3d printers

[Bidwell]

I haven't tried one yet, but I have professional and hobby experience in 3d printers. Bambu sounds like the best plug-n-play option. Especially with kids, you want something that will just work with the most minimal of tinkering. That said, 3d printing is sort of an inherently finicky process so be prepared for some shenanigans. I think the bambu will reduce that significantly, and another noted that they use one and its just plug and print, which is amazing. The resin printers are neat too, extremely high resolution, but not the best for kids to use. I should also note that to really take advantage of 3d printing, having some experience in 3d modeling is a huge plus. If you don't, then your just printing stuff you find online and it may be frustrating that you can't customize or build your own toys/tools. But, it could be the catalyst for that interest and it's easier than ever to pickup some basic modeling skills.

 

[Davyalabama]

Hmm, more projects.

 

[IdGoldHunter]

I’ve got two 3d printers an Elegoo Neptune 3 pro and an creality cr-10 smart pro. Both are pretty capable in different ways. I’ve built my kids all sorts of cool toys and even built myself some functional tools. If you start looking into the multi filament machines they are pretty cool but a lot of the consumer reviews say they waste more filament than they use but I have no first hand experiences.

 

[BasicUtahrd95]

I own the Bambu Labs P1S and use the X1C and the A1 at work. I have used a fair amount of other printers and the bambu labs are the most plug and play machines out there. Most require some amount of fine tuning/trouble shooting. Bambu labs is the easy button.

 

[HuntHarder]

Bumping this back up. My kids are begging for a 3d printer to mess with. I started looking and it seems Bambu is the easy button. Is this still the case. I am looking for the "Tikka" of printers. Cost is a huge factor. Anything sub $1,000 sounds reasonable. Any suggestions? Are all filaments created equal?

 

[Seth]

We just started down this road with my son. Bambu Labs a1 mini. It’s been solid and print quality is great. Tons of designs already available on the app. This one can print multiple colors. There are differences in filament with some more brittle and some more pliable. It’s quite the rabbit hole and he’s not playing video games!

 

[BasicUtahrd95]

Bumping this back up. My kids are begging for a 3d printer to mess with. I started looking and it seems Bambu is the easy button. Is this still the case. I am looking for the "Tikka" of printers. Cost is a huge factor. Anything sub $1,000 sounds reasonable. Any suggestions? Are all filaments created equal?

As far as desktop 3D printers go, I have been using the Bambu labs A1, P1, and X1 series printers extensively over the past few years. They are as plug n' play as it gets and extremely reliable. There are cheaper options with similar features. I have no first hand experience with them, but Bambu is the standard. Any consumable/ replaceable parts are readily available, with tutorials on installation. My only issue with them, is if you want to get a hold of an actual person that works for them, there is quite a delay and they haven't ben very helpful. However, it is unlikely you will ever need to reach out. At $799 the Bambu P2S combo is an incredible value. Out of the box it can print anything that isn't carbon or glass fiber filled. If needed, its a simple and cheap upgrade to the nozzle and extruder gear to be able to use any filament on their website. All filaments are not created equal, but if you aren't trying to create functional parts then the differences won't matter to you. If the focus is printing random 3D models off the internet, you are fine sticking with PLA and PETG. In that case, just keep it simple and get the A1.

 

[HuntHarder]

Great info! I am sure 75% of it's use will be my kids, but I do think it would be fun to build some case holders or other small shooting accessories. I envision making all kinds of little accessories at some point.

 

[sierracharlie338]

I’m going down this rabbit hole currently and prob about to snag an A1. Ironic timing