3D printing has exploded, and with the surge of new businesses trying their hands at the industry, the costs for 3D printers keep falling.
That is excellent news for people who wish to print three-dimensional objects in your home, or who want an inexpensive method of prototyping.
In this review, I will have a look at a few of the best affordable 3D printers available in the marketplace. I have created this guide to assist first-timers and anyone working within a budget to find the best cheap 3D printer.
Hopefully, one that will enable them to explore the new technology without breaking the bank.
Now, remember that 3D printing is still in its infancy and the less you spend on a 3D printer, the more unreliable and inaccurate of a printer you'll get.
That does not mean that if you are on a budget, you're unable to jump right into the world of 3D printing.
You can find quite a few entirely enclosed 3D printers under $500 that will make it possible for you to begin 3D printing and produce quality prints, like the wine rack I printed below.
Below, we will explore the best cheap 3D printers on the market, in addition to their various advantages and disadvantages, to help make sure that you're ready to have an educated opinion.
Best 3D Printers under $500 for 2020
In the table below you will find the four 3D printers we reviewed. The 4 printers you see below are the only ones we would consider buying in this price range.
Name
Score
Summary
Where to Buy
Flashforge Finder
4 out of 5
Great for kids and beginners, has WiFi and an LED screen
What to expect from a 3D printer costing $500 or less?
So let's talk about the price. A couple of years back, an reasonably spec'd mid-range 3D printer would set you back well over $2 000.
However, with the massive increase in 3D printer choices, the costs have come down, and there are now some high-quality 3D printers under $500.
Or, in other words, if you're looking to find the ideal balance between 3D printer price and performance, then the choices in this price range should be at the top of your list.
No, these aren't the best 3D printers available, but their cost is appealing for what they offer. If you are looking for something with a bit more muscle, then we recommend you read our round up of the best 3D printers under $1000.
The four listed below are, in my opinion, four of the best 3D printers available under $500, but before we jump into the review, lets take a look at our scoring catergories.
How we reviewed
Here’s a list of the categories which we used to evaluate the pens in this review:
Quality & Print Speed:
Layer height and resolution: One of the main factors of accuracy, lower is better
XYZ Accuracy: Very important for small details
Printing Speed: lighter, smaller pens are easier to paint with
Features & Versatility:
Printing bed size: Bigger is better
No. of extruders: Does it support dual extrusion?
Does it have a heated bed: Important for printing with ABS and some other plastic
Auto-leveling: Ensures that the correct height between the nozzle extruder and bed
Ease of use:
Is it easy to setup and operate: Some printers claim to have a setup time of 30 min, others you need an engineering degree to get going
Does it support open source software: The best things in life are free, and when it comes to 3D printing, the best software on the market all happens to be open source
Value for Money
Price: Total cost was one of the key metrics in this review
Customer Support: Does the manufacturer have a good reputation for support?
Reviews: Product reviews on Amazon.com say a lot about quality
For each printer you will see an overall score out of 10. Click on "view all scoring categories" in the drop-down box to see how each pen fared for the categories listed above.
And now without further ado, let’s take a look at Pen&Plastic’s round-up of best 3D printers currently on the market.
1. Flashforge Finder
FlashForge hit it big if MakerBot switched into a closed-source version and ceased making their first Replicator. FlashForge's biggest success came in their MakerBot replica, the Creator.
Since FlashForge introduced their Creator as a means to fill the emptiness the Replicator left behind, they've produced a handful of other printers also. One of the latest printers is their budget-friendly Finder.
While the FlashForge Finder does not have the largest build platform, nor does it come with a heated print mattress, it markets itself as a very easy-to-use and dependable option that will make 3D printing a breeze for first-timers.
It has a cool touch screen and LCD for extra simplicity.
Flashforge's focus on ease-of-use means that this fused filament fabrication (FFF) 3D printer only accepts 1.75 mm PLA plastic filament.
This simplifies things, as you don't need a heated print bed to work with more difficult (and toxic) materials like ABS — but of course the downside is you are now limited to only one type of printing material.
