JR 1.0 (non pro) vs MINI wireless not mini maker

No particular reason. Jr. is enclosed therefore it is a lot quieter, can not print ABS anyway without heated bed mod.

Although Jr. and mini have same build volume, Jr. actually have extra room on x-axis (30 mm+) for potential upgrade for slightly larger print bed or add 2nd extruder after ramps conversion. Another advantage of Jr. is have build in LED case light, that is absent in miniMaker.

miniMaker on the other hand use 24V power system, which heats nozzle lot faster, and miniMaker takes 1kg filament spool instead of 0.5kg spool Jr. can fit in.

The paper tag trick works on miniMaker, I don't know for sure it will work on mini W+ since it is newer model.

I would not recommend buying the new mini for $180 if you already own an Jr. I think mini is for beginner to test the water without risking too much money and learning effort. Time to look for something that have slightly larger build volume or dual extuder or whatever can extend your power in 3D printing. More importantly, find something that support opensource system that support advanced optimization on print quality.

On the other hand, if you see jr. or miniMaker in ebay on sale for parts for less than $80 (including shipping), RAMPS convert it can also be fun.

The big difference is mini has no lcd screen so you have to use the computer to monitor your prints. That is not too big of a deal. Also the enclosure keeps the inside less dusty as well. In theory the jr could print in a colder room but I doubt it makes much difference, not without a heat bed.

Personally I would lean towards the jr pro myself. There dumping them on eBay right now in preparation for the new jr pro w.

For me, the enclosure keeps the peeled off skirt inside so that they don't fall into carpet, can be hard to clean sometimes.

A skirt is like a brim but it can be printed a distance from the model and not connected to it and it can be made as meny layers thick as you would like.

Some people use a skirt to keep the model warm by building a wall around the model as it is built. This keeps the temp more uniform and may help in adhesion and bowing. But it waste a lot of filament.

I use skirt because it can help prime the nozzle and tells me if bed leveling is good. I usually do two lines so that I can make some adjustment on bed leveling if needed.

Since it only print one layer with 2 lines, the filament wasted is very limited, so although I rarely need to do bed leveling, I still use it as default. Peeling it off after print finish is more of a problem because the peeled of skirt can get inside carpet if not careful enough. Printer enclosure makes big difference here.