I’m shopping for my first printer, I don’t have any experience with 3d printing but I’m vaguely familiar with the whole process and I understand there will be a learning curve and I’m looking forward to that part.
I’m leaning towards the Creality S1 Pro because I remember the huge hub-bub about the Ender 3 when it first came out and it seems like everyone and their brother suggests it as a good first printer but then when I read reviews it seems kinda janky and I’m an adult with a job so I don’t mind fussing a little but I don’t want to fuss a lot.
I picked the S1 Pro because I think it has an auto-leveling print surface and the name recognition from the previously mentioned Ender 3, but when I try to research other printers I’m completely overwhelmed by the options.
Depends on your budget and how deep you want to dive.
I bought Ender 3v2 as my first 3D printer, and it traumatised me to the point I’ve not printed anything in a year. 3D printing has it’s learning curves, but Creality gives you no ropes here. Which is great and ultra frustrating at the same time. You will learn a lot about 3D printing, even stuff that you don’t really need. But it will take you a long time and loads of sweat and tears for your first successful 3D print (unless you are lucky and your printer will be good to go from the box).
This makes me feel so much better. I had the same start as you and was pulling my hair out a bit. I knew there would be some learning curves but not this hard. I just felt like a moron for a bit. Some things would be fine then the next print would be spaghetti for no reason. Don’t even get me started on the 4 contact points for balance/ leveling.
I bought a CRTouch to help me with leveling and keeping the bed trammed, but I think it just made the things more complicated.
From my experience with this printer, don’t touch it. As in, use it as is from the box, and be grateful that “something” prints out even if the quality is not the best. Unless you want to “improve” things, then be ready to fight a fucking hydra - you chop off one head, and another three pops up.
One feature I definitely want is auto-leveling. I hope it softens the learning curve at least a little bit.
I mean it wouldn’t even be so hard if they just put a small level bubble and just 3 points of contact so you don’t have to worry about the center being convex or concave
This is one thing that just boggles my mind about 3d printers.
How the fuck has no printer maker figured out that four points don’t always make a flat surface? This shits like one of the most basic concepts of mechanical engineering, and yet it appears to be completely absent from 3d printing. Apparently no one in the industry has ever heard even of it.