Here are the best resin options for your SLA/DLP 3D printer

When faced with multiple colors and multiple types, it's easy to get turned around when trying to choose the right 3D printing resin. You want it to print quickly, but stay strong without becoming brittle. We've used as many as possible to bring you some of the best you can buy, but our favorite is Siraya Tech Fast, which prints smoothly and quickly.

Best Overall: Siraya Tech Fast

I have been using Siraya Tech Fast for a few months now, and it's consistently the best resin I've used. Every print I have made with it so far has printed perfectly, and the resin seems to help smooth out layer lines that may appear. It's especially good at creating hollow prints since the resin maintains the strength of the part without being brittle.

It's called "fast" resin for a good reason, too. Most resin prints with an exposure time of around 9-11 seconds with a first layer exposure in 60-70 seconds. The Siraya Tech can give you the same quality print at just 6-8 seconds and the first layer in 40-45 seconds. Now I know those numbers don't sound all that different, but when you are printing a model with 1,800 layers, shaving off a few seconds per layer makes a big difference.

Siraya Tech is a great company too. It works hard to make sure you are satisfied and are always happy to participate in community events. The only issue I would mention is to be careful when you cure the white resin; it can yellow off if you cure it too much.

Pros:

• No bad smell
• Prints smoothly
• Prints extremely quickly

Cons:

• The white can discolor if over-cured

Best Overall

Siraya Tech Fast

$32 from Amazon

Amazing prints

I love the fast resin from Siraya Tech. It makes printing models stress free, and the models print quickly without being brittle.

Best Bulk Buy: AnyCubic UV sensitive resin (1 liter)

When I first got my Photon DLP 3D printer, it came with a 500ml bottle of AnyCubic resin, and I loved it straight away. The transparent, almost glass-like quality was mesmerizing, but the bottle only had a 500ml capacity, and I wasted a lot of it learning how to use the printer. AnyCubic sells its resins in one-liter bottles too, though, so I snagged one to keep me going. If you have a little extra money, it pays to buy in bulk.

If you are going to buy in bulk, make sure you have a cool, dry place to put all the bottles of resin and make sure they are away from kids and animals. Resin is dangerous and should be treated like bleach or other toxic chemicals.

Pros:

• Low price for a lot of resin
• Beautiful clarity
• Easy to print with

Cons:

• Can appear cloudy if you don't cure correctly

Best Bulk Buy

AnyCubic UV sensitive resin 1 Litre

$40+ at Amazon

The more, the merrier!

Not only do AnyCubic make excellent 3D printers, but they also produce high-quality resin. It's pricey, but worth it for 1000ml.

Great All-rounder: eSUN General Purpose Resin

eSun general-purpose resin is, as the name implies, a general-purpose material for 3D printing using an SLA/DLP printer. It can be used to print cosmetic models — D&D miniatures look fantastic in it — or used to make more mechanical prints, like replacement parts or prototypes.

The general-purpose resin from eSun is perfect for those of us who want to try different applications of printing, as opposed to drilling down into something specific. With it's high tolerance to heat variances and seemingly magical ability to bring out details even when it's overexposed, it gives you a chance to experiment without every print failing spectacularly.

Unless you have a particular use case for your resin — metal casting, for example — then the general purpose resin is an excellent choice for all your needs.

Pros:

• Great price
• Even coloring
• Prints smoothly
• Bottle is airtight

Cons:

• Can be a little brittle
• The edges can pale if over-cured

Great All-rounder

eSUN General Purpose Photopolymer Resin

$30 from Amazon

Amazing prints

The eSun General purpose resin has made an almost perfect print every time we've used it. For 500ml, the price is excellent too.

Best Budget Resin: ELEGOO 3D Rapid Resin

I've been using a lot of the ELEGOO resin recently to reduce my outlays. It's super cheap and gives a great overall model. Some of the details may be lost, but you can tune it pretty well to provide you with an overall high-quality product. I particularly like the gray as it shows any issues in the print very clearly, allowing you to fix the print easily.

I would use the ELEGOO for those models you are thinking of post-processing — sanding and painting this resin works well — or if you are printing large models without too fine details since a lot of definition can be lost.

Pros:

• Great value for money
• Consistently good quality
• Great for post-processing

Cons:

• Some definition can be lost
• Very brittle

Best Budget resin

ELEGOO 3D Rapid Resin

$22 at Amazon

Cheap and cheerful

Elegoo is the cheapest resin out there, and the quality is pretty good. Buy this if you plan to post-process your models.

Best for Toughness: Siraya Tech Tough (blu)

There is a lot of reason to choose Siraya Tech (blue) as your resin of choice. Firstly the blue is gorgeous — it looks like tropical water on a clear day — but more importantly, it's tough. Resin can be extremely brittle once it is cured, making it unsuitable for anything other than model making.

As 3D printing enthusiast Chris Russell shows in this picture, you can even make parts for other 3D printers using the Siraya Tech tough resin, and they will look beautiful and be strong as heck.

The Siraya (blue) is extremely tough and can withstand impacts — even high falls and drops — much better than any resin I've used before it. This makes it useful for building cases and objects that are more useful than just pretty models to sit on a shelf.

Pros:

• Impact-resistant
• So pretty!
• Good for tough jobs

Cons:

• Expensive

Best for Toughness

Siraya Tech Tough (blu)

$45 from Amazon

Extra tough

The biggest issue with resin printing is the fragility of the finished product. This resin is extra sturdy and droppable!

Bottom line

The Siraya Tech Fast resin is the best resin out there right now. It's straightforward to use and very forgiving if you do mess up the settings. It lives up to its Fast name as well, allowing you to print what you need in a much shorter time limit.

I use the Siraya Tech every day, and if you want a resin that balances value for money and exceptional results, then this is the right resin for you.

If you are looking to print as many prints as possible, though, you may want to look at the Anycubic 1 liter options. They seem to offer the best deals on bulk buying, and if you are new to resin printing, you will need all the resin you can get!

Credits — The team that worked on this guide

James Bricknell has been in the 3D printing game for four years and has one claim to fame; He has met the 3D Printing Nerd. Find his ramblings on Twitter @keridel