3D Printing Good alternatives to Hatchbox PLA?

[Bill Hanson]

I was going to buy some new Hatchbox PLA and see that Amazon was out of most of the colors (including the two I was looking for, of course). The Hatchbox site also shows much of their stuff as unavailable.

I'm not sure what the issue is here, or if this is a long-term thing. Does anyone have recommendations for a good substitute for Hatchbox 1.75 PLA?

I have an Ender 3 Pro.

Thanks in advance any help!
Bill H

 

[Ben Martin]

Any colors in specific? There's quite a few good options out there.

 

[mpitfield]

Not to change the topic but I am really liking PETG these days. So much so that my PLA is just sitting there, no doubt taking on moisture. I realize that PLA has it's place,but for my needs almost everything I print can be printed in either or is better off in PETG.

 

[Ben Martin]

Not to change the topic but I am really liking PETG these days. So much so that my PLA is just sitting there, no doubt taking on moisture. I realize that PLA has it's place,but for my needs almost everything I print can be printed in either or is better off in PETG.

Very valid point. PETG prints similarly to PLA but is much stronger and more durable. I personally love my eSun PETG, it prints like butter and the parts come out really strong thanks to the excellent layer adhesion.

 

[Charles_McG]

I’m also printing in PETG, letting the PLA languish. I haven’t gotten rid of all the wispy threads, but they mostly appear on the inside surfaces of prints. Otherwise well within the capabilities of my Ender 5.

And the Hatchbox PETG says it’s hydrophobic. I’ve seen no issues with leaving it on the printer, while the Amazonbasics PLA degraded daily.

 

[cwbullet]

I really like Atomic Filament, SunLu, and eSun.

 

[dinoburb]

I find Filament Friday PLA very easy to print with and it seems very consistent in thickness.

 

[cwbullet]

I’m also printing in PETG, letting the PLA languish. I haven’t gotten rid of all the wispy threads, but they mostly appear on the inside surfaces of prints. Otherwise well within the capabilities of my Ender 5.

And the Hatchbox PETG says it’s hydrophobic. I’ve seen no issues with leaving it on the printer, while the Amazonbasics PLA degraded daily.

Check your Hatchbox. I have printed 6 rolls of white PETG and about half were hydrophobic (a recent improvement).

 

[Bill Hanson]

I’m also printing in PETG, letting the PLA languish. I haven’t gotten rid of all the wispy threads, but they mostly appear on the inside surfaces of prints. Otherwise well within the capabilities of my Ender 5.

And the Hatchbox PETG says it’s hydrophobic. I’ve seen no issues with leaving it on the printer, while the Amazonbasics PLA degraded daily.

That’s one reason I’m wanting to switch back to PLA. Have gone through a spool of eSun PETG. Wispy threads all over everything. Getting good functional prints — only one failure for the spool, but plenty of random threads and some issues with blobs on the first layer.

Also, PETG has to print s-l-o-w-l-y. More than doubles the time.

I have a new Micro-Swiss hotend that I will install next week. Maybe that will help.

Agree that PETG has advantages in some respects, but most things I’m printing are for around the house and to help my wife with accessibility issues. Not too worried about hydrophilic issues, as I live in the desert with average humidity of about 15% and still store in sealed boxes with dessicant packs. Also, I don’t let my printer sit idle for more than a few hours.

After some research on Amazon and filtering for only average ratings above 4 stars, 3D Solutech and AIO Robotics PLA filament seem to show up quite a bit. Does anyone have experience with either brand?

Again, thanks for your take on this.
Bill H

 

[jderimig]

3D Solutech is awesome in my use.

 

[Locksmith]

check amazon basic it is re branded hatchbox.
other wise my favorite PLA is AIO Robotics, its cheap and never had a bad roll
that being said I print 90% PETG with SunLU being my favorite brand for basic colors and Atomic for rest

 

[Wallace]

3D Solutech is awesome in my use.

