Pick resin for high-detail work like miniatures, busts, jewellery and dental models, where a small build area is fine. Pick FDM for functional prints, enclosures, brackets and larger models, where filament is cheaper and parts are more durable. Many makers eventually keep one of each.

The Mars 5 Ultra (7-inch 9K, about 18 micron XY) suits compact, high-detail single prints. The Saturn 4 and Saturn 4 Ultra (10-inch, up to 16K, about 14 x 19 micron XY) give a larger plate for batching more models per run. The Jupiter series adds the biggest resin build volume for oversized parts.

The Centauri Carbon is a fully enclosed CoreXY printer that runs up to 500 mm/s with a 320 degree C hardened nozzle, so it handles abrasive carbon-fibre and glass-filled filaments plus ABS and ASA. Auto bed levelling, a 256 x 256 x 256 mm build volume and a built-in camera make it a strong step up from open-frame bed-slinger designs.

Budget for a wash-and-cure station, isopropyl alcohol (or water-washable resin), nitrile gloves and good ventilation, since uncured resin is messy and needs care. Treat FEP or nFEP release films and spare build plates as consumables, and keep a scraper and filters on hand for clean-up.

Elegoo resin printers take standard, tough, water-washable, ABS-like and plant-based resins cured by 405 nm UV. The FDM range prints PLA, PETG and TPU on most models, with ABS, ASA and carbon or glass-fibre filaments on the enclosed Centauri Carbon. Match resin exposure or nozzle temperature to each material for reliable results.