financially worth it?

Probably not.

Did it give me brief respites of light against the clawing, ever encroaching abyssal darkness of life and misery?

Yes.

Define "worth it"??

For many, it's a hobby. For many more, it's an adjunct to whatever hobby they do have. Hobby's don't have to save you money; and I'm militantly opposed to monetizing hobbies as a way to "justify" them.

Personally, I'm mostly 3d printing custom components (that I've designed), for R/C aircraft of various sorts. (Like, my cyclogyros, or the flying saucer powered by a 3d printed ducted fan; which is, more or less, a scaled model of the saucer from the OG Day The Earth Stood Still. or the thermal airship using toaster wire that has taken on a lot of different forms, ranging from 20' star destroyers to whale sharks to a robot named Buoyant Bob that hands out candy on Halloween.)

I also enjoy 3d printing as a hobby, in of itself, too. (and spend waaayyyyy too much tinkering on the printer. its fun.) But it doesn't have to save me money, and I feel no need to compare it to other forms of hobbies. It's what I enjoy.

edit: lets put this in perspective. This would be like asking a golfer if they found golf worth it. the only real questions are "Do I enjoy it" and "can I afford it". not "can it save me a buck".

Buying a 3d printer and learning CAD is unlocking a super power. You can put something from your brain into the real world. It's great for hyper specific parts.

Depends on how you define "worth it." Have I spent less money on the printer than I would have buying things I printed? Probably not. However, it has been a blast and great learning experience. Most recently printed landing skids and a camera shroud for a friend's dji drone which is pretty cool.

100%. I've printed some cool stuff and some stupid stuff, as well as a bunch of functional parts that have improved my life around my house. More importantly it's given me a huge creative outlet to get more and more outlandish with my CAD designs and push my experience limits, which is great because that helps me be a lot more efficient at work.

Financially it was a total waste of money but that doesn't matter when it's a hobby. A hobby with practical marketable skills, and also the ability to let me prototype some independent ideas I've been brewing for a while to maybe sell for some side cash...

Financially? Definitely not

But it's an enjoyable (and occasionally frustrating) hobby, so I'd say it's worth it.

Hell yes! I make a lot of things and having this ability really expanded on that.

I should point out that anyone interested in anything more than printing trinkets found on the Internet will also have to learn 3d drafting, at least to some extent. Bear that in mind.

My 3D printer does occasionally prove itself useful. I print stuff to help me out in the shop, adapters for shop vacs, tool holders, stuff like that. I could do without it but it is a useful tool to have.

Yes. I've spent far more money than I will ever save but I've had a lot of fun with it.

Also I printed a nerf blaster. Enough said.

Learn to model things in CAD. That's what is limiting me from getting real use out of my printer. It's fun to print models you find online, but the real value is in printing your own designs.

Yes, in the same way a kayak, PS5, or e-reader are worth it. I learned so much and had a great time learning to use it with my kids. We occasionally made useful items, but never turned a profit or saved a life.

Still totally worth it.

Though, to be fair, we bought a basic Anet machine on Ali followed by a second hand knock-off so it wasn't the thousands you can spend today.

I got an Ender 3v2 and for two years was trying to just get it to work properly, repairing it, and learning about printing. After all of that I've enjoyed having an okay printer, but I'm a bit jealous of everyone starting out now that won't have to deal with all of the garbage I did. And I'm sure people who started years before me felt the same when the Enders came out. If not for those annoyances, yes it's been worth it.

I’m on my third upgrade machine after getting my first printer years ago. Very rewarding hobby, much recommend.

Absolutely. If you learn Freecad.

• Radar detector mount
• Furniture pieces
• Pegboard holders
• Custom vent for indoor fireplace

Just a few of the things I've designed and made recently.

It's not like I make or save a lot of money from it, but as a hobby it's been amazingly fun. Getting into basic 3D modeling has been really cool too, nothing quite hits like making something entirely unique and designed for a specific purpose, then watching your printer just crank it out in a day or two and your imagined thing is all the sudden real.

I'm sure other hobbies can do that too, but for me it was a really awesome feeling :)

I wouldn't buy a printer to try and be profitable per say, I would buy one for the things you cant/don't want to buy. If you can use some 3d modeling software, you can begin to solve problems for almost no money.

Stuff like a vape holder and extended cup holder for my partners car, or a couple little shelf brackets for our IKEA cubes, or replacement closet rod supports. It takes a few minutes in CAD, a couple hours or printing, and 15¢ of plastic, and saves a trip to the store. Making custom, exactly how you want stuff is really nice.

Knick nacks are fun too, but ultimately your house will fill with things you don't particularly want or use.

Definitely worth it. Sometimes I make little things, like I got a new tool that has a difficult adjustment, but printing a knob made it comfortable to use. I got a new phone last week and couldn't find a rubberized case I liked, so I designed and printed one this weekend which fits snugly and provides a much better grip. I've made cases for other projects, even built a weather station. The biggest project I've done is a star tracker (OpenAstroTech) which holds my camera, most recently used during the eclipse in April. Sometimes my printer may sit idle for almost a year, sometimes it prints constantly for several weeks, but it is a very useful tool worthy of a permanent location on my workbench.

