A sub-$200 3D printer that really works and can be built by a beginner: Creality’s Ender-3 is cheap and prints acceptable-quality PLA out of the box. In the intoxication of this success, the company has thrown a confusing number of similar printers onto the market. Machines that look almost the same are lined up in the shop: from the original Ender for under 200 euros to the S1 Pro model for over 500 euros.
Viewed soberly, all models cannot keep up with professional devices in terms of stability and mechanical components. The particularly cheap Ender-3 v2 – don’t go for the older model, the v2 is worth the extra price – has already attracted many hobby machine builders to impulse purchases with its seductively low price – and this has created a community for improvements. That’s why there are various designs on Thingiverse and Printables to fix the undeniable weaknesses of the Ender. With a bit of tuning it can be turned into a pretty good printer.
Using a 3D printer to make it better yourself is a fun hobby in itself. That doesn’t even cost much, except some time. With the Ender-3 v2, this led to a circle of angels: If you wanted to tune, you’d better buy an Ender-3 because there are already many good upgrade designs available for download. And if something doesn’t exist yet, one of the many Ender hobbyists usually designs it. This has led to a flood of options. We provide an overview of which upgrades are worthwhile. You can find offers on the components we bought at the end of the article. In the meantime, the parts may be cheaper elsewhere.
