Any recommendations for a low-cost, low-hassle printer?
Several years ago I leapt enthusiastically into the realm of 3D printing by buying a massive, expensive delta-type printer. I had to put it together myself, which was fun, but after that I struggled to get it to print well. Even simply trying to get the prints to stick to the bed were difficult, leading me to add huge brims to all my parts which were a pain to cut off afterward. Eventually I gave up fiddling with it and it’s been gathering dust ever since.
I know that a lot of you treat the hobby as an opportunity for endless tinkering and optimization, which is great, but I think I’ve realized that what I’d prefer is something that just works out of the box with a minimum of adjustment.
With current sales, the AnkerMake line is quite inexpensive and my experience with the M5 has been incredible. No 3D printer is truly no-hassle, but I think this is as close as it comes. Tons of QoL features like auto bed leveling, magnetic PEI plate, streaming video, and so on. It’s the closest thing I’ve ever seen to plug in and go as far as 3D printers go (some very easy assembly required though).