Probably price - the best printers are often out of reach of hobbyists.
Print volume - larger volumes are more friendly for printing practical parts.
Stepper motor drivers - some of the pricier ones from Trimatic are notably quieter than the alternatives.
Material compatibility - heated bed, all-metal hot-ends, enclosure option are helpful to ensure material compatibility beyond the basic PLA.
Ease of construction - some printers are a bit challenging to set-up.
Spare part availability and cost - parts wear out over time, so knowing that the printer is supported is good. Also knowing what options are available for tuning the printer to your needs is also good.
Print speed is very hard to gauge - the manufacturer specifications are rarely meaningful as higher speeds often leads to reduced quality and details. However, the design of the printer will also affect this tradeoff - CoreXY designs tend to be more capable of high speeds because the model itself (of varying weight) is not moving during the print.
what's the key point when you want to get your first 3d printer?
Either: - "I want to learn a new skill and I've set aside enough money, and the price point of the 3D printer and the accessories match that price point"
or
- "I have enough items and problems that I can solve using these 3D computer aided design models, that I should just get my own 3D printer to create them, rather than trying to use the local Hackspace 3D printer or services to print one"
That's the key point(s) when I want to get my first 3D printer - or an alignment of the two.
What the kinda real question for a lot of people I see is: "What's the most key point when you decide you need a second 3D printer?"
That's usually down to "What materials do I need to 3D print in?" and then if you were using Filament you stray into Resin, or from Resin to Filament.
Of course some people go straight to Resin 3D printers because they're into model making or similar and want to do it as a business.
Price of course is primary, but next is ease of use and likelyhood of getting a good print with least effort first time. Shame I learned these desireables after I got a printer.
I'm not sure if I understand your question correctly. Are you asking "when is the key point [in time]" to get a 3d printer or "when getting a 3d printer what is the key point [feature] to consider?"
Mostly price. I decided to roll my own, as I'm not too fond of what's out there. And if you want to print a 2-foot cube of useable space., you are out of luck. Plus if you want to also do laser engraving or CNC you have to rebuild or buy the world all over again. Also, the beds need constant leveling. I want something that's versatile. with different heads. That's why I am trying to build my own. 1. the bed should NEVER move! This means that all my axis travels are on a gantry. Also, I plan on keeping filaments in an N2 cabenit. my Also, the hot ends don't get hot enough to use carbon fiber. "Nozzle temperature: 270 – 290°C."
For me it was the price. As I was going to use it for my hobby/DIY projects, I didn't need any high end specs and resolution or speed or special materials. I went with the Ender 3V2 because it was relatively less expensive as compared to the other 3D printers in the market. Also the reviews were pretty good.
If it's just for hobby use, I would recommend Creality printers.
If you get something that’s inexpensive but difficult to use, or difficult to get nice results from, you’ll just get too frustrated and end up wasting a lot of time, or maybe just not using it.
If you get something super expensive and then you find you don’t enjoy the new hobby as much as you thought you would, you’ll regret it. The way I see it, you’ll learn what you really want and need while using the starter-priced printer that can then lead you to make a decision that’s more tuned to your personal needs… or maybe the starter printer is exactly what you need for your personal use!
To start out with, I also recommend to just stick with PLA. Other filaments can make life hard, regardless of the printer.
I’m still very much a beginner, and I’m quite happy with the relatively affordable Creality Ender 3pro I have. It did give me some frustration with a broken plastic part, so maybe that’s where a more expensive better model with stronger parts might have saved the pain. But the metal replacement part upgrade was only $10 and was easy to install.
PLA for me is only good for small lightweight parts. I would use PLA just to prove my design and then switch to carbon. You ask, why do I want carbon parts? Easy since my long-term goal is to fly and the plane uses 2 e-fans, each blade is twisted and bent, and 18 inches long., So. PLA is out of the question.
