OT: Recommendation for a 3D Printer
by okerland 
, The right side of the Bay Bridge, Thursday, June 04, 2026, 15:14 (5 days ago)
The teen wants us to get a 3D printer for his desk. Are there any recommendations?
Thanks in advance.
Purchased Bambu A1 Mini 18 months ago
by TSchlidt , St. Louis, Sunday, June 07, 2026, 07:28 (2 days ago) @ okerland
Love it, but ....
Later added the AMS - wish I had purchased it as a kit to save money.
Wish I had purchased the A1 to make larger items.
That said, I've used it for fidgets/toys for the kids, gifts, organization for my daughter's makeup, server hard drive trays, and a blue ribbon winning Hydroponics tower for a HS science fair.
It was a christmas present for my boys - I use it the most.
We have the Bambu A1 and the Flashforge Adventurer 3
by domer.mq 
, Friday, June 05, 2026, 05:59 (4 days ago) @ okerland
The Bambu blows the Flashforge out of the water.
We got my son the FF years ago when he was curious about getting started. It was perfectly fine for getting started, but it was slow and occasionally glitchy. Last year we upgraded to the Bambu when it was on a big sale (they all do big sales periodically), and it's amazing. My sons designs and produces countless things with it. And it's so quic we often just use it for random things like a guitar stand, desk cable organizers, jigs for other non 3D printer projects, etc...
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Sometimes I rhyme slow sometimes I rhyme quick.
I'll second the Bambu
by HumanRobot , Cybertron, Friday, June 05, 2026, 16:13 (4 days ago) @ domer.mq
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Freeman's got so much riz they need to call him Aura Parseghian
looked it up, that's way cheaper than I expected
That's the mini. We have the full with the multi-color.
by domer.mq , Friday, June 05, 2026, 07:56 (4 days ago) @ Jay
So it's a bit more expensive, but IIRC, we paid about $450 with the sale they were running.
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Sometimes I rhyme slow sometimes I rhyme quick.
Full A1 currently $399 on their website
by ndbk32 , Los Angeles, Friday, June 05, 2026, 14:02 (4 days ago) @ domer.mq
That's the combo with the AMS lite. Is that a good sale for them, or fairly typical? I'm also in the market, but not in a rush.
That's about as low as it will go.
by ReginaldVelJohnson , Sunday, June 07, 2026, 13:25 (2 days ago) @ ndbk32
Might have been slightly cheaper on a Black Friday sale, but not by much. Anything cheaper than that is going to be a used one. But honestly, unless it was low hours (or within warranty and seller can give you he proof of purchase), probably worth it to just take the new one at $399.
I'd look at something used off Facebook first.
by ReginaldVelJohnson , Thursday, June 04, 2026, 17:10 (5 days ago) @ okerland
And I'd stick with either Prusa or Bambu. If you can find a Prusa MK3s or better, or a Bambu A1 (full size) for under $200 that would be a solid starter printer with a full size bed. Otherwise I'd look at something like a Bambu A1 mini, which you can get for under $250 new. Prusa is better for people who like to tinker, Bambu is more "set it and forget it".
There's a lot of angst out there about Bambu and their business practices w/r/t open source, etc. But if you're just looking to print stuff, it's a good choice. And getting something small/cheap is the way to go to see if he likes it. Then you can get into larger/faster printers, often with multicolor support (though some, like the A1, will allow you to add multicolor support later).
Our library has one
by Jeff (BGS) , A starter home in suburban Tempe, Thursday, June 04, 2026, 17:01 (5 days ago) @ okerland
I apologize, since I hate when I ask a question and someone answers a different question. But, my kids were able to scratch their 3d printing itch through our local library. You submitted designed and they charged 6 cents per gram for the final product. Most of the stuff the kids printed was WELL under a dollar.
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At night, the ice weasels come.