Anyone else in this boat? It was said by a Bamboo user when I was chatting about my modded Maker Select and the Voron I’m about to build.
I do use the printer a lot for designing and making projects like the sensors I just launched or the Twystlock for Steam Deck, etc.
But I like tinkering/making more. For example I used to mod video game consoles more than I played them, so the comment made sense to me.
Yup, in my case I know the 3D priter is the hobby. Like were the telescopes rather than the astronomy, or my Hi-Fi rather than the music. Nerds gotta nerd.
I think everyone with a 3D printer starts like this (it is a self-replicating hobby after all!), but eventually I grew out of it. Making your own better printer out of the one you already have is awesome, I’m glad I did it! You learn so many new ways of failing, sometimes it’s a miracle these things work at all.
For me though I managed to stop after 3 printers (gotta have a backup while working on the downed printer!). I mostly use my printers for functional stuff though, complimenting my other hobbies when I need something super specific. It’s great to have the skill to troubleshoot when things go wrong, but also great to just hit Print and know it will work! I am thankful for the CAD skills I picked up with this hobby.
For the first year or two I was just constantly upgrading this or that on my lousy printer, then getting new problems due to those upgrades… I’m glad I don’t do that anymore 🤣
Thankfully my « printing trinkets » phase did not last too long. So many benchies…
I don’t have this problem, only because I’m actively working to avoid it. I tweak video games and get too tired to play them, I upgrade my motorbikes until I have none working on a sunny day. I’m aware of my faults.
My ender 3 has been working hard while I work even harder to ignore it’s minor faults.
Sweats “looks at Sovol sv08 under the christmas tree” fingers itch
That’s definitely me. I wouldn’t be surprised if I have spent more man-hours working on my printer than hours spent printing. But I can say, I probably have one of the best Anet A8s around
Anyone else in this boat?
It’s called a benchy, dude
As someone that uses the exact same comparison. I do try to make it clear that they are both valid hobbies but you need to be honest which your hobby is when picking a printer. For a lot of the Ender and similar printer owners they really do have a 3D Printer hobby specifically.
Definitely a valid thing to have. Imo, as long as it provides value to you creatively or intellectually, then it’s a worthwhile hobby. It sounds like you are using it as well, so that’s just a bonus really.
I’m halfway into that mindset, but got myself a bambu after fighting an Ender 3 for so long and for now at least I’m content to just have a working printer instead of a half assembled one 80% of the time. So many calibration cubes.
That’s what hobbies are, my man. It’s cool to be into something and you’re out sharing what you’re learning with others, letting them benefit from your experience so they can focus on the aspects of 3D printing they’re interested in.
Keep enjoying yourself; that’s all that matters!
Also the Twystlock is crazy cool and it’s really awesome you shared it with the community!
Thanks! And yea I have no issues with the comment they made, it’s accurate in a good way.
That’s been a thing for years, though it used to be ultimaker or prusa before Bamboo.
Just like there are people who race with cars, and there are people who fix and tune cars, there are people who just want to print stuff, and others that really like tinkering with 3D Printers. Not many people around with inkjet printers as their hobby, and some people see 3d printers in the same light - just a tool that should do what they want it to, and that’s it.
And I also love the tinkering part more - be it 3d printers, rc cars, airguns, electric scooters, game console, you name it - once I’ve modified something to be exactly like I want it to be, I’m much more likely to move to another tinkering project than actually use what I’ve just built :P
I would sure like a singular place where shared knowledge is listed and categorized for all adjustments, tests, and uncertainty tweaks needing verification to be able to apply to a design, slice, or printer to maximize and not waste potentially a lot of time, plastic and guess work.
Listen, is it really a 3d printer hobby if you don’t have 5 or 6 printers, none of which could actually print anything, and five boxes of parts laying around for you to fix your printers?
Oh also see above while planning another printer project, because none of those printers will do something you might want to do.
(/s, kidding, etc, but there’s That Guy somewhere, and you know who you are.)
You hack me bro? This hits home way too hard.
I don’t have any 3d printers for fear I would be that guy. Don’t ask about all my other tools. (but I did use my lathe yesterday)
Man I dunno I have an Ender 3 (S1) and while I did do quite a lot of fiddling and a few upgrades with it I’m done at this point and basically just have to replace a belt or nozzle once in a while I dunno it’s been pretty stable for a year or two now
My MS is that way, which is probably why I’m building a Voron.
That’s not a printer hobby then, it’s just a cheaper but more time intensive way to get to a printing hobby.
If you enjoyed the process all the better.
Not everyone has the cash to shell out for a Prusa or Bambu - getting an ender and upgrading it can represent 50+ hours of work but $400+ in savings.
Dude was just gatekeeping you and assigning you labels. Do what you enjoy, ignore the haters
Nah he was accurately pointing out what he enjoyed more, and that realization is important.
If your hobby is printers not printing then you should look into kits and more interesting designs. Build a voron or a ratrig - not a Mk4.
If you want to print above all else that’s not the right way to do it.
If you wanna do both that’s also totally valid - but there are 2 different hobbies in 3d printing. There’s a printer hobby and a printing hobby. Some people like only one. Some like both.
I lean heavily printing not printer. I have a buddy who pushes for sub 10 benchy and doesn’t really do much else besides novelty prints.
A hobby is a hobby, anyone who poo poos other hobbies really just had that as a hobby.
And yes, I enjoy making the printer work
