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?
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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)