It seems like they're all really expensive, with most halfway decent ones being over $1000. It also seems like they're really finicky and hard to get working consistently.
Are there any 3d printers that are actually a refined product, something you can just get and start using? I don't want to spend most of my time fiddling with the settings and having to buy a ton of upgrades in the hopes of getting it to be a functional machine that can actually be used to print out parts.
If there are any out there that are basically self-maintaining or highly automated in terms of configuring themselves correctly, is it only the really expensive ones, or are there more affordable sort of "get and forget" printers that you can just set up and start using?
FDM or Resin? I got a Ender 3 S1 Pro for my fdm printing and I have to fuss with it way less than other printers I've owned. Comes with all the upgrades you could want except maybe an enclosure (and the creality tent does it pretty good for cheap).
Still need to level your bed, but assembly is pretty foolproof and you don't need to fuss with much else.
There are ones that come with hard enclosures and even have beds that level themselves, but those features are very spendy.
Edit: any printer you get, you'll still need to learn to slice files in Cura or whatever, figure out when you need supports and what good settings are. But also, the new Cura has pretty good default settings for that printer.
For resin, I've never had issues with Elegoo printers. Used to have a Mars 3, upgraded to some sort of Saturn, both worked flawlessly, I just wanted to upgrade to a bigger build plate.