I think you shouldn't forget that we're here at c/3dprinting, where only enthusiasts join together. Of course everyone here is a huge fan of 3D printers, those who got frustrated and sold their device aren't here anymore.

First of all, I'm very happy about having a printer, but more onto that later.

I had two ones yet, and both sucked.

The first was older, shitty and way too big. I wasted many weekends tinkering with that crap, until I accidentally destroyed it and sold it. My second one is the one I still use. It's a device from China, and the company doesn't exist anymore. So, if I want to buy replacement parts, I can just pray generic ones fit. And the customer support has always been shit, and the whole company and products seem very wonky in hindsight.

If I would have to buy another printer, it would definitely be something popular, like a Prusa one. It should be very small, silent and easily repairable. I don't care anymore about fancy features (maybe except auto leveling), it should just not annoy me.

Having a printer is like having a drill or soldering iron. You don't need it daily, but you're glad that you have it when you need it. And my friends are too! I'm printing more for my family, neighbours and friends than for myself.

Having a printer without CAD skills is nonsense. But once you can create your own stuff, you have endless capabilities.

I couldn't live without one by now.

I print figurines, busts, and diorama scenery for my son and I to paint. Sure I've got my share of functional prints but most my print time is spent so I can spend creative time with my son. So very much worth it for me.

I didn't ultimately get around to completing the two projects that I initially had in mind, and the amount of tweaking and troubleshooting required for basic functionality was pretty substantial.

On the other hand, I did enjoy learning about the state of the technology, even if it wasn't very productive.

So, as a tool, no. It wasn't worth it.

As a hobby? Eh, it was okay.

Yes absolutely. I'm sure the hobby hasn't paid for itself, but I never expected it to. It has been worth it because of the amount of happiness I have spread with personalized gifts and a feeling of satisfaction when I make a print to fix something around the house or make life a little easier or more convenient. The little toys and doo-dads are great and the kids love them too.

Yes, being able to design something and have it in my hands it a few hours definitely makes it worth it. With 3D printing services it takes days or weeks and they get expensive fast.

Two years ago I wanted to build a custom keyboard. The cost 350 and a 3D printer + filament cost 200, the rest about 60-70...

So yes, it was worth it. Also I regularly print stuff now, which is just a net positive at this point.

I built my own because they were quite expensive, lots of fun but very little real use at all. I'm planning on reviving it because it's lots of fun to tinker with.

For the first 3 years I had fun designing things in CAD. I fixed up or enhanced loads of the things around the house, designed some doodads and widgets, and published the ones that I though other people might have use for. And I had fun earning Prusa meters, participating in forums, and all that kind of stuff.

Then one day, I just ran out of things to fix and inspiration for new doohickeys. That was about a year ago. I tried to print a replacement keyboard foot a week ago and found my printers not working anymore. I haven't found the motivation to do anything about it yet.

I say to people : if you're interested in 3D printing, you need two hobbies. 3D printing and anything else. The second hobby can be repairing things, a sport (spearfishing for me), board games, electronics, etc.

I started with a 100€ very small 3D printer for years (Tina2) and that was so worth it. Now I have a Bambulab with AMS and it's night and day.

My first 3d printer was a xmas gift from my partner and its been a blast to tinker with, I have found it useful for printing parts, toys, parts, all sorts of stuff. I purchased a much larger one so I can do larger and faster prints, and while I think the build has been worth it, I would NOT recommend buying the FYSETC kit I did.

We made quite a few plant pots and other stuff. It's paid for itself.

For me, absolutely.

It's probably made up its worth in repairs, which is one of the main reasons I bought it. Haven't had to buy new things or overpriced repair parts. Also making fun presents for family, friends, teachers, or kids. For the relatively cheap price I got mine for, totally worth it.

For me yes definitely, I've used it to fix a half a dozen things around the house, people love 3D printed tchotchkes, seasonal decorations, and just yesterday I actually ended up printing some stuff out for my RC rock crawler.

Literally use it every day for a year now but It's also an extensions for My other hobby. Also Great way to make presents for people. Before I got a printer I made a list of things I planned to make for it. I suggest doing the same before buying one. That way is can help figure out the size you want too.

My first printer was a self built reprap from parts from aliexpress in college.

I then helped fund peachy on kickstarter and a stupid poured resin counterweighted printer called the Phoenix.

I then had an Geeetech A10M, a Prusa Mk2 and ender 3, as well as one resin printer.

All I have left is the Prusa mk2 that hasn't worked right for over a year and doesn't print anything.

I would buy a new printer in a heartbeat if I could afford it.

I definitely have never made back my money. To many dumb purchases and early generation jank all over the place but it was fun. The first thing I ever did with my first hand built printer was make a lithopane of my deceased dog and eventually my grandfather.

I've made so many stupid things and spent so much time on it as a hobby that it filled my days with activities, reason to communicate with others and frustrating nights all alike. Its not for everyone and its not really a good idea but if you have the means or like a hobby of tinkering and building in the modern world there is very little experience like it.

