Technologies

Best 3D Printer Filament Deals: PLA, ABS, PETG and more

Keep your materials stocked up and ready to print with the best deals on PLA, ABS and more.

3D printing is a fantastic pastime. I’ve been doing it for nearly a decade now, and while there have been a lot of changes to the best 3D printers in terms of speed and quality, the basic materials you print with are the same. Most people are familiar with FDM printers — the type that use long strands of plastic to build layers on a print surface — and the material used to make models with them, called filament.

Filament comes in all different colors and chemical compositions — which our best 3D printing filament list explains in more detail — and ranges in price from less than $20 to hundreds of dollars, depending on what you need. Buying filament in bulk is often necessary, so it’s worth seeking out good deals. To save you some time, we’ve done the legwork for you and found as many filament deals as we can.

Matterhackers

MatterHackers Quantum PLA: $25

Save $5

Transitional filament, which mixes multiple colors, has been around for a while, but it normally changes a model’s color from the bottom to the top. Quantum is actually two colors fused across the width of the model, allowing it to change color from left to right. This results in a mesmerizing transition. I love using it for all sorts of different projects. From vases to giant articulated octopuses, it makes any model look breathtaking.

$25 at MatterHackers

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Elegoo

Elegoo bulk PLA (black): $100

Save $50

If you want to create a huge project or print the same thing over and over, you need a lot of filament. Elegoo’s bulk discount makes each roll cost just $10, a fantastic bargain. It’s only black PLA, but it’s good enough if you’re postprocessing it anyway.

Ten rolls of filament for $100 is amazing and if you can afford the initial outlay you’ll save yourself a bunch of money.

$100 at Elegoo

Stronhero 3D

Stronghero 3D gradient PETG: $18

Save: $8

Unique transition filaments are one of my favorite things. This PETG goes from a deep blue to an almost watery clear blue and back again, giving it a look of ocean waves. It’s beautiful. It is PETG, so you’ll need to ensure your printer is dialed in, but it’s worth the extra print time.

$18 at Amazon

Ataraxia Art

Ataraxia Art Flexible PLA Plus: $35

Save $5

Flexible PLA is on the border of PLA and TPU, but it does print well on direct drive printers such as the Prusa Mk3s or the new Ankermake M5.

I used it to make an amazing 3D-printed Mandalorian helmet for my 4-year-old daughter, so she can enjoy it without fear of damaging it. Any time you can get this on a discount it is worth doing.

$35 at Amazon

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You’re receiving price alerts for ATARAXIA ART Flexible PLA filament 1.75mm, 3D Printer Filament, PLA filament,1kg, Better Than TPU, 89A Shore Hardness, Patent Formula, Compatible Bowden Extruder, With Filament storage Bag, PLA VIOLET

iSANMATE

iSanmate glow-in-the-dark PLA: $38

Save $12 with coupon

This four-pack includes smaller rolls of filament, and it’s more of a tester set than a full roll. The glow-in-the-dark colors make it a great buy, but remember that although it will print using the PLA settings, it’s abrasive to soft brass nozzles. If you’re hoping to print a lot of this, you’ll need to buy a hardened nozzle or be ready to replace your brass nozzles constantly.

$42 at Amazon

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You’re receiving price alerts for 3D Printer Filament Bundle, Glow in The Dark Filament Multicolor, Green, Blue and Blue-Green, PLA Filament 1.75 mm, Dimensional Accuracy +/- 0.02 mm, 250g X 4 Pack

Sunlu

Sunlu ABS filament: $20

Save $6

Sunlu has been making filament for a while now, and it offers excellent quality at a low price. If you’re working with ABS and you need to lay in a store of spools, Sunlu is a great option. You can buy this budget filament without worrying about its quality.

$20 at Amazon

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You’re receiving price alerts for SUNLU ABS Filament 1.75mm, Highly Resistant Durable 3D Printer Filament, Dimensional Accuracy +/- 0.02mm, 1kg Spool(2.2lbs), 395 Meters, Strong ABS Consumables, Black

SainSmart

SainSmart color-changing TPU: $37

Save: $10

TPU is a lot of fun to 3D print with. It prints as a rubbery material, much like a phone case. This particular filament from SainSmart is even more interesting because it’s heat-sensitive. When it’s cool, the material is a deep orange color, but it changes into a bright yellow as it gets warmer.