I've had very good results with it also. As a bonus, it's relatively cheap. I do have some E Sun PETG but find it quite irritating to use...Maybe someone has a profile that works with it but I've not yet discovered the key.

 

[Ben Martin]

That’s one reason I’m wanting to switch back to PLA. Have gone through a spool of eSun PETG. Wispy threads all over everything. Getting good functional prints — only one failure for the spool, but plenty of random threads and some issues with blobs on the first layer.

Also, PETG has to print s-l-o-w-l-y. More than doubles the time.

I have a new Micro-Swiss hotend that I will install next week. Maybe that will help.

Agree that PETG has advantages in some respects, but most things I’m printing are for around the house and to help my wife with accessibility issues. Not too worried about hydrophilic issues, as I live in the desert with average humidity of about 15% and still store in sealed boxes with dessicant packs. Also, I don’t let my printer sit idle for more than a few hours.

After some research on Amazon and filtering for only average ratings above 4 stars, 3D Solutech and AIO Robotics PLA filament seem to show up quite a bit. Does anyone have experience with either brand?

Again, thanks for your take on this.
Bill H

AIO makes great filament. They are smaller rolls so they add easier to manage and it prints really nicely.

 

[cwbullet]

That’s one reason I’m wanting to switch back to PLA. Have gone through a spool of eSun PETG. Wispy threads all over everything. Getting good functional prints — only one failure for the spool, but plenty of random threads and some issues with blobs on the first layer.

Also, PETG has to print s-l-o-w-l-y. More than doubles the time.

I have a new Micro-Swiss hotend that I will install next week. Maybe that will help.

Agree that PETG has advantages in some respects, but most things I’m printing are for around the house and to help my wife with accessibility issues. Not too worried about hydrophilic issues, as I live in the desert with average humidity of about 15% and still store in sealed boxes with dessicant packs. Also, I don’t let my printer sit idle for more than a few hours.

After some research on Amazon and filtering for only average ratings above 4 stars, 3D Solutech and AIO Robotics PLA filament seem to show up quite a bit. Does anyone have experience with either brand?

Again, thanks for your take on this.
Bill H

You will have to print PETG slow.

 

[memcbride]

My two favorite pla vendors are

1. meltink3d.com, particularly their pla/pha blends produce very smooth matte finishes. I’m particularly fond of the cool grey color.

2. Keene village plastics https://www.villageplastics.com, particularly their performance pla https://www.villageplastics.com/product/performancepla/ which can be annealed to improve the model after printing. If you’re into soluable support, check out their material. It starts to dissolve considerably faster than competing products and is environmentally friendly

 

[mpitfield]

You will have to print PETG slow.

+1. I find slow usually = better quality. However, I am okay with firing off a print and waiting. I also almost exclusively print at .15, which also results in a slower print based merely on that. The other thing that helps with PETG is dialing in your retraction settings; this helps with the spider webbing.

Regarding PLA, I liked the freebie roll of "Galaxy Silver" Prusa PLA that I received with my printer, that and the gummy bears.

 

[cwbullet]

that and the gummy bears.

+1000 - those were the best Gummy Bears I have had. The Haribo we buy locally is crap.

 

[jeffjblack]

Inland PLA. I have used it for years. Cheap and reliable.

 

[cwbullet]

For PLA specific, I really like Prusment.

 

[alexzogh]

I've been printing really big items lately. Very happy with both Gizmo Dorks 5kg spools, as well as Colorfil. Since these are HEAVY spools, be sure you have an external spool holder with good bearings. Colorfil has a free spool holder that takes 5 skateboard bearings you can print on Thingiverse. I made two stand-alone holders with two bearings each that also work well.

If you are looking for color, AIO's Pantone pack is great. ColorFabb's metal-based PLA is also amazing, but super expensive. with a little work, looks exactly like Copper.

 

[gorillamotors]

You will have to print PETG slow.

How slow do you print using PETG?

 

[cwbullet]

I print PETG low. I will check my setting tomorrow night. I am stuck at work.