I'd say definitely. The first useful thing I printed was during the pandemic where all the paper towels you could get were those z fold ones you see in office building bathrooms. Suffice to say, most people don't have a container at home for those types of paper towels, so I mocked one up that was like a home tissue box and printed it out. Saved myself 80+$ on making one instead of buying one on Amazon (also they're all wall mounted and I didn't want to do that)

Since then I've printed toilet paper roll holders, plant pots, catch all bowls, insulated drink holders, tie racks, jewelry racks and boxes, all manner of things I use almost every day, and I've learned about 3d modeling as a result (not really good yet but still) so win win.

Edit: I'd say at this point I've definitely printed more than how much the printer costed in terms of things I use. Printing mini figures and scenery for tabletop games alone has exceeded the cost it would have been to buy that stuff.

Yes I have an fdm and a resin printer, but they've both got a lot of good use and yes absolutely worth it.

Financially yes. I pretty much only print functional things. I probably have saved enough money just in printing chip clips to buy two printers.

The Ender probably wasn't. It was a lot of effort, and mostly not the interesting kind, and fairly little reward. Although when it worked, it was really good. In the end. Sometimes. And it's way too big.

The Kingroon, very much yes. It's cheap, kind of trashy, but compact. Just prints stuff. Parts detach great. Works just about every time. Quiet out of the box. Just kind of annoying to preheat at the start and end of the session to load and unload filament. Very annoying touchscreen. But those are minor things and I'm not tempted to fix it or upgrade anything. I have actual projects to do. Too many actual projects to do.

Oh, and why? Custom parts that are impossible to buy and a lot of work or impossible to machine or fabricate otherwise. Saves a trip to the local library or hackerspace or wherever things could be printed.

I would put it in the same class as lathes or mills you probably aren't saving money by buying one but it may open more avenues for you.

I will say though with the price of printers vs mills & etc, a cheap printer will get you much closer to breaking even. You might save more than you spend if you can use an Ender 3 judicially but overall it's mostly for those odd projects or when a custom part is needed.

I print warhammer for friends for money. So that plus the money I saved on models for myself, I'd say it's worth it.

But it's also a hobby, learning how the things work and how to model is a lot of fun!

When you say you printed IEMs and ear protection, are you able to elaborate?

In my case I've only just gotten into FDM, and I'm having a lot more fun with it than my resin printer, but I might have made enough things for the resin printer that might make that a lot less of a chore.

So far, the FDM has been handy with quite a few functional prints around the house (certainly not yet enough that I can say it's cheaper than just buying the items outright, but we're getting close!), and that's been an enjoyable process.

So my printer (elegoo neptune 4 pro) is 300-400 I think and the filament is nearing $200 now. Printers are cheap, filament cost accumulates.

I find mine worth it. So many things I've had to replace entirely just because some random plastic part would break, but I can just replace the broken plastic part now. Custom light switch and electrical outlet covers, custom keyboard key caps, case shells for various things (like phones and controllers), not to mention all the unique things others have engineered specifically for 3D printing like the Lego-like organizing containers that are infinitely scalable.

I love it.

Honestly I don't really know, and don't really care. I enjoy sporadically using it, and I've enjoyed making both useful, and some useless things.

Trust me, I've spent far more on dumber shit that I use half as often.

The trick is to justify buying one for your business, and then using it yourself after hours.

As a business asset, it has paid for itself fivefold in less than a year. As an employee of said business, i have unlimited access to a machine that I could never personally justify the expense of.

Yes, I just finished printing a rudder core for my sailboat.

For all the headache its caused, its also saved me from several trips to the store to find cable ties, chip clips, a hair dryer holder, pencil cups, spice racks, etc.

Absolutely. The experience has been a blast, but I also print miniatures for tabletop games and the printers have paid for themselves multiple times over if I had bought all the minis I have printed. Granted, I wouldn't have bought that many, but that's not important.

Yep. So much so that we have 3. One cheap resin, one older FDM, and a Bambu FDM. The only regret…sorta…is the resin. Shoulda got a better one. I mean, it works, but it is super fiddly and finicky. I think a better model would have been worth spending on. We print costume parts, but I also design and print all sorts of stuff for things like headset hangers, cup holders, toolbox organizers, parts bins, etc.

I bought a Makerbot, so emphatically NO it was not worth it. Never buy one of these shitty printers.

It would be worth it if I had an actual decent printer. As it stands now, I feel like I just wasted money because all I can print small, pla objects, after days of trial and error and adjusting settings. Saving up for a prusa, hopefully will make it worth it.

I print all kinds of usefull stuff.
Custom installation panel for after market navigator/media center for my car, upholstery fasteners for the same, custom panels for usb button box, cable organizers for lan cabling, newspaper reading stand, you name it.
Might not be financially feasible, but it's fun.

Tell me. Can you buy food safe microwave safe plastic to print with?

If so. Google the "Fasta Pasta" and tell me of you can print one half the size of a normal one.

I want one. But my microwave is too small. And nobody makes a small one.

Not really. I purchased one with pretty significant maintenance/process requirements, had I gotten one a little more seamless (self leveling/etc) I think I'd use it far more often than I do now.