Are you comfortable, at all, with software dev/coding? The reason I'm asking is because there's a big gap in what's available. If so @beaudacious is spot on with creality products. If you're not then I'd highly recommend something from prusa3d but you'll be going well above your point.
The two main things that you want on a printer is auto bed leveling and heat control. The later is both heat dissipation and retention.
I’m not familiar with coding at all but it’s something I’d like to push my kid into figuring out. When in doubt there’s probably a video on YouTube on it
Some computer knowledge is needed, linux type basics to make any printer perform really well.
edited to add - the only real coding knowledgel needed, was on older creality products, enough to push code to an ardiuno, and form there to a USB from it. there are tons of jewtube vidos on it. I had never touched an arduino before that. (newer ones come pre loaded with the firmware the community was loading (v2 ender 3 did at least). I bought the board from that with its display to upgrade to that from the V1 I had, it had far better stepper drivers.)
I havent seen anything that would make me recommend a prusa versus the creality products, not that the prusa products dont perform well or anything. Just nothing really stands out to scream buy this instead of that.
@rubberband is correct with the auto bed leveling / heat dissipation. all of the creality Ender 3 models have auto bed leveling now.
Heat control I recommend you tackle some version of the lakk enclosure (ikea lakk table, plexiglas from hardware store, and some 3d printed parts, makes an enclosure... add lights etc to make it better) or something similar, for any printer you buy that doesnt come with an enclosure. (you break that bank to get a decent one with enclosure). You will need this to print much beyond PLA. even pretty basic ABS will suffer without it with significant warping at the edges at it cools at differing rates...
The best choice is a home made one to suit whatever printer area you choose, using whatever table you have it on as the base if willing to snakrifice it. If not, buy 2x lakk and use one as the base.
I had to print 6" of height to get mine where I wanted it with the printer as high as it is, from the feet I made, on the table i wanted (harbor freight hardwood workbench, with 3" casters added to the legs). I did it in a 5" high with a hole and a 1" with a peg. I can lift the whole enclosure on and off at will. Some weatherstripping around the edges makes a decent seal. Play with a door design (split / left / right / top / bottom) to find one you like, googling the enclosure will get you several designs pre done for various printer makes and models.
Apologies if I sound like en ender 3 salesman.
It was not meant to come off that way. I am just praising the printer that carried me along so far.
I printed a lot of crap with PLA before i moved it to an enclosed space. Then more crap. I have printed BMW, Audi, Toyota, and Hyundai car things with it in nylon (think trim clips and such). Ive printed some cool little kitchen gadgets for use (food safe materials exist), a pretty cool chess set to travel with (puzzle pieces as the board, + pick a set of peices), a m,ount for my air / water separator for my compressor to make it easier to get on and off the wall.
Just some shit i can think of off the top of my head that I have done with it in the last 3.
Look at thingiverse.com if you havent found that yet.
Have you ever reached out to creality for support? How about prusa? That's really the main difference. You've probably picked around in creality's firmware and know it's an absolute mess.
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