Best 3D Printer Pen in 2023

Of all the 3D pens we came across, the 3Doodler Create+ is by far our favorite due to how easy it is to use and adjust, the enjoyable printing experience it offers, and the quality of the prints it delivers.

A dual-drive system allows you to adjust the flow speed to fast or slow, and there’s unload setting to remove and save any used filament after you’ve finished printing. Simple touches such as an easily accessible side-mounted switch that adjusts the pen’s temperature according to whether you are using ABS/FLEXY or PLA, and a small window positioned near the tip to observe whether the filament refill is inserted correctly, further bolster the 3Doodler Create+’s user-friendly credentials.

All these features are all well and good but mean nothing if the printing experience falls shorts. Fortunately, the 3Doodler Create+ extrudes a steady, consistent flow of filament that quickly cools with little to no glooping or material dragging as you jump from one part of a print to another. In-hand, the 3Doodler Create+ feels very much like a traditional pen, with an added weightiness and overall sturdy feel due to excellent construction quality.

The 3Doodler Create+ is one of the few 3D pens we put through its paces that didn’t peter out mid-print due to clogging. In the unlikely scenario that this happens, the 3Doodler Create+ comes packaged with a three-piece maintenance tool kit that makes easy work of extracting any blockages. 3Doodler also sells various accessories, including an excellent nozzle set with a variety of diameters and tips suitable for more detailed prints or, conversely, large prints requiring thicker layers.

Sadly, the 3Doodler Create+ is only compatible with 3Doodler’s proprietary plastic refills and won’t get on well with third-party filament. Reasonable prices (although still higher than other brands), a good selection of materials (ABS, PLA, FLEXY, and wood fill), and numerous colors soften the blow somewhat, as does 3Doodler’s excellent customer service should you hit any roadblocks or technical problems.

Another offering from the leading 3D pen brand, the 3Doodler Start Essentials positions itself as a child-friendly 3D pen because of its safety-oriented features and design but is an all-around capable option that should suit those in the market for an affordable option.

Looking first at the child-friendly features, the 3Doodler Start Essentials has no exposed parts and runs at low temperatures, making it entirely safe for wandering hands and short attention spans. The pen ships with a fun project book with various stencil ideas and tips to get started, alongside two mixed-color packs of 3Doodler’s BPA-free, non-toxic Eco-Plastic.

Ease of use is also baked in with a simple design: an on/off switch, indicator LED (red for heating, green for ready, and yellow for charging), easy filament loading mechanism, one large click start-stop-reverse printing button, and a protected nozzle. Additionally, the 3Doodler Start Essentials works wireless thanks to an in-built battery charged via micro USB, taking accidental wire pulls and tangles out of the equation.

While the 3Doodler Start Essentials is chunkier and more contoured than its pricier brother, the in-hand feel remains very comfortable and is particularly suited to smaller hands. The printing experience is enjoyable and straightforward. The filament flow is relatively slow, and the malleable Eco-Plastic takes quite a while to solidify. As such, the overall quality of the prints trails behind the Create+ but is more than enough for fun-focused arts and crafts. With a bit of patience and practice, the pen can create perfectly serviceable prints, more so than most similarly-priced pens.

The Mynt3D Professional Printing 3D Pen diverts from the 3Doodler line-up in the sense that it attempts to inject a pro slant to 3D pen printing. In practice, it largely succeeds in this ambition, notably as one of the most customizable and settings-rich options available.

A speed slider allows you to regulate the rate at which the filament comes out of the pen, perfect for juggling details and thicker, structurally crucial lines of material. Alongside, two buttons adjust the temperature in one-degree increments from a low of 130-degrees to a maximum of 230-degrees, making it suited to both ABS and PLA. An OLED display mounted on the side of the pen displays the nozzle temperature and suggested material type — a slightly gimmicky addition at first glance, but one that proves beneficial for monitoring. Lastly, you’ll find two buttons used to feed and unload filament.

Among the pens we gravitated towards, the Mynt3D Professional Printing 3D Pen is easily the most well-equipped to handle more complex creations, notably those incorporating vertical elements and intricate patterns. Similarly, it ranks alongside the 3Doodler Create+ in delivering a consistent printing experience free of any clogging problems. In that sense, it is most suited to users that want to take handheld printing a bit more seriously and use a pen as an artistic tool rather than as the centerpiece of a fun, creative activity.

Using the Mynt3D Professional Printing 3D Pen doesn’t quite deliver the same comfort as the 3Doodler Create+, nor does it offer the same weighted characteristics, but the ergonomic design lends itself well to a suitably pleasant in-hand feel.

You can also use the Mynt3D Professional Printing 3D Pen free of a plug socket by pairing it with a power bank. Not quite the same wireless simplicity found on the Start Essentials and one that still involves being tethered.

As the name implies, the Mynt3D Basic 3D Pen veers from the Mynt3D Professional Printing 3D Pen’s professional aspirations to cater to those who want a cheap, easy-to-use pen without any advanced features.

The Mynt3D Basic is compatible with both ABS and PLA with variable temperatures to suit each filament type. On-device controls include a PLA/ABS switch button, speed control (slow, medium, fast flow), a filament load/extruder button, and a filament unload button. These are well-placed and easy to navigate. Indicators on the pen for both filament type and speed help monitor settings.

At roughly $30, the Mynt3D Basic 3D Pen sits at the lower end of the price spectrum and is the lowest priced of our options, which does involve some compromises, chiefly in the user experience and quality of the prints. After all, you get what you pay for.

However, if you are looking for a fun, rugged 3D pen (it won’t crumble after a few uses like similar budget pens) for the occasional afternoon of arts and crafts and go in with the right expectations, this is the one. It also happens to feel comfortable in hand despite the low price and cheaper construction quality than more expensive 3D pen options.