I’m a 3D printing wanna-be, not even an amateur. Have seen a few printers, helped assemble one long time ago, played with the software a little, though I have never actually printed anything myself yet. I decided to spend some saved money on a printer for myself.
My goals are getting hands-on experience with printing and being able to use it as a tool in projects/everyday life. I’m considering an FFF one rather than SLA one, mostly due to the toxicity of resin (and costs). Printing speed is unimportant. Print quality matters, but only to some satisfactory degree and it’s not paramount. I imagine I might buy another one in a few years, so I don’t need a printer for life, but it needs to serve sufficiently for this period. I’m open to the possibility of repairing/upgrading it, if it can be done reliably by an amateur.
I’m strongly considering Prusa MINI+, but it’s not a final decision and I’ll be happy to hear your feedback. I’m posting this here in hopes that if I’m making a mistake, people more competent than me will stop me. If there’s anything else you think I should know, I’ll be happy to hear it.
Before you head down the FDM or SLA path, consider what you will be printing.
FDM prints will be stronger and don’t require any post-proceasing. They will require mechanical post processing (filling, sanding) if you want smooth features, but depending on what you intend to use the part for this might not be necessary. Some filaments, like ABS and ASA require some caution while printing (they release VOCs) and some filaments can absorb water while they’re out in the open, causing a decrease in print quality. If you stick to PLA and/or go through spools reasonably quickly it won’t be an issue. I print mainly PETG and while I don’t dry my spools and store them out in the open I don’t really have any issues with older spools.
SLA prints can have much smaller features, but require post processing (rinse and cure). SLA printers also tend to have smaller build volumes. There’s also the whole having to deal with unused resin thing and the fact that you probably should collect waste products and dispose of them properly. But if you’re making minis or something like that you’re much better off with a SLA printer.
On the FDM printer, a cheap stocker printer with a big following (eg Ender) is usually a fine option. There will be a lot of support in terms of community and parts. I’ve been running a rebranded Wanhao I3 clone, which is essentially an earlier ender, for 5+ years without much modifications. That said, if you find yourself going down the upgrade rabbit hole you might be better off buying up a tier. Prusas are well thought out and generally pretty reliable. Personally, I’m in the process of building a Voron 2.4. It’s going to be overkill, but it’s also a great platform. I am not sure that I would recommend one for your first printer unless you’re fairly mechanically inclined.