Edit: wow I'm overwhelmed by all the help I received in this thread, I was gonna reply to everyone but it's gotten to a lot. You've all given me a lot to think about, thank you so much.
Hello there, hope everyone is doing well. I could use a bit of help/wisdom choosing my first FDM machine.
I get it, the technology has advanced a lot and I'm so lucky to be getting into this when I am, spoiled for choice with great options which is kind of the problem.
Realistically, my main goal is building functional, engineering style parts for my work as a cinematographer, think things like custom viewfinders, cable ties, precision rollers, and general parts and accessories for my rigs.
I do have a kid and family home too so I'll definitely want some toys for him and knick-knacks for the house but that's secondary.
So I know I need an enclosed core-XY with high temp hardened steel nozzles/heated bed for these special abrasive engineering materials.
I don't want 3D printing itself to be my hobby, but I definitely know how to tinker, I'm also not half bad with CAD/3D modelling.
Folks recommend Bambu but I'm also conscious of much cheaper options available that would do what I need.
I think I'm almost settled on the elegoo Centauri Carbon, but I'm worried about regretting not having multi-color right away (they're supposedly bringing an AMS style add-on but it's not there yet), and even when it does, it'll have the massive waste issue all these systems have.
So then there's the brand new options that are just coming out like the Snap maker U1 which sounds amazing but I dunno about getting something so new and apparently they don't have great track record.
Also looked at creality, flash forge, Audi Q2.... It seems I discover a new brand/option every day even after a month of research, lmao.
So, what are your opinions? What would you get as someone in my situation? I'd rather not spend too much on the printer (hence not listing Prusa) but I also don't want buyer's remorse and wanting to upgrade in a few months, ideally I get a work-horse that'll serve me for years to come right away and skip the upgrade paths...
Thanks in advance for your thoughts 🙏
I'll go against the grain here - I'm still rocking an unmodded Ender 3 Pro from 2019. It sits in my garage now as a tool for functional prints, though I've done the odd articulated print for kids.
I generally only ever use black or white PLA. I pretty much never calibrate it any more now it's set up. I just don't see the need to upgrade. Yes, it's slower and louder than newer 3D printers and there's no web interface, but the dimensional accuracy and quality is there for 99% of functional prints.
My friend has a Bambu Lab P1S and for fine detail it's definitely higher quality, so if you're designing micro parts (eg. PCB housings) I'd go with something newer, but if your functional prints are going to need around 0.05-0.1mm accuracy, an older 3D printer will do the job just fine.
I imagine they're dirt cheap on the second hand market right now. Might be worth trying one before diving into something more expensive?
Edit: forgot to mention, the only time I get a failed print is when I give it something stupid to attempt, like with no supports. This will be the learning curve with any 3D printer and getting used to how slicers work. You'll eventually build an intuition around this workflow, but I don't believe the choice in printer will matter here - correct me if I'm wrong folks.