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Best hotend setup for PLA
Posted: Sun Mar 30, 2014 5:43 am
by whaleboy
Hello all. As I spec out my printer, I'm wondering what hotend works best for PLA? I've been reading and of course opinions and experiences vary greatly. I'd like to print primarily PLA (some ABS, maybe some others at some point). Should I stick with the stock, or order a j-head, or 3DE v5? I'd like to start with whatever will give me the least amount of trouble (naturally) as possible.
Thanks
-David
Re: Best hotend setup for PLA
Posted: Sun Mar 30, 2014 10:10 am
by Tinyhead
I have no experience with the j-head, but the stock hot end works great for PLA. Ive printed some very detailed objects and they come out flawless. I got an E3D V5 and had (like many others) serious plugging issues. Its very tempermental with retracts. I've since moved back to the stock end till i can figure out a solution to the issue.
Re: Best hotend setup for PLA
Posted: Sun Mar 30, 2014 10:56 am
by Eaglezsoar
Tinyhead wrote:I have no experience with the j-head, but the stock hot end works great for PLA. Ive printed some very detailed objects and they come out flawless. I got an E3D V5 and had (like many others) serious plugging issues. Its very tempermental with retracts. I've since moved back to the stock end till i can figure out a solution to the issue.
You are correct, the stock hot end works great for PLA, J-Head will work also.
If you only use PLA or ABS the stock hot end is great. If you go to the higher temperature filaments that is where the E3D excels.
Re: Best hotend setup for PLA
Posted: Sun Mar 30, 2014 1:44 pm
by mhackney
If you are starting out and getting Rostock or Orion, stick with the stock hot end. It does a great job as is. Get some experience and then decide if you need something different. I print *a lot* of PLA and other materials. I've used many hot ends - the only one I haven't tried that I'm aware of is the Buddashnozzle (I hear it is quite good).
Re: Best hotend setup for PLA
Posted: Sun Mar 30, 2014 8:58 pm
by Polygonhell
My experience says the JHead is about the best for PLA, but there is nothing wrong with the stock Hotend. I have tried a buda, they can print really fast, but controlling strings with one can be something of a chore.
If you get an E3D that works with PLA, they can be OK as well, but the jhead is a lot less sensitive to temperatures and retraction settings.
Re: Best hotend setup for PLA
Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2014 11:13 pm
by whaleboy
Thanks, I'll start with the stock one.
-David