PLA, ABS, etc - General Characteristics???

Hi,
(not sure if I've really put this question in the right place - 'Reprappers' - but I couldn't spot an obvious 'general questions about build materials' category)

My printer build is plodding along, I've evn kicked my blog off (www.Flackster.me.uk/reprap/). So I need not worry about this for a while but I was thinking about my build materials

As I understand it printing is done using either PLA or ABS (ignoring 'interesting printing' such as metal, ceramic, etc). What's basically the pros and cons for each. I'm thinking.....

- Brittleness
- Warping
- Durability/lifetime
- Quality
- 'Stickiness' to the print surface (so it stays put & prints properly)
- Temperature it needs to be heated to for extruding
- Cost
- Availability
- Specific issues

Are there any other 'obvious' printing materials I should know about?

Thanks

Pete

I think PLA is the place to start. it requires less hardware, doesn't have as much of a warping problem, and since you'll be printing lots of calibration pieces at first, doesn't make you feel as bad about throwing so much plastic away.

once you've got your settings dialed in, you can move to ABS, which is a better material for final prints of things you intend to use for a while.

I've only ever used PLA, though. part of the reason for that is because it's winter here, and ABS has some noxious fumes, so i 'm waiting till i can open the windows.