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I was wondering what 3D printer you would recommend for a person like me who has never owned one but am looking for one that can print many different materials, has relatively large printing dimensions and is somewhere around $1000.

Thanks

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Lulzbot mini would be in your price range and can print a lot of materials. The Lulzbot TAZ 5 has a bigger print volume, but has less features that make your maker-life easier (like automated bed leveling…) There’s no “big” printer for 1k out there, especially not if you want to print more then one or two materials. You could consider the leapfrog Creatr too, however there are some major things that you should be willing to deal with. I own the Creatr HS and despite the fact that they use very high quality materials (mostly) there are some fails in engineering and you notice at many points that leapfrog focused on making the printer a bit cheaper while cutting the quality at that specific part drastically. If you decide that you want to have the Creatr anyways I could walk you through the necessary steps to compromise for those specific issues. I only own the Creatr (HS version) so I dont know if such issues can be found on the Lulzbot machines too. If you’re really into mechanics you can consider building your own prusa i3 which would cost about 500$ depending on the materials and reseller. The ultimaker printers might also be considered for you, but I don’t think that those will live up to your expectations of price and build volume. Cheers, Marius Breuer

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@Marius thanks for the input - much appreciated as always!

@Gavin I think the 3D Printer Guide we put together based on our community’s collective experience would be a great starting point for you. We’re releasing the new edition next week, so make sure to keep an eye out for that one as well. Cheers

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I’d check out Maker Tool Works. They just released a nice “little” assembled printer for $1K. Great solid quality, too.

I am not an employee for them. They just make some great machines for the buck. Other than that, I’d say a Lulzbot Mini.

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Hey @Gavin_Allen, just a heads up that the 2016 3D Printer Guide is live and there’s a dedicated section for Budget 3D printers that fit your budget perfectly :wink: Hope it helps!