3D Printing

Qidi Q2 can offer magnificent value if you want something slightly bigger. It runs on open-source Klipper.

I live in a tiny apartment, so it might end up in my living room, so ascetics is also a factor, I really like the A1, but yea fuck Bambu

In small places: corexy not only for particles (cooking produces much more than a pla/petg print and some are proven carcinogenic, but research your self) but for actual space. Bed slinger often seem smaller but once you factor in the space the bed travels, they are actually requiring more space.

Something more open like Sovol or Creality will benefit you once you want to tinker with the printer to have better cooling or sth...

Ibwoukd recommend grabbing a used Prusa MK3S or newer. Used they can often be had for half your budget, and they're damn good machines.

Well this is my opinion; I have a large cr10 smart pro, it is way too big for 95% of my prints. Only a small number has ever been larger than 20cm. So don't go and buy too large of a printer initially. So don't think you are missing out with 30cm30cm30cm build volumes.

Next is speed, I am still stuck at 60mm/s speeds so get something fast, this is the biggest gripe of my printer. Not the quality, not the size... But speed. You can always make your printer print slower but not easily very faster than designed. Anything that can hit 180-200mm/s would be amazing.

Next is the multiple filament that has taken the world by storm, all I can say is I am jealous and cannot wait to get a printer which has it, call it fomo but I want it, I think it has its use cases but for you that is to decide.

Next is do you like to tinker or do you just want to print and forget. I cannot speak to either of your examples but even my cr10 is very close to print and forget, I did a bit of setup but you will do something similar while learning how to use it. So I think both your examples will be basically print and forget out of the box. If you want to tinker I do not think either your examples are very mod friendly but I might be wrong. Nor privacy friendly if you just connect and forget but that is your choice, honestly I am indifferent. If you want to maybe try and install a rpi with klipper maybe you will get past most of your privacy concerns, but that is a whole bunch of learning and say then good bye to a good weekend learning and getting everything to work, but learning is so rewarding. I did a klipper conversion on my creality and I love it.

Honestly go with your gut, there will never be a 3d printer that does everything and is perfect, just ask yourself what your needs are and what are non negotiable. Everything is evolving so rapidly in 3-5 years your new printer now will seem old, so future proofing is very hard with a plug and play.

Also check part availability where you are, in South Africa, where I assume both of us are, I chose creality because even now I can still buy parts easily at most 3d printer shops years after the model has been discontinued.

Elegoo Centauri Carbon 1 or 2 would be my recommendation.

If you're wanting to learn, just get the cheapest Ender3. No they're not good printers, but they're open and you can add on parts as you figure out they're needed. They take tuning to adjustment to get a halfway decent print, meaning you're going to learn how to do that. And once you've done that, you're going to have very solid opinions about what you need in your next printer.