As the cost of 3D printers gets lower and lower, a question must be asked: Should I Get One?
With the Monoprice 3D printer only a little over $200 and the new Obsidian printer which aims to be only $99, it is obvious that 3D printers are entering the budget of the average consumer and their prices are even comparable to normal paper printers.
This is Monoprice's MP Select Mini 3D printer. It is one of the cheapest printers on the market and It can print in 120mm cube with fairly decent quality.
And this is the new Obsidian Printer my Kodama, which was announced not to long ago and is currently being crowdfunded on Kickstarter
So if these printers are so cheap, Should you buy one?
Well, that depends. I bought a small 3D printer last year, the XYZ DaVinci Jr, for $350. At the time that was one of the cheapest 3D printers you could buy. Over the course of a year I have definitely used it, but I love to make things. I am a maker, I have been to the Maker Faire a few times, I enjoy making small robots and electronics and so I use my printer for prototypes. But even though I enjoy making things and bought my printer mostly to prototype things I have not used it to the full extent that planned on when I first bought it.
Nic Nacs
Most of the time I just printed small useless items I found on Thingiverse. I printed things from toothpaste dispensers to quick shoe ties to fidget spinners and its a waste of money and plastic. But if you own a business where you are constantly prototyping things or building things then the cost of a 3D printer can be justified.
Average Consumer Be Warned!
For the average consumer, I wouldn't recommend buying a 3D printer... yet. When I first got interested in 3D printing I was watching a video that said that hopefully in the future you will be able to buy something online and have it printed instead of delivered, and that has occurred to an extent where you can go on Thingiverse download a design and print it right there. I also heard that you should get a 3D printer because you can print replacement parts to things that break around the house, which is true, but here is where the problem comes in. Most of these parts you need to design yourself. For me this was fine, I like to learn new things and I was open to learning how to use CAD software if it meant that I can design things and print them and even now after having a printer for a year I am not very good at 3D modelling. So be warned and make sure you know what you're about to buy and it's up to you to decide whether you are going to use it and that it will be worth it.
Thanks for reading. Please follow me and upvote and resteem this post if you liked it. Let me know if you want me to post more about 3D printing in the comments below.
if you would like to leave me a tip in bitcoin at this address
13t1CDDy22z6DZif3ZGsAgXeHDuMfV3xFg
I would greatly appreciate it.