3D Printer Recommendations

Users recommend and compare 3D printers like Prusa, Bambu Labs, Ender 3, and Ultimaker, discussing reliability, ease of use, price, print quality, and open-source aspects.

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Sample Comments

kojote Sep 23, 2012 View on HN

Buy an Ultimaker instead. You will not regret it

bilsbie May 5, 2025 View on HN

Is prusa the way to go for someone who wants something that just works?

dwayne_dibley Sep 23, 2024 View on HN

Bambu Labs A1 - not had it long, but for less that £300 it's unbelievable, easily matching quality with the prusas on the type of stuff I'm printing.

tibbon Sep 18, 2025 View on HN

I got a Bambu P1S two years ago for Christmas as a gift. It's been fantastic. 98% of my prints have been successful.They aren't the free open source dream machine, but it also works quite well and needs little messing with.I've played with 3d printers back to the RepRap and Makerbots - but those always required so much work to get a successful print.I haven't seen something clearly better in the price range.

awestroke Nov 20, 2024 View on HN

Getting a bambu soon. Happy I didn't go for Prusa, as the open source aspect was the only advantage

pclark May 4, 2025 View on HN

I know they get a lot of hate in the HN community but my Bambu Labs P1S is mind blowing. It’s so easy to use I print 100x more than with my old Ender. It’s motivated me to learn Fusion360 … i’m actually printing droids for my kids to color this very minute.

dpe82 Mar 17, 2025 View on HN

Bambu Lab. Not open source friendly but they're the first company whose printers more or less Just Work.

mingabunga Nov 7, 2021 View on HN

Just get a Prusa, they're so good and reliable and the quality is amazing. You can either buy it in pieces (takes about 8 hours to assemble) or pay a bit more and buy it already assembled. I've had a couple of Ender 3's and they start out great but end up deteriorating in print quality after a while so you have to keep tweaking stuff which can be an exercise in frustration. Just my experience.

2muchcoffeeman Sep 24, 2024 View on HN

I bought a Prusa MK3 as a kit years ago and it worked flawlessly. Several of the higher end printers pretty much work right out of the box.Bambu does all that and more for less money. Hard to beat.

xvector Feb 14, 2020 View on HN

If you're willing to spend more for a higher quality product, get the Prusa Mini ($400)[1] or the Prusa MK3S ($750)[2].Prusa products are well regarded and tend to work right out of the box with minimal configuration. I've had a great support experience with them too.[1]: https://www.prusa3d.com/original-prusa-mini/[2]: <a href="https://shop.prusa3d.com&#