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What are the Differences Between 3D Printers of Different Price Ranges?

By Mitch, June 2024

I’ve looked previously at which 3D printer to start with as a beginner in the hobby but there are many more printers to choose from. All of these come with varying price tags but what do you actually get for your money?

In this article, I’m going to briefly show you what you should expect to pay and why you may need to pay more to get extra performance and features from your 3D printer.

As this is a Creality based article, I’m only going to compare 3D printers in their ranges but feel free to investigate further with other comparable brands. Please note that Creality has recently had a sale running so you may have been able to grab one of these printers at a bargain price! However, I’m going to be basing this article on the usual retail price for each printer for ease and clarity of comparison.

Firstly then, let’s take a look at FDM (Filament Deposition Modelling) printers and I’ll give one or two examples of printers in increasing price ranges.

FDM – Under $100

This is a bit of a false start when it comes to Creality as they currently don’t produce any printers in this price range. You can get a few printers in this bracket but as I’ve mentioned before, they really aren’t worth the money and are mainly aimed at children and educators.

$100-$200

This is what you should expect to pay for a basic FDM printer of good quality, and which will do everything you need as a beginner. The most obvious choice in this range would be the Creality Ender 3 which is, in my opinion, the best place to start. The Ender 3 is the best-selling 3D printer in the world and offers a high-quality entry level experience for the beginner and seasoned pro alike.

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$200-$300

In this bracket, we’re still looking at the Ender 3 range, but now moving on to the Ender 3 Neo, V2, V2 Neo and V3 SE and KE.

All of these printers do the same job of producing a high-quality 3D printed object but with some subtle differences. Each has the basic capabilities that you’ll find on the standard Ender 3 but with the following additions.

Neo – Better, all-metal extruder. Auto bed levelling

V2 – Better overall design, better control panel/UI (User Interface). All metal extruder. Auto bed levelling

V2 Neo – Similar to the standard V2 but with a better design

V2 SE – Similar again but this has the Creality “Sprite” extruder as standard which was only previously available as an add on or with higher priced printers

The standout Ender printer in this price bracket though has to be the Ender 3 V3 KE. In addition to all you’d expect from the others, you also have

• A linear X-axis rail which makes for smoother and more accurate printing

• Touch screen UI with real time print monitoring

• Built in wi-fi connectivity to allow for easier control options

• Ceramic hot end to allow for print temperatures up to 300 C

• Higher print speeds of up to 500mm/s

This would therefore be my choice in this price bracket at the usual price of $299.

$300-$400

We’re now moving onto slightly more serious money in terms of a “beginner’s” 3D printer, but these machines are certainly worth looking at.

Again, there are more in the Ender range with the Ender 3 S1, Max Neo and V3. These are all based on the Ender 3 “template” but now have a bit more bang for your buck in terms of design and functionality

• S1 – Comes with the high speed, direct drive Sprite hot end as standard and a better color UI.

• Max Neo – This has all the same features as the Ender 3 Max but with a much larger build area (300x300x320mm)

• V3 – Sleeker design with a full color touch screen UI and print speeds of up to 600mm/s

$400-$500

Moving up a price bracket can mean moving outside your budget but, you may well find that spending just a little more can be worth it in the long run.

At this price range we’re looking at the following Creality printers:

• Ender 3 S1 and S1 Pro

• Ender 3 V3 Plus

In my opinion the V3 Plus is a superb looking printer with a sleek design, full color touchscreen UI and a large build volume (300x300x320mm). You also have a maximum possible print speed of 600mm/s and an extruder and nozzle setup which you’d expect to pay a lot more for ordinarily. Definitely worth a look at around $479.

The Ender 3 range has been around for a while but it still packs a punch with the expansion of the basic features. The S1 and S1 Pro are prime examples as they have all the features you’d expect but additionally the Sprite extruder, improved design, higher print speeds and improved UI.

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$500+

If you’re looking to buy your first printer then this price bracket may not be the best place to start. I’ve mentioned before in previous articles that it’s best to be sure that 3D printing is the hobby for you before plunging into the deep end. Well, printers in this price range are the epitome of that deep end.

There are a lot to choose from in terms of Creality printers so, rather than have me list them all here, take a look at the Creality store for more details.

A few standout printers though would be what Creality terms as it’s “flagship” series. The K1 and K1 Max are my top picks here as they boast a fully enclosed printer setup together with the sleek design quality build and fast print speeds that you might be looking for.

So, we’ve looked at the variety of FDM printers in their different price ranges but what about SLA /Resin printers?

With SLA (Stereolithography) or resin 3D printers, the range and choice of machine is more limited. Again though, let’s look at Creality’s range of Halot Mage SLA printers to see how they compare.

SLA – Under $200

There is only one Creality SLA printer in this bracket and that’s the LD-002H. This is a great entry level machine that does the basics and will produce quality prints with very little set up needed straight out of the box.

$200-$300

In this price bracket we have the Halot Play 8.9 which is a 4K resolution printer and is also a great entry level printer aimed at the beginner.

Additionally, there is the Halot Mage 8K resolution which, as you can see straight away, has a better resolution meaning better and more accurate prints. The Halot Mage 8K also has a larger build area than the 8.9 making for more possibilities in your model creations.

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$300-$400

We’re now moving into serious territory with the SLA printers.

The Halo Mage 14K boasts an impressive resolution quality that you won’t find easily elsewhere. This will give you greater print accuracy and produce high quality prints showing even the smallest and most intricate model details. Built in air purification is a bonus as well!

$400+

Surprisingly, the Halot Mage Pro 8K falls into this bracket at a usual retail price of $599 but you can often find this printer on sale if you shop around.

This is a high-quality machine that obviously has the 8K print resolution but with the additional advantages of faster print speeds, bigger print area, wi-fi connectivity and built in air purification.

And finally…

I’ve only given a very brief overview of each of the printers in each price bracket but hopefully it’ll give you a good starting point for your purchasing research.

Obviously, I’ve only focussed on Creality printers in this article but there are other brands out there to look at. I have found though that in general, the prices and features of different brands don’t vary that much so this guide will hopefully give you enough to make an informed choice.

You can find details, up to date prices and how to buy all of the printers I've covered, and more, at:

https://www.creality.com/?spm=..product_bc5612e6-0f7e-4572-8b06-8b16b022dce4.header_1.1&spm_prev=..index.header_1.1

As always, thank you for reading and if you have any comments or question s, feel free to add them in the comments below.

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