Best Budget 3D Printers – Ghost Guns

By 3D Print General

BUDGET PRINTERS (< $400)

Since we know that any machine can print the firearms you need, the most important thing to consider is your personal budget. Below are 5 budget friendly printer options with important notes for each.

The Original Creality Ender-3 ($100 - $200)

The link you are seeing for this printer may come in at around $200 depending on when you look, but you can certainly find this printer for much less. In fact, Micro Center occasionally has deals to grab this printer for as low as $100 if you are lucky in your timing. This printer is fairly old now, but it is the printer that the vast majority of people in this community recommend using as your first machine. This is due to the low price, ability to customize and upgrade, and the large community of users. It can allow you to determine if this is a hobby you want to continue without breaking the bank. There are also upgraded versions of the original Ender-3 such as the Ender-3 Pro.

Pros:

Might be the least expensive printer available, particularly if you find it on sale.
While it may have a learning curve, it is very simple to do upgrades and customization.
Very large community – likely the largest in the entire industry. This means you can find any file for it and join one of numerous different communities to ask for help.

Cons:

The printer itself is quite old now, meaning it uses old user interfaces and is missing many new upgrades that will make printing easier for you.
It is loud.
You will want to do around $100 in upgrades, perhaps slightly more, to make it the exact machine you want for the long run. It works just fine out of the box, but you will end up tweaking it if you use it frequently or would like to test out different material types.
Can be quite frustrating to update firmware.
No auto bed leveling.
You will eventually end up needing to learn how to repair or fix issues. It may print great for the first dozen prints, but you will inevitably need to watch some tutorial videos.

Creality Ender-3 V2 ($279)

The newer version of the most popular machine brings some very welcomed additions over the standard Ender-3. This includes a much better user interface, silent stepper drivers for quieter printing, and some minor upgrades such as easy-to-use belt tensioners. While you would in all likelihood prefer this V2 over the original, it is much more difficult to find discounts for it, meaning you will probably end up spending over $250.

Pros:

The newer board not only allows for quieter printing, it is also much easier to update firmware.
Being able to update firmware easily means you can add things such as a bed leveler much easier.
The screen is much more modern and easier to understand.
Easy to upgrade or customize.
A very large community. Not likely as large as the original Ender 3, but still easy to get help with.

Cons:

It still has many things you may want to upgrade in order to print different material types consistently. It does not have the upgraded hotend or extruder that the original Ender 3 does, meaning your actual print quality is unlikely to be any better and your material options will not be expanded.
No auto bed leveling.
Difficult to find a good discount for. If you find the original Ender 3 for close to $100, then it’s hard to argue this V2 is $150 better.

The Sovol SV01 Pro ($309)

Sovol is either a subsidiary of Creality or just a competitor that uses very similar components, but they are able to come out with some great machines at a very reasonable price. They do not have as large of a community of users as Creality, but they are able to provide a lot more bang for your buck on their machines. The SV01 Pro is like an Ender 3 V2, but with a lot more upgrades. This is the printer I would personally recommend for someone brand new to 3D printing on a tight budget. I think it is well worth the price compared to the Ender 3 V2.

Pros:

The price for what you are getting is great.
Silent printing.
Touch screen user interface.
Auto bed leveler.
Upgraded extruder to print flexible filaments and other materials precisely.
Has the ability to very easily (and inexpensively) upgrade the hotend to print higher temperature filaments.
Has dual leadscrews for more consistent quality printing.
Larger build volume than the Ender-3.

Cons:

Not as large of a user base as Creality, meaning it may be a bit more difficult to find answers to problems that arise.

Creality Ender-5 Pro ($399)

The Ender-5 series of printers by Creality changes the way the build plate moves. On the previous printers mentioned, the build plate moves back and forth in the Y direction. These machines are often referred to as “bed slingers”. On the Ender-5, the build plate moves up and down in the Z direction. This is the most preferred setup for a printer since the print won’t rattle while the hotend is laying down plastic. Constant rattling can often mean lower quality prints. I would suggest staying away from the original Ender-5 and stick with the Ender-5 pro.

Pros:

The gantry style is normally preferred over the bed slingers.
Large user base meaning it should be easy to find someone who has already troubleshooted your problem.
Easy to customize and upgrade.
I personally had the original Ender-5 for a very long time and it was a great work horse.
Quiet printing on the Pro (not the original).

Cons:

No significant hardware upgrades compared to the original Ender 3. It still has a very basic hotend and has only a slightly upgraded extruder. You are mostly paying extra for the gantry style frame.
Can be difficult to find at a discount, and at just about $400, this printer might be hard to justify the increase in price.
Old user interface for the LCD screen.
Single Z leadscrew.

Sovol SV05 ($269)

Similar to how the SV01 is somewhat an Ender-3 clone, this SV05 is an Ender-5 clone. And just like with the SV01 Pro, this machine has more upgrades compared to the Ender-5 and will come in at a lower price point. Although it has a smaller user base, I have begun recommending Sovol machines to most beginners on a lower budget due to the increase bang for your buck.

Pros:

Same gantry style as the Ender-5, meaning it is not a bed slinger.
An upgraded extruder means you can print more consistently and in a wider variety of material types.
Very easy to upgrade the hotend to print hotter temperature materials.
Auto bed leveler.
Silent printing.
Costs about $130 less than the Ender 5, but has bonus features lacking on the Ender 5.

Cons:

Smaller user community.
Old LCD screen and user interface.

Single Z leadscrew.

My personal choice: Sovol SV01 Pro

While each of these has their pros and cons, I think I personally would want the Sovol SV01 Pro if I had to choose. It is the printer that worked the best for me right out of the box and for just about $10 more, you can upgrade the hotend to print in higher temperature materials. I wanted the SV05 to be the pick, but I just got more consistently clean prints on the SV01 Pro, even though it is a bed slinger. At around $300, you can’t go wrong with it.

We will be back soon in part 2 of this 3 part series covering mid-range 3D printers.

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