Not every useful upgrade costs serious money. Some of the best things I've added to my 3D printing setup cost under a tenner and genuinely changed how I print. This is a list of the accessories worth buying early - all under £30, most under £15.
A glue stick specifically formulated for 3D printing bed adhesion. Works on glass, smooth PEI, and most other surfaces. Apply a thin layer, let it dry, print. When the bed cools, prints release cleanly and the residue wipes off with a damp cloth.
Much better than hairspray (inconsistent) and regular Pritt Stick (similar but not quite as clean). If you're fighting bed adhesion and don't want to upgrade the print surface yet, Magigoo is the quickest fix.
High-temperature polyimide tape used for protecting wiring, masking parts during post-processing, and as a print surface for certain materials (ABS sticks well to it). A roll lasts a very long time. Cheap, useful across multiple applications, worth having in the toolkit.
Small clips that clip onto the side of a filament spool to stop the end unravelling when you swap spools. Simple solution to a genuinely annoying problem - tangled filament from an unsecured end wastes time and can ruin prints mid-job. A pack of ten costs a few pounds and you can also print your own if you have a printer.
A small foam filter that sits on the filament path between the spool and the extruder. Catches dust and debris before it enters the hotend - particularly useful if you store filament in open air or in a dusty room. Can also be lightly dampened with sewing machine oil to reduce friction in the Bowden tube. Under £8 and takes two minutes to fit.
A set of thin metal blades of known thickness - used for setting bed level on printers with manual levelling. The standard recommendation is to level to a gap of 0.1-0.2mm between nozzle and bed. A feeler gauge is more accurate than the "sheet of paper" method and gives you consistent results. A full metric set costs under £10 and is useful for other DIY tasks too.
Not a purchase - but worth mentioning. Search "first layer calibration square" on Printables or Thingiverse and download a free test file. Print it before every new filament and after any bed changes to confirm your Z offset is right. The fastest way to catch levelling problems before they ruin a real print.
For lubricating linear rods, lead screws, and the Bowden tube interior. Don't use WD-40 or general-purpose oils - they attract dust and gum up over time. PTFE-based dry lubricant is the right choice for 3D printer moving parts. A can lasts a long time and regular lubrication keeps motion smooth and reduces wear.
Replaces the standard springs under the print bed with solid silicone mounts. Springs compress and expand with temperature changes, which means your bed level shifts as the printer heats up. Silicone mounts are stable - set the level once and it stays put. One of the most underrated upgrades for printers with manual bed levelling. Under £8 for a set of four.
For finishing prints after removal - sanding layer lines, cleaning up support marks, preparing surfaces for paint. A set with grits from 120 up to 2000 covers everything from aggressive shaping to final polishing. Wet sanding (with water) produces a smoother finish and reduces dust. Under £10 for a good assorted pack.
Spray primer fills small layer lines and surface imperfections before painting. Apply a thin coat, let it dry, sand lightly, repeat. The result is a surface ready for paint with minimal visible layer lines. Grey primer shows defects clearly - use it before any final colour coat to catch areas that need more sanding. Halfords grey filler primer is a popular choice among 3D printing hobbyists.
If I could only pick three from this list: silicone bed mounts (removes a constant source of frustration), feeler gauges (makes manual levelling repeatable), and sandpaper set (the difference between a rough print and a finished one).
The rest are nice to have rather than essential - but all under £30 and all genuinely useful rather than gimmicky. The filament clips especially - I didn't realise how often I was wasting time dealing with tangled spool ends until I used them.
For anything tools-related, check the best tools for 3D printing guide for the bigger items worth adding to your workshop. And if you want to know how much your prints are actually costing you in filament and electricity, the free Filament Cost Calculator at tools.print3dbuddy.com works it out instantly.