Top 5 3D printers available today

Makezine.com is a site where makers are oriented, and more specifically, they have curated this year’s top 3D printers. While there are several 3D printers to choose from, only a few are worth your money. Let’s take a look at the top 5 that’ll get you the best bang for your buck.   

The top 5 

1.) LulzBot Taz 5 — The Taz 5 is LulzBot’s flagship 3D printer, but it borrows some of its amazing features from an unlikely place. The LulzBot Mini was the first in the lineup with the new “Hexagon” all-metal nozzle and also features innovations such as a self-calibrating platform, Cura software support, and a polyerthimide print surface. The Taz 5 includes all of these features except the calibrating platform, but it does feature a display screen, control wheel, and SD card compatibility for printing untethered.      

2.) Zortrax M200 — The M200 focuses on the printing process itself, reflecting that in its simplified and largely graphical interface. It does an excellent job printing your baubles, but it uses a different way to interact. Where the printer may fall short for some is with its insistence to only use their proprietary software. But it’s a small price to pay for what makezine.com refers to as one of the “best overall” printers they’ve tested, which makes the $2000 asking price a bit easier to digest.      

3.) SeeMeCNC Rockstock MAX v2 — While the name is a bit of a mouthful, don’t let that deter you away from the MAX as we’ll call it. Dollar for dollar, this device is of true value and doesn’t fall short on features. Priced at $999, the MAX undercuts the M200 by approximately a thousand dollars and is equipped with an LCD display, SD card compatibility, and a heated glass bed surface. The top score in the comparison was a 35 and the MAX scored a 33. Now that’s worth the value. 

4.) LulzBot Mini — We mentioned this printer above deemed as the larger sibling of the Taz 5, which borrows some of the features that makes the Mini such a powerhouse. Features such as the auto-calibrating bed, “Hexagon” nozzle, and polyethermide print surface make the Mini ideal. It’s a smaller size, but it makes a great first 3D printer and the only thing you are giving up is the interior space. If you’re in the market for a 3D printer, the LulzBot Mini is a nice compromise between size, features, and price at $1350.     

5.) Fusion3 Design F306 — The first thing you may notice about the F306 is the huge 12x12x12-inch build area. It prints quickly and with accuracy, but does struggle a bit and leaves tiny artifacts. The F306 is also the most expensive in this group by a long shot at $3975, but was given an overall score of 32 by makerzine.com, giving it the credibility you’re looking for. It’s up to you as the consumer to decide whether the benefits outweigh the cost.   

Something to keep in mind is that only 3 points separate the 1st and 5th ranked printers on this list, and of course there are many more worthy devices on makezine. The full comparison can be found here.