3D Printing Filament: Basic Review

Created By: Joshua Bryant

     As you know there are plenty of filament suppliers out there and when hunting down the best deal you can run into some really crappy filament. This review will be continually updated as I use more filament throughout time.

General Tips

1. Stay away from eBay - This is one of those sites where your going to be taking a huge gamble on the quality. With one bad roll you'll toss any savings right out the window. Choose a reputable supplier for your filament
2. Not all colors print the same - When switching between colors from the same filament supplier you may have to adjust print settings. This is normal because the chemical makeup of the filament changes with the different dyes, levels, and types.
3. Use a controlled environment - This is more of a printing tip than a filament tip, but make sure you enclose your printing environment. I have my printer in a mildly ventilated enclosure made from hanging plastic in a tent like fashion over my printer. This helps prevent lifting on corners and uneven cooling which can cause warping.

Completed Experiences

Supplier: SeeMeCNC

Type    : PLA

Size    : 1.75mm

Color   : Blue

Weight  : 1kg

Cost    : $39.00 +Shipping

Roundness     : ~5-15% deviation

Size Dev.     : 1.73-1.76mm

Consistency   : Roll was good from start to finish

Melt Viscosity: Thicker

Cool Viscosity: Rigid

Overall Opinion:

     I really liked this filament, it printed very well. It liked printing at medium speeds (40-60mm/s). I used temps between 205C-210C on the extruder and 55C on the bed. It bridged ok, but like to lift a little on overhang edges. I had no clogs or breaks throughout the entire roll, but I found it a little pricey for the quality.

Buy Again?: I probably wouldn't buy this again because it prints slower than I would like and its a little pricey.

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Supplier: SainSmart

Type    : PLA

Size    : 1.75mm

Color   : Black

Weight  : 1kg

Cost    : $32.99 *Free Shipping

Roundness     : ~18-35% deviation (not so great)

Size Dev.     : 1.72-1.78mm (not so great)

Consistency   : Roll was good at the start, but got brittle towards the end.

Melt Viscosity: Runny/Liquidy

Cool Viscosity: Rigid

Overall Opinion:

     This filament was ok for the price. It liked printing at very fast speeds (65-100mm/s). I used temps between 205C-210C on the extruder and 55C on the bed. It had a tendency to develop little 'goobers' here and there due to the diameter inconsistency. The one bonus was that the roll had quite a bit more length then the normal 330m, I got ~410m out of the roll before cutting my losses on the last 10m or so. It got so brittle at the end that it broke into little segments inside of my guide tube (which was a nightmare to remove).

Buy Again?: I won't buy this again because it prints a little messy and turned into a pain in the ass at the end of roll.

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Supplier: Amazon: RioRand

Type    : PLA

Size    : 1.75mm

Color   : Black

Weight  : 1kg

Cost    : $29.99 *Free Shipping when you buy 2+ rolls

Roundness     : ~10-15% deviation

Size Dev.     : 1.74-1.76mm

Consistency   : Consistent diameter and viscosity all the way through. I had no breaks throughout the entire roll.

Melt Viscosity: Smooth

Cool Viscosity: Rigid

Overall Opinion:

     This filament is great for the price. It likes printing at very fast speeds (65-100mm/s) or medium speeds (40-60mm/s). I used temps between 205C-210C on the extruder and 55C-60C on the bed. It bridges fantastically and leaves very nice finishes.

Buy Again?: This is my primary supplier of PLA.

Ongoing Experiences (haven't finished roll yet)

Supplier: Amazon: RioRand

Type    : PLA

Size    : 1.75mm

Color   : Dark Grey

Weight  : 1kg

Cost    : $29.99 *Free Shipping when you buy 2+ rolls

Roundness     : ~10-17% deviation

Size Dev.     : 1.73-1.76mm

Consistency   : (N/A)

Melt Viscosity: Smooth

Cool Viscosity: Rigid

Overall Opinion:

     This filament is great for the price. It likes printing at very fast speeds (65-100mm/s) or medium speeds (40-60mm/s). I used temps between 205C-210C on the extruder and 55C-60C on the bed. It bridges fantastically and leaves very nice finishes.

Buy Again?: This is my primary supplier of PLA.

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Supplier: MakerGeeks.com

Type    : TPC "Thermoplastic Co-Polyester" (Marketed as Flex EcoPLA)

Size    : 1.75mm

Color   : Black

Weight  : 0.5kg

Cost    : $45.95 +Shipping

Roundness     : ~8-12% deviation

Size Dev.     : 1.76-1.8mm

Consistency   : (N/A)

Melt Viscosity: Thick & Smooth

Cool Viscosity: Flexible

Overall Opinion:

     This filament is very finicky and doesn't like printing outside of its ideal temperature ranges. If you print too cool your layers peel apart easily; too hot and you'll get major warping. Its also hard to keep stuck to the bed, so I always make sure to model a 0.3mm thick flat on the bottom of every job(easy to trim off) to give it more surface area to stick too. I print at 214C at the extruder and 62C-70C on the bed(62C for the first 15 layers and 70C for the rest). Print with 100% infill, so far I've had the worst results with partially infilled parts.

Buy Again?: I will definitely be getting some more of this. It's super expensive, but extraordinarily versatile.

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Supplier: Recreus.com

Type    : FilaFLEX (Thermoplastic Polyurethane)

Size    : 1.75mm

Color   : Purple

Weight  : 0.5kg

Cost    : $16.90EURO +Shipping (I won it free in THIS contest)

Roundness     : (N/A)

Size Dev.     : (N/A)

Consistency   : (N/A)

Melt Viscosity: (N/A)

Cool Viscosity: (N/A)

Overall Opinion:

     (N/A)

Buy Again?: (N/A)

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