I wasted too much money 3D printing these everyday items when I should have just bought them

Published Aug 6, 2026, 2:00 PM EDT Sydney Butler is a technology writer with over 20 years of experience as a freelance PC technician and system builder and over a decade as a professional writer. He's worked for more than a decade in user education. On How-To Geek, he writes commerce content, guides, opinions, and specializes in editing hardware and cutting edge technology articles. Sydney started working as a freelance computer technician around the age of 13, before which he was in charge of running the computer center for his school. (He also ran LAN gaming tournaments when the teachers weren't looking!) His interests include VR, PC, Mac, gaming, 3D printing, consumer electronics, the web, and privacy. He holds a Master of Arts degree in Research Psychology with a minor in media and technology studies. His masters dissertation examined the potential for social media to spread misinformation. Outside of How-To Geek, he hosts the Online Tech Tips YouTube Channel, and writes for Online Tech Tips, Switching to Mac, and Helpdesk Geek. Sydney also writes for Expert Reviews UK. He also has bylines at 9to5Mac, 9to5Google, 9to5Toys, Tom's Hardware, MakeTechEasier, and Laptop Mag. Owning a 3D printer is like having your own little factory. In theory, this can save you money, because instead of ordering some plastic stuff online, you can print it for mere cents on the dollar. Right? In practice, things don't always work out that way, and the only way the 3D-printed alternative is "cheaper" requires that your time, attention, and frustration aren't worth anything. These are just a few examples of when I've run into this little conundrum myself. Making my own LEGO All in all, it's just another brick in the trash Have you seen the price of LEGO these days? I have a few sets either purchased or received as gifts, and the brick-to-dollar ratio is not looking great. When I was a kid, I had a big tub of random LEGO and thought nothing of it, if only I had saved it for my retirement! Apart from a crippling LEGO Speed Champions addiction, I've managed to avoid spending too much money on LEGO, but since I have 3D printers, and LEGO is made from plastic, I thought why not try to print my own LEGO? Credit: Sydney Louw Butler/How-To Geek Well, that's exactly what I did, but the results were not impressive. I can get over the bricks having a substandard finish. After all, in many LEGO builds not all the bricks are actually visible, so this could have been a bulk-brick solution. The problem comes from the fit. LEGO bricks really are made to an exacting standard with precise tolerances. So my printed bricks either fit too tightly or too loosely. I'm sure with precise calibration I could make it better, but is it worth the effort? I decided the answer was "no," after wasting more filament than I could justify. Especially since you can buy injection-molded LEGO-compatible bricks for cheap these days. ELEGOO Centauri Carbon 2 Build Volume 256 × 256 × 256 mm Connectivity Wi-Fi The ELEGOO Centauri Carbon 2 builds on the solid foundation of its predecessor and adds an affordable, effective multicolor system to the mix. Making vases and plant pots This idea didn't hold water My wife has been an avid gardener ever since she somehow figured out the secret to not killing plants a few years ago. Apparently it has something to do with soil drainage, but I'll be honest and admit I wasn't really listening. Anyway, she keeps buying these boring little planters and pots, and they actually aren't that cheap when you're buying a whole bunch of them. So I thought, why not print some instead? They work out much cheaper and the designs are more interesting. Credit: Sydney Louw Butle / How-To Geek I even paid for a few designs that looked neat, and went about producing them. They were great to print. The designs are something you probably won't get from another production process at this cost. It was super fast, though they did use more filament than I'd have liked. That would have been fine, except once we'd actually filled them with wet soil, it all fell apart. Yeah, those layers are still permeable to water, so it came right out the sides. Wet soil might still have worked if you carefully kept it moist, but even slightly too much moisture, and it came right through the walls. Of course, I tried PETG as well, and some setting tweaks, but unless you actually seal the planters as part of the finishing process, they just won't hold moisture in. At that point, it's cheaper and easier just to get store-bought examples instead. Phone and laptop stands Stand and don't deliver What you see above is the famous "octopus phone stand" of which there have been an infinite number of remixes and tweaks. When I first got access to a 3D printer back in 2015, I made a bunch of these for my colleagues. We were almost as new to smartphones as we were to 3D printers, so mistakes were made on both sides. In the end, phone stands haven't been something I've actually used, but when I did need one, a foldable model with a hinge made more sense, and unless you have the time to mess with metal parts, it's cheaper just to buy one from the store. I also tried to print a laptop stand when I got my first large-bed 3D printer, but similarly, this is only really feasible if you have a design with some metal parts to make it sturdy enough, and fold with reliability. Ultimately, I just threw those printed stands away and bought ones from a store. Pencil holders and organizers The pen is mightier if you can find it Credit: Sydney Louw Butler / How-To Geek They promised us a paperless future, but the reality is that we still work with paper all the time for both work and leisure, and so we need some way to organize all the pencils, markers and brushes. Likewise, I have drawers full of bits and pieces for hobbies that I have, and my wife does beadwork, painting, sewing and more. I bought a few models and grabbed a few free ones, and from a purely functional perspective, these organizers do work. But they don't stand up to daily use, and use way more filament than you'd expect or if you're too stingy with the filament, they are too weak and bits break off. Injection-molded pencil holders were ultimately so much stronger and durable, that again we just went to a store and bought some. I do still enjoy my little buddy with his legs hanging over the edge though. 10/10 for pure cuteness. 3D printers can absolutely justify themselves, just ask any photography hobbyist who uses one to keep the bills down.