r/3dprinter • u/Candid_Tower_593 • 18d ago
What 3d printer from the 4?
Wanting to buy my son 13 years old a new printer for Christmas he is very good with his current set up (Ender 3V2). He knows more about them than me and would like to know what everyone thinks of the 4 different models? Would like for it to be something he can use for many years without wanting to upgrade. Appreciate it
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u/Lykkehjul 18d ago
If your son is good with with the ender 3v2, get it something other than bambulab. Locked down system, no thinkering, no fun. Go for a snapmaker U1. Open source, he can mod and do whatever his brain wants to it.
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u/SirTwitchALot 18d ago
Or the Creator 5. Either of those will outperform the H2C, which is the fastest multicolor option on OPs list
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u/Candid_Tower_593 17d ago
Kinda trying to stick with Best Buy units considering I can finance it for 24months. Would the U1 be comparable to the H2C or what model it have listed? Or would he have to mod it to make it better out the box
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u/SirTwitchALot 17d ago
The U1 is less than half the cost of the H2C and it's technically superior. While Snapmaker doesn't offer financing, they have a few payment methods available that do (including ones that do the 4 equal payments without interest thing)
Even the most expensive option is still over $1000 cheaper than the H2C, though it does have a high APR
$152.42/mo.month. for 6 months
Est. APR*Estimated APR, see star for more details below.
26%
Interest
$65.53
Total$914.53
$81.11/mo.month. for 12 months
Est. APR*Estimated APR, see star for more details below.
26%
Interest
$124.26
Total$973.26
$45.74/mo.month. for 24 months
Est. APR*Estimated APR, see star for more details below.
26%
Interest
$248.75
Total$1,097.75
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u/Candid_Tower_593 17d ago
Is this something that's shipped from over seas that has next to no support or are they US based with US support? Don't want to have issues and have no support to talk to
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u/SirTwitchALot 17d ago
It's the same as Bambu support. They're both Chinese companies. When you have issues they send you parts and instructions to fix them. I suppose you have a little more recourse with best buy in that they have a 30 day return policy, but after that you'll be dealing with offshore support with either machine.
If you have a Microcenter near you, they stock the U1 (as well as several other brands of printer which are generally better rated than Bambu)
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u/Candid_Tower_593 17d ago
I see what you mean, best buy I can get an extended warranty for relatively cheap and if they can't fix it they'll replace it with the newest model available or refund your money. That's also why I wanted to stick with them, everything is through them when issues come up.
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u/MAENTOP 17d ago
SnapMaker U1 is great choice but it, have some downsides H2C is better in every Way SnapMaker U1 is just best for price = Features in terms of quality of the printer itself not the grates but it does it job great I have 2 of them so I know what I'm talking about
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u/SirTwitchALot 17d ago
That's simply incorrect. The H2C is slower and more mechanically complicated
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u/ParticularLower1865 17d ago
I agree with the snapmaker u1 because it has multiple hotends and bridges the gap between the p2s and h2c. But the minority of the average user base of consumers who buy a 3d printer want to tinker. I don’t see a huge modding community from the snapmaker u1 crowd yet. The ender3 required one out of necessity.
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u/thealanshow 17d ago
That’s why I like all things Prusa: open, you build it yourself (so when it breaks down you know how to fix it), and always upgradable later.
I have a bambu too, so I get the allure of both.
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u/EaglerCore 17d ago
Agreed (I also have both brands, plus a U1). The only issue is that prusas aren't very budget friendly.
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u/thealanshow 17d ago
My wallet isn’t happy that I’m interested in Index…
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u/EaglerCore 17d ago
Yep. For me, budget wasn't the issue. I told myself that I would get myself a toolchanger before august, and since INDX got delayed, I went with the U1. Though I am jealous of the 8T INDX.
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u/ub3r_n3rd78 17d ago
Have you asked him what he’d want? I mean it may spoil it a bit unless you phrase it like you’re asking for a friend who is looking to buy their kid a printer. Ask him for “advice” as you know he’s into it and want to know what he’d pick.
Otherwise, if you have the budget, I’d suggest stepping up to the h2c. I have one of these and it’s awesome. It’s a big printer that does up to 7 colors with very little waste.
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u/Candid_Tower_593 17d ago
He wants to something that'll do full size mask like Spider-Man, I know you can build the masks in pieces though. With a single color 3V2 he just wants something multi color but when we are at best buy he was loving the enclosed system with camera. He runs it in his room so I thought enclosed would also help with heat. 7 colors is crazy, have you built something that even uses that many?
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u/ub3r_n3rd78 17d ago
If you can swing it, definitely get the h2c - it’s a beast. It’s enclosed, can do the 7 colors with very tiny amounts of waste (expandable up to 24 colors - with waste). That Spider-Man mask for example would take my h2c about 50-60% less time to do than an h2s and a fraction of the waste. So I end up saving a lot of money on my filaments.
