Heat of the night

[janoc]

I use the standard coated borosilicate bed on a CR6-SE, just clean it every few prints with soap and water, dry off with a microfibre cloth, job done.

Great adhesion with PLA, PLA+ and PETG, prints just slide off when the bed has cooled, no need for any messy glue or extras.

For PLA and PLA+ you don't need any glue when printing on (clean!) glass, even though it doesn't harm.

Glue is needed for printing ABS, maybe ASA and nylon because those filaments don't stick to glass at all without help. Also, those filaments shrink more as they cool, which tends to cause the prints to warp and peel off the bed prematurely. Glue helps with that.

PETG - depends. E.g. my G-FIL roll doesn't stick so well to glass, so it works better with Dimafix coated glass.

If you don't like using glue then PEI surface works quite well. Just don't try to print PETG on it or your will destroy it - it is almost impossible to peel the print off after it cools from the PEI sheet. Another good alternative is garolite (i.e. normal FR4 laminate without the copper cladding).

Obviously, if the bed isn't level or the z-offset isn't set up correctly, then no amount of glue will fix that.

[pipe2null]

Just throwing my 2 cents at OP:

I always, always recommend first time 3DP-ers get a Prusa if you can fit it into your budget.  If you want to get into tinkering, buy the Prusa kit and build the machine screw by screw, but with excellent build instructions and support.  Prusa's firmware includes a series of pre-flight checks that self-tests for the most common build screwups and ensures wiring and whatnot are in working order.  For the most part, Prusa's are mostly automated bed leveling, plus automatic mesh bed leveling prior to each print.  6 months ago I bought my first Creality and discovered just how spoiled I have been with my Prusa Mk3S/MMU2.  Don't get me wrong, there are some things I really like about my Creality, but getting it up and running with usable print results was a significant PITA compared to getting my prusa built from scratch and running with reliably good print quality.

I have not heard of any Prusa's catching fire overnight.  If your lab is a tinderbox, it's probably a good idea to keep some fire extinguishers and working smoke detectors in there anyway, regardless of whether you have a 3d printer running.

[Ranayna]

To second @pipe2null:

My first 3D printer was an ANET A8. I got that, and immediatly ordered additional parts, putting the total cost to around 200 Euro, after reading about the ANET in a german magazine.

I *loved* building it. I loved tinkering with it. I was aware of its limitations and dangers, i never ran it unattended.
I got decent print quality out of it, after significant work, but i ever used it only for PLA. Due to its flimsy frame i never got rid of ghosting, and i had to reduce speed in general quite a bit.
But it was a learning experience.

I was never really happy with it though, since it needed adjusting for each print.
Well the topic concluded itself, after i dropped the thing during move

So the search for a new printer started. I again wanted a kit, with as much to assemble as possible. I did not want another A8, because of its limitations. I wanted something better.
And the only thing i was able to find was the Prusa i3 MK3s+ kit.
The build experience was great. Almost boring though, not nearly as much tinkering required as with the A8
And the thing printed flawlessly from the start, and still does. Absolutely no hassle: Plug in, swab the bed with bit of IPA, load filament, print. I only ever had issues with crappy filament, never with the printer itself.
The only maintenance i do is occasionally cleaning the rods, and applying a bit of lubricant.