[Steven Smith]

3005 has a couple Taz 5's that we've been pretty happy about (~$2200 retail)

They are open software/open hardware, and there are a lot of mods you can add on. If you are "printer enthusiast", you can really stretch the limits.

As mentioned earlier, the Lulzbot mini's will save you a chunk of change if you don't need the larger build volume. Realistically, very few parts we print require the extra build volume, it is more about being able to queue up ~4x the number of parts for an overnight print session (6x6 vs 12x12).

As the printer is open hardware, you can source the parts yourself and build from scratch to save ~40-50% if you want. I know I'll be building one for the house, as well as another mentor, over the summer.