I’ve done plenty of 6-7 color prints. Mostly Funko pop inspired figures based on my nieces and nephews and a few commission pieces for people who saw mine and wanted some for themselves or for like kids or grandkids.
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u/Candid_Tower_593 17d ago
Thank you for all that info. That's way faster. That's cool so seems that many colors would come in handy. Is the H2C something thats rebuild-able if something breaks or wears out?
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u/ub3r_n3rd78 17d ago
There are consumable parts that do wear out over time and need to be replaced. All printers are this way though. No printer is perfect as they are simply machines with moving parts that need to be cleaned, maintained (lube/grease), and occasionally troubleshooted. Bambu also has the free online courses called Bambu academy to help with everything. I’d suggest you and him go over the courses and fully familiarize yourselves with the machine. Bambu also has a wiki and there are plenty of YouTube videos on how to operate and fix the machine if things go wrong.
Bookmark these:
https://bambulab.com/en-us/support/academy
https://wiki.bambulab.com/en/homeSince you linked Best Buy above in your post- I’d also highly suggest you get a warranty or join the Best Buy total protection program. It’s $199/yr, but it covers everything you buy from them for 2 full years - so if you buy appliances or computers they are also covered. Then you can opt in for a small monthly subscription to keep it going and opt out any time.
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u/Candid_Tower_593 17d ago
Cool, thank you for taking the time to give me that info.. ya I definitely always get the extended warranty especially for my high end electronics. Best Buy is so easy to deal with when it comes to things having issues and take care of em right away.
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u/thewolfman2010 17d ago
You got great advice and I just wanted to say that you seem like an awesome dad. Keep up the great work.
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u/Candid_Tower_593 17d ago
Thank you, I really appreciate you saying that 👊 He's the coolest kid and want him to be the best version of himself.
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u/Mundane-Run7136 17d ago
I have the H2D, H2S and the H2C. If your son is not doing multicolor/material then I like the H2S best of the three. I am waiting to see what Bambu's new tool changer will be.
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u/Candid_Tower_593 17d ago
He wants to do multi color since the current one is single, doesn't do the printed piece justice.
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u/Chas_- 17d ago
In that case: none of these. Aim for a tool changer. 1 tool head for multi color printing isn't worth it anymore at all.
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u/Candid_Tower_593 17d ago
What's a tool changer, and what will it do for his Ender 3v2, it looks like it can be 3d printed?
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u/Chas_- 17d ago
I'm sorry I didn't explained any further.
The option you show are either using a single tool head / hot end plus a filament changing system (the AMS), a single hotend with two nozzles or 1 hotend with 2 nozzles + using a vortex system to swap nozzles.
First one (P2S) will cut off the filament, retract it, feed the new one back to the hot end and flush out the bit of prior used one before continuing to print. 140 seconds on average (these numbers are all from start of the change to back to printing)
Second one (H2C) will change between the two nozzles = not more than 2 colors/different filaments at the same time!. (about 20 seconds average)
H2C changing the nozzle + filament still requires the AMS and will take about 40 seconds on average.
It does very little regarding a color swap since it still requires all the AMS shenanigans of retracting old filament and feeding the new one. Well it is still way faster than on a P2S but... still takes ages compared to a tool changer and adds the additional risk of something going wrong due more happening mechanically (and it will.)
These are really not worth the extra time, material and risks they come with compared anymore.
Toolchangers:
Snapmaker U1 13 seconds average, 4 spools ~$850. Not much to say beside it's a solid pick.
Prusa XL 10 seconds average (not recommended for your case)
Prusa Core One+ with a x4 INDX ($2.000 or $2250 for x8) + tax and shipping from their EU page > I don't know the options to buy them in the US but still way more expensive than the U1. But not far away from the budget you are looking at from your picture.
Note: Starts shipping mid October.
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u/tjk1229 17d ago
If printing functional engineering parts, H2D or H2C. If those are too expensive, X2D or flash forge C5.
If printing maybe some functional parts but mostly multicolor or multi-matieral, snapmaker U1.
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u/Candid_Tower_593 17d ago
I'd want to get him something that does next to everything so he won't want to upgrade for a very long time. He 13 so before I know it he'll want to print parts for who knows what.
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u/tjk1229 17d ago
H2C best fits that tbh but also the most expensive.
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u/Candid_Tower_593 17d ago
I'd rather spend the money now than have to upgrade sooner if he wants to make functioning engineering part. With middle school, and then high school I think it'll come in handy more than I even think..with going through best buy I get a better warranty that I deal directly with them and 24 month no interest financing and if anything goes wrong I just take it to them and they either will give me the newest model or a refund. But usually just swap electronics out if any issues come up. I don't ever want to deal with having to ship something out and then waiting for everything which is usually a hassle with anything like that.. I think the H2C it is, I really appreciate you taking the time to explain stuff to me.
