In this video we’re breaking down the five best budget 3d printers in 2021. I’ve included options for every type of consumer. Whether you’re looking for fast cure times and excellent print performance or a budget 3d printer that’s easy to use out of the box but still delivers I’ll have the product for you.
The fifth product on our list is the Anycubic Photon Mono. This is our best budget resin 3d printer under 300. The Anycubic Photon Mono is one of the cheapest and most popular resin 3d printers and retails for about 250 dollars. It has a number of upgrades over the previous photon models including being quieter, so it’s less disruptive to run at night.
The Anycubic Photon Mono has the dual z-axis slider that notably improves the performance and stability of the z-axis giving it a 0.01-millimeter accuracy making layer lines even harder to spot and creating smoother surface finishes. It also prints faster than previous photon models at a rate of up to 50 millimeters per hour.
There’s also a 6.08-inch 2k monochrome LCD that cures the resin in only one and a half seconds per layer and is a great addition because it lasts up to four times longer than the typical RGB LCD screen. I think you’ll like that it’s simple to get set up, so you’ll be ready to print quickly without a lot of assembly getting in the way.
It also includes a one-piece FEP making it easier to replace. It has a print volume of 5.11 by 3.14 by 6.49 inches which is really good if you enjoy printing tabletop game characters miniatures or other small prints. With the transparent lid you can safely watch your prints being made as it blocks up to 99.95 percent of UV rays.
Another safety feature I think you’ll appreciate is that you can set the printer to immediately stop printing if the cover is removed. Any cubic offers a one-month free return or exchange on their printers as well as a one-year warranty and lifetime technical support making it easy to try out without risk.
The Anycubic Photon Mono is the best budget resin 3d printer under 300. Offering multiple upgrades over previous photon models, extremely accurate prints it’s easy to set up and runs quietly. I recommend it for anyone who wants to make detailed character figures or is a really good place to start if you’re new to 3d printing.
The fourth product on our list is the Creality Ender 3 V2. This is our best budget FDM 3d printer. The Creality Ender 3 V2 is another popular printer that’s easy to use and comes ready out of the box with minimal setup. Priced at around 280 dollars it gives you good print volume, high quality print build and there’s even an active online community which is especially helpful if you’re new to 3d printing.
The heated print bed can reach temperatures up to 110 degrees Celsius so you can print models using abs and other thermoplastics. I really like that the textured glass bed also keeps prints in place when hot and makes it easier to remove your prints from the build surface when cool, minimizing any chance of the plastic warping or being uneven as you lift it off.
The printer has a build volume of 220 by 220 by 250 millimeters which is a good size, and the MK 10 filament extruder is able to heat up to 225 degrees Celsius which reduces the risk of filament jamming. There’s also a pause and resume function which I think is especially useful if the power supply is interrupted.
The Ender 3 V2 is built with a 32-bit main board and silent stepper motor drivers within an attractively designed frame. There’s also the option for offline printing with microSD cards and the display screen used to operate the printer uses a scroll wheel to navigate the UI rather than a touch screen.
The popularity of the ender 3v2 means that there’s an active online community willing to help you find tips, tricks and suggestions for getting the most out of your 3d printer. I think that’s a big plus especially if you’re new to 3d printing and will be a good guide to help you learn quickly.
The Creality Ender 3 V2 is the best budget FDM 3d printer with a professional design, easy to use setup and active online community to back up its popularity. I think it’s a strong choice if you want hands-on experience learning about 3d printing or if you want a machine to tinker with.
The third product on our list is the ELEGOO Mars 2 Pro. This is a great budget resin 3d printer. At a price of about 300 dollars the ELEGOO Mars 2 Pro will let you print smaller objects in very high detail and the CNC machined aluminum body makes it a sturdy machine. It has a 120 by 68 by 155-millimeter build volume which is a good size and the minimum XY accuracy it will achieve is 47 microns making it extremely precise.
It also comes with a Chitto box slicer which is made specifically for resin printing. The sandblasted build plate provides stronger adherence while the linear guideway prints with a steady and accurate motion meaning your prints will come out smooth. The large hexagon socket screw helps with stable leveling making it easy to set up a print job.
