Should I buy an entry-level 3D printer or outsource for hobby things? Math objects, cases for esp32 et el, random house-hold stuff

#3dprint #help

@codingquark
As someone who wanted to get into 3d printing(also due to arduino stuff) and got one, i would absolutely say yes(but only if you are willing to give the time and effort for caring the 3d printer, as entry level ones will usually require more maintenance)

@RustyStriker compared to outsourcing, the “delivery times” are going to be obviously faster. What about costing overall?

Also, I was looking at ender 3 pro or CR10 equivalents.

@codingquark
I have got the ender 3 v2, which after roughly 2 month a not a lot of use, i need to replace the fans(bearing do bad sound), tho they dont cost much.

In terms of plastic cost, it is probably way cheaper to print yourself(obv it matters how much the outsource costs and how much you pay for your filament)

Another point to consider is the different materials, usually printers will work woth abs/pla out of the box(pla is easy to work with as well) and you can always upgrade to an all metal extruder to be able to print at higher temps(for more resilient materials and such)

@RustyStriker did you have hard time learning 3D modelling?

@codingquark
I had some experience before(both autodesk inventor from school and learning blender for gamedev), so not at all, but you can always use thingiverse models until you get comfy with modeling yourself

@RustyStriker sounds cool! Thanks a lot!