I have been researching the best 3D printing filament for the past few days because I want to improve the quality and consistency of my 3D prints. I compared different filaments based on print quality durability ease of printing and user reviews. These two caught my attention:
SUNLU PLA Plus 3D Printer Filament
https://www.amazon.com/SUNLU-Filament-Printing-Tolerance-Accuracy/dp/B09QYQHP
PLA+3D Printer Filament
https://www.amazon.com/Filament-Individually-Multicolor-Dimensional-Accuracy/dp/B0GG4N9X
I am having trouble deciding which one would be the better choice and would appreciate some advice from people with experience using these filaments. I mainly print functional parts small projects and everyday household items. Which one would you recommend for reliable printing good layer adhesion and a clean finish?
Any advice or personal experience would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
I find it odd that you are posting on 3D Printing Canada forums, for advice on something you want to buy from Amazon.
To be honest, I’ve only ever purchased/printed two spools of PLA Plus and couldn’t justify the cost. Having said that, Sunlu is (one of?) the largest filament makers in the world and and makes many OEM brands. Their basic PLA is great.
Thanks for pointing that out. I’m not trying to advertise anything. I’m just researching different filament options and looking for advice from people with actual 3D printing experience. I’ll keep the discussion focused on the printing side and community experience.
We have had a lot of SPAM posted with the exact same format you used, hence the suspicion. Welcome to the forum.
I hate marketing stupidity. I don’t love sunlu but the standard PLA and the improved PLA+ and almost the same. Sure the PLA+ prints faster… 1 gm in 10 mins (that is not enough for a difference.) it ultimately is more flexible and softer that standard PLA it makes me question what is added and how does that effect the layer adhesion?
The link for the other just shows a search.
Personally I ignore the weasel words, accuracy, faster stronger… they have little meaning. Accuracy will be most affected by the printer calibration in a FDM system. Faster than what it means nothing with out a base comparison. The for mentioned SUNLU is faster but it does not translate to printer speed in practice 200mm/s for Standard, Plus and Upgraded plus the specs have different tolerances listed if you look at the hysteresis they over lap. Stronger is a meaningless term, a tire is crazy strong you can beat it with a hammer for months and do nothing to it, a sheet of steel with dent and move. Rubber is stronger than steel… Rubber bridges? Steel tires? Strength is a generic term, PLA is stiff and brittle TPU is flexible if you use PLA as a hinge it isn’t as strong as TPU but as a gear it is stronger.
I would suggest, when starting out buy a brand that lists tolerances, has good though technical information, where the spools are wound neatly and not all over the place.
PLA (+) for things that need to be stiff and hold weight. In room temperature conditions
PETG for things that need to give a bit before breaking and stand to higher temps
ASA* (enclosed and filtered printers only) for high UV and extreme conditions
TPU / Flex for things that need to bend over and over.
Pick a name brand, stick with that one brand per type until it is easy to print and then try others. If you buy a bunch of different brands you will struggle to know if your issues are filament, printer, settings or environment.
Names brands tend to make filament and it is roll to roll consistent. Re branded might be the same supplier might not. Might be broken down from a huge spool might not… too many variables.
For “best filament for high-quality and reliable prints,” the honest answer is: it depends on what you’re printing and your printer, but for most people the sweet spot is a good PLA or PLA+ for looks, and PETG for functional parts. A few things that make a big difference.
- Match material to the job, not just the brand
- Brand consistency matters more than price
- Storage and moisture control are part of “reliability”
- Dial in per-material profile