I 3D-printed some of the top models on Thingiverse—here's how I rank them

Published Sep 20, 2026, 12:30 PM EDT Patrick Campanale has been in the tech space for well over a decade, specializing in PC/gaming news and reviews, as well as maker-focused products to build small businesses. With a start in technology back in 2010 surrounding the Palm/webOS ecosystem, Patrick spent his formative years developing mobile applications as well as blogging for various publications, eventually leading to starting his own website in 2014. After running a technology blog for a few years, he stepped out of that role and into the world of high-end custom PC manufacturing and building, with a focus on YouTube video production and overclocking. Then, in 2017, Patrick joined the 9to5Toys team as an editor/writer/reviewer with over 14,000 articles being published during his time there, ranging from deals and roundups to in-depth reviews on the latest technology, video games, 3D printers, and more. In his free time, Patrick loves to create projects from wood using various robots and methods, including leveraging the technologies of CNCs and lasers. If Patrick isn't working on a computer or playing video games, he's likely in his 2-car garage workshop creating something unique. In addition to all this, Patrick is also the media director at his local church where he feels God has called him to serve, and he loves every minute of it. There are hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of 3D models out there to choose from. I decided to 3D print some of the top models on Thingiverse, one of the gold-standard model websites, to see what I thought of them. Here's how I rank the top models from Thingiverse. 5 A whistle somehow scored the #2 slot It actually works surprisingly well though Credit: Patrick Campanale / How-To Geek When looking at the most popular models of all-time on Thingiverse, the second slot was filled with something I didn't expect: a whistle. I knew you could 3D print whistles, but I've never done it personally. So, I decided to see what all the fuss was about with this one and give it a go. It printed perfectly for me, and when I tried it, it was quite loud. I didn't measure the decibels, but I wouldn't say it was over 118dB like the listing says. However, it definitely was loud enough to get your attention. 4 This self-watering planter requires no supports and is water-tight I wasn't expecting a model this old to print this well Credit: Patrick Campanale / How-To Geek I've seen people make planters with 3D printers, but, like the whistle, this is something I've never tried myself. So I printed the fifth most popular model on Thingiverse of all-time—a self-watering planter. At first, I was trying to figure out how to orient the model to print it since all that was provided was an STL, not a 3MF with settings baked in. After all, the model was last updated in 2018, when all we really had were the Creality Ender 3 or the Prusa i3 MK3 for 3D printers. Not even the Ender 3 V2 had been released yet. I thought about going with the recommended settings on the model's page, but ended up building my own settings for it since modern printers are quite a bit nicer and more accurate than they were nearly a decade ago. For settings, I used the standard settings for my P2S and X2D at 0.2mm, except I did four walls and five bottom shell layers. Those are the only modifications I made, and it's water-tight and works great. 3 Everyone needs a good headphone stand I just didn't expect this one to be so popular Credit: Patrick Campanale / How-To Geek I recently got a new pair of Bose headphones and I absolutely love using them at my desk. The problem is, I didn't have somewhere to store them—until I ran across the eighth most popular model on Thingiverse. It's a simple headphone stand, but I love the aesthetic for it. Like the other models I printed for this, I used default settings on my Bambu Lab P2S and just let it go. I came back a few hours later to a finished print, and it looks absolutely stunning. The model was oriented properly when I imported the STL, and it printed without any supports. I love the aesthetic of the model and can't wait to start using it at my desk more. 2 A mini octopus is a fun fidget toy No tuning required Credit: Patrick Campanale / How-To Geek I'm all about functional 3D prints, but sometimes a fun toy can be a good break and add some lightheartedness to the day. When looking at Thingiverse's most popular models of all time, I was surprised (and not at the same time) that a flexy mini octopus was the third most-popular model. It printed surprisingly well with zero tuning required for me. I just sent the print job to my X2D with some Elegoo Matte PLA filament and let it go. A few hours later (I was printing multiple models on one build plate) I came back, and it was ready. I didn't change any slicer settings, I just left it at the default 0.2mm layer height and clicked print. The model came off the bed easily, all the tentacles stayed connected well, and I didn't even have to break any of the joints apart. It just started flexing immediately. My wife and I have enjoyed playing with this fun little toy, and I highly recommend printing one if you haven't already. 1 Benchy is #1 It's iconic for a reason If you've been in the 3D printing world for any length of time, then I'm sure you know what a Benchy is. At one point in time, a Benchy actually was a torture test for a 3D printer. In fact, it used to take almost two hours to print a Benchy. These days, it's just expected that a printer can print one out of the box. Stock settings print a Benchy on my Bambu Lab X2D in 46 minutes, and well-tuned and sped-up settings spit a Benchy out in just 24 minutes. There are also sub-minute Benchys out there, though they're definitely going for speed over quality. No matter how you slice it, Benchy has become a staple of the 3D printing world and it doesn't look to be ending anytime soon. Benchy even got its own board game! These 3D models are popular for a reason I've been 3D printing for several years now, and I've printed my fair share of difficult models. None of the models on this list were difficult at all. They all printed perfectly on the first try and work flawlessly, which could be a big part of the reason that they're so popular.