When the time comes to start your 3D printing journey, you’ll quickly realize you’ve got a lot of options in front of you. In addition to being guided by your budget and how much space you can dedicate to the hobby, at some point, you’ll have to ask yourself whether you should go with filament or resin.

While there are great arguments in favor of both, I’ve gone down the rabbit hole, and it’s clear that filament is the right choice for me. Here’s why.

What’s the difference between resin and filament 3D printers?

Filament 3D printing, also known as FDM (fused deposition modeling) or material extrusion, involves melting filament which is then deposited in layers to print an object. There are many different types of filament, from relatively flimsy and cheap PLA through to carbon-fiber reinforced materials for exceptional durability.

Credit: Elegoo

By contrast, resin printers (like the Elegoo Mars 4 DLP pictured above) work by using stereolithography (SLA) or direct light processing (DLP) to harden liquid, effectively curing a print in place. Resin printers effectively “grow” a model out of a resin bath.

Resin can be messy and highly toxic

By far the biggest concern for me with regard to resin printing is just how toxic the print material is. Though water-washable resins have helped to mitigate some of the risks, the resin still needs to be handled with care in a way that’s simply not the case when printing with non-toxic filaments like the ubiquitous PLA.

In addition to requiring personal protective equipment like nitrile gloves and ideally a respirator, resin printing requires adequate ventilation. I’m going to be putting my printer on a desk, which means it’s going to be sharing my living space. This isn’t to say that filament printers get a free pass (since some types of filament, like ABS, also require adequate ventilation for safe use), but the risks associated with PLA are minimal since it’s essentially plant starch.

By comparison, resin carries with it the risk of exposure to harmful chemicals like formaldehyde. Some types of resin have a more noticeable “plasticky” odor, which might be unpleasant if you’re spending a lot of time in close proximity. There are also concerns about the harmful effects that these gases can have on pets, particularly birds (which are highly susceptible to poisoning). I am fully aware that my cats will decide that a nice warm 3D printer is a great place to sleep.

Credit: Reflexpixel/Shutterstock

Resin waste needs to be disposed of properly, and when things gowrong, this means dealing with a wet and sticky mess. When a filament print fails, you might end up with a hardened blob or spaghetti-like structure, but at least it’s easy to deal with. Failed resin prints still need to be cured before they can be disposed of, and the alcohol used in this process should be evaporated safely too.

Filament is good enough for my use case

Some people choose to use resin regardless of the drawbacks, and for good reason. These printers can produce incredibly detailed, high-resolution prints with wonderfully smooth surfaces. They’re also faster to print, quieter, and incredibly impressive to watch. The best 3D printing time-lapse videos are made with resin printers.

This makes resin printers especially good for creating tabletop miniatures, small detailed models, mechanical keyboard keycaps, and jewelry. They’re commonly used to rapidly prototype dental implants, for example.

Credit: Sydney Louw Butler/How-To Geek

By comparison, filament printing doesn’t look as good. Since filament is deposited line by line, you’ll get more visible lines in the final print. If you want to maximize quality, you’ll need to cut down on the size of these lines, which means increasing the time it takes to produce a print. For me, that’s not a problem.

I’m looking to create practical objects, mostly out of PLA, for use around the house. I want to teach myself how to design models that can solve problems around the house. I’m also not against getting a Dremmel and some sandpaper out for the prints that I really want to look their absolute best.

I’m too lazy to deal with resin’s post-print workflow

When you print an object with a filament printer, you should wait for the print bed to reach room temperature and for the model to harden before you dive in with your grubby hands. This is usually somewhere around 30 minutes, if you don’t want to risk damaging or deforming the model. Congratulations, you’re done.

With resin, you’re just getting started. Remember when we talked about the toxic properties of resin photopolymers? You’ll need to wash off the additional resin once your print has completed. This typically involves removing any excess print material by hand, cleaning with 91% isopropyl alcohol, and then giving the print a final wash with soapy water.

Credit: Rapid Protectant

Finally, you need to cure the resin. You can do this either by leaving your models in sunlight for around 8 hours (or less, until the print no longer feels sticky to the touch), or by using a curing station that uses UV lights, which is usually much faster. Alternatively, you can purchase an all-in-one washing and curing station.

As much as I love the unmatched detail and smoothness of resin prints, this is more effort than I’m willing to put in.

Filament is cheaper and stronger

Comparisons in price might not necessarily be the most useful metric due to the fact that resin printers are usually used to make smaller items and have lower print volumes, but it’s still a valid point of difference between the two technologies.

Credit: Joe Fedewa / How-To Geek

Take a manufacturer like Elegoo, which produces both filament and resin printers, as an example. 1KG of the most basic standard PLA costs $14, and is available in a spectrum of colors (including mix and match packs). By comparison, Elegoo’s 8K standard resin costs $25 and comes in four colors. Water-washable resins are a little more expensive ($29), whereas tough resin starts at $33 per KG.

By comparison, stronger filaments like Elegoo’s PETG-CF (carbon-fiber reinforced) cost $19 per KG or $22 for the PLA version. These tougher filaments are always going to be more durable than the toughest resin. Resin prints simply aren’t as strong since they’re far more brittle, and are less suited to outdoor use.

For many who choose resin printers, this isn’t a deal-breaker. As someone who is looking to create functional prints from a variety of materials and who would like the flexibility to be able to produce items that can withstand the harsh Australian sun, filament is the way to go.

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There is no perfect 3D printer. Even in the filament printing world, you need to balance your desire for print volume with space and budget constraints. Some printers are faster, others offer better resolution, some use open-source models, while others lean into a closed ecosystem.

The best you can do is pick the right tool for the job, based on your wants and needs. Or, if you’ve got the money and space to spare, buy both!