I researched the best affordable resin 3D printer to find the perfect option for hobby projects, small-scale prototyping and everyday printing. After reading expert reviews from trusted sources like All3DP, Tom’s Hardware and 3DPrint com, two models consistently stand out as top recommendations:
However, I am having trouble deciding which one would better suit my needs. I care about print quality, ease of use, build volume and reliability. A fast curing speed and low maintenance would also be a bonus.
Has anyone tried either of these? Which one would you recommend? Any advice or personal experiences would be really appreciated.
I have the Elegoo Mars 5 Ultra and love it. It is easy to use and perfect size for 1/35 projects. The included software (Chitubox) is easy to use and will allow you to create your own parts/projects with the paid version, about $75 a year. I highly recommend it.
Thanks for sharing your experience. That actually helps a lot.
Good to hear the Mars 5 Ultra is easy to use because that is one of the things I was worried about as I am still kind of new to resin printing. Also nice to know the size works well for your 1/35 projects, I mostly want to print miniatures and small parts so that sounds pretty suitable.
I have heard about Chitubox but did not know the paid version lets you create more custom parts. I will probably start with the free one first and learn slowly.
Right now I am leaning a bit more toward the Mars 5 Ultra after reading your comment. Thanks again for the recommendation, really appreciate the help.
Bear in mind that the screen of Mars 5 (Saturn 4 Ultra) is pita to replace (they removed the tutorial video also), so be careful
Lychee slicer is also good, it has free version which is more than enough for modelling needs. No need for subscriptions. It is the only slicer who has Linux support, so it is plus also.
What do you consider “affordable”? Prices for the Saturn 4 Ultra 12K is well under $400. I’ve gone through three generations of Elegoo LCD printers (Mars, Mars 3 and Saturn) of the three the Saturn is so superior as to be no comparison. I’ve kept the other two “just in case” I needed two machines running at the same time, but the performance in every respect that the old ones are sitting in their boxes waiting for me to dispose of them.
My failure rate in the Saturn is below 5% and most of those are due to my drawing errors. All of my printing is done with custom-drawn parts so I’m usually the culprit.
Re: service. I replace the PFA film religiously based on the layer counter. When it his 60,000 layers I replace the film. I’ve gone over that number once and won’t make that mistake again. I have not had any trouble with the LCD screen and I’m coming up on two years of use. It has produced hundreds of parts. But, don’t get resin into the gap between the tilt vat and the body. I always use the plastic shield when removing jobs, cleaning the vat, etc. I only clean the vat when there is a possibility of resin adhering to the PFA film. That occurs very rarely with this machine when your support scheme is correct. Supports are the most challenging part of mastering the resin printer. There are plenty of Videos on their setup and new slicers do a pretty good job of automatic support settings, but I always agument that with my own editing.
Couple of things that are worth noting; you will need a cleaning and a curing station as well, and the resin printing process (with post-processing) will require good ventilation and/or PPE. So don’t forget to look at the price for the whole package rather than just the printer.
I too was looking at getting a small resin printer for hobby use, but realized it was a no-go based on my circumstances.
