Newbie looking for first printer



  • Hey guys I am s newbie looking for my first printer. I have a couple in mind the first being the Robo R1 plus. The second one is the Jumpstart printer and the third is the bq reprap prusa i3. I was wonder what is the best out of those three for a beginner and if there is a better one out there let me know. Thanks



  • In that price range, you might also consider the Pulse. It is another Prusa i3 variant like the BQ, but comes preassembled and has a few more optional features. The main difference between the Jumpstart and the other ones you are looking at is the Jumpstart does not have a heated bed, nor can it easily be upgraded with one. A heated bed would be necessary for printing basically anything except PLA.



  • Thanks for the advice. Do you think the pulsating would be better than the robo? I was also looking at the xyz da Vinci pro. Are there any other good printers out there for a beginner that come assembled. Thanks again for all the info.




  • Pulse sorry stupid autocorrect



  • Personally I would prefer the Pulse. Since it is based on the Prusa i3, it has more potential for future mods and upgrades than the Robo and especially the Da Vinci. It also has some sturdier construction. The Robo has automatic leveling, though, which some people like. If you want to tell us more about what you are going to use the printer for we might be able to give a more specific recommendation.



  • I got the Prusa Hephestos from Matterhackers around a year ago and enjoy using it but really wanted to upgrade to a heated bed and honestly it was a bit of a pain for calibrating so I added to my printer "family" the new MK2. It took forever to get (7 weeks), even longer to assemble (day and change) and I brilliantly managed to clog it a few prints in. *shakes her fist at the spool of wood filament!!!* but it's been a nice unit otherwise with a moderate learning/experimenting curve. I think if I get bored with my two and want a third to tinker with I would seriously consider the Pulse. It has a lot of appealing upgrade options but my favorite feature is having someone else assemble it! Although it is a fun challenge, assembling from scratch can really be miserable for a newbie as I learned the hard way.



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