Hello All. I'm here because I'm new to 3D printing and am impressed with the community. I'm also overwhelmed by the number of available 3D printers. I want to purchase asap, but I'm concerned I'm missing some printers that might be more appropriate for me at the right price. I really just want to get on with the actual printing rather than continue to research printers! Not sure if anyone can help, but here are my criteria for finding a printer:
- Large print volume - one dimension at least 11.5" - hopefully more
- lower cost filament - this doesn't mean cheap. just means I'll be using a lot of material
- dual extrusion is preferred. I realize some machines can be upgraded later with a dual head, however after considering input from others I think my best bet might be to get two printers: One mono-extrusion for larger dimensions and another for dual-extrustion for smaller dimensions. I'm hoping to hear others' thoughts on this strategy.
- a large array of filament choices especially flexible and elastic plastics as well as nylon
- build quality does *not* have to be excellent. I want good builds of course, but I don't want my $$ to go into the most precise printers right now. If I have projects requiring such a thing in the future I'll fork out more for a different printer later.
- good warranty
- excellent reliability - regardless of reality I can hope can't I?
- good value (I'd like to stay under $1800 for each printer - ideally under $1000 for the mono-printer if I go in that direction)
Although not a dual extruder, I currently see Rostock Max as being an excellent choice for me to get started with - I welcome the 30+ hours of setup as it will help to understand how it all works and the limitations. I also see the Witbox 2 is affordable and worth more consideration. Any opinions on these two?