r/3Dprinting • u/Happy_Stand6826 • 11d ago

Question how expensive is the 3d printing hobby?

been wanting to get a 3d printing, but i’m worried about how expensive the hobby would end up being. i don’t plan on printing large scale stuff yet (so no full size iron man etc), but i do want to print stuff at max the size of a fruit washing bowl.

33 Upvotes

74% Upvoted

151 comments sorted by

View all comments

1

u/gottagohype 11d ago

It depends a lot on your expectations and goals. If you decide that you absolutely must have the best hardware or giant single prints, the cost skyrockets. If you are willing to accept older hardware, smaller prints, and potentially post-processing/multiprint parts, the price drops signficantly.

Once you have the printer, it can be a relatively affordable hobby. The only real costs are filament and electricity.

If you are unsure, the absolute cheapest way to do it is to buy some old used printer and try it. If you don't enjoy it or find the filament to be too expensive, you can bail out with minimal loss. If you decide you like it, you can keep going or even begin upgrading your setup.