The case has a built-in rubber seal to keep the resin odors contained and a carbon box in the base absorbs and filters the resin odor. I think you’ll find the USB port useful especially now that it’s been moved to the front of the printer letting you print from a USB stick with ease.
You’ll like that the 6.08-inch monochrome lcd with 2k resolution only takes 2 seconds per layer exposure to cure the resin making the printer efficient.
Like with the Anycubic Photon Mono the monochrome LCD has a much longer lifespan than an RGB display it also gives you more stable performance during prints that take a long time. Reducing the risk of mistakes and wasting resin, the improved light source structure provides a more even UV light distribution that works to further increase the precision and accuracy when printing fine details.
The ELEGOO Mars 2 Pro is a great budget resin 3d printer with a good build volume USB port and fast cure times all while eliminating the resin smell to keep your workspace clean. The precision of the prints you’ll get make this perfect for tabletop character creation letting your designs really come to life.
The second product on our list is the Creality Ender 5 Pro. This is our best overall budget 3d printer. The Creality Ender 5 Pro is a great 3d printer that runs quietly and has excellent performance for a price tag of about four hundred dollars. To make setup easy the Ender 5 Pro comes in a few partially assembled kits with the main three simply screwing into the upright beams of the frame.
I like this because it not only makes it easy to put together, but it will also help you better understand how 3d printers are built and how the components fit together. You’ll find the printer runs quietly thanks to the upgraded v4.2.2 silent main board with tmc2208 drivers which also give more precise printing performance.
It also has a metal wear resistant extruder which pushes the filament into the printing nozzle with stronger pressure to improve printing quality and avoid clogging and also gives you more stable feeding for better print precision. The hotbed heats up to 110 degrees Celsius in five minutes and the printer can continue printing from the last layer if you lose power in the middle of a print job.
I like that it’s also built with Capricorn premium XS Bowden tubing which has high temperature resistance and provides smooth feeding of the filament through the tube adding better printing texture for your more detailed prints.
I think you’ll find the quality of your prints will be great especially with the level of surface detail that this printer can accomplish. Like the Creality Ender 3 V2, the Ender 5 Pro has a screen display with a knob to navigate the UI which is intuitive and easy to use.
From here you can start a print job or adjust settings like nozzle temperature, bed temperature speed and more which can be manually adjusted while printing as well. The Creality Ender 5 Pro is the best overall budget 3d printer I can recommend. It’s easy to assemble, has an upgraded main board for precise and quiet performance and prints very detailed models.
The first product on our list is the QIDI TECH X-Pro. This is our best double extruder budget 3d printer. The QIDI TECH X-Pro can connect to your wi-fi for wireless print jobs and has an enclosed build space that regulates temperatures for better printing results.
At around 470 dollars this double extruder 3d printer also allows you to use two filaments at the same time so you can print models in two colors. With a build volume of 230 by 150 by 150 millimeters you get a really good amount of space for your prints and the curved aluminum print plate makes it easier to remove your finished models.
I think the design of the plate is a great feature because easier removal means less scarring to your print when scraping it off the build platform and leaves your model with a better surface quality. The build service can also be heated up to 120 degrees Celsius and can even be removed from the printer. Further helping you extract your print from the plate.
The metal platform support rod has been upgraded to 12 millimeters to make it more sturdy and other upgraded parts like the motor main board and mechanical structure ensure more stable printing and quieter performance.
The double extruder is already installed within the unit making it easier to set up and get right to printing. The printing area is fully enclosed allowing for far better temperature regulation while printing and by keeping the heat in it prevents parts from cooling too quickly. This means way less chance of your print to warping or cracking and makes for far better abs and nylon printing.
The large 4.3-inch touchscreen makes navigating printing options and using the printer seamless so you can easily adjust your settings for each project. I also like that there’s a wi-fi connection option as well as a USB port so you can start your prints wirelessly or offline.
The QIDI TECH X-Pro is the best double extruder budget 3d printer that gives you detailed printing in two colors, quiet and accurate performance and has a cover over the print bed, so your prints can cure and be removed with minimal chance of damage.
