The Best PETG Filament (2021) | Top Picks + Buyers Guide
3D printing has had a massive surge of popularity in recent times. Both due to increasing awareness of the practice and how accessible it is to get into these days. A decent 3D printer can be pretty cheap now and there’s no better time to get involved. 3D printing can take some time to get used and there’s a fair bit to learn but there are tons of benefits to owning a 3D printer. One of the most important parts of owning a 3D printer is maintenance and ensuring you buy high-quality materials, including the best PETG filament.
Table of Contents
Best PETG Filament Guide
In this case, you want to be getting high-quality filament that will ensure you get great-looking prints. And the main types of filament you can get are ABS, PLA, and finally PETG. With the latter being what we’re focusing on in this list. PETG filament is easy to use and has several benefits over the other types of filament you can use. But since there are tons of different brands you could be buying from, we’ve gathered some of the best that you can get right now.
Dikale PETG
For the first option on this list, we’ve gone for a cheaper filament for people who don’t want to spend too much money. We’ve gone for this PETG filament from Dikale for its low price and good quality. For newcomers to 3D printing or people who don’t print often, it’s wise to look for cheaper brands. That way you save money and don’t overspend on something that you don’t really need. This particular filament comes in a 1 kg spool and comes in a handful of different colors. Ranging from black to blue, clear, grey, orange, and red. It’s a fairly small range of colors but the important ones are here.
The quality of the filament is actually very good considering the price point. You may expect it to be a far lesser product due to the price but that isn’t necessarily true. The colors that it comes in are vibrant and look great once used to make a model. Plus the packaging that it comes in is really well made. It contains the spool perfectly and makes this feel like a premium product. It also provides a clean, smooth surface when used correctly. Make sure you pay attention to the recommended temperature settings so you get the best possible print.
There have been a couple of reports that some people have had a bad experience with this filament. Though it could be down to not following the instructions carefully or not playing well with certain printers. When it does come out properly it creates fantastic quality prints. But you may want to stay away from this filament if you’d rather a more consistent option. Overall though this is a great budget choice for newcomers to 3D printing or for those who want to save some money.
Pros:
- Affordable
- Good Print Quality
- Great Packaging
Cons:
- Quality Varies
- Limited Colour Options
SUNLU PETG Filament
Next up on our list, we’ve got a PETG filament that produces great-looking 3D models. We’ve gone for this filament from SUNLU for both its affordability and good quality materials. This is another option that would be great for those who don’t want to spend a lot of money on 3D printing materials. But you aren’t missing out on the quality of more expensive options either. Though if you care about having a particular color of filament you may be disappointed. Since the single spools on offer here only come in black, grey, clear, and white. The orange, red and pink options only being available in a triple spool pack.
The quality of the filament itself is really good, it allows for detailed prints that have clean surfaces. Though there are a couple of potential issues that you should know about before purchasing it. PETG filaments can be a little tricky to use for their first time and this filament is no exception. Since you need to find that perfect operating temperature to ensure that you get a good surface without any kind of warping.
This filament in particular has had a couple of reports that it can be tricky to use for the first few prints. So if you are a complete beginner to 3D printing this may not be the filament that you should go for. Luckily the filament is widely compatible with most 3D FDM printers so you shouldn’t run into any issues there. And when this filament does work correctly it offers some great quality prints. Though it may take some tinkering to get it right, the low price point makes this an easier purchase.
Pros:
- Affordable
- Good Print Quality
- Wide Compatibility
Cons:
- Quality Varies
- Limited Colour Options
Duramic 3D PETG
For our next option on this list, we’ve gone for a filament that comes in a wide range of colors. We’ve chosen this filament from Duramic for its high quality and color varieties. For people who like to have a specific color of filament for their 3D models, you’re in luck here. This filament comes in black, blue, clear, cyan, green, grey, magenta, marble, orange, red, and finally yellow. The color range on offer here is fantastic and it should have almost every kind of color you’d need. Handy for people who don’t paint their models after printing them but still want to have access to different colors.
The quality of the prints that this filament produces is really good. It creates strong models that don’t tend to have any warping or glaring imperfections. Plus the surfaces that it creates are smooth and have great definition. The quality of the filament itself is really good since it’s made with higher quality materials than cheaper brands. So you should be able to get some really good-looking prints with this filament. This is all provided that you use it correctly of course and use the correct temperature that it needs.
It recommends that the nozzle be 240°C and the bed be somewhere between 70°C to 80°C. So if you set your printer to those settings you should have the optimal conditions for printing. But if you have issues with warping, adhesion or stringiness then you may need to do some more test prints to figure out what the right settings are for you. Once that’s all sorted you should have a great time with this filament. And since it isn’t too expensive, it should be reasonably affordable for people who don’t 3D print very often.
Pros:
- Large Colour Variety
- Great Print Quality
- Wide Compatibility
Cons:
- Tricky to Use
- May Require Test Prints
JAYO PETG
Our next option on this list is geared towards more experienced printers that prefer to use quality filaments. We’ve chosen this filament from JAYO for its high quality and compatibility. In terms of ease of use, PETG will always be a bit tricky to use properly. But this filament manages to make the process slightly easier than cheaper options simply by being of higher quality. The materials in use here are fairly high quality and as such create great prints in the end. Though there is a big issue when it comes to color selection. Since there are only black and white colors available in single spools. And you’ll need to spend more on the multiple spool packs to get blue, grey, and red.
