A great 3D printer for students is cheap, easy to use, compact, and reliable. Students need the 3D printer to be able to work with free software and also work with a variety of different filaments.
3D printing has skyrocketed in popularity over the past few years due to better and cheaper printers, speed of production, and the ability to create whatever you imagine within the next couple of hours. With this increased popularity, there are many 3D printers to choose from. Some of these are higher quality than others, to say the least. This article will lay out the best 3D printers for the price and explain the pros and cons of each.
Best Budget 3D Printers
Ender 3 Pro
The Ender 3 Pro 3D printer is by far the best budget option. This printer is both reliable and cheap. This printer has worked wonders for me over the years. It has a heated bed and great build quality making this an overall great choice for the price.
Pros
- Very cheap and reliable. Can run overnight without monitoring.
- High quality: has lasted me 6 years and still works well.
- Large build volume: 8.6″ x 8.6″ x 12″.
Cons
- Does not come pre-built, and takes time to set up.
Elegoo Neptune 2S
The Elegoo Neptune 2S is similar to the Ender 3 in that it is very cheap and has good build quality. It’s a very simple printer, with limited options, but it will get the job done for a great price.
Pros
- Unbeatable price and easy to work with
- Simple and reliable
Cons
- Not many features: limited print options
Highest Quality 3D Printers
MakerBot Replicator
MakerBot has always made premium products, for a hefty price. The Replicator is one of the cheaper options. This allows you to get the quality and support of a MakerBot.
Pros
- Super easy to use and highest quality interface and build quality
- Most reliable printer yet with print failure detection
Cons
- Very expensive
- Could be better print quality for the price. 0.5mm minimum nozzle
Prusa Mini Plus
Prusa Mini Plus is a small and mighty 3D printer. As this is made by Prusa, you know the quality is going to be good.
Pros
- Very high-quality prints
- Auto-leveling bed feature. Can’t emphasize how great this is!
- User-friendly design
Cons
- On the expensive side
- Small print volume 7″ x 7″ x 7″
Recommendation
I would recommend the Ender 3 Pro or the Prusa Mini Plus. These are 2 amazing printers for the price. They both allow for a cheap introduction to 3D printing and are more than capable of printing almost anything you can think of. You truly can’t go wrong with any of those options.
Good luck!
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