This article was automatically translated from Japanese using AI. The Japanese version is the authoritative version.
(*This article was updated on December 20, 2021.)
Hello.
I’m a broke biology major who kept saying “Once I get to university, I’m definitely buying a 3D printer!!” — and now, as a fourth-year student, I’ve finally managed to buy one.
Between classes and research, I was too busy to work many part-time hours, so money was tight. Still, I decided to buy the 3D printer I’d always dreamed of — but I didn’t want to waste my money….
And if I settled for a compromise, I’d just end up wanting something better later….
I wanted something I’d be truly happy with, so I searched the web endlessly, asked people at university who know engineering, and bought one only after researching it thoroughly.
Once you decide you want a 3D printer and start searching, you’ll find a huge number of models, from around ten thousand yen to over a million yen.
You’ll probably agonize over which one to get, and honestly, it’s hard to tell what actually differs between them.
This article is for people wondering, “I want a home 3D printer as a hobby, but I don’t know what to look for when choosing one”
“Which one should I actually buy?”
I’ll walk through it, including the reasons behind my own choice.
What’s the difference?
With prices ranging from tens of thousands to millions of yen, you’re probably wondering what on earth sets them apart.
First, as a premise: print accuracy and the quality of the finished object don’t change all that much with the price of the 3D printer.
Accuracy and finish vary greatly depending on the printing method, but within the same method, the differences are rarely dramatic.
Broadly speaking, there are two printing methods: FDM (melting filament with heat and building it up layer by layer) and optical/resin-based (curing with light). Generally, the optical type gives a cleaner finish (layer marks are less visible) and better accuracy, while FDM has the advantage of being easy to work with.
I’ll explain the differences between these two in my next blog post.
Print accuracy and finish come down to the detailed settings you give the 3D printer.
So even a cheap printer can print beautifully if you configure it properly, and it’s quite common for an expensive printer to fail to print at all if you set it up carelessly.
So what does change with price?
Put simply, it’s the extra features.
To give a few examples:
- Supports a wider range of filaments
- Larger build volume
- Wi-Fi connectivity
- Heated build plate
- Dual filament nozzles, allowing printing with two materials — and so on
On top of the basic performance, the price varies with which options are included.
If you think about which features you actually want, the field of models will narrow down naturally.
Criteria for choosing
That said, you may not even know what features exist, or which ones are actually useful.
So let me introduce a few points worth paying attention to.
Print size
The right size depends on what you want to make and where you’ll put the printer.
Roughly speaking, the printer body itself will be about 1.5 to 2 times the size of what you want to print.
For small containers or pen holders, a small printer is fine, but if you plan to make things like headphone stands or cases, you need to think about size.
What I realized after buying one is that very large prints are a hassle and take a long time, so I didn’t print big things very often.
But when I made a headphone stand, it needed quite a lot of space, and I was glad I’d bought a larger machine.
A bigger build volume also lets you print multiple parts at once.
Number of usable materials
Different materials melt at different temperatures.
Optical 3D printers can only use light-curing resin, but FDM machines can use the commonly used PLA, ABS (a bit harder than PLA), TPU (with a somewhat rubbery feel), and some can even handle carbon fiber.
The more material types supported, the higher the price.
Most machines can at least handle PLA and ABS.
I use almost nothing but PLA and have never found that inconvenient, so supporting many materials may not really be necessary… maybe?
Number of filament feed mechanisms
Some models have two or more nozzles for extruding filament.
This lets you use multiple materials and, for example, color different parts of the object differently.
Water-soluble filament has also become popular recently; using it as support material lets you print even complex geometries.
Supports are something you absolutely have to consider when making an object, but with water-soluble filament you can print without leaving support marks.
That said, having multiple nozzles apparently means that, depending on the object, a nozzle can collide with the print.
Whether the bed is heated
This is a feature you rarely find on budget 3D printers.
The nozzle heats up and melts the filament to build the object, and a heated bed makes the molten filament adhere to the bed more readily, so the print is less likely to come loose.
Once printing is finished the temperature drops, which in turn makes it easier to remove the print from the bed.
Personally, I have benefited from this feature enormously. Because the print stays firmly attached to the bed, large objects don’t shift during printing, and tall, narrow objects can be printed as well.
Frame construction
Enclosed or open frame? Aluminum frame or plastic?
An enclosure keeps in the odors produced during printing (especially with ABS) and maintains a somewhat elevated internal temperature, which prevents warping caused by the print cooling too quickly.
An open-frame design lets you watch the print from every angle. It also offers better access when, for example, the nozzle clogs, making maintenance much easier.
The frame material affects how stable the printer runs.
A metal frame is rigid and very stable.
The downside is the weight, which makes the printer harder to move around.
Ease of operation
One thing you really shouldn’t overlook is how the printer is operated.