When it comes to the actual quality of the prints made with this filament, there’s a lot to like. There are no obvious warping, stringiness, or adhesion issues when used in the correct conditions. But like with most PETG filaments getting those right conditions can be a pain. They recommend that the nozzle should be somewhere between 230°C to 250°C and that the bed should be between 60°C and 80°C. If you can get these settings the filament should work just fine, but also be prepared to do some tests to make sure you know what you’re working with.
The packaging for the filament is also really good and keeps the spool safe in transit. While the spool itself is rounded well and should feed into most printers without any issues. The biggest problems with this filament are the lack of color choices and its finicky nature. But if colors aren’t a problem for you and you can deal with PETG issues then this is a great option to go for.
Pros:
- Great Print Quality
- Wide Compatibility
- Great Packaging
Cons:
- Tricky to Use
- Limited Colour Options
OVERTURE PETG
For our final option on this list, we’ve gone for a filament that is suited to 3D printing enthusiasts. We’ve chosen this filament from OVERTURE for its great quality and wide range of color options. This option is frankly not very cheap and beginners to 3D printing should not start here when looking for filament. Simply because it isn’t worth it unless you need or have a desire for high-quality filament. Though for those who are interested in it there is a wide range of colors to choose from. The selection being black, blue, green, light grey, orange, pink, purple, red, white, dark grey, and yellow.
In terms of the quality that you can expect from this filament, it’s fantastic. The models that it produces are detailed, lack the most glaring imperfections, and don’t have obvious warping. This is of course provided that you are using the correct settings on your printer. They recommend that your nozzle temperature should be between 230°C and 250°C, while the bed should be between 80°C and 90°C. Once your printer has been calibrated to these settings the filament should work as intended. But of course, as with all PETG filaments, you may need to do some more fine-tuning on your own 3D printer.
The models that this filament produces are strong and detailed which is what you want from a filament-like this. Because this option isn’t cheap and great results should be expected. But if this is something that you can afford this is a great option. It produces fantastic-looking models while being widely compatible and coming in a range of colors. 3D printing enthusiasts can’t really go wrong with this choice.
Pros:
- Fantastic Print Quality
- Wide Compatibility
- Large Colour Variety
Cons:
- Tricky to Use
- Expensive
Buying Guide
If you’ve found some of the information here a bit overwhelming and you aren’t quite sure which filament you should purchase, don’t worry! In this section, we’ll be giving you some advice about 3D printing and filament.
The advantages and disadvantages of PETG filament
PETG (Poly-ethylene terephthalate glycol) is a pretty common type of filament for FDM printers. About as common as PLA (Poly-lactic acid) tends to be, yet the two kinds of filament have quite a few differences. PLA tends to be cheaper and easier to use in most cases. This is why it’s recommended that beginners to 3D printing stick with this type. Since you’re much less likely to run into any filament-related issues. PETG is more favorable to experienced printers due to the fact that it produces stronger, well-defined prints. So it’s better suited to prints that are going to be used for tougher jobs or items that have more of an active function to them.
But PETG filament is harder to work with during the printing process. Since it is a stronger material, that can have an adverse effect on the finish of the end product. Issues like stringiness can occur which can make your printed item look very ugly. And the process of cleaning and preparing the item at this point could be time consuming and ultimately not worth the time investment. Though in the right hands PETG can also be a fantastic material to work with. Since it can create stronger models at the end of the day and that’s extremely important for some prints.
How does 3D printing work?
The process of 3D printing is an interesting one and it has quite a few steps. The first and most important thing to have is a decent PC. Whether that be your gaming laptop or your work desktop, just make sure that it can handle some 3D modeling software. These include, but aren’t limited to:
- AutoCAD
- FreeCAD
- Autodesk Revit
- Solidworks
There’s tons of software out there and a lot of it is pretty good and will do what you need it to. Now the performance of your PC is going to be what decides how well these programs run. It’s important that your specs either meet the recommended requirements or exceed them. The last thing you want is to wait a lifetime for the software to open, get stuttering every 30 seconds and finally after about an hour your printing. No one wants that, so let’s use the Solidworks system requirements as a gauge:
- Windows 10
- 16GB RAM (minimum)
Or
- 32GB RAM (recommended)
- At least 20GB of free space on a hard drive or SSD
- 4GB VRAM
So these requirements are not the most taxing in the world and chances are that you already have a good enough PC to run something like Solidworks. But if you don’t there are numerous ways of getting a machine with these specs for a decent price. After you’ve done all of that, you’re ready to get started with some printing.
Tips:
- You can get PETG filament for a pretty low price from some brands. But this will often be of a poorer quality than more expensive options. Due to the manufacturing of the filament itself. Cheaper manufacturing processes tend to have a bad effect on some filaments which can lead to a lower quality end product.
- Most PETG filaments you can get are compatible with a wide variety of printers. It’s pretty rare to find a filament that is not compatible with your FDM printer but it can happen. So be sure to double check if your printer will accept it or not.
- If you’re a complete novice to 3D printing and you want to try out PETG filament, make sure you follow the instructions on how to use it properly. And prepare to do a few test prints to finger out the best settings for your prints.
Verdict – The Best PETG Filament
That’s been our list for The Best PETG Filaments. If it helped you out at all be sure to let us know about it in the comments below! Thanks for reading.
