Recs.
Updated
SpecsUpdate
Pros
Pro Sturdily built and reliable
This printer is built with strong materials and well-designed parts, creating a sturdy, strong, final product that's more rigid than many of the bigger printers currently on the market. This is important because it decreases the chance of problems created by mechanical failures and incorrect alignments that can appear after some use.
Pro Harm-proof, therefore suitable for use by children
The Printrbot Play's printhead has a small cover that keeps the extruder hidden. As a printer that can be used by children, this design choice makes sure there are no accidents created by finger contact with hot, moving parts. It has the downside of also stopping us from seeing the object being printed, at least for the first few layers.
Cons
Con No learning experience from the assembly of the printer
The assembly of a 3D Printer that is sold in a DIY kit format is usually an accessible and enjoyable process, even for those that aren't specially tech-savy. It is also an important learning experience for those that are interested in getting into the Maker movement and will probably move to more high-end printers in the future. The Play eliminates this experience, since it's only sold assembled. When it was released, the consumer could choose if he wanted to get it assembled or as a kit, but the lack of demand for the kit format drove it out of the market.
Con No heated bed by default
A heated bed can be added to the Play with some tweaking, but this is a feature that it doesn't have by default. This means it's next to impossible (without the heated bed) to use ABS filaments here, which is unfortunate, since this a widely available filament material.