I think I’ve given a cursory look at those a year or two ago. The main things I remember are that they are SMALL, and at least one model lacked a heated bed. The heated bed helps immensely with adhesion (will your print stick or just get dislodged, failing the job?) and the size is a practical constraint. For example resin printers can do exceptional quality items, but they’re going to be small. Pick a measuring tape of any kind, go measure a thing you’d like to make like maybe a pen holder or whatever you actually think you will want to print. I had a Monoprice Mini Select and it was a 12cm base, good for a lot, small for a lot. That thing can do a 10cm base. A quick visualization is that you will not squeeze a phone cover in that space!
this post was submitted on 02 Jun 2026
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Thank you. I'll definitely look at the space it offers. Although I'll probably bite the bullet and spend a little extra on a Creality machine.
I definitely don't like the looks of it, from the fact they don't list any specs whatsoever to the claiming "it's got AI!" or whatever. The last brand of printers I've seen that looked this shady had vendor lock-in SO BAD that, when the company went under, all the printers they sold got kind of soft bricked.
However, I'm assuming you're looking at the ~$180 base model? At that price, veryy little else exists, admittedly...
I think Creality's cheapest printer is probably like $20 more, but if you can swing it, that's what I'd go with. For the following reasons:
- They actually tell you exactly what goes in the thing.
- There's a very strong aftermarket repairs/mods scene built up around them.
- There are entire projects built around converting cheap Crealities into other things, for if you outgrow it.
- It's like the closest you can get to no vender lock-in without building/buying an open source one.
Thank you for the feedback. I don't mind spending a few extra dollars, so I'll definitely consider the Creality models. You're completely right; vendor lock-in should be avoided.
I can't answer your question fully but I'll try to be helpful. I got an Entina as a gift last year, my first printer as well and it works fine. I'm not sure what model it is but I've never used a phone app with it or any of the other picture taking things that they seem to list. I find a file I want online, slice it on my computer, then put the sd card in and print it. The printer is a bit slower than what the slicer says but not significantly so. The filament that came with it lasted me a couple of prints and then I got a different brand and that works just as well.
Hope that helps.
Thank you. That is definitely a valuable data point. If it wasn't an absolute nightmare experience, I'll chalk it up in the plus column.