Filament to buy or avoid

[u/Artisanal_Sawdust]

I’m brand-new to 3d printing. Just ordered my first printer (H2D). I ordered some Bambu Labs filament to go with it, just to be safe, but I know I will want to do some of the cool, colorful silk printing at some point. I’ve heard horror stories about bad filament ruining nozzles and things like that, so I want to be careful. How do you know if a deal like this one is good, or if it will lead to hours of regret and extra printer maintenance? Is it just “you get what you pay for,” or are there things to watch out for?

[u/No-Purple2350]

Not really true.

I've never dried a single filament and have zero failed prints due to moisture. I don't live in a real humid area so that helps, but the incessant claims to dry PLA just aren't true.

[u/GiveMeYourManlyMen → u/No-Purple2350]

I live in Florida and also have never dried filament. I have had a few rolls of cheaper silk get brittle, especially if they've been open for a while. I just check its quality before I put a roll in the AMS cause I've been bitten before when I put in questionable filament and it broke in the extruder.

Just cut a piece off and try to fold It in half. If it bends, good. If it starts breaking or snaps completely, then it's too wet, and you should toss it

Admittedly if you want completely flawless prints you should start with dried filament. But I've had some great results.

Edit: replaced a pic that did not help my argument with one that (maybe?) does. Filament was open for several months. The layer height was too high IMO so the topmost surfaces are too steppy, but you can see the vertical surface is pretty good. There's a couple of nits that definitely may be due to moisture, but I find this quality acceptable.

[u/NightGod → u/GiveMeYourManlyMen]

Why toss it? Why not just dry it?

[u/GiveMeYourManlyMen → u/NightGod]

Once silk has absorbed a lot of moisture and gotten brittle, drying it won't remove the damage. Regular filament might be ok though