Best 3D Printer Pen in 2024: 3D Pen Reviews for Adults & Kids

Of all the 3D pens we came across, the 3Doodler Create+ is by far our favorite. Easy to use and adjustable, this is not only the best 3D printer pen for beginners, but professionals should find a lot to like too!

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 Create+ feels very much like a traditional pen, with an added weightiness and overall sturdy feel due to excellent construction quality. A dual-drive system allows you to adjust the flow speed to fast or slow, and there are settings 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 – further bolster the Create+’s user-friendly credentials. In the unlikely scenario that the 3D pen clogs, the 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 detailed prints or thicker layers.

Sadly, the 3Doodler Create+ is only compatible with 3Doodler’s proprietary refills and won’t get on well with third-party filament. Though they are relatively inexpensive, it is an inconvenience. It was the only one we ran into, however, and we’re happy to crown this as the best 3D printer pen!

Another offering from the leading 3D pen brand, the 3Doodler Start Essentials kit positions itself as a child-friendly 3D pen. Built around safety-oriented features and design, this is an all-around capable option that should suit those in the market for an affordable and effective kids’ 3D printing solution!

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 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. For a great introduction to 3D printing for children, 3Doodler take the crown again!

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

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 who 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. The kit comes with three colors of PLA plastic filament, AC adapter and an ergonomic pen. 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. 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.

The major drawback to this 3D pen is the wired connection. Without the wireless freedom offered by other 3D printer pens, you’ll find yourself frustrated by the limited length of this cord. 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.

The PIKA3D Super is a great option for intermediaries: teenagers wanting to experiment with 3D printing pens, or keen amateurs. This 3D pen is a great option for those looking to build and design structures and objects without spending the same as a small 3D printer.

The pen itself is packed with features: variable feed speed, adjustable temperature, and even an OLED display. The accompanying kit has pretty much everything you would need, and includes 12 meters of PLA refills, in four colors. There’s also a manual with a stencil guide so you can get straight into it.

However, the overall quality of this 3D pen leaves a lot to be desired. Swapping filaments can be cumbersome, and the general results of printing aren’t as impressive as our other 3D pen reviews. Still, for an affordably priced entry-point into 3D printing, the PIKA3D Super is a strong contender!