"The definitive issue with Cheap PLA" Topic

I think I can now be definitive. I bought some cheap PLA about £11.00 GBP delivered. So the final score is, its perfectly OK for Large simple items and is as reliable as the mid £21.00 GBP kg and expensive £50.00 GBP PLA. However its issue is that on small models 1/144 tanks and the like it is unreliable. What happens is that the repeated feed and retractions on a very short length due to detail means that the material can wear away under the gripper teeth and the filament fails to feed. For large simple objects this is not an issue. Hope this helps. It should be OK for say 28mm buildings where the cost saving may be worth while.

I've bought 'cheap' PLA and its is far from cheap – poor diameter control resulting in under extrusion, models on the build plate breaking apart and then melting all over the print head and generally %^&*( up my printer. I'll be sticking with at least mid-priced PLA of a reliable brand (surprisingly Aldi is good PLA, but I think I know who makes it for them locally) rather than blank box stuff – just not worth the hassles.

Aldi is good, but here in AUS it isn't cheap, falls in the middle to middle upper price band. And I broadly agree, the $15 USDAUS is fine for terrain, but for detail the $25 USD+ is required