The Top 3D Printers

While 3-D printers and their ilk are still quite rare in general, outside of certain specific industries, they have come into prominence recently and are beginning to gain mainstream appeal. Prices are dropping rapidly as new manufacturers enter the field and new models and methods are developed.

We’ve taken a look at four of what are widely considered to be some of the best 3-D printers available in the industry, and noted some pros and cons of each. All of them are available at Amazon.com.

Statement of Impartiality

We receive no benefit, monetary or otherwise, from any of the manufacturers, their agents or associates in the event you purchase one of the printers we have reviewed below. This review contains no purchase links.

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Read This First

3D printing technology is in its infancy. Expect all of the 3D printers here to develop a problem at some time or the other. Buy them only if you are ready to do a bit of tinkering and willing to interact intensely with the manufacturers’ support departments.

There is also the luck of the draw: most of the printers will have been assembled correctly, but there is a significant chance that they will not have been (wrongly positioned parts, untightened screws, et al). Take heart that the majority of these defects are easy to rectify (again, the support staff usually provide detailed guidance and if necessary, parts).

Finally, we suggest you buy a printer fulfilled by Amazon, so that getting a refund or replacement is not like scaling Mt Everest.

You are now psychologically equipped for the journey into 3D printing space. May the force be with you.

1. The Cubify Cube

Price: Around $1,275

This model is usually regarded as one of the best available, and for good reason.  You do pay for perfection in this case. All in all, a great model across the board in terms of ease of use, durability, throughput, and every other measure

Pros

• You can take it out of the box and use it straight off
• Certified safe for home use by adults and children
• Can print from a USB key (aka zip drive)
• Choice of two materials: ABS and PLA (which can be composted). However, ABS fails too often (see “Cons” below)
• Windows 8 comes with a built-in driver for it; “FormZ” (from Autodesys) also gives great results

Cons

• $50 for each material cartridge. Stiff! And occasionally they don’t work
• Doesn’t have a build plate, which can cause work pieces to warp at the bottom. For the same reason, ABS cracks frequently on this printer
• Print head fails often enough to make this nothing more than a hobby printer

 

2. Makerbot Replicator

Price: Around $1,900

Pros

• Will print the demo bolt and nut straight out of the box
• Helpful and effective telephone support (email takes too long)
• The new makerware version 2.2.1 software/firmware is very good. The older version can freeze during hi-resolution slicing
• You can create objects and the necessary input files for this printer on Windows 8.1

Cons

• You need to have basic CAD programming abilities
• The acrylic build plate is not perfectly flat; order a glass build plate from Ebay
• The stepper motor cable can fail, but Makerbot will happily replace it
• Printhead can clog; heat it and poke it with a pin to unclog

 

3. UP! Mini 3D Desktop Printer

Price: Around $830

Pros

• Attractive price
• Six bed leveling adjustments
• Excellent support
• Excellent print quality
• Flawless software (including the Mac driver)
• You can create objects and the necessary input files for this printer on Windows 8.1

Cons

• A little difficult figuring out how to turn on the LED task lighting
• Cryptic instruction booklet composed by the Chinese manufacturer
• Not right for heavy duty; in that case get the more expensive ‘Plus’ version
• You can’t see the rear-mounted spool if the machine is on a shelf (so keeping it on a table is a must)
• Feed gear can slip with PLA filaments

4. Afinia 3D Printer H-Series

Price: Around $1,400

The Afinia H is the last of our top 3-D printers.

Pros

• It is a bit smaller than the others
• Output quality has been compared with that of $10,000 printers
• One of the big benefits of this model is that it includes its own 3-D rendering software; this will end up saving you several hundred dollars
• Very satisfactory once you have used the workarounds mentioned below
• Excellent phone support
• Affordable price!
• You can create objects and the necessary input files for this printer on Windows 8.1

Cons

• Software generates cryptic, unhelpful error messages when a problem occurs
• Like many other 3D printers, parts warp where they contact the build surface (workaround: coat ABS/Acetone paint on the supplied FR4 fiberglass build surface included with the printer)
• When printing small and tall objects, it starts putting down a new layer before the earlier one has dried (work around this by making it print a second object as part of the same task)
• The platform falls when you turn off the power (home remedy: block it with a suitable object before powering down)
• It cannot print from a USB key

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As 3-D printing continues to develop and mature as a field, we will likely see all sorts of different developments and feature sets come into prominence. If you’re interested in what is hot right now, these three models are a good place to start your search.

What About the Software?

All 3D printers need to be fed data in a particular format such as the ‘STL’ format. That’s where you may want to get in touch with us. We will create your object on a computer and from it generate the data your 3D printer needs. All you have to do is go to our 3D modeling page and fill out the message form to get an answer within one business day.

We look forward to hearing from you!!