3D printers have come a long way in recent years. Thanks to the big competition in the 3D printing market, the prices are going down while the quality is going up. That’s perfect for all of us, whether we are just beginners, hobbyists, makers or professionals. However, finding the best 3D printer for you can be a bit difficult task. So, in this article, we will take a look at best 3D printers you can get right now.
Of course, the budget plays an important role when choosing a 3D printer, so therefore we will make a list with few price categories, or best 3D Printers under $200, $300, $400 and $500. And by the way, there’s probably no such a thing as the best 3D printer, rather the right 3D printer for you.
Pleas note that there are affiliate links in this article and I may earn from qualifying purchases. However, I also have exclusive coupons from Banggood so you can get any of the following 3D printers for incredible prices. Check them out, they are listed below.
Disclosure: There are affiliate links in this article. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Best 3D Printers under $200
Creality Ender 3
- Build volume: 220 x 220 x 250mm
- Filament: 1.75mm PLA, ABS, PETG, TPU
- Layer Thickness: 0.1 – 0.4mm
- Nozzle size:0.4mm
- Assembly: DIY Kit
Check prices……. Amazon / Banggood / AliExpress
The Creality Ender 3 is a fantastic 3D printer which is highly affordable. At under $200, the value you are getting with this 3D Printer it’s just amazing. It has relatively large build volume, sturdy frame, V-slot wheels, smooth motion and pretty good print quality. The Ender 3 also has the ability to resume from power outage, a feature usually found in high-end printers.
However, we should note that this is a DIY kit, which means we need to assemble some parts of the printer before we can use it. This might scare off some beginners, but assembling this 3D printer is quite easy with the assembly guide. Actually this 3D printer is something between DIY kit and pre-assembled kit, as the more complicated parts are already pre-assembled, so we need to assemble several sub-assemblies to complete the machine.
Alternative
- Geeetech A10 …………… Amazon / Banggood / AliExpress – This 3D printer is a clone of the Creality Ender 3 and very similar to it in terms of features and print quality.
- Creality Ender 3 V2 …… Amazon / Banggood / AliExpress – If you can stretch your budget a bit, then this is the 3D printer you should get. It’s a newer and more refined version of the Ender 3, which includes updated electronics, a 32-bit board and silent stepper drivers.
Best 3D Printers under $300
Anycubic i3 Mega S
- Build volume: 210 x 210 x 205mm
- Filament: 1.75mm PLA, ABS, HIPS, Wood
- Layer Thickness: 0.05 – 0.3mm
- Nozzle size: 0.4mm
- Assembly: Semi-assembled
Check prices……. Amazon / Banggood / AliExpress
The Anycubic i3 Mega is another affordable 3D printer which offers a lot for its price. The 3D printing quality is amazing, it has a sturdy full metal frame, automatic bed leveling, filament detector, resumes from outage, it has a touch screen which provides good user experience etc.
Another great thing about this 3D printer is that it comes nearly fully assembled. We just need to screw total of 8 screws for connecting the Z carriage with the base and put the 3 cables into the proper connection. And that’s all, it take around 10-30 mins to do this and we are ready to start printing.
Alternative
- Tevo Tornado…… Amazon / Banggood / AliExpress – If you find the Anycubic i3 Mega S print volume a bit small, then the Tevo Tornado 3D printer is the way to go. Although it’s a bit pricier, it has an impressive 300 x 300 x 400mm build volume while providing excellent print quality.
Best 3D Printers under $400
Artillery Sidewinder X1
- Build volume: 300 x 300 x 400mm
- Filament: 1.75mm PLA, ABS, HIPS, Wood, Flexible PLA, TPU
- Layer Thickness: 0.01mm
- Nozzle size: 0.4mm
- Assembly: Semi-assembled
Check prices……. Amazon / Banggood
Artillery is relatively fresh name in the 3D printing market, founded just in 2018. However, they offer 3D printers with plenty of features at a low-cost. The Sidewinder X1 their most popular 3D printer which features large print volume, Titan-style direct drive extruder, Volcano-style hot end, silent stepper drivers , sturdy frame and more.
All the electronics are placed in the base unit which makes it quite compact with clean design. The printer has 3.5 inches color touchscreen which significantly improves the user experience. Overall, you are getting an impressive value with this 3D printer and therefore it’s the best 3D printer in this price category. Though, the price can sometimes be just a little bit above $400 but still it’s totally worth it.
Alternatives
- Creality CR-10…… Amazon / Banggood – This is the 3D printer that made the Creality brand so popular. Putting it simple, it provides spacious print value and excellent print quality. Being so popular, it has a massive online community and can be easily upgraded with so many features.
Best 3D Printers under $500
Creality CR-10 V2
- Build volume: 300 x 300 x 400mm
- Filament: 1.75mm PLA, ABS, TPU, Copper, Carbon Fiber
- Layer Thickness: 0.1 – 0.4mm
- Nozzle size: 0.4mm
- Assembly: Semi-assembled
Check prices……. Amazon / Banggood / AliExpress
The Creality CR-10 V2 is the successor of the popular CR-10, which is more refined and offers many improved features. That includes a sturdier frame design, improved ceramic coated print bed, filament runout sensor, more powerful 24V – 350W power supply, silent stepper drivers etc.
The control box has a knob and a monochrome display for controlling it, which to be honest, it feels a bit dated. However, the print quality is outstanding and arguably the best in its class. Just like the original CR-10, it has a massive online community and can be easily upgraded many other features. For instance, you can get the optional BL-Touch leveling probe for automatics leveling.
Alternative
- Creality CR-10 V3…… Amazon / Banggood / AliExpress – This is basically the same 3D printer but instead of Bowden drive it has a Titan Direct Drive. This enables you to easily print with wider range of materials, or flexible filaments. You can also check out my detailed review on the CR-10 V3.
So if you are thinking of getting into the 3D printing world, don’t hesitate, any of these printers will make you happy. 3D printing is just so fun, no matter if you need it for developing prototypes, or just making cool decorating prints for you or gifts for your friends.
Check out some of my 3D printed projects
3D printers take big part in many of my projects. They are great for prototyping and I have used them for making some cool robots, CNC machines as well as some RC toys. Here you can check out some of them.
Arduino Mecanum Wheels Robot
3D Printed Hexapod Ant Robot
SCARA Robot
3D Printed RC Hovercraft
Arduino based 3D Printed Robot Arm
CNC Foam Cutting Machine
Arduino Wire Bending Machine – 3D printed gears, bearing pillow blocks etc.
