May 2018 – 3D Printer Power

Finding the best ABS filament brand on Amazon is hard 3D Printing may be coming into its own, but it's still a very new industry. It seems like there are changes in the 3D printing world constantly, and it's apparent this will be an ongoing trend. It can feel chaotic. When trying to sort out the best practices, brands, materials, etc. you can easily become overwhelmed. Which filament to use can be one of the most important decisions you make. Why do we care what the best ABS filament brands are? Worst case scenario? Just like you'll find in my PLA article, your worst case is your printer jams causing serious problems with your extruder. You then spend painstaking hours cleaning it up, lose the print job, and spend more money on a new filament while most of the roll you just bought collects dust. I know this is the nightmare scenario, but it happens far too often. Do you want it to happen to you? In all of my time writing about 3D printing, I've come across plenty of bad filament stories. It's my goal to keep you from being one. 3D printing is complicated. There are a lot of moving parts. Let's put your mind at ease by ensuring you have the best filament you can. Do you agree the market is overwhelming and confusing? Do you agree that you need to make an informed choice to avoid hours of frustration? You’re in luck. This is exactly the reason I created 3D Printer Power in the first place. I've Got a Gift for You Here is my gift to you. Below you will find my research into the best ABS filament brands on Amazon. I chose to use Amazon as a platform because it’s available everywhere, and not likely to go away anytime soon. The reviews below, even the negative ones, represent the best ABS filament brands. As always I do not include some of the crappier filaments because … they are crappy! I don’t want to waste my time writing it, or your time reading it. No more stalling, let's get into it shall we? Hatchbox ABS 3D Printer Filament Honestly, Hatchbox is no surprise on any filament list. It's an extremely popular company. Unfortunately, unlike the PLA the ABS seems to struggle with consistency. Some users report nothing but sunshine and roses. Others; however, have had some of the worst extruder clogs they've ever had. Some people say the culprit seems to be two-fold. Filament diameter control and impurities. Users try other brands, then try Hatchbox. There seem to be two primary scenarios. Either it was the best print ever and Hatchbox is the only filament ever, or it was inconsistent and problematic and will never be used again. What this indicates to me is that some of the problems are 3D printer specific. At the price point, Hatchbox sells at it's worth trying a roll, but do so with caution. If it works for you, it will most likely continue to perform. If it doesn't move on to another brand like eSUN. I say eSUN because users reporting problems with Hatchbox usually have success with eSUN, and users reporting problems with eSUN have success with Hatchbox. It's an interesting phenomenon. Buy Hatchbox ABS Filament Now! SUNLU ABS 3D Printer Filament SUNLU's PLA filament is pretty middle of the pack. SUNLU's ABS filament seems to lag behind. Experienced hobbyists have stated this filament prints great after fiddling with their settings. This is a common phenomenon among 3D printers, but some filaments have higher tolerances than others. SUNLU ABS filament seem's to be on the temperamental side of things. To make matters worse some users received the wrong filament when ordering. If you do order this filament make sure to check the label when you receive it to ensure you didn't get PLA. The price point is low on this filament, so an experienced user might give it a go and have massive success. Beginners to the world of 3D printing should stay away. Buy SUNLU ABS Filament Now! 3D Solutech ABS 3D Printer Filament Perhaps the best endorsement of this filament is reviewers just seem to like it. Nobody is fanboying about this filament claiming it's the best thing in the world and you have to buy, blah, blah, blah. Honestly, it's refreshing to see people just pleased with their results. This is one of the better ABS filaments out there, and you can expect very consistent results. Two things to note. One, in the past there were some reported issues with the roll being wound poorly, but the company took the time to report fixing the problem, which I appreciate. Just watch out for any issue on that front. Two, remember this is ABS. You will need to be picky about your setup. Know this filament has been successful for many other people. If it doesn't work out for you right away take the time to play with your settings and equipment rather than shelving it right away and you're sure to be pleased with the result. Buy 3D Solutech 3D Printer Filament Now! eSUN ABS 3D Printer Filament If you are a fan of eSUN this filament won't disappoint. It's very consistent and has wonderful results. Most report printing with a hot end temperature of around 250. Using an ABS Slurry or the Elmers Xtreme gluestick will get you great adhesion with a print bed somewhere near 80 for the first few layers. If you are used to using Hatchbox, you will probably hate this filament. One thing I have found in my research is that eSUN and Hatchbox have different target audiences within the market. Very consistently people reporting success with Hatchbox report failure with eSUN, and people reporting success with eSUN report failures with Hatchbox. Given the variance in properties of filaments, and the many different variables affecting 3D printers I feel confident saying this is a great filament for you unless you like Hatchbox. Buy eSUN ABS Filament Now! IC3D ABS 3D Printer Filament IC3D makes a premium ABS filament that performs very consistently. The end products stand the test of time, and perform well, even in outdoor environments. Just as importantly the companies customer support goes above and beyond. I used to work in customer support, and I always have a weak spot for companies that treat their customers right. You will see some complaints about first layer adhesion out there. Keep in mind we are discussing ABS here. Many people expect ABS to just adhere super easy without making a slurry, or taking the extra time to fiddle with their settings for the brand of ABS they have. That is very much the case with this filament. Most users report that after a slight early learning curve getting settings right you will be dialed in, and know you will have consistent results. I'll take consistent prints over an entire roll over most other criteria. Not worrying about jams and failed prints after the first few layers is completely worth the few minutes of effort on the front end. This is a highly recommended filament. Buy IC3D ABS Filament Now! Gizmo Dorks ABS 3D Printer Filament Gizmo Dorks is a great brand. I mean, the name alone wins points in my book. I shouldn't let it influence me, but it does, and now you know. It doesn't matter though. On it's own this filament performs incredibly well. It's very consistent across the board, and across the colors. Yes, it's white is more of an off white. I get that can be annoying, but I want filament that flows smoothly and effortlesly with no hiccups. The less I have to be involved in fixing problems the happier I am. You will be too. It's also nice to note the company does respond to questions, and cares about their customers. That's something you'd expect of a Gizmo Dork. I wish I had more to say here, but with a lack of problems there really isn't much to go on about. The only complaint I can really think is a roll might have a winding issue now and again; however, that's an inconsistent problem that is pretty much universal in the filament packaging community. Buy Gizmo Dorks ABS Filament Now! Make your informed decision Thank you for reading my article. I hope my gift of knowledge helps you go out and make a more informed decision when buying your filament. As you have likely noticed I use affiliate links. If what I've written does help you please use my links for your purchases. It will help support 3D Printer Power. If I didn't help you, by all means, skip the links I want to make sure I'm only profiting from good advice. Not ready to make your purchase? That's fine, but I have one favor to ask. Please share this page with friends that might be struggling with the same decisions. Let's make sure everyone is making informed decisions. Have you tried some of the filaments listed above? Let me know what kind of results you had. Individual 3D printers work differently, and the more input I have the more I can help other people. Enjoy your 3D printing journey makers. Don't forget to check out my other articles as well.