I’ve thought about getting a 3D printer for a long time and I like the idea of it. I can’t see myself using it constantly but I’d like to have to know how to make things happen (probably 2-4 prints a month, but maybe I’ll love it). The makerspace is a bit of a drive and the training class is $100. Is it worth it to get trained on the printers in the maker space? Or just buy my own prusa for a bit more money but extra convenience?
Well, if you buy a printer in the Prusa range, I’d suggest spending a little more for a newly released Bambu Labs X1 or X1-Carbon. That being said, the Prusa is also a solid workhorse of a printer. I feel being the instructor of the course and telling you to take the class would seem self-serving, but here we are. The class is not only about the operation of the printers in the makerspace but the basics of the slicing software and what some of the features in the slicing software do. However, nothing is stopping you from buying a printer and firing up youtube/blog/Reddit to learn how to successfully print.
I still learn things with 3d printing every day from those sources so it’s a constant journey.
The TLDR about the class is that it’s my goal to make sure a student is comfortable using the machines and printing by the end of the 3 hours.
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If you’re using the space for other things and paying dues already, then it may be worth it, but if its a long drive you’re either gonna have to drive it a lot or spend time waiting at the space to make sure your prints are doing good. In the end its up to you, some people like classes cause they give you all the information you need to get started in a nice and condensed format, and others like to spend some time figuring it out themselves through youtube/reddit.
When I was a student at UT I opted for just getting my own Ender 3 for $~200 because I got annoyed waiting for the ones at our makerspace and constantly going there and back (well, it was even less convenient there because we were supposed to be present in the space constantly while our print was going). It’s still going strong 4 years later, and I’ve learned a lot by troubleshooting it and upgrading slowly.
See this recent thread for some more discussion