Selecting the Monoprice Mini Delta

The Mini Delta turned out to be my first printer and as such the selection process is a bit different.

I knew NOTHING about 3D printing before I started investigating so I didn't know what I was getting into at that time. Research, something I ALWAYS do for any significant purchase, was the key to making the right choice for the situation. I searched the web and found that there was a LOT of information in video form on YouTube. I watched a LOT of videos and learned a lot about how 3D printing worked and the kind of problems I could expect. The more I researched the more convinced I was that this was just the kind of thing I could get interested in. I love a challenge that I can put my unique set of problem solving skills into.

Probably more so than on other acquisitions, I made up a list of what I thought I wanted in a 3D printer:

1. Inexpensive - $200-$250 for the printer and any supplies I would need to get started.
2. Easy Setup - I had noticed that some of these printers were FULL kits requiring a full day or more of effort to assemble. I didn't think I wanted to invest that much time and effort into the first printer.
3. Support - There was community support around every printer I looked at but I was also concerned about manufacturer/distributor support services.
4. Availability - This turned out to be a non-issue but it was something I looked at.
5. Print Build Size - Although this was a factor I didn't consider it to be really important. I thought that I would only be printing mostly small stuff.
6. Construction Type - I didn't want something that was flimsy or poorly designed. I had learned that rigidity was an important factor for getting a quality printer.
7. Maximum Nozzle Temperature / Heated Bed - I wanted to be sure that I could print with my material of choice (whatever that was going to be) so I wanted to be sure that I could heat it up to whatever temperature was necessary. I had also learned that a heated bed was pretty important to getting the part to stick to the build surface.
8. Known Issues - Every printer had it's problems but I found that there were usually fixes for those problems that I could buy cheaply or even print on the printer itself.
9. Open Source - I'm a firm believer in open source so that the community can see what is going on and offer fixes as necessary. I did not consider this particularly important for the first printer though - I just wanted something that would work.