase, even if they aren’t immediately visibleor even relevant for you. where your needs and desires fit in and howmuch you’re willing to spend on getting them fulfilled is entirely up to you.
but whether you’re a maker or a professionaluser, they will be different and based on that, different machines and classes makesense. so if you learned something, give the videoa thumbs up, if not, leave a comment on how i can improve. also consider subscribing to the channel,and do click that bell or youtube might not show you updates as new videos come out andlivestreams go… live. check out the affiliate links from the videodescription to shop for your perfect 3d printer
can you make money 3d printing,or anything else on amazon, ebay, matterhackersand aliexpress, using those doesn’t cost you a single penny extra, or if you hate moneyand want to give me some of, head over to
patreon and earn access to monthly q&a hangoutsand more. and that’s it for today, thanks for watching,and i’ll see you in the next one.
