Buying guides
Which machine, for the projects you actually make
A hub compares a whole family. A guide answers a single question — a budget, a first printer for someone who has never sliced a file, what a small flat needs before it takes a laser — with a short ranked list and the reason behind the order.
- Buying a first 3D printer
A first FDM 3D printer, read by the size it declares
Five filament 3D printers ordered by the build volume their listings publish, from a 150 mm cube to 270 mm, then the two that publish none, with what each page leaves out.
- Setting up a laser
A first diode laser engraver, and the four things around it
A diode laser engraver setup in buying order: the machine, eye protection matched to a published wavelength, a honeycomb bed and a fume extractor, with what each listing states and omits.
- Equipping an electronics bench
A first soldering bench: station, tips, wire, light, air
Five purchases for a first electronics soldering bench, in the order they are used: a Weller station, its ET tips, fine lead-free solder wire, a magnifier lamp and a bench fume extractor.
- Setting up resin printing
A first resin 3D printer, and everything the print touches
A first resin 3D printing setup in five picks: two LCD resin printers with published build volumes, a water-washable resin, a replacement release film and a wash and cure station.
- Starting with vinyl
A first vinyl cutting kit, from cutting width to garment
Two cutting plotters at 11.4 cm and 630 mm cutting width, then the transfer tape, heat transfer vinyl and weeding tools a first vinyl project needs, with the figures each listing gives.
- Looking after filament
Filament kept dry: a dryer, a box, a bag and a first spool
Two filament dryers with published temperature ranges, sealed dry boxes, desiccant bags and a PETG spool with its print settings, ordered from drying to storage.