For less than 1k you can get a brand new bambu lab p1s. I dont have it but its recommended a lot (not open source tho).

Features:

1. Nozzle size (doesnt matter, better check how difficult is to replace the nozzle)
2. Max bed temperature and max nozzle temp defines what materials you can print
3. Mechnics - coreXY is probably better than cartesian (less moving mass for faster printing), smooth rods and rails are better than wheels

Camera is fun to have, but all other AI crap is not necessary for sure. For 1k I would expect printer that prints great even without automatic bed leveling (not sure is there any without one today)

Maintanence:

Clean the printer at least once a month, relube rods with sewing oil and threaded rods with grease

It’s not necessarily fluff; features do matter, but which ones matter and how much they matter is complicated. Do you want to tinker with a printer, or do you just want a tool that works?

If you want a tool, I recommend a Prusa or maybe a Bambu. My Prusa just does what I ask it to; I’ve done zero calibration, optimization, tweaking, etc. Cheaper printers often require understanding bed leveling, figuring out how to adjust them best, etc. or vary more copy-to-copy (so one Ender 3 might work great, while another might be a source of frustration) or require upgrades to really become enjoyable.

I have an AnkerMake M5 and after having to fight with a Monoprice Select for years, the M5 is a revelation. It’s not cheap but it goes on sale pretty regularly, and it’s been stunningly reliable and consistent. I used to have to babysit the first few minutes of every print on the Monoprice but now I just fire off a print and come back later. It has automatic bed leveling, magnetic PEI bed plates, great repairability, and a decent app.

The “AI camera” aspect is so far a dud with too many false positives, but being able to stream the camera from the app and view a Timelapse to see how a print failed are nice features for a printer of this price.

Keep in mind that you can nearly always modify a prinyer after you purchase it. Lidar is going to be hard to add on after the fact, but IMO is unnecessary. There are tons and tons of camera monitoring systems you can use. You can also add filament runout sensors, spring steel beds, better part cooling, an enclosure, a direct dribe extruder, basically anything extruder related, etc.

For your purchase, I would look at a printer that is either set up the way you want out of the box or has the physical characteristics you want, since some of those are going to be harder to modify.

• build volume. Think about this in all three dimensions
• heated bed. I would personally avoid printers without a heated bed
• do you want a CoreXY, delta, or cartesian?
• a rigid frame
• a high quality motion system. You can swap between rollers, rods, and linear rails, but doing so is a pain
• mechanical bed leveling is a huge quality of life thing. Many printers that advertise auto leveling can't actually level the bed relatively to the gantry the extruder rides on