My Son Is Obsessed With 3D Printing and This Black Friday Deal Is Going to Save Me a Fortune

Last year, during Black Friday, with help from resident CNET 3D printing expert James Bricknell, I got my teenage son a 3D printer for Christmas. It might be the single most interesting and rewarding thing I’ve given him. A generous kid, he immediately took to printing gifts for family and friends. The only tricky part is keeping up with the filament demands — some rolls can cost $20 or more. That’s why this Amazon Black Friday discount is so perfect — you can pick up a roll of eSun PLA filament for $12 or less, which is a minimum straightforward discount of $6 per roll. A couple of colors were even under $11.

Just keep in mind, Black Friday is ending soon, so that means this deal could be gone with it. There’s no way to know what Black Friday deals Amazon will carry over into tomorrow, so if you’re a 3D printing fan, now is the time to buy at least a few colors to replenish your supply.

Each spool of eSun filament is 1.75mm high-speed PLA, designed for fast printing. You’ll get a 1-kilogram spool, and you can choose from a ton of colors, including fire-engine red, bright green, a glossy silver and more. This is an excellent opportunity to stock up on some of the base colors, including black and white.

This filament is compatible with most FDM 3D printers and high-speed printers, including the Bambu Lab P1P, P1S, X1, X1C, A1 and A1 Mini (theBambu Lab A1 Mini is what I opted to get for my son). The filament is also compatible with the AnkerMake M5, Creality K1, K1 Max, Voron 2.4, FLSUN V400, Prusa, UltiMaker, MK3, Ender 3, Ender 7, MakerBot, Flashforge and Raise3D.

If you’re in the market for a 3D printer as well, our expert Jame Bricknell has rounded up the best Black Friday 3D printer offers available.Plus, right now, you can pick up the top-rated Bambu Lab P1S for a whopping $300 off.

Why this deal matters

Take it from someone who knows: The purchase of a 3D printer is your highest up-front cost, but depending on how much you use your printer, you could easily go through multiple spools a month, if not much, much more. The spools come vacuum-sealed to keep them dry and easier to store. I have seen filament go on sale from time to time, but I’ve not seen this brand go below $13 a spool. For that reason alone, I’m adding a few colors to my cart and putting them under the tree.