So, I have decided to make a few changes to the format of my site. I have recently entered the world of 3D printing, and I figured it was time to change things up from the old format and redirect my site to this new journey. I will likely still post some random content here to mix things up, but I will try my best to start posting about new projects or other information related to 3D printing.
I spent a considerable amount of time trying to determine what I really wanted to dedicate this site to, and I believe I have finally found it. For those who have occasionally visited my site, I want to thank you for taking the time to visit and checking out my content. I hope that this new change in direction will not steer you away from my site. If so, I still thank you for your time with visiting.
Why 3D printing? Well, I never thought that I would ever get into something like this. The whole story began back on 13 July 2025, when I purchased a lantern from Amazon. It’s called a Luminiser Thermoelectric Oil Lantern, and it was not too expensive.
At the time of this post, the cost is approximately $19.99. It’s a pretty interesting lantern that generates thermoelectric energy by lighting a small oil canister, which then heats up a heat sink, creating additional light. The design of the lantern is quite impressive, and it functions exceptionally well. The only problem was that it had an oil canister that needed to be purchased from a store to keep it running. I sat one night thinking to myself, “Why can’t it work with a tea light candle?”
I conducted some research to find an adapter that would fit into this lantern for a tea light candle, but I couldn’t find anything for sale that would meet my needs. However, I did stumble across a file during my search, and it was the exact thing I needed, but it was a 3D print file. I didn’t have a 3D printer, and I wasn’t even thinking about buying one, so I decided to leave the lantern as it was and continue with my life. Then, on 23 Jul 2025, I was at my local Goodwill Thrift Store and stumbled across a tiny 3D printer that was new in the box.
I picked it up and walked around the store, conducting research on the Kokoni EC1 3D printer. Now, I’m not going to knock this printer down, because of its size, but overall, it’s a printer designed for children’s education into 3D printing. I thought to myself that this was possibly the answer to my problem with the adapter I wanted for the lantern. After reviewing some positive feedback, I decided to purchase it. The setup was straightforward, and it came with a single cartridge of filament. Once I had it connected, I ran my first test, which was a little boat called a Benchy.
Everything went smoothly, but it took a long time to print the little boat. Once I reviewed it, I started looking for the file again for the adapter, and luckily, I was able to load it via the app from my iPhone. I ran the print and crossed my fingers that I would work. The small adapter took a few hours to print, but at the end, it fit the lantern perfectly, and at that point, I was hooked on the 3D printing world. I was frustrated with how slow the printer was, so I ended up going to Youtube to view some videos about 3D printing (more directed to the Kokoni brand). But then after watching a few videos, I started to notice many different brands of printers pop up on my screen.
I had no idea which brand was best, so I ended up watching video after video trying to gather as much information as I could. I didn’t want to invest a lot of money and then lose interest, so I took my time looking. I then thought I found the printer that was right for me. It was the Anycubic Max. It looked great, was user-friendly, and had some great reviews. So, I decided that come November, I would look for holiday sales during Black Friday and Cyber Monday to make my purchase. That didn’t happen.
Well, then on 27 Jul 2025, I was at my local Best Buy store, and was not there to look for a 3D printer, but I started a conversation with one of the workers about a Robot Litter 4 cat litter machine, and then I asked if I was surprised that they did not carry 3D printers, and to my surprise, they worker said that they did carry them, but they just did not have them out on display. So then he have me a list of the ones they had on stock, but i was not familiar with one of the brand Bambu Labs.
I went back and forth in the store, trying to decide what to do. I knew I didn’t want to spend too much money on an expensive printer, and since I hadn’t seen it up close, I was very confused about whether I should buy it right there. But I did. I ended up getting the Bambu Labs A1 Mini. After all the positive reviews, I felt comfortable enough to give it a chance. I still had no clue about this printer, as I hadn’t seen any videos on the brand, so I was really going into this unclear about how I would like it. And after the experience with the Kokoni, I was really hoping it would be faster, and boy, was it.
The A1 Mini, for its size, is an excellent printer. The box it came in was not particularly large, and the setup was pretty straightforward. There were not many components that needed to be assembled, unlike other printers I had seen online, and it was almost ready right out of the box. I had to buy a couple of spools of filament to get started, but I think I was up and running with my first Benchy test in under an hour. Compared to the hours waiting for the Benchy to be printed on the Kokoni, the A1 Mini had it done in about 20 minutes. I was extremely excited about the speed, but it still takes some time for projects to print out.
And now we come to today, 29 Sep 2025. I have been using this little printer almost every day since, performing various random print jobs. It has been a bit addicting, so much so that I ended up buying another Bambu Labs printer. This time it’s a much larger printer, the H2S, one of their newest models that recently launched. I wasn’t planning on getting a second printer, but I was using my A1 mini so much that I had many other projects I wanted to test, and I didn’t want to wait on just one printer at a time. Now, I’m running back and forth between two different rooms in my house, periodically checking the status of each printer. I can also do it remotely since both printers come with cameras that you can view on either your computer or via the app.
You can now see how this new 3D journey I have entered into has redirected my thought process on what I want my site to focus on. Since I’m printing almost every day, I have a lot of future content to post here. I can discuss all my successful prints, along with the failures, so that I can capture the whole spectrum of 3D printing from the experience of a rookie. I will try to double back and post some of my most recent print jobs so that I can capture the place where I found them (so that the creator can get proper credit), and how the final products came out.
I hope that those who visit my site will enjoy the new format and gain some education on 3D printing through my future posts. I’m no subject matter expert on 3D printing, but as the days, months, and years go by, I hope to become much more competent in the world of 3D printing.
Here are some samples of what I have already printed.
Cantu 3D Studio 