Budget Beginner Printer - Sovol or something else?
Budget Beginner Printer - Sovol or something else?
So I've been looking in to getting my first printer and the amount of choices and recommendations are a bit overwhelming. I've seen here and elsewhere the budget printers typically need some tinkering out of the box, which is part of what I'm after so no big deal there.
I was pretty well set on a Sovol SV06 but then I saw the SV07 is only running $60 more with Klipper and now I don't know. I looked into the Sovol SV06/06+/07, Anycubic Vyper or Cobra, Elegoo Neptune 3 Pro/4/4 Pro, and the Creality Ender 3 Neo. People seem split on Crealitys so not a strong contender there but everything else seems so close in price and specs.
Any advice which way I should go?
I have the sv06 and I do not at all regret buying it, but if I had realized the 7 was coming out so soon I probably would have waited for that. It looks nice. I will probably get one at some point. Or a 7 plus if they make one since I do want a bigger printer
I chose to buy the sv06 still a few weeks ago vs the 7 because I prefer the use of the linear rods vs v-rollers. Its much easier to throw klipper and mainsail on a pi for the sv06 vs upgrade the physical build of the 7 down the road imo
That's interesting, good to know! I definitely want to get a pi for mine when they are back in stock. I got tired of using the SD card pretty fast so I'm just running octoprint on my windows pc at the moment. I will look into klipper / mainsail in the future
Go for the the sovol 7 or the Elgoo neptune 4
Creality’s quality control has plummeted over the last few years.
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I don't have experience with Sovol, but I am a huge advocate of Klipper. I have an Ender 3 with Klipper.
My preference is to spend less time troubleshooting the printer itself and more time configuring Klipper - it has a bunch of customization/automation potential that will keep you plenty busy. An entry level printer will require some diligence and patience with learning all it's quirks. Maybe someone else can comment on the quality of Sovol, but from what I see, they have similar components and are priced similar to Creality offerings.
If you are okay with occasional frustration due to the printer (especially as it ages), I'd say go with the Sovol + Klipper or grab an Ender 3 + RPi for hosting Klipper. An additional $60 for Klipper preconfigured on the Sovol printer is probably more cost effective than a $50+ RPi given the time it takes to set up, but it really depends what experience you're going for.
+1 for klipper, but first time I hear about klipper preinstalled. Usually you need rpi or simmilar sbc connected to a printer (pi is not 50$ anymore, its more like 100$), but I guess this one is acting as a server as well.
I didnt own any of these, but sv06 got smooth rods while 07 have wheels. I like rods much more. Those aluminium extrusions were made just for frame, but some manufacturers use them as rails as well. It just makes the machine cheaper, but lot of guys have good results with them. Sv07 looks awesome otherwise.
I would go for sv06 between all of these, mostly because others have wheels and 4 point bed leveling (anti engineering hehe)
So honestly, they are all pretty similar. If its your first printer there should be other things to consider like are you oke with 23x23cm build plate or do you need 30x30 with slower overall speed? Do you actually want a bedslinger? Do you want dual extrusion? But Klipper or Marlin? Who cares, you can change anytime. Depending on board and driver both have working linear/pressure advance, you will find advocates for both. Also dont underestimate how established the models community is. Especially the ender family has a giant community when it comes to fw help or upgrading and redesigning your printer. Finding fitting parts on thingi becomes a breeze. This can be quite frustrating for printers with lower market share. Im not gonna give any direct recommendation here just saying that the firmware should not be a buying criteria. Good luck on your journey!