The Flashforge Finder is is very easy to use and has WiFi functionality built in, it is a 3D printer that is suitable for kids and beginners.
Although, for the purchase price of about $400, you're sacrificing a bit for the extreme ease of use , as there are different choices available which offer a larger build volume and a heated printing bed.
Finally, Flashforge is one of the strongest brands in the printing industry, and if you're looking for something that's simple to use and you would like to purchase something by a proven brand which you can depend on, then the Finder is a worthy choice.
While I would like to see that the Finder have a larger print area and a heated print mattress, but it's still easily one of the best starter 3D printers.
It is easy to use and also costs only $400, and the sacrifices of giving up a larger build volume and the capacity to print in ABS is minor
The Flashforge Finder carves out its place as being the best 3D printer in this price range thanks to how easy it is to operate and how accurately it prints.
2. Dremel Digilab 3D20 - Upgrade Pick
The Dremel Digilab 3D20 is a printer that was designed for begginer, casual 3D printer enthusiasts and learning institutions in mind.
One of the features that make it a great printer for newbies or teachers is the great online support.
The customer service and tech support is very reliable but with the amount of resources available online odds are you won't need it.
For example, the printer has no auto-calibration, however with how easy it is to use and the resources available to you, calibrating this printer yourself will be a walk in the park.
This printer is jam packed with many exciting features that make it a perfect choice for beginners and casual 3D Printer enthusiasts. For starters, the printer is ready to use right out of the box.
The LCD Touch Screen display that the 3D20 features is really easy to use, you need almost no prior experience with 3D Printers to easily get the hang of it.
The printing process itself is also very simple, you just select a model you want printed, begin printing and simply wait for it to be finished. This saves you lots of time otherwise spent in configuration.
Even though its bit above the $500 price range, we chose to include this printer as our upgrade pick because it's just that good.
If you're not yet sold on it you can check out our Dremel Digilab 3D20 Review where we take a deeper look at some of the specs and features of this printer.
The Dremel Digilab offers ease-of-use but more importantly, it offers consistent quality.
The tech support is very responsive, there's lots of resources available online and on top of that it comes
with a 1-year warranty.
It's a bit over $500 but we feel like the value you get for the price of this printer was a good enough
reason to include it.
3. HICTOP Prusa i3
Something for the DIYers, here is your HICTOP Prusa i3. Where the Reprap Guru Prusa i3 includes a fairly large build volume (8″ x 8″ x 7″), the HICTOP Prusa i3 trumps it with an 11″ x 8″ x 7″ build platform.
To put that into perspective, that is quite a bit larger than the construct volumes supplied by the Zortrax M200 and the MakerGear M2, each of which cost well over $1,000, which is a major selling point for the HICTOP Prusa i3.
It would be absurd to say that the HICTOP printer is far better than both of these printers based on construct volume since there are quite a lot of different things that determine a 3D printer general quality...
However, how this HICTOP printer provides you such a big build volume for under $400 is pretty astonishing.
Finally, some advice to the aspiring 3d artist reading this review. If you genuinely wish to know about 3D printing and understand the technology behind it, you should begin with a DIY kit.
And, of the DIY kits available for under $400, the HICTOP Prusa i3 is the best balance between price and performance.
Technical Specifications
RESOLUTION
100 microns
VOLUME
~11″ x 8″ x 7″
FILAMENT
1.75mm
TYPE
PLA/ABS
WEIGHT
~18lbs.
CONNECT
SD Card/USB
HEATED BED
Yes
Pros
The best DIY 3D Printing kit under $500
Best and most accurate nozzle in test
Completely customizable and upgradable
Comes with a heated bed and auto-leveling
Cons
Only two temperature settings
No LCD screen
Few reported cases of pens malfunctioning after a few hours use
Easily one of the better DIY kits now on the marketplace, the HICTOP Prusa i3 is the best entry-level 3D printer. It costs under $400, it's a huge build volume, and it includes a heated bed so that you can print in PLA or ABS filament. If you are looking for a cheap 3d printer, look no further.