Options range from models with nothing but buttons, to an LCD-plus-buttons setup, to full touchscreens.
A common pitfall with cheap 3D printers is that they advertise a touchscreen, but once you actually use it the responsiveness is terrible.
That alone can be a real source of frustration.
Check user reviews for comments on touchscreen responsiveness, and be wary if the ratings are lukewarm.
Personally I find touchscreens very easy to use—you can operate them intuitively without even opening the manual—so I recommend them.
Other features
Let me also mention Wi-Fi and camera functions.
Wi-Fi lets you send print data to the printer wirelessly.
Normally you load the file onto a USB drive or SD card and plug it into the printer, but Wi-Fi saves you that trouble.
The camera function means a camera is mounted inside the printer so you can check on the progress of your print while you’re away.
If you often leave the printer running for hours while you’re out, a camera may be worth having.
Recommended models
Creality Sermoon D1
This is the model I actually use.
It is an enclosed model, but the panels are transparent, so you can watch the print from every angle.
The frame is aluminum, making it very rigid.
Because the bed moves along the Z axis, prints don’t shift while printing, and the printer runs very quietly.
I keep it next to my bed, and I can take a nap without any trouble while it’s running.
With a build volume of 280 × 260 × 310 mm, it can handle fairly large prints.
It is operated via touchscreen, which is very intuitive.
It supports PLA, ABS, and TPU, and has no Wi-Fi or similar features, so the impression is simply a solid, high-performance 3D printer.
One drawback is that loading filament into the nozzle takes a bit of a knack.
The first time, you might spend ten minutes wrestling with it.
Other than that, I’ve had no inconveniences and am very satisfied with it.
It costs just under 100,000 yen, which is a bit pricey for home use, but the performance is more than worth the price.
Creality Ender-3 V2
This is probably the best-performing and most user-friendly model you can get for under 50,000 yen.
The build volume is 220 × 220 × 250 mm, and it supports PLA, TPU, and PETG.
It covers all the basics: the bed is heated and it is operated via touchscreen.
The body is metal and nicely rigid.
There is a storage compartment under the bed where you can stow various tools—a quietly welcome touch.
It costs under 50,000 yen, putting it among the cheaper home 3D printers.
This is a model that will leave you with essentially nothing to complain about, so if you’re thinking of buying your first 3D printer, why not give it a try?
Original Prusa i3 MK3S+ 3D printer
The Prusa i3 is a 3D printer made by a Czech company.
What’s distinctive is that they make their 3D printers using 3D printers—their factory is reportedly filled with their own machines.
It is world-famous, and among printers in the 100,000-yen range it is the most highly recommended and simply the best you can get.
It comes as either a kit or a pre-assembled unit, with the kit available for around 100,000 yen.
The basic specs are beyond reproach: a heated bed and quiet operation while printing.
The build volume of 250 × 210 × 210 mm is enough for most purposes.
What’s remarkable about this model is how hot the nozzle gets, which means it can handle a very wide range of materials:
PLA, PETG, ASA, ABS, PC (polycarbonate), CPE, PVA/BVOH, PVB, HIPS, PP (polypropylene), Flex, nGen, nylon, woodfill, and more.
The only drawback for me is the interface.
I haven’t actually used one, but instead of a touchscreen it uses a physical dial for control.
The display shows text only.
It looks like it would take a little while to get used to operating it.
In terms of basic specs alone, it comfortably outperforms 3D printers costing over 200,000 yen.
I agonized quite a bit over whether to go with the Sermoon D1 or this model.
Incidentally, although it isn’t sold on Amazon, Prusa’s website also offers the Original Prusa MINI+. Its print volume is smaller, but the price is kept to around 50,000 yen, making it an excellent product as well.
Flashforge Creator Pro
Flashforge is a fairly popular 3D printer company in Japan, and a quick search turns up reviews of their products all over the place.
Among their lineup, the model I’d recommend here is the Creator Pro.
This model has two nozzles, so you can print with the two types of material mentioned above at the same time.
What’s more, the unit costs around 80,000 yen, which is by no means expensive for a home machine.
It handles materials such as ABS, PLA, and HIPS, and the print volume is W227 × D148 × H150 mm, which is a bit small compared with other models.
The filament holder is located at the back, so it isn’t visible from the front.
The downside is that swapping filament is a bit of a hassle.
Control is via physical buttons and a text-only LCD, so the interface probably isn’t as nice as a touchscreen. Still, it’s perfectly usable once you get used to it, and with Japanese-language support and a large user base in Japan, a quick search will turn up instructions for just about anything, so you shouldn’t run into much trouble.
Because the front is enclosed, temperature control is very easy, but you can only check the print from one direction, and maintenance is somewhat awkward.
Even so, being able to use two materials at this price is extremely appealing.
There are plenty of other good models besides the ones introduced here.
I hope this proves helpful as a starting point.