I’m new to 3D printing and looking to build out my setup to achieve more consistent print results. I’ve watched a lot of videos online and read many posts that emphasize how important it is to keep filament properly dried to maintain print quality and consistency.
I’m looking for recommendations on a filament dryer with a budget of under $100.
A few questions for the community:
• What budget filament dryer (under $100) would you recommend for a beginner?
• What features should I prioritize at this price point (temperature control, capacity, filament compatibility, etc.)?
• Are there any models you’ve personally used that offer good value for the money?
I’m hoping to find something that’s simple to use, effective, and a good fit for someone just starting out.
Thanks again — really appreciate all the help and advice from this community!
If your bambu printer supports the AMS HT, I would take the advantage of the self loading system and buy it.
Otherwise I use also the Creality Space Pi, which is realy cheap to buy and it works well too.
If you search this forum, you will find a number of posts where I advocate strict filament moisture discipline. That position comes from hard-earned experience, and I stand by it. That said, there is a lot of hype and exaggerated marketing across all filament dryer brands.
In 2024, I ran a side-by-side evaluation of two popular sub-$100 dryers: the Sunlu S2 and the Creality Space Pi. Rather than telling you what to buy, I documented what mattered to me and scored each unit accordingly.
Full review and scoring grid:
The scoring reflects my priorities. Yours may differ. Apply your own weighting to the grid and use it as a decision aid, not a prescription.
My takeaway is that many recent dryers prioritize appearance over function. Earlier designs focused on doing the job. Newer models often trade enclosure function for ■■■ and sizzle aesthetics. At this price point, there is no clear winner-only tradeoffs.
Practical advice: buy one or more like I did from Amazon Prime, test it with your own filament and workflow, and return it within the Amazon return the ones within the 30 day window if it does not meet your expectations. That’s what I did. The key thing that they all fail at is advertised high-end temps which is important for PC and PETG as well as even heating. I added a USB fan to my Creality to overcome this but other mods also had to be made in order for it to be an adequate performer.
In my case, Sunlu S2 was a big loser and the Creality Pi only won by being the Tallest building in a short skyline. In other words, the bar they had to rise up to was set only a short distance from the floor.
I would also vote for the AMS HT, but it is above your stated budget.
Before you jump onto drying:
Are you printing PLA or also other materials? I have yet to see a quality problem with PLA prints that was solved by drying. With PETG and most other filaments, it is an entirely different story and drying is really mandatory in my opinion.
As alternative, I would drop all the filament dryers and instead look out for a small food dehydrator. At the same price, they typically have more powerful heating, proper exchange of moist air and often reach higher temperatures that you need for any more technical materials. Depending on the model, they also are properly isolated, saving quite some energy. Many cheap dryers also have hotspots, exceeding the dialled temperature.
The air exchange is the point where many cheap dedicated dryers really fall short. They will extract some water from the filament until the air inside is so wet, that air and filament are at an equilibrium so that no more moisture is extracted although the filament still is far from dry.
Before the AMS HT, my favourite candidate was the Graef DA 2042, that was 50-60€. I think it has a different name in the USA.
Another good option is an air fryer. Mine has excellent temperature stability. I don’t know if that is true for all of them. It also has good air exchange and higher temperatures than you will ever need.
So some criteria for a good drying solution:
homogeneous heat distribution without hotspots
stable temperature control within a few °C
good exchange of air to carry away the extracted moisture
sufficient temperature for the materials you want to dry
high enough power of the heating element (some cheap dryers with only 50W need up to 1h to reach the target temperature
Contrary to @Alex_vG, I have experience some serious defects without drying PLA and I have to dry my filament at some point.
Now in the past before I had a AMS 2 Pro, I always used my Polydryer to dry filament. It uses a axial fan as opposed to a centrifugal fan in other dryers, which offers more CFM at less noise. The entire drier runs on a 24v system so it is easily repairable with standard 3D printer fans if needed. The internal construction isn’t a complete disaster and is decently serviceable. It also has an infinite drying mode if you care and a max temp of 70c. Another very important feature is that it actually lets the humid air out, unlike almost every filament dryer on the market. And the user interface isn’t a hastily slapped together mess like some other driers I’ve seen. (Creality, I am looking at you…)
That said, my gripes about it are 1) the beeps when you press buttons. They really aren’t needed, but you could unsolder the beeper if you want. 2) The plastic toward the front is pretty cheap and thin, so the light from the screen/LEDs bleed through it. 3) the fan pitch is less than desirable, and in some environments it has a high pitched tone to it. I am however spoiled by the wonderful fan noises of the AMS 2 Pro 4) The 24v power supply is comically massive, and in my case where I used it, it barely fit.
Another note I have is that at least for me, filament capacity (drying more than 1 filament roll at once) is overkill. Filaments like PLA can be dried once and then left out in the open for a week with no problems from my experience.
So my overall recommendation is the Polydryer, but as always look at many sources. I am sure that I am biased in some way that may not be read as obvious but does exist in some manner.
4) The 24v power supply is comically massive, and in my case where I used it, it barely fit.