Hi All,
I want to buy my first 3D printer on Boxing Day since they have some good deals. I am a beginner…but I am interested in printing some stuff with the kids…
So I am thinking of the Creality
Creality Ender-3 V3 SE 3D Printer
and someone recommends the Bambu X1, but the price is way too much (CAD 1299).
So please share your advice with me. I appreciated it.
You are going to have to be a lot more clear on what your constraints and desires are if you want helpful, meaningful advice. (If you want lots of people to give you a pile of contradictory advice without any information about what you actually want, reddit is pretty good for that! 
)
What kind of stuff do you want to print with your kids?
How much are you willing to spend? You’ve only told us something you aren’t willing to spend…
A thing to consider with kids is if they are old enough to know when you say don’t touch they do not touch. Otherwise, you’ll want a machine which has a full enclosure.
And ya, the X1C is way more than you need for a 1st machine. P1S or the Prusa Core One get the job done but so do many others.
Sorry for the confusion…
I won’t let them touch the machine unless we do the project together…
I think you are totally right…X1C might be too much for the first machine…
just check the P1S, they are on sale on Bambu’s website…CAD $759 for now…
Printing figures takes a precise printer. Many folks printing figures use resin printers instead of FFF (melted plastic) printers for stronger prints with finer details.
Those who do use FFF will print ABS and do the vapor dip post-process to smooth the print. It’s not a point and click process but then again, resin isn’t either because of the cleaning and curing of post-processing.
Hopefully the @Cc_C9877 has looked around and found blogs of those doing figurines with FFF and resin. There are lots of fun things to make with FFF machines besides figurines though.
Well first I would like to say ‘Welcome to the Maker Forums’.
I have two Ender 3’s. If you like to tinker with a machine, do it. Otherwise find a different machine to buy. If I were going to print little figurines I would get a resin printer (I have one of those also), They are messy, stinky, and the resin can be an irritant on your skin, and the clean-up is enormous . BUT the detail quality is outstanding.
A bedslinger like an Ender 3 will have layer lines, the bed has to be heated, the ‘hotend’ is hot, it gives off some fumes (not smoke), it has to be calibrated (bed leveled) about every three prints and when you jar the machine.
A coreXY machine is a different story. There are a lot of XY machines on the market, and you should do a lot of research before you pull your wallet out. As for the Carbon X1, It is the very top of the line machine today for the Hobbiest class. BUT the map is not the territory, I mean, You may not like 3D printing once you have a 3D printer, Its not all its cracked up to be for some folks, and unless you have a space to put it in where it can set for three days to three years clean, and you feel the need to learn how to use a CAD program, and a slicer program, and some material science, and have a familiarity with digital machines, you may be better fishing. P.S I can’t fish but I can print fish…
Have you decided on which one you will be going for?
The new generation FDM printers all look pretty good, though I only have limited experience with Bambu and Anycubic. I love my Bambu printer.
You will enjoy making toys and trinkets with whatever machine you pick.
I primarily do toys and trinkets and I’m having a blast. If you plan on printing miniatures pick up a .2mm nozzle. Better details.
Having 3d modeling experience also helps a lot, so encourage you to start learning with your favorite software package if you haven’t yet. CAD or 3d art modeling software. You have a ton of options.