01_METHODOLOGY
Most cost calculators ask "what's your wattage?" Ours asks "which printer?" — and we already know.
WHAT_OUR_CALC_DOES_DIFFERENTLY
v2026.1_STABLEGeneric 3D printing cost calculators (Prusa3D, PrintPal, Omni Calculator) all share one frustrating step: they ask you to enter your printer's wattage. Most users don't know it, manufacturer specs are scattered across PDFs, and the answer changes wildly between idle and full heat-up.
We pre-loaded the wattage for every printer we cover. Bambu Lab spec sheets, Creality datasheets, Prusa technical specs, ELEGOO documentation — all read into src/data/printer-power.ts with citations. Pick your printer; the math runs with the right number.
The calculator includes filament cost (real Amazon prices, not aspirational), electricity cost (defaults to the US average, override with your rate), and a benchy unit conversion ("$0.18 per Benchy") because raw cost-per-hour is harder to relate to than "the toy boat costs me less than a vending machine soda."
Failure rate is the place generic calculators get cute. We default to 5% based on our 90-day testing — the realistic number for an experienced user with a tuned printer. Toggle it off if you're an absolute pro; raise it if you're starting out. The calculator does not pretend prints always succeed.
