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?
I have a Prusa MK3S+. I bought mine as a kit, though they did sell (mostly) assembled units as well.
After 2 moves of just shoving it in couch cushions and waiting over a year between prints the only thing I did to get it up and running was blow the dust off the hotplate. I probably coulda done more, but I didn't have to and it banged out a perfect print first time. Most of the fiddling I've done with it is in the slicer.
It's a lot of money, but it has "just worked" every time I've used it.
I'm not the expert but at my work we've used several varieties and brands and the MK3S+ is our standard workhorse