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Best 3D printer for a 12 year old....

Posted on 3/9/26 at 1:41 pm
Posted by The Hamburglar
McDonaldland
Member since Jan 2005
3350 posts
Posted on 3/9/26 at 1:41 pm
I asked the Tech Board, but I think all of the techies are at work at Rent-a-Nerd so no replies....so turning to the professionals of the OT.

My son is turning 12 later this month and wants a 3D printer. Does anyone have any recommendations for a 3D printer for a 12 year old? TIA
Posted by chryso
Baton Rouge
Member since Jul 2008
13663 posts
Posted on 3/9/26 at 1:45 pm to
I got my kids an Ender 3 a few years ago. They really seemed to enjoy it. It has more manual controls than some of the newer ones but i think it is good to learn the manual way.
Posted by jscrims
Lost
Member since May 2008
3796 posts
Posted on 3/9/26 at 1:45 pm to
We have the toy box one that was pretty basic. Easy to use for my kid and his iPad.
Posted by OweO
Plaquemine, La
Member since Sep 2009
121765 posts
Posted on 3/9/26 at 1:45 pm to
quote:

work at Rent-a-Nerd



Well those nerds know how to get their 12 year old the best 3D printers and you don't
Posted by Glock17
Member since Oct 2007
23115 posts
Posted on 3/9/26 at 1:47 pm to
I got my son close to that age a Bambu Labs A1 Combo for Christmas. From the research I did, it seemed to be the most user-friendly, and there's an app with a ton of preloaded models that you can use. I've had a couple of minor issues with it, but I've been able to troubleshoot them fairly easily.
Posted by Schmelly
Member since Jan 2014
16093 posts
Posted on 3/9/26 at 1:52 pm to
LINK

My son got this one for Xmas in 2024. Have had zero problems and he’s taught my 10 yo how to use it. They print all kinda stuff. Highly recommend
Posted by smoke225
Baton Rouge
Member since Feb 2007
7961 posts
Posted on 3/9/26 at 2:00 pm to
I bought my 8&9 yo a "Creality" for Christmas
Posted by WhoGeaux
Member since Apr 2011
5531 posts
Posted on 3/9/26 at 2:01 pm to
We got the A1 mini at Christmas for the kids...it was such a good purchase that we just recently bought the full size A1. It's like a damn printing factory in our house now. Those things are constantly churning something out and haven't encountered any issues yet.
Posted by CP3forMVP
Member since Nov 2010
15905 posts
Posted on 3/9/26 at 2:06 pm to
Buy a Bambu product, preferably a A1 mini or the regular A1
Posted by Bjorn Cyborg
Member since Sep 2016
35208 posts
Posted on 3/9/26 at 2:06 pm to
A rock and a chisel
Posted by HuskyPanda
Philly
Member since Feb 2018
2382 posts
Posted on 3/9/26 at 2:18 pm to
That's the same one we got our son. Only printed a few things, but I like it.
Posted by subMOA
Komatipoort
Member since Jan 2010
2010 posts
Posted on 3/9/26 at 2:41 pm to
A1 Mini Bambu- we got one for my 13 yo for Christmas and he needs a shipment of filament every week to keep going. He’s in 24/7 production and has developed quite a side hustle at middle school peddling all this crap he makes.

Bambu is the iphone of 3D printers- you can run it off your phone, and their Maker Lab programs? I guess that’s what you call it- have unlimited things to print.

10/10 would do again.
Posted by DeoreDX
Member since Oct 2010
4329 posts
Posted on 3/9/26 at 2:46 pm to
Bambu would always be the 1st choice for someone not tech literate.

Elegoo Centauri Carbon will give him a much more capable printer for the price of the A1 mini and would be what I would suggest if you want to stick below $300.
Posted by Sidbarret
Charleston, SC
Member since Apr 2008
623 posts
Posted on 3/9/26 at 3:01 pm to
quote:

Buy a Bambu product, preferably a A1 mini or the regular A1


This is the only correct answer. It would just be a matter of how much you want to spend for either choice.

If they love it, then it leaves you plenty of room for growth with some of the higher end Bambu Lab printers.
Posted by SoFla Tideroller
South Florida
Member since Apr 2010
40437 posts
Posted on 3/9/26 at 3:03 pm to


Is your kid's name Wyatt or Gary?
Posted by LSUTigKyl
Nashville
Member since May 2009
1908 posts
Posted on 3/9/26 at 3:11 pm to
My daughter wants a 3D printer for her 10th birthday. I am hesitant about it because it seems like something that will be a perpetual cost to maintain and use.

Can anyone give me an idea of what it costs to actually actively create things consistently? I don’t know anything about these things.
Posted by guedeaux
Member since Jan 2008
13853 posts
Posted on 3/9/26 at 3:16 pm to
quote:

Can anyone give me an idea of what it costs to actually actively create things consistently? I don’t know anything about these things.


Filament is super cheap and the good printers require minimal maintenance. A penny to a couple bucks (for huge items) per print. If you get into fancy filament and huge models, that cost will go up, of course.
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