Highlights

• Great print quality
• Advanced calibration and print monitoring
• Great support
• Exceptional value for money

It also impresses with its high intelligence due to a wealth of inbuilt calibration routines, error detection and mitigation systems.

Highlights

• Massive build volume
• Easy print plate leveling
• Responsive UI
• Competitive price (~$2,000)

The Peopoly Phenom can print objects up to 400 mm high that is about 14 times larger than the likes of Elegoo Mars and similar budget resin printers.

Two other Phenom printers, the L and Noir, offer an even larger build volume, and the ability to print super fast, respectively. But the price of $3,000 and above is a bit too much.

Highlights

• Super fast heating
• Super silent

The Sidewinder Artillery X1 is a large 3D printer designed to print big and fast. A Volcano-style hot end allows for a higher flow of molten filament – ideal for printing thicker layers. To do so you need to use the correct nozzle (it comes with a 0.4 mm nozzle as standard).

Ribbon cabling and a Titan-style extruder mounted directly to the hot end makes its performance more flexible.

Highlights

• Removable full metal print bed
• Quality hard/software
• Excellent print quality
• Affordable price

The Prusa Mini is a budget (around $420) recommendation for those who can’t afford the premium price of the MK3S. Auto bed-leveling, one-click printing, and the removable spring steel bed, 180 x 180 mm build plate, a slick large-screen UI and 32-bit mainboard are the features hard to resist.

BEST 3D PRINTERS: BUDGET

Next come recommendations for makers on a shoestring.

UNDER $300, FDM

BEST 3D PRINTERS: BUDGET

Highlights

• Easy assembly
• Broad filament compatibility
• High-quality prints
• Reliability
• Affordability

The Creality’s Ender 3 Pro has everything what is good in the original Ender 3 including the price of a little less than $300.

The Ender 3 Pro has a number of upgrades, such as a magnetic removable print bed, a sturdier Y-axis assembly, a better extruder, new bearing wheels, and a name brand power supply. An excellent choice for hobbyists and makers who cannot afford to splash cash.

Ideal for hobbyists and makers looking to amp their creativity without spending too much, the Ender 3 Pro boasts a number of upgrades over its slightly cheaper predecessor; namely a magnetic removable print bed, a sturdier Y-axis assembly, a better extruder, new bearing wheels, and a name brand power supply.

Highlights

• Fast and high-detail printing
• Budget
• Easy to use

Desktop resin 3D printing is all the rage. Resin 3D printers are a good choice for easy and affordable high detail 3D printing. But they need a special space – (they stink).

At an available price, a little more than $200, with a monochromatic LCD display, the Phrozen Sonic Mini is able to cure a layer in as little as two seconds.

Highlights

• Reliable results
• Whisper-quiet
• Solid print quality
• User-friendly

The Creality Ender 5 Pro boasting the best features of the Ender 5 overwhelms it with   the likes of Capricorn Bowden tubing, a removable magnetic print bed, an upgraded mainboard, and super quiet stepper motor drivers.

Highlights

• Easy to set up
• Quiet
• Impressive quality-of-life features
• Reliable

Very easy to operate, the Monoprice Voxel is, undoubtedly, a plug and play device with nice print quality, a fully enclosed build volume, and a number of quality-of-life features uncommon to the machines of the same price range (~$400).

With the looks similar to the Flashforge Adventurer 3, the Voxel  offers a better printing experience.

Highlights

• Solid all-round printing performance
• Fully-enclosed print chamber
• Thoughtful quality-of-life extras

A highly competent printer for the long haul, producing flawless ABS prints is underestimated by all odds. A modular print head system accommodating the use of high and low temp, and flexible filaments is its most salient feature. In addition it boasts  removable print beds, wireless connectivity, print queuing, an in-chamber air filter, pretty quick print. Equipped with the UPStudio software, it feeds the physical dimensions of a print into a subsequent job, adjusting the print parameters to correct minute dimensional inaccuracies.

Highlights

• Strong software
• Fully-enclosed print volume
• High-quality prints
• Exceptionally large build volume
• Dual extrusion
• Reliability

The Raise3D Pro 2 Plus  is the best large-format 3D printer. In addition, it doesn’t need your intervention in the workflow.  The printer’s 7-inch color touchscreen keeps you informed, mirroring the printer management options.

Highlights

• Well-developed networking capability
• Extremely easy to set up and use
• Exceptional print quality through hot-swappable print cores

With a highly capable dual extrusion system which uses a selection of easily swappable print cores to handle different materials, the Ultimaker S5 is a truly professional printing solution. Deep connectivity with print monitoring, remote connection, live viewing and print job assignment to networked printers make it the best choice for networking.

Highlights

• Quality, rigidity and stability
• Idiot-proof tool changing
• Software harmonizes different production techniques well

Best 3-in-1. The relatively compact ZMorph’s VX has an impressing amount of functionality backed up by ZMorph’s proprietary Voxelizer 2.0 software. This 3 in 1 machine merges seamlessly multiple workflows, including texture mapping imagery onto the surface of a print for dual extrusion printing. It also boast very easy tool heads changing and cutting through hard materials.

Highlights

• Excellent, universal printer
• Awesome print quality
• One-click printing
• Well-developed software

This machine is for the efficient production and prototyping solution. Stuffed to the brim with sensors for vital print feedback, and print queueing and web dashboard management the Form 3 is so good that any words fail.

Highlights

• User-friendly
• Excellent print quality when using proprietary materials
• Enhanced safety and reliability

Equipped with a classroom-friendly HEPA filter, closed print chamber, print monitoring camera and a large, easy-to-navigate touchscreen, the Dremel 3D45 impresses with its connectivity and ability to handle trickier filaments such as nylon out of the box. Stick to Dremel’s proprietary materials, and your 3D45 will demonstrate a superior performance with a number of quality-of-life benefits. Dremel also offers a wealth of resources for educators, including training and lesson plans incorporating 3D printing.