Best 3D Printers for Beginners

Before you start on your 3d printing journey you have to accept a couple of things up front.

You have to be ok with fixing issues all the time, having prints fail, spending a lot of time on Youtube watching troubleshooting videos and being open to learning on the daily. There's a learning curve for sure but after a month or so if you're dedicated to learning the ins and outs you'll be well on your way to successfull 3d printing.

When I first started I made the mistake of buying a cheaper, smaller printer. I found out quickly that all items that I needed to fix where enclosed, hard to reach and had unique bolt heads and replacement parts not readily available. Not to mention the fact that I couldnt print anything larger so I quickly put that printer to rest and purchased a larger one. Lesson learned there was buy a large printer up from and spend the extra $100.

One thing to mention quickly is you'll want to start printing with PLA. ABS requires an enclosure and ABS is more tempermental. You have your hands full already with the PLA learning curve. The larger printers such as the Creality CR10 and the Tevo Tornado are equipped with 300 x 300 mm bed surfaces. That size is more than adequate for any projects you will print.

One of the most important things to consider when purchasing a printer is how easy is it to fix. Both the CR10 and the Tevo are easy to understand and easy to fix or replace their parts. The CR10 comes with a spool holder, clipper for cutting filament and a ton of replacement parts and tools. The Tevo does not. You have to print your own filament spool, its doesn't come with clipper and comes with barely any tools or replacement parts. The bed surface on the CR10 is removable which is important becasue if you try to remove a print from a bed that doesn't come off you mess up the leveling almost every time. The Tevo does not have a removable bed.

Another thing to consider is bed adhesion. The CR 10 and the Tevo have heated beds. Both printers are easy to learn and operate. For me it's important to have dependable machines that I can fix myself. I personally recommend the CR 10 from Creality with a bed surface area of 300 x 300. The Tevo is good as well but doesn't have all the advantages of the CR10. The CR10 is the best printer I've used when considering the affordability, reliability and the ability to repair.

Hope this helps guide you in the right direction for your first 3D printer purchase. 

Creality CR10 300 x 300

Tevo Tornado 300 x 400