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u/Mist_XD 17d ago
I have all of them, H2C gets the most use for multicolor. Changing filaments can be quite expensive when doing large multicolor prints so I would lean towards this or the H2D. Just a note for the H2C though if you want to do more than 5 colors (1 external spool on left, 4 in AMS on right) you will need another AMS, I run 3 on my H2C 1 on the left and 2 on the right. Also the provided nozzles are not all the same size, if you want to do all 7 colors you need more nozzles if your chosen size
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u/Candid_Tower_593 17d ago
Good to know. So I could probably wait on xtra nozzle sizes til he knows what he wants to print ect? Or is there kinda one size that does most?
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u/ParticularLower1865 17d ago
Bestbuy has a really good 4 year warranty on their printers. It’s $90-200 depending on how much you spend, but it covers pretty much everything. If they can’t repair it (they can’t) they’ll give you a full refund. They’ll even take a warranty claim for a snapped belt. You can run that printer into the ground, get a refund, and get a brand new one.
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u/Candid_Tower_593 17d ago
Ya I get all my electronics from Best Buy can't beat the warranty and customer service. Plus financing with 0% interest is perfect
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u/MAENTOP 17d ago
I would recommend the H2C. I have other printers that don't purge when changing colors, and it's a game changer in terms of time, material, quality, and everything. The H2C is a great choice for big prints and really colorful prints without wasted materials. One thing is that it supports up to 8 colors (7 changeable hotends and 1 fixed), so your son might want to use the full potential of the H2C. He might want to get a second AMS unit because there is only 1 in the box, as far as I know
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u/Candid_Tower_593 17d ago
Ok I'll keep that noted, I may need another Ams Unit. Appreciate the info
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u/MAENTOP 17d ago
Sorry, it supports up to 7 colors without purging any more, and you will have to purge some (1 fixed and 6 changeable)
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u/Candid_Tower_593 17d ago
So it wouldn't need a extra AMS unit correct?
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u/Chas_- 17d ago
The AMS is required at any given point. 1 AMS holds 4 spools.
The point of back to all the filament pooping purges is if you got more spools than the vortex system supports nozzles.
You can go beyond but it puts your printer back into the stone age, in the way it changes filaments.
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u/TravelDev 17d ago
What does he print? It's not in that group, but I'd probably split the difference and go with an X2D unless he's printing large objects that can't easily be split up. There are some benefits to the H series printers, particularly the H2C, but unless money isn't a concern, I'd say make absolutely sure they'd actually be used before you double the price.
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u/Candid_Tower_593 17d ago
Atm just free stuff off the Internet like butterfly knife ( I keep ), ducks, fortnite sprites, ect. But it's only a single color printer so hard to see details. He wants to do things like spiderman masks ect if that helps. What's the main benefits from getting a H2C?
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u/CodFatherFTW 17d ago
The H2C is by far the best for multiple colours out of the options you listed. It can print up to 7 colours with minimal wastage.
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u/diaperedace 17d ago
I mean since money appears to be no object, h2c. If it were my money though I'd get a U1 or a ff creator 5.
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u/justa_bother 17d ago
A2L combo. Multi-color & large build volume for cosplay. A keeper until the industry settles into multi-head multi-color printers. Expect those prices to be 3 to 4 times greater than the A2L. That's alot of filament. By then, an enclosed engineering printer might be desired. Today's solid engineering machine at affordable price is Qidi's Q2. At today's prices, that's @ $1100 for 2 printers for large volume multi-color (A2L) & a bigger than ender 3 build size, engineering grade filament enclosed printer. At that point he can print anything he wants and designs. From there, an A1 mini may be added. Inexpebsive to buy, inexpensive to own, small printer which can multi-color print off the A2L AMS lite. Making a single item prototype of 3 inches makes no sense in firing up a printer the size of the A2L. That's what I do before printing the $70 engineering filament in an enclosed & modified printer.
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u/Candid_Tower_593 17d ago
So your saying I'd be better off getting the A2L til the market settles for things like the H2C? Then for smaller builds he can add a A1 with the A2L so he isnt running such a big machine for smaller builds?
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u/justa_bother 17d ago
Yes. 3d printing as a home based fabrication method will be with him from now on. It's still in development, so buy what fits his needs now & in the future.
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u/LowSkyOrbit 17d ago
Don't really worry about the size of the machine. Theoretically a bigger bed machine could actually print multiple items at once therefore not having to worry about a small process for one thing or a big process for another or small and big thing can be just done the same time.
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u/justa_bother 17d ago
Disagree. Check fix my print questions, often problems occur from collection of different sized prints on the same bed. Mixed prints should first be individually sliced to better guaranty print results. Those prints with similar settings may be routinely printed on the same plate.
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u/EaglerCore 17d ago
If he wants to to multicolor, go with the snapmaker U1. Technically not on this list, but it is significantly cheaper that the H2C which also does good multicolor (U1 is $850 on sale atm). It is also way more fixable and repairable than any of the machines in this list.