What are some of your favorite/go-to filaments?

[ChillswitchEngage]

I was/am a die hard Overture fan for PLA+ and PETG for doing majority of my utility/paintball prints in, but I've been hearing good things about Elegoo recently too. And their rapid PETG, and PLA+ for under ~$15/KG was catching my eye. Anyone have experience with this brand? Otherwise, what sort of filaments do y'all like to print with? Related; I wanted to try and dip my toes into airbrushing models. Would airbrushed prints plus a protective coating of some kind stand up to hits?

[XEMON]

The more i print PLA, the more i hate it ... britle and doesnt hold to stress or any temperature ... The only PLA i use anymore is silk for pretty knickknack.
My go to filaments are ASA or TPU for impact resistance.

You are gopign to have a hard time painting PLA or PETg without a lot of prep (sanding and primer)
Have you considered resin print for painting?

[ChillswitchEngage]

I do not have a resin printer or the funds for one at the moment. I got the sense those were mainly for peeps looking for high detail miniatures vs functional prints so to speak. Yeah, the PLA I used to print a trigger snapped over a weekend of playing. Still gotta play with the temp, layer height, wall settings/etc a bit it seems. I'd use PLA+ or PETG for it but those bend too much and dont feel as "crisp" for the pull. TPU I do not have much experience with for functional parts except for a speedfeed and rollout widget thing. I want to try and make phone cases and other stuff with it though.

When I painted previous PLA models with a brush and acrylic paint I do not remember having trouble getting the paint to stick, I've heard PETG can be harder to work with in that regard for sanding/finishing/painting.

[XEMON]

Resin print can very much be practical, butt resin get VERY expensive VERY fast ... there is so much more specialized resin than there is filaments.
I used PETg for a while, and when i discovered ASA i never looked back, but a heated enclosure is highly recommended for good results (but i know someone printing ASA on an Ender 3 ... )
You can get a small resin printer on ebay for under $10 refurb, its's a good way to get you feet wet and finger sticky 😜

TPU can be a pain top print, but if you can manage the stringing, its highly underrated in its usefulness. I really like the harder TPU, easier to print, have a little give, but hold their shapes and you can hit them with a hammer without any damages.

The determining question is: What printer do you have?
Enclosure, especially heated and regulated, will be a big factor on what you can print without being a pain 😅

[Chemical-x.....ahain]

elegoo has been my preference for PLA+.
Neon green, black, gray white purple have permanent residence in one of my X1s.