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Best first 3D printer

Two things sink a first printer: assembling it wrong, and never getting a first layer to stick. Machines that arrive built and find the bed themselves remove both. This list is the ones that do that under $400, cheapest first.

How this list is ordered10 printers, pre-assembled printers under $400 with automatic bed levelling, ordered by price. 3 more match but are no longer on sale new in the US, so they are left out.

First on that measure is the Bambu Lab A1 mini at ~$219 · strain-gauge levelling.

  1. 1
    Bambu Lab A1 miniFDM bedslinger

    Bambu Lab

    A1 mini

    Build volume
    5.8 L
    180 × 180 × 180 mm
    $38/L
    Real line speed
    flow not published
    ~$219Approx. price

    ~$219 · strain-gauge levelling

  2. 2
    Flashforge Adventurer 5MFDM CoreXY

    Flashforge

    Adventurer 5M

    Build volume
    10.6 L
    220 × 220 × 220 mm
    $23/L
    Real line speed
    400 mm/s
    ~$249Approx. price

    ~$249 · probe levelling

  3. 3
    Bambu Lab A1FDM bedslinger

    Bambu Lab

    A1

    Safety notice
    Build volume
    16.8 L
    256 × 256 × 256 mm
    $18/L
    Real line speed
    flow not published
    ~$299Approx. price

    ~$299 · strain-gauge levelling

  4. 4
    Anycubic Kobra XFDM multi-material

    Anycubic

    Kobra X

    Build volume
    17.6 L
    260 × 260 × 260 mm
    $17/L
    Real line speed
    flow not published
    ~$299Approx. price

    ~$299 · strain-gauge levelling

  5. 5
    Creality HiFDM bedslinger

    Creality

    Hi

    Build volume
    20.3 L
    260 × 260 × 300 mm
    $16/L
    Real line speed
    flow not published
    ~$329Approx. price

    ~$329 · strain-gauge levelling

  6. 6
    Elegoo Centauri Carbon 2FDM enclosed

    Elegoo

    Centauri Carbon 2

    Build volume
    16.8 L
    256 × 256 × 256 mm
    $21/L
    Real line speed
    400 mm/s
    ~$349Approx. price

    ~$349 · strain-gauge levelling

  7. 7
    Flashforge AD5XFDM multi-material

    Flashforge

    AD5X

    Build volume
    10.6 L
    220 × 220 × 220 mm
    $33/L
    Real line speed
    flow not published
    ~$349Approx. price

    ~$349 · probe levelling

  8. 8
    Creality K1CFDM enclosed

    Creality

    K1C

    4.8★ · 147 reviews on Creality store

    Build volume
    12.1 L
    220 × 220 × 250 mm
    $29/L
    Real line speed
    400 mm/s
    ~$350Approx. price

    ~$350 · strain-gauge levelling

  9. 9
    Flashforge Adventurer 5M ProFDM enclosed

    Flashforge

    Adventurer 5M Pro

    Build volume
    10.6 L
    220 × 220 × 220 mm
    $36/L
    Real line speed
    400 mm/s
    ~$379Approx. price

    ~$379 · probe levelling

  10. 10
    Bambu Lab P1SFDM enclosed

    Bambu Lab

    P1S

    Build volume
    16.8 L
    256 × 256 × 256 mm
    $24/L
    Real line speed
    flow not published
    ~$399Approx. price

    ~$399 · strain-gauge levelling

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