Having dry filament when you are printing is imperative. Wet filament can cause clogs and poor-quality prints. I didn't have many problems with my filament, but I noticed when I used special filaments like Overture Rock or any silk PLAs like Amolen Silk Multicolor, I was getting clogs and the filament wasn't feeding through the bowden tube easily. In some cases, I was getting cracking/popping sounds while printing, and the finished print wasn't smooth. I finally broke down and got myself a Sunlu Dryer. I couldn't have been happier!
SUNLU Filament Dryer
The Sunlu Dryer has been a great purchase! I no longer had any issues with filament feeling stuck going through the bowden tube when loading and unloading. My filament no longer snapped when loading and unloading. I have had no clogs when using regular PLA, and far fewer - almost none in fact - when using silk or marble or other specialty PLA filaments.
More importantly, the quality of the prints has been much more consistent.
The Sunlu Dryer was easy to set up, simply plug it in! Loading and unloading the filament is quick and easy.
The door opens all the way, so it will lay flat on the table. Make sure you have room to open it all the way and be careful not to drop it when opening it. You wouldn't want to crack it, though I think that would be difficult unless there was something it fell onto.
I found it was best to load my filament in the dryer and turn it on and let it sit in the dryer for about 10 to 15 minutes before using it.
The dryer will automatically shut off after 24 hours, so if you have a very long print you may want to turn it back on. It holds the temperature and humidity level pretty well after it shut off, but if you are running a really long print, make sure to check and turn it on again. There are some models that will turn off as soon as 5 hours, so make sure to read the fine print if you are shopping around.
I'm very happy with the end results and the ease of use. If you are having issues with consistent temperature/humidity in your print area, or difficulties printing with specialty filaments, I strongly recommend getting the Sunlu Dryer.