Laser cutter/engraver vs. CNC vs. 3D printer

[LCHIEN]

These are similar but different. I have considered dabbling in all three of them at one point in time.
planning ahead to the day when I have to give up the house and shop and maybe have to do indoor hobbies in a retirement apartment.

Things to consider are

• entry cost Lasers engravers seem to have low cost of entry
• Cost of consumables - 3D printing seems to be cheap
• utility - 3D printers have great utility for people who like to make other stuff What makes the best gizmos/gifts to use or give away?
• ease of learning - laser engraving seems to have a lower learning curve CNC would seem to be very high.
• usefulness of finished products - sale? toys? Gadgets? Curiousity? Personalized presents?
• here's one issue - cleanliness. Laser engravers seem to be a bad idea, burning smell and ultrafine smoke/dust - I could not use one in an apartment (looking ahead to retirement home) and a CNC would be messy. Maybe 3D printer is best for an indoors hobby when I can no longer have a dedicated shop?
• Noise?
• Space?

What else to consider?

I currently have a little mini laser engraver, does only 1.5" x 1.5" print area. I think I'd need one with 10x the capacity about 15" square.

[d_meister]

I have a 3D printer sitting next to my desk, and it comes in handy for all kinds of things. Adjustable drawer organizers, storage boxes the exact right size, pegboard hangers for odd shaped things, shop-vac tool adapters. The potential is limitless.
Once you're familiar with the design aspect and capabilities, you can just casually make things. Filaments for printing can be cheap; I typically pay less than $20 for a 1 kilo roll that lasts a really long time. I might use 1 or 2 rolls a year. Prints are usually pennies, so I can afford to make mistakes. Lots of them
If you're not adept at CAD 3D software, there is a free online Autodesk product, TinkerCad.com, that is easy to use and is nothing like the usual CAD design software , yet it's provided by Autodesk and can transition designs from it to the real-deal Autocad Fusion 360. Both products are free to use for folks like us.
There are also on-line libraries of free downloadable designs, like Printables.com and Thingiverse.com, that are ready to print. Go to either of those and you'll see the weird stuff folks make, and you can search for useful things, like "tools", or "organizers".
3D printing has had a difficult learning curve in the past, but new printers from Bambu Labs are turn-key and start at around $400. My printer is an $89 refurbished off brand that was a struggle with the learning curve

Bambu Labs has a 3D printer that can also do laser and cutting,
https://us.store.bambulab.com/products/h2d

[Jim Frye]

I would think a 3D printer would be preferable due to wide array of materials and shapes they can print. My neighbor has one and prints all sorts of things with it. He currently has a side gig going making custom beer tap pulls for pubs and the several micro-breweries we have here. There are also a ton of print files of objects on line that you can download, modify, and print.