The Flashforge Finder is our Spring 2021 pick for the "Best 3D Printer for Beginners". Check out our review to see if it's the right machine for you.
The beginner-friendly Flashforge Finder launched almost half a decade ago, but it’s managed to stay relevant thanks to its usability, quality, and approachability.
It’s also got a fancy new upgrade, the Finder 2.0, which Flashforge released towards the end of 2018. Though there are cheaper beginner 3D printers out there, this sturdy little guy has several features which set it apart and misses several that would be handy in a beginner-friendly printer.
Priced at under $400, it’s significantly more expensive than a Creality Ender 3, but it’s more sophisticated — offering fancy perks like WiFi connectivity and a color touchscreen — and is easier to use for first-timers. It’s also relatively expensive compared to similarly priced — but more capable — Chinese 3D printers geared towards beginners, like the Creality CR-100.
Pros
Clean design
Easy to use
Clear touchscreen
Removable build plate makes it easier to take out prints
Quiet
Reliable
Handy overhead light and good visibility of prints
Cons
Very small build volume
Bed not heated (sometimes causes warping)
No automatic bed leveling
Filament cartridge is too small for most non-Flashforge spools
Only prints PLA (can also handle PETG to some extent, but only for small parts)
Support structures are impossible to fully remove
Verdict
For an introductory 3D printer, or a 3D printer for kids, the Flashforge Finder covers almost all the bases. This little guy comes fully assembled and ready to (not) make some noise. It prints away quietly and only chirps merrily when it turns on or when other particularly noteworthy events occur. The printer even boasts WiFi connectivity, which is easy to set up and use and a generally more high-end feature. Its prints, too, are very good and are reliably churned out.
Where the Finder flounders is with its tiny print bed, which limits the size of prints substantially. Though it’s an excellent printer to ease you into the world of 3D printing, once you’ve gotten used to it and are eager to experiment more, it will be time to upgrade to something larger with a heated bed that can handle more material types.
Additionally, at its price, certain important features are missing, like filament detection, something which the Finder’s website says it has, but doesn’t. It also lacks auto bed leveling which would be useful to beginners.
SAFETY
The Finder only prints in non-toxic PLA, which means you don’t have to worry about toxic fumes or any associated risks of printing with materials like ABS. It also has all the heated elements — like the nozzle — covered so they’re hard to accidentally touch. Lastly, the wires are all hidden away so they can’t catch on anything.
(NO) FILAMENT DETECTION
Though on Flashforge’s website it boasts the Finder has “filament-run-out detection,” this is no longer the case. Its filament detection used to be in the enclosed filament box, but customers complained that when they used other filament spools that were larger than the Flashforge ones, they had to keep them outside of the enclosure, which set off the filament detection.
TOUCHSCREEN
This 3.5-inch touchscreen is extremely clear and easy to use. When you first turn on the printer it gives you three options to select from, and from there you’re given more selections. It makes finding what you’re looking for simple and it’s very intuitive.
Easy-peasy. (Source: All3DP)
WIFI CONNECTIVITY
For a small beginner’s printer, this is an exciting feature — one that not even the mighty Prusa offers. WiFi connectivity means you can choose a print, send it to your printer and keep an eye on its printing progress. It’s easy to connect your printer to WiFi and then connect it to your computer and it saves you the hassle of having to get up and manually set up a print. (Of course, you can also do this too if you’d like and there is a spot for a USB, though the printer doesn’t come with a USB stick.)
QUIET TO USE
This little fella is quiet — minus its cheerful chirping to let you know it’s on and ready to print. This means you can keep it in a common space in your home without it driving you crazy.
REMOVABLE BUILD PLATE
This removable build plate is easy to take on and off and — unless you’re printing something with a large base — is easy for prints to adhere to.
MANUAL BED LEVELING
Flashforge tries to market their manual bed leveling (which is assisted by a retractable switch) as a feature, boasting that it actually offers “more precise and easier calibration.” While this isn’t the worst system, it’s definitely more complicated for beginners and isn’t very reliable. Auto bed leveling would be preferred.
Printing
Overall, the Flashforge Finder has been surprisingly fun to print with. It’s reliable and its prints are decent. It handles fine detail well and produces smooth surfaces. Where it falters is when using supports. They’re incredibly challenging to get off entirely and leave a rough residue behind.
That said, let’s take a look at some of the Finder’s finest (and not so fine) handiwork.
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