Anybody into 3D printing at home? It's something that I think I'd have some fun with but there are so many different models and types out there that I'd be interested in hearing what people are actually using versus most of the online 'articles' that are really little more than shills for sponsored brands.
Are you after open-source or closed-source/proprietary? If you are into closed-source ones, older
MakerBot,
especially the US-made and open-source ones, and
Cube are good enough for practice . When they converted to closed-source, their prices began skyrocketing. Open or closed printing space? Build volume?
We have access to an old, open-source and so-so DIY 3D printer just for basic printing of parts and whatever. Now since the consumer 3d printer market already shrank and the printing resolution/quality went up, I believe it's time for an upgrade. We prefer open-source just because they are a million times easier to troubleshoot than proprietary ones.
If you are just starting/wishing to have a printer just for fun,
Anet A8 (100 microns, cheap but with a fairly large build volume),
Monoprice Mini Delta (Cheap but higher-res),
Aquila S2 (Good enough reliablity),
Prusa i3 (really good) and
Creality CR-10 (good-looking, 100 microns, reliable) are somewhat reliable but if I am to upgrade now, I would go for the dual-filament
Creality CR-X (dual-filament: 100 microns) or the
Prusa i3 (single filament but higher precision at 50 microns). The
Prusa i3 prints high-quality products and costs less than USD 1000.
If you are to do this, the reliability of the printer is one thing but, for me, the actual key is the filament. Japanese filaments are top-notch. I can actually forget buying containers/plastic stuff if I have good access to Japanese filaments. Unfortunately but unsurprisingly, they are not as available in the western world as they are in, say, South-east Asia and even India. When I am able to visit South-east Asia, I am going to buy a lot of those Japanese filaments in bulk, especially food-grade ones. Those made in India, Taiwan and The Philippines are also good but not as high-quality and as consistent as the Japanese ones.