TPU is great for applications that need to be tough, but require a lot of give in the material.

$37 at Amazon

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You’re receiving price alerts for SainSmart Orange to Yellow Color Change 95A TPU Filament 3D Printer Filament Color Changing with Temperature 1.75 mm 1Kg/ Spool

iOS 17 Cheat Sheet: Your Questions on the iPhone Update Answered

Here’s what you need to know about new features and upcoming updates for your iPhone.

Apple’s iOS 17 was released in September, shortly after the company held its Wonderlust event, where the tech giant announced the new iPhone 15 lineup, the Apple Watch Series 9 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2. We put together this cheat sheet to help you learn about and use the new features in iOS 17. It’ll also help you keep track of the subsequent iOS 17 updates.

iOS 17 updates

Using iOS 17

Getting started with iOS 17

Make sure to check back periodically for more iOS 17 tips and how to use new features as Apple releases more updates.

17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About

+15 More

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Technologies

Get Ready for a Striking Aurora That Could Also Disrupt Radio Communications

Don’t expect the storm to cause a lingering problem, though.

A geomagnetic storm is threatening radio communications Monday night, but that doesn’t mean you should be concerned. In fact, it may be an opportunity to see a colorful aurora in the night sky.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has issued a geomagnetic storm watch after witnessing a coronal mass ejection from the sun on Saturday. The watch, which was issued over the weekend and will expire after Monday, said the onset of the storm passing over Earth on Sunday night represented a «moderate» threat to communications. As the storm continues to pass through, it could deliver a «strong» threat on Monday night that could cause radio communications to be temporarily disrupted during the worst of it.

Even so, NOAA said, «the general public should not be concerned.»

A coronal mass ejection occurs when magnetic field and plasma mass are violently expelled from the sun’s corona, or the outermost portion of the sun’s atmosphere. In the vast majority of cases, the ejection occurs with no real threat to Earth. However, in the event the ejection happens in the planet’s direction, a geomagnetic storm occurs, and the Earth’s magnetic field is temporarily affected.

In most cases, geomagnetic storms cause little to no disruption on Earth, with radio communications and satellites affected most often. In extreme cases, a geomagnetic storm can cause significant and potentially life-threatening power outages — a prospect that, luckily, the planet hasn’t faced.

Switching poles

Every 11 years, the sun’s magnetic poles switch, with the north pole and south pole swapping positions. During those cycles, the sun’s activity ramps up as it gets closer to pole-switching time. The height of its activity is called solar maximum, and scientists believe we either may be entering the solar maximum or may be already in it.

During periods of heightened solar activity, sunspots increase on the sun and there’s an increase in coronal mass ejections, among other phenomena. According to NOAA, solar maximum could extend into October of this year before the sun’s activity calms and it works towards its less-active phase, solar minimum.

Even when geomagnetic storms hit Earth and disrupt communications, the effects are usually short-lived. Those most affected, including power grid operators and pilots and air traffic controllers communicating over long distances, have fail-safe technologies and backup communications to ensure operational continuity.

But geomagnetic storms aren’t only about radios. In most cases, they also present unique opportunities to see auroras in the night sky. When the storms hit, the plasma they carry creates a jaw-dropping aurora, illuminating the night sky with brilliant colors. Those auroras can be especially pronounced during the most intense phases of the storm, making for nice stargazing.

If you’re interested in seeing the aurora, you’ll need to be ready. The NOAA said the «brunt of the storm has passed» and even if it lingers into Tuesday, there won’t be much to see after Monday night.

Technologies

Last Total Solar Eclipse for 20 Years Is Coming: How to See and Photograph It

It’s your last chance until 2044.

Get your eclipse glasses ready, Skygazers: the Great American Eclipse is on its way. On April 8, there’ll be a total eclipse over North America, the last one until 2044.

A total solar eclipse happens when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, blocking the sun and turning an otherwise sunny day to darkness for a short period of time. Depending on the angle at which you’re viewing the eclipse, you may see the sun completely shrouded by the moon (called totality) or some variation of it. The more off-angle you are and the further you are from the path of the eclipse, the less likely you’ll be to see the totality.

The 2024 total solar eclipse will happen on Monday, April 8. The Great American Eclipse will reach the Mexican Pacific coast at 11:07 a.m. PT (2:07 p.m. ET), and then traverse the US in a northeasterly direction from Texas to Maine, and on into easternmost Canada. If you want a good look at it, but don’t live in the path of totality, you shouldn’t wait much longer to book accommodation and travel to a spot on the path.

