this post was submitted on 05 Jan 2026
13 points (93.3% liked)

3DPrinting

20849 readers
102 users here now

3DPrinting is a place where makers of all skill levels and walks of life can learn about and discuss 3D printing and development of 3D printed parts and devices.

The r/functionalprint community is now located at: or !functionalprint@fedia.io

There are CAD communities available at: !cad@lemmy.world or !freecad@lemmy.ml

Rules

If you need an easy way to host pictures, https://catbox.moe/ may be an option. Be ethical about what you post and donate if you are able or use this a lot. It is just an individual hosting content, not a company. The image embedding syntax for Lemmy is ![](URL)

Moderation policy: Light, mostly invisible

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

Hi all, I want to buy my son a 3D printer for his 20th birthday. He is a third year computer science major, so has no issues with the software side. I have no idea where to start, or even what questions to ask. Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] batmaniam@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I have been mostly happy with my flashforge AD5X starting as a newbie. Its got a good range of material capabilities, but 95% of the time I'm printing PLA anyway. PLA is the most common filament by far.

I will say I have had two hot ends (the part the filiment comes out of) get covered in enough filament they broke during a misprint ($40 repair each).

I don't really have experience with other makes/models but that is my loose endorsement of the AD5X. My only real complaint is how expensive the nozzles are compared to other brands.

[–] TheFermentalist@reddthat.com 1 points 1 week ago

Thank you. Added this to my comparison list. Bed self-leveling function looks useful