The Ender series is a bitch of dialing it in for it to work nicely for a while and then randomly (or with a filament change) it's a dog until you get it right again (at least on the older models I have had - the original ender 3, and ender 3 v2, and a few others that are the same thing more or less). I did move to a g10 build plate on my ender 3v2 and it was way better with bed adhesion (no glue or the other alternatives).
My needs evolved where I need to print some more abrasive and harder to print materials that need an enclosure. I had a Mk4 on order until I decided the ethos of the company (I really like the open nature of Prusa) shouldn't require that I get a lesser printer for the same price and ultimately went to a Bambu X1C. I am not really interested in the 3d printing hobby (where I have to tinker with a printer all the time), I want to 3d print things as prototypes/tools/gifts/whatever and not really have to think a lot about it. The X1C realized that for me.
Of course now, for most needs the Bambu A1 is <$400 and is supposedly every bit as good as, if not better than, the Mk4 ($1200+). Granted, the source code isn't open, it reports back to china some things, and probably other concerns people may have that are likely legit. Gotta pick your poison.
Anyway, long story short - for the Creality Ender 3 style printers, I would look at the G10 build plate and make sure you dial in your z-offset. Ideally you also have the BL Touch (or creality's equivalent, CL Touch?) that can do some bed leveling for you in the firmware.
That's great information and some good hands on experience with other machines along the way. As with all brands there's pluses and minuses and depending on a persons priorities, one may be a better fit than another. For me the Bambu X1C with AMS looks like the best buy for the money. Lidar and camera inside enclosure are just a couple awesome features as well as it's print area of 256x256x256.
My plan is similar to yours and also to make and sell higher quality pieces in niche hobbies.
Have you used any 3D scanners?
