The verdict
There’s a huge selection of 3D printers available now, but we selected these five as they represent a good cross-selection of the market. The performance of all five is excellent and each is aimed at a different audience which is why looking at the five together is so interesting.
The FormLabs Form 2 comes out as the best printer for high quality and practical printing, although the expense and time it takes to clean up prints as well as all the extra equipment you need firmly places this printer in the professional or at least high-end home user category. The small 25-micron layer height is only beaten by the Ultimaker at 20 microns, but side-byside the different use of technology and material shows that Form 2 wins the crown for absolute quality.
Although the LulzBot Taz 6 looks like it’s been designed and built in someone’s shed it’s far more refined than it looks. The Taz range has long been favoured by the maker community and it’s easy to see why when it’s so reliable and compatible with a huge variety of materials and is great fun to adapt and upgrade. The fine detail work using the standard 0.5mm nozzle might not match that of the Ultimaker but part of the beauty of this machine is you can easily adapt it to your needs.
The Ooznest Prusa i3 is great for the home hobbyist, it will teach you more about 3D printing in a day than the other printers could in a lifetime. If you’re new to 3D printing then we would highly recommend starting here.
If you need the no-nonsense solution then the Ultimaker 2 Extended is outstanding, perfect for serious home users, schools and universities. It’s compatible with the majority of materials and has a huge print platform with the extra height that makes it ideal for all sorts of projects. Finally, the XYZ Printing da Vinci Junior is a real surprise for such a cheap printer. OK, the print quality is far behind the others but it’s consistent, easy to use and ideal for kids to get started in the world of 3D printing. It’s fully enclosed design also makes it nice and safe.
“When it comes to absolute quality no consumer 3D printer comes close to the Form 2.”