Getting your hands on a good 3D printer for beginners is a bit of a minefield. Many machines claim to be easy to understand, but the reality is... well, slightly different. Because getting your head around the process is so worthwhile (it's a rabbit hole of amazing props, cosplay, terrain, and miniatures), getting something that won't make you want to tear your hair out is pretty important.
I've been reviewing these machines for years now, and there's always one I suggest as a good 3D printer for beginners - the Elegoo Centauri Carbon. I use mine to create everything from tokens for the best tabletop RPGs to inserts for storing components from the best board games, and you can currently get it for a record low price.
So, what makes the Centauri Carbon worth grabbing over (excellent) competitors like Anycubic's Kobra range or something from the always-reliable Creality? As noted in my Elegoo Centauri Carbon review, this machine's accessibility, speed, and overall quality left me with very little to criticize.
It's the kind of machine I wish I had when I was just starting out; I fumbled through teaching myself the hobby and it was a real slog thanks to obtuse menus, the need for precise adjustments, regular print failures, and even the faff of setting the thing up. This one removes all those barriers to entry with a surprisingly straightforward system, auto-calibration (levelling manually is the bane of my life, I swear), and the ability to actually print out of the box. I don't mean in the sense some competitors claim, where assembly is required; you can get started right from the off.
The quality of prints is consistently high as well. This still won't meet the bar set by resin printers in terms of quality (those can't be beaten for small-scale, very crisp detail, which is why they're best for the likes of D&D character miniatures), but it's incredibly good compared to many of the filament-based machines I've used for review over the past few years.
Being in an enclosure is a feature I've really warmed to as well. Yes, it's handsome and feels oddly premium to have everything shut away - kind of like a Star Trek replicator, printing out nonsense for me behind closed doors. But it does help reduce noise as well, which is handy if you have the Centauri Carbon in your house.
Finally, the built-in camera lets you snoop on your projects while you're somewhere else. That means you can track progress, or just catch misprints sooner. That's more helpful than you'd think.
Is it perfect? Of course not. It's still noisier than I'd like, and I do think the Anycubic Kobra 3 Combo may have it beat for pure quality (not to mention the cool extra feature of multi-color prints). However, it's the ideal place to kick off your 3D-printing journey, and a fantastic all-rounder.
- Filament: Up to 40% off at Amazon
- Anycubic deals: Save up to $400
- Elegoo deals: Up to 53% off
- Creality deals: Savings up to $1,300
For more discounts, why not check out the latest Black Friday board game deals or these Black Friday Lego deals?