And, while it's brother (the HICTOP Desktop) has a tiny bit larger build volume and can print with a few extra types of filament, this unit remains a solid choice for aspiring 3D artists who want to tinker.
4. ROBO 3D R1 PLUS
Another option you have if you're searching for an affordable 3D printer under $500 is the ROBO 3D R1+.
This printer used to sell for a lot more, but Robo has recently reduced the price for 800 to $499.
It almost feels unfair that this printer is now competing with in the sub $500 class.
It's a reasonably large print area compared to the other printers in the sub $500 price range and, it includes a heated print bed and an auto-leveling feature.
ROBO 3D is based on America and, as such, provides faster and better support to its clients, however there have been complaints of inefficient customer supports for users outside of the US.
It has a large print volume for the cost (bigger, in reality, that a most $1,000-$2,000 printers), a heated print bed so that you can print in ABS, and an auto-leveling feature.
The printer has a 100 micron resolution, which is standard in this category. One downside is it has only one extruder head, so bear that in mind if you need overhangs with supporting filament.
Technical Specifications
RESOLUTION
100 microns
VOLUME
~8″ x 9″ x 10″
FILAMENT
1.75mm
TYPE
PLA/ABS/ HIPS/NYLON
WEIGHT
~31lbs.
CONNECT
USB
HEATED BED
Yes
Pros
Prints almost any material,not just limited to ABS and PLA
The ROBO 3D R1 Plus does not have any extraordinary features, and it does not stand out as being exceptional in any one area, except printing size.
What it does do well is its good in nearly every area that matters for a 3D printer, and it's highly versatile, however there have been many user reviews indicating that the machine itself is prone to malfunction.
5. XYZprinting da Vinci Jr.
On the lookout for an inexpensive 3D printer which you can give to your children to introduce them to the world of 3D printing? Well, if that's true, then the ZYXprinting da Vinci Jr. might be your best alternative.
Coming in at just under $350, the da Vinci Jr. is among the most inexpensive 3D printers on the market. And, using a 6″ cubed assemble space, it will let you build bigger objects similar in size or larger than more expensive printers, such as the Printrbot Simple Metal, or the UP! Mini.
Additionally, it can hit resolutions as large as 100 microns, which is relatively standard among most consumer 3D printers nowadays.
Take note, however, that while the da Vinci Jr. includes a very reasonable price tag, you should expect the same quality as the price you pay.
3D printing is far from being a technology that is perfected, and the less you spend, the more likely you should encounter errors. This sadly was the case with some of our test prints.
So, provided that you are not expecting the world from the da Vinci Jr. and you're prepared to accept that there could be a few headaches along the way, then this is a feasible option.
In the end, the da Vinci Jr. provides an affordable entry-level choice to teach your children how to use a 3D printer.
Technical Specifications
RESOLUTION
100 microns
VOLUME
~6″ x 6″ x 6″
FILAMENT
1.75mm
TYPE
PLA
WEIGHT
~33lbs.
CONNECT
SD Card/USB
HEATED BED
No
Pros
Great for kids
The most affordable printer in this review
Safe, uses a closed printing build
Cons
Can only print with PLA
Print quality not comparable with the Robo 3D R1 for example
The XYZprinting da Vinci Jr. is among the less expensive 3D printers on the market. XYZprinting has quickly become the largest names in the sub-$1,000 market for 3D printers, and they produce relatively good 3D printers.
Still, we feel a little let down by the print quality, and would rather you go with the Flashforge Finder, if you are a beginner, or with the Robo 3D R1 if you want the best in this price range.
Conclusion
Well there you have it, our four favorite 3D printers in the sub $500 price range. We highly recommend the Robo 3D R1 if you are experienced, and the Flashforge Finder if you are new to 3D printing.
Remember to choose the correct plastic, if you are uncertain about the properties of different plastics and what they can be used for then go to our 3D printing filament review.
If you have any thoughts or suggestions, leave us a comment below and remember to share this post with your friends by clicking one of the handy social media sharing buttons, or simply head back to our 3D printing resource page for more printer reviews.
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