I’m looking into purchasing my very first 3D printer. Any suggestions?
Enjoy it. You’ll be the envy of everyone
hello Luis make sure to read article [i posted below] :: there’s going to be a huge, gigantic DROP in price$ in 6 to 8 months :: unless you buy a DIY/makerbot type of inexpensive 3d-printer, then u might want to read this article and wait (btw, Staples is gonna start selling a serious printer for about 3 to 4,000 but those are the kinds of machines that will drop in price, great article by a top guy here:: http://qz.com/106483/3d-printing-will-explode-in-2014-thanks-to-the-expiration-of-key-patents/
-1 to @U-Pro 's suggestion. If you want to pay a lot for a printer, get an Ultimaker instead of anything Makerbot. There are other options that are promising, and less expensive (Deezmaker’s Bukobot and Bukito, Makibox) but you may have to wait a while, and some more classic RepRap kits (MakerGear Prusa Mendel, RepRapPro).
If you want to go cheap, go for a “Prusa Mendel” .
Otherwise i suggest a makerbot, since they are widely supported and ready to print out of the box.
Don’t forget the printrbots. They’re good value for what they are and the hot end is excellent.
Suggestion: know what you want, otherwise take any model lol
If you are looking for a plug-and-play FDM printer and can afford it, go for the Up Plus!/Afinia H series. I have had mine for nearly three years, and it is still in excellent working condition. And I bought it because I did not want to tinker, I just wanted a working printer. And it has been. After some time, some greasing of the bearings and calibration is needed, but that they are still making that easier. V2 of the printer is out now too with auto level etc. And they just released a great update for the software too. I am not affiliated with them, but still very happy with what was a scary and exciting investment 
You could get a Printrbot LC for $799 assembled or go as low as $299 for a Printrbot Simple kit. Use the low cost kits to figure out 3D printing then when the next generation of 3D printers come out have money left over to buy the latest and greatest. I think the LC is a sweet spot in price/performance and the prints compare favorably to prints I have handled from a Makerbot Replicator 2 and various RepRap machines. Output on current machines is very dependent on user setup, leveling, calibrating, troubleshooting. If you have the money the Makerbot Replicator 2 is pretty and the support is top notch but again the prints aren’t necessarily any better than a cheaper printer.
+1 to all of the above. I just authorized the purchase of a Makerbot Replicator 2 and am thrilled with it. Yes, it’s expensive, and there are just as good printers that cost less, but we wanted a solid, works-out-of-the-box model for our explorations and it has been rock solid and fun to play with. The ample learning materials let me go from printing items that shipped with the printer to my own creations within a few hours. Awesome. Whatever you get, learn it well and don’t look back.
I’m looking at MakerBot for my middle school classroom. We need something that will work out of the box and has excellent and readily available support. I don’t have the time or ample funding to play around with a variety of models. I hope I am making the right decision.
don"t buy Mix g1 really bad in my experience
Gotta throw my vote in for the RigidBot, even though it’s not out yet. From the KickStarter updates I’ve been getting, it looks to be a great machine (kit)! You can still order one from http://inventapart.com for December delivery.
I’ll add my vote for an Ultimaker. It’s a great machine!