Or how about booking a seat in the sky? Delta Airlines made headlines for offering a flight that allows you to see the entire path of totality. Its first eclipse flight, from Austin, Texas, to Detroit sold out quickly. But as of Monday, Delta has added a second flight from Dallas to Detroit, which also covers the path of totality. The airline also has five flights that will offer prime eclipse viewing.

Not everyone can get on one of those elusive eclipse-viewing flights. Here’s a look at other options to nab a chance to see this rare sight and what to know about it.

Total solar eclipse path

The eclipse will cross over the Pacific coast of Mexico and head northeast over mainland Mexico. The eclipse will then make its way over San Antonio at approximately 2:30 p.m. ET on April 8 and move through Texas, over the southeastern part of Oklahoma and northern Arkansas by 2:50 p.m. ET.

By 3 p.m. ET, the eclipse will be over southern Illinois, and just 5 minutes later, will be traveling over Indianapolis. Folks in northwestern Ohio will be treated to the eclipse by 3:15 p.m. ET, and it will then travel over Lake Erie and Buffalo, New York, by 3:20 p.m. ET. Over the next 10 minutes, the eclipse will be seen over northern New York state, then over Vermont. By 3:35 p.m. ET, the eclipse will work its way into Canada and off the Eastern coast of North America.

Best places to watch the Great American Eclipse

When evaluating the best places to watch this year’s total eclipse, you’ll first want to determine where you’ll have the best angle to see the totality. The farther off-angle you are — in other words, the farther north or south of the eclipse’s path — the less of an impact you can expect.

Therefore, if you want to have the best chance of experiencing the eclipse, you’ll want to be in its path. As of this writing, most of the cities in the eclipse’s path have some hotel availability, but recent reports have suggested that rooms are booking up. And as more rooms are booked, prices are going up.

So if you want to be in the eclipse’s path, and need a hotel to do it, move fast. And Delta’s eclipse-viewing flight from Dallas to Detroit has just four seats left at the time of publication.

Eclipse eye safety and photography

As with any solar eclipse, it’s critical you keep eye safety in mind.

During the eclipse, and especially during the periods before and after totality, don’t look directly at the sun without special eye protection. Also, be sure not to look at the sun through a camera (including the camera on your phone), binoculars, a telescope or any other viewing device. This could cause serious eye injury. Sunglasses aren’t enough to protect your eyes from damage.

If you want to view the eclipse, you’ll instead need solar viewing glasses that comply with the ISO 12312-2 safety standard. Anything that doesn’t meet that standard or greater won’t be dark enough to protect your eyes. Want to get them for free? If you’ve got a Warby Parker eyeglasses store nearby, the company is giving away free, ISO-certified solar eclipse glasses at all of its stores from April 1 until the eclipse, while supplies last.

If you don’t have eclipse viewing glasses handy, you can instead use indirect methods for viewing the eclipse, like a pinhole projector.

Read more: A Photographer’s Adventure With the Eclipse

In the event you want to take pictures of the eclipse, attach a certified solar filter to your camera. Doing so will protect your eyes and allow you to take photos while you view the eclipse through your lens.

There’s also a new app to help you both protect your eyes and take better photos of the eclipse on your phone. Solar Snap, designed by a former Hubble Space Telescope astronomer, comes with a Solar Snap camera filter that attaches to the back of an iPhone or Android phone, along with solar eclipse glasses for protecting your eyesight during the event. After you attach the filter to your phone, you can use the free Solar Snap Eclipse app to zoom in on the eclipse, adjust exposure and other camera settings, and ultimately take better shots of the eclipse.

2024 eclipse compared to 2017

The last total solar eclipse occurred in 2017, and many Americans had a great view. Although there are plenty of similarities between the 2017 total solar eclipse and the one coming April 8, there are a handful of differences. Mainly, the 2024 eclipse is going to cover more land and last longer.

The 2017 eclipse started over the northwest US and moved southeast. Additionally, that eclipse’s path was up to 71 miles wide, compared with a maximum width of 122 miles for this year’s eclipse. Perhaps most importantly, the moon completely covered the sun for just 2 minutes, 40 seconds in 2017. This year, maximum totality will last for nearly four-and-a-half minutes.