Resin vs. PLA 3D Printing: Which Is Best??

In this video, I go over my experience with two entry level 3D printers. I'm using the Anycubic Photon Mono 4K for resin prints and the Creality Ender 3 Pro for PLA prints. I go over the pros and cons of each one to help you make a decision on which method is right for you.

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[johndoe]

I'm halfway through the video... can we just take a moment to appreciate how well this guy speaks? Such a clear voice, clear information, no jump cuts, no BS... just... damn. Well done my guy.

[AnarchyintheNYC]

what a pleasant surprise when you stumble on a youtube creator who talks like a human being and not a game show host! Very helpful for someone who is considering buying their first 3d printer, thanks!

[johnandlissa]

You are a natural teacher. Excellent video. I have been printing with both FDM and Resin for several years now and often find myself explaining the difference. I will now be recommending this video to folks who are just getting started. The only thing I would have added would be a discussion of build volume and that for many people into gaming they have one of each: FDM for terrain and resin for figures. Cheers.

[ronviejo]

As a noobie to the 3D scene, I found this vid very informative and helpful. Very balanced and unbiased with useful details. Thanks so much.

[MisterkeTube]

Although everything said in this video is correct, the difficulties mentioned for FDM are mostly cause by choosing an ancient printer like the Ender 3 Pro. There are other printers (ex. Elegoo Neptune) in the $150-$200 range which only need 4 bolts to be fastened for assembly and have a better description on what to do. I have both SLA and FDM printers and the summary is simple:
- SLA has way better resolution than FDM, i.e. details can be much more fine. You could fit a 0.2mm nozzle on the FDM printer, but that's still 200micron vs 50micron or lower for SLA. And FDM will have stringing and more support artefacts
- SLA is a pain to process. I hardly use SLA because it's just such a mess to wash the print, then cure it (for which you need UV lamps which you did not mention), then cure and clean everything that touched the resin as you should not put uncured resin in the waste, after some prints you're stuck with IPA containing lots of uncured resin and need to filter that or replace it, ... And when you've printed a lot, you'll have to replace the FEP-sheet and some time later the LCD or even the UV LED array (although you might better get a new printer then). In short, SLA is just so much hassle, that I hardly use it. FDM on the other hand is just start the print, wait for it to finish, take it off the plate. And when you feel like it, wipe the PEI build sheet (not standard on the Ender 3 Pro) with some IPA. And sure, after lots and lots of printing there might be some bearing you'd have to replace or the nozzle, but all those things are nowhere near as annoying as having to protect you and everything else from poisonous resin.

[stephenl]

I've been watching so many videos on resin vs fdm printers and this is the best video I've seen. Just clearly and coherently explained comparison without any angle from the presenter. Thank you very much for your excellent video, your channel deserves a lot more subscribers

[Icarus_]

I also have both types of printers and find that PLA is best for large objects or simple objects while Resin is best for smaller more complex objects. I prefer using PLA when i can as it has less upkeep and cleaning needed between prints. nice vid

[tamsinp]

On the filament printers, spending just a little bit more will get you one (eg the Anycubic Kobra or Elegoo Neptune) with silent stepper drivers and quieter fans. Oh, and they usually come mostly assembled, have auto bed leveling, etc.
On the material costs of resin vs filament, you will probably use more resin than you would filament for the same model as for figures you will generally be printing them 100% solid with resin, but much less than that with filament.
The layer lines on filament prints can be easily dealt with - I've found that a couple of brushed on coats of Mod Podge (dry within 20 minutes in winter) filled in all but the worst ones for some figures I printed a short while ago.
Another consideration is fragility of the models - resin is less flexible and more easily damaged/broken than filament prints.

[KryptonsSon]

This has to be one of the best if not THE best comparisons videos on 3D printing on YouTube. Very informative, thank you so much! 😊

[AjeethCheppudira]

Interesting video. I got the Ender 3 V2 printer first, and had a hard time in getting it to print properly. Now it is printing ok. I was thinking of buying the resin printer, but after seeing all the mess and toxic smell, I decided not to go for it. After going through lot of YouTube videos, I bought the Bambu Lab P1P printer. I am very happy with it, easy setup, auto levelling, corexy, and 3 times faster than the Ender 3. All the prints on Bambu Lab came out excellent, as good as the resin printer output. It is worth spending some extra money and buy the Bambu Lab P1P. I recovered the cost within a month after selling some nice printed stuff. It is a game changer.

[cristianjosadec]

Very well explained, I agree with what you say from my experience Resin for small figures is better and easier for paint but I continue with filaments because it is more practical and cleaner, and more than with Printers like Bambu Lab that you don't have to do almost anything to adjust or assemble to print.

It's as fast or faster than any resin and with a very good print quality.

[sirjunior]

I didn't know resin was so hazardous, thank you for this very informative video.

[savagejones]

From someone who uses both the pla is better for medium-sized or for small low detail. Resin is best for small high detail. And when it come to big items like 2x the size of that Deadpool flip a coin in my experience. However I think resin is better for models and mintures and pla is better for printing a functional item.

[matthewward]

I’m glad you went into the hassle of resin printing. It’s definitely not talked about enough. Great video

[kookamundo]

Best introduction breakdown i've seen. Perfect for the newcomer. Thank you!

[dttrandom]

I'm interested in getting into 3D figure printing and your video is of immense help. You're very articulate and you explained the differences and pros and cons very well. It was good to see examples of figures out of the two different printers. The most useful example was that small wizard with the difference in how the printers printed his hand. That difference in quality can more easily be seen when comparing the result from the same file instead of comparing different figures, as in the smooth Batman vs the detailed costume of Deadpool. If you were to do another comparison video, my request would be to show more examples of same figures printed by both so we could weigh the pros and cons of each system vs the resulting end products that come out.

[timshort]

I am really glad I got a resin printer after using FDM for years. I use them both all the time for different applications. You are absolutely correct about the resin printer though, it just prints perfect all the time and outstanding quality. But I like my Sovol FDM and playing with the Sonic Pad too….

[Valhalla]

I've watched several videos as I'm itching to pull the trigger on 3d printing. Yours is by far the best. Thank you for putting this together. I don't know if it's something you enjoy, but your damn good at it.

[Standbackforscience]

Really well presented, I 3d print professionally, but I still watched this all the way just for the quality and clarity of presentation. Hope this channel gets big.

[babbagebrassworks]

A great overview of low cost additive CNC machines, I got neither, I got a 3018 CNC mill. The cost of consumables, scraps bits of wood and plastic can be fed into it. Sawdust is the big issue, it's messy. But I have my eye on the pellet fed 3D printers. Pellets are cheaper than filament, especially in bulk. 3018 is agreat beginners machine, the bigger routers can make furniture which is hard to do on most 3D printers. Oh and it came with a 2.5Watt laser, those 10 and 20watt diode lasers are game changers. Smoke is the issue with them. CNC routers/lasers are faster, something to think about if you want to make money selling stuff you make. Final finish is also something to think about. 3D resin prints after cleaning are finished unless you want to paint them. Sanding/staining or Acetone fuming for wood or filament prints might be necessary. What is very important is just making things.