I think any of the Ender 3 variations would be a good choice. Lots of parts availability and a big online community to help you should you need it.
this post was submitted on 20 Jun 2023
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I would recommend the sovol sv06, it's a great beginner printer at its price! Either that, or a Neptune 3 Pro
I would probably avoid creality's Ender 3 series, nowadays it's overpriced compared to other, better printers on the market. Unless you can find them for around $100~ as the other person mentioned, I probably wouldn't buy one
SV07 is still new, it's both an upgrade and a downgrade to the SV06. I would suggest that if you want klipper, an sv06 and an orange pi (or thin client) with kiauh may be the better option.
Haven't heard much about the Neptune 4 besides it being a Neptune 3 pro with klipper and a big cooling fan
Tronxys Corexy machines are usually regarded as tinkerers machines. They are alright out of the box, but you can do many upgrades to make them so much better
I recommend the $99 Ender 3 that Microcenter (and other retailers) have frequently.
Like just the base Ender 3? Not the V2 or the Neo? Looking at prices the Neo seems to be about $30 more but the improvements in the gear are well worth it. Plastic -> metal extruder, BL Touch (Which is like $40 by itself), and a much nicer build plate.
I haven't looked at prices in a while, but when Microcenter offers the Ender 3 Pro for $99, the V2 and Neo are more than double the price.
The most important question you must answer is if you want to make/print things, or if you want to add 3D printer building & coding as a hobby.
If your intent is the latter, then the other comments have you covered. If the former is your goal, break out your wallet and order an assembled Prusa Mk4 ($1100 plus shipping, customs). Put it in a convenient location with moderate ventilation and good thermal stability and print everything in either PLA+ or PETg. I’ve been through two “cheap” printers and know more about tweaks, firmware, and upgrades than I ever wanted to. I’m tired of having printer maintenance as a hobby and, personally, have a Prusa on preorder.
Alternates for plug-and-play: I have a friend with a Qidi Tech printer from 3 years ago and he does nothing but print Etsy stuff. No tweaking and he loves it. Also, people who have the Bambu P1P and X1 seem to love them. In fact they love them so much they can’t shut up about them. Probably both are good choices for Just Printing and they’re in the $700 range. In all cases you'll still have to learn the intricacies of slicing and, for custom parts, modeling, but at least you won't be fighting with your printer.
I got a Voxelab Aquila X2 for <200. With a few upgrades it works like a champ for prototyping. For more high quality parts I'd go with something else but I mainly print functional stuff and projects and its more than enough
An Ender 3 or similar clone would be a great start. There is a reason they get recommended so much. They are fantastic to learn on, have tons of community support, and can be incrementally upgraded to be a very excellent all arounder. Really, as enticing as others can be, go with the ender or one of its clones. I got a voxellab s3 and I love it but it's got some pain that I wish weren't there.
The Ender 3 S1 Pro is pretty popular at my store right now, I've put together a few of them and as long as you check to make sure the gantry is level with the frame and that all the wheels are tightened correctly, it prints pretty solid. If you can get a really good deal on a Ender 3 Pro or Ender 3 V2 though, they're still not bad either and there are tons of guides on how to mod and upgrade the machines. And if you have a Pi or SBC lying around, definitely give Klipper a shot once you're used to the machine a bit, I put it on all my machines when possible now.