Hatchbox PETG
Manufactured by Hatchbox
Quick Summary
Hatchbox built its name on PLA that just worked, and its PETG follows the same pattern: unglamorous, widely stocked, and reliable once you ignore the temperature guidance on parts of its own website. Print it at 230-260 °C with a 70-85 °C bed and you get strong, slightly glossy functional parts at a mid-range price.
Print Settings That Work
245 °C nozzle, 75 °C bed, cooling around 40%. Retraction near 1 mm on direct drive.
Ignore the 180-220 °C figure that appears in some Hatchbox listings. PETG extruded that cold does not bond between layers, and the resulting part looks fine until it snaps in your hand. Every community profile, and the material itself, points to the 230-260 °C range.
Slow outer walls to about 30 mm/s. PETG under pressure bulges at corners, and the fix is speed rather than temperature.
Print Quality
Layer adhesion is the reason to print PETG at all, and this spool delivers it. Bending a test bracket produces stress whitening and permanent deformation rather than a clean snap along a layer.
Surface finish is a clean gloss. Colours are deep and the translucent shades look good under a light. Diameter holds to the quoted ±0.03 mm well enough that long single-wall prints stay even.
Bed adhesion is strong on textured PEI. On smooth PEI it is strong enough to worry about, so use a release agent or a slightly larger first-layer gap.
Where It Falls Short
Stringing is average for PETG, which means present. Drying helps more than tuning does.
The bigger annoyance is documentation: conflicting temperature figures between Hatchbox’s own pages and its retail listings mean a beginner following the box can end up with weak parts and no idea why. Price also sits above the SUNLU and Overture equivalents without a clear quality gap.
Verdict
Hatchbox PETG is a dependable mid-price spool for brackets, enclosures, and outdoor parts, and it is usually easy to find in stock. Buy SUNLU or Overture if the price matters most, PolyLite if you want the most predictable window, and this if you already trust the brand from its PLA.
- Hatchbox PETG vs sunlu petg — SUNLU is cheaper and just as strong; Hatchbox is more consistent between spools and easier to buy locally.
- Hatchbox PETG vs overture petg — Very close on price and quality. Overture edges it on colour range, Hatchbox on reputation and stock availability.
- Hatchbox PETG vs polylite petg — PolyLite has the better documented print window and slightly cleaner surfaces; Hatchbox is the easier impulse buy.
What temperature should I print Hatchbox PETG at?
Use 230-260 °C at the nozzle with the bed at 70-85 °C. Hatchbox lists a much lower nozzle range on parts of its own site, which is a legacy error; PETG will not bond properly below about 225 °C.
How accurate is Hatchbox PETG?
Hatchbox quotes ±0.03 mm on diameter, which is mid-pack. In practice extrusion stays even across a spool and you will not see the banding that a loose tolerance produces.
Does Hatchbox PETG need drying?
Like every PETG, yes if it has been open. 60 °C for 6 hours restores a stringy spool. Sealed with desiccant it stays usable for months.