You are missing the subtext in discussions about 3D printing online. Many people who discuss 3D printing are doing it because they enjoy it as a hobby and skill. They value learning to tweak and upgrade the products, troubleshoot problems, and knowledge about brands and models. If you are just trying to make prototypes, enclosures, parts etc, you will get confused without this context.
This is the weird gate keeping I’m talking about. In another comment I mentioned about this, but I started 3D printing during the reprap ages. Chrome rods were cut yourself, LM8UU cost over $25 a pop from NSK, we use pololu A4988 (TMC wasn’t even a thing), and my hotend was a Jhead. I enjoy tinkering and sounds like you do too. But don’t get the factuation of 3D printers get confused with 3D printing . If new users can print right out of the box without needing to fix anything, that’s a net win for 3D printing and for them. The need for a user to know how to fix and tweak stuff to “truly” enjoy 3D printing is frankly full of shit.
Well, I'd love to be able to just download the atl, and literally _print_ it from my phone or laptop, the same way I print PDF.
I just don't have enough waking hours to tinker with everything hobbyists around expect me to tinker.
Yea same; switching from Crealty to Raise3D E2 was a game changer. "just works".
Same here. I got a Bambu X1C and have been very happy with it.