Should You Get a Bed Slinger or a CoreXY 3D Printer? (With Minimal Regret)

 If you’re getting into 3D printing (or leveling up your game), you’ve probably stumbled upon the great debate: Bed Slinger vs. CoreXY. Sounds dramatic, right? Like a futuristic gladiator battle where printers duke it out for dominance. In reality, it’s more about physics, motion systems, and—let’s be honest—how much pain you’re willing to endure for print quality.

Let’s break it down so you don’t make a decision that haunts you every time your prints fail at layer 37.

What Even Are These?

Bed Slingers (aka Cartesian-style printers)

These are the most common printers, and they move the print bed back and forth on the Y-axis while the print head moves on the X and Z axes. Examples include the Anycubic Kobra, Prusa MK3S, and pretty much every cheap printer on Amazon.

The biggest advantage of bed slingers is that they’re affordable. Most budget-friendly printers fall into this category. They’re also simple and easy to fix, with fewer moving parts, which makes troubleshooting way easier. Plus, if you run into issues, there’s a massive community ready to help. Need a tutorial? There are a million on YouTube, and at least half of them will get to the point in under five minutes.

But bed slingers have their drawbacks. Speed is limited because the bed moves, creating a lot of inertia, which makes fast printing a shaky, ghosting-ridden nightmare. They also take up more space since the bed moves in and out, so if you’re working in a tight area, that could be an issue. On top of that, fast movements can cause vibrations, making your prints look worse if you push the speed too much.

CoreXY Printers

These use a different motion system where the bed only moves up and down (Z-axis), and the print head moves in an interconnected X-Y system, usually using belts. Think Bambu Lab A1, Voron, or RatRig printers.

The main appeal of CoreXY printers is speed. Since the bed stays still and only moves in the Z direction, there’s less inertia, meaning you can print way faster without sacrificing quality. The print quality also stays cleaner at high speeds. Another big plus is that CoreXY printers have a more compact footprint, making them better for small spaces.

The downside? They’re more expensive, with even budget CoreXY printers costing more than an Anycubic Kobra. They’re also more complicated to build and repair, so if something breaks, you might find yourself watching a five-part tutorial series while pretending you know what a "kinematic mount" is. Belt tensioning can also be annoying—if you get it wrong, your prints will be trash, and you won’t always know why.

Which One Should YOU Get?

You Should Get a Bed Slinger If…

If you’re new to 3D printing and don’t want to spend a ton of money, a bed slinger is the way to go. They’re reliable, easy to fix, and have a huge support community. You’ll get slower prints, but if reliability is more important than speed, this is your best bet.

You Should Get a CoreXY If…

If you want fast, high-quality prints and don’t mind spending extra, go for a CoreXY. It’s a great option if you enjoy fine-tuning and optimizing your machine. These printers take up less space, print faster, and produce cleaner results, but they require more setup and maintenance.

So, What’s the Verdict?

If you just want a cheap, easy, and beginner-friendly printer, get a bed slinger like the Anycubic Kobra. If you’re serious about printing at high speeds and want the Ferrari of consumer printers, go CoreXY.

At the end of the day, both types can produce great prints—it just depends on your patience, budget, and how much you enjoy fixing things at 2 AM when a layer shift ruins your 20-hour print. Choose wisely!