Never built my own but hear me out, I have years of experience with a Flashforge Dreamer, which falls under #1. I personally found the second nozzle a hinderance to even 1 color prints since it would often bump into partial prints if/when the printed layer height is raised even slightly higher than it should be. The common workaround to reduce that from happening is by raising the nozzle about 0.5-1mm away from the bed, but of course that then causes additional issues.

Don’t get me wrong, the Dreamer’s a helluva machine, but considering how rarely I had something I want to print (or could print) in 2 colors, I found the additional nozzle a waste. Eventually I raised up the hot end entirely, conceding it wasn’t worth the trouble, and I also removed the second stepper motor entirely to reduce weight & increase fidelity.

Don’t let me keep you from tinkering if your mind’s set on building one, but if reliability is the name of the game, I’d look for an existing solution like a kit or predefined plans and build your own design off of that.

Congrats! I’ve had mine for a few months now and aside from a faint z-banding issue that I keep forgetting to tackle, it’s still working like a champ.

It tells me to clean the printer nozzle after every use. What does that mean?

I’ve never seen that, is it showing you that message on the touchscreen? Generally speaking, it’s a good idea to unload any remaining filament between prints, especially before it gets too brittle to remove.

Is the pliers that comes with it just for cutting the excess or am I missing something?

It’s primarily for cutting filament, like trimming that blobby piece off after unloading filament from the printer, but it’s also helpful when removing stubborn supports, brims, etc.

Can I keep it together and just put a cover over it if it won’t get knocked or messed with? Someone recommended putting it back in the box when not in use.

You can purchase or build an enclosure for it if you like, which can be useful both for storage and printing, but if it’s not too dusty, you can leave it out in the open. Just wipe with a microfiber cloth before your next print. Garbage bags can also work as a dust cover in a pinch as well, but make sure your printer’s had a chance to cool down before covering.

I made a flat print of a plaque and it started to curl on the edges, should I have cleaned the board after the buddha or is that normal for flat prints?

Large, flat prints can be tough to master since there’s lots of variables involved. (Platform might not be hot enough/too hot/unevenly heated, bed may need better leveling, could be affected by room temp, etc.) Brims & rafts do help, but sometimes an enclosure is needed to retain the right ambient temperature. Regardless, it’s always a good idea to clean the print bed before each session and sometimes even between prints, like if it’s dusty or when you accidentally touch the bed.

Yeah, it’s pretty overwhelming when you’re first starting out. Aside from budget constraints and the type of printing material used, you need to ask yourself, do I want to tinker with the hardware AND have the time to do so. That will steer you in the right direction.

Personally, I don’t, which is why I bought a Elegoo Neptune 3 Pro several months ago. It’s very similar to the S1 Pro in many ways. I’d recommend taking a look at that one since it’s been well reviewed and also has been working like a champ for me. It’s not perfect, but it’s got the best bang for your budget, especially when first starting out, and it works right out of the box.

Creality’s been a popular brand for years due to the low price point of their printers and its modding community. However, their base printers use cheaper parts, plus their QA isn’t always that great, so I would hesitate recommending them for your first printer.

Overall, nearly anything from Prusa will print with beautiful results, and if you run into a snag, they’ve got robust support to back you up, justifying why they’re more expensive than other printers.

Other companies like Bambu Labs and Flashforge make easy to use 3d printers, with the former getting a lot of deserved hype for how fast their models can print. While they both offer great products, keep in mind that they use closed source designs and require you to buy replacement parts from them, which can hurt you in the long term if something’s discontinued and/or if the company folds. If all that doesn’t jive with you, look elsewhere.

TL;DR: Elegoo Neptune 3 Pro over the S1 Pro since Creality can ship lemons; Prusa = quality + support + $$$; closed sourced printers offer simplicity now with potential drawbacks later.