This popular entry level 3D printer is back on special at Jaycar.
Features:
See previous deals for more details and commentary:
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/845805
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/828122
Delivery to a NSW metro postcode is $25, YMMV.
Ok, I'll help.
BUY IT!!!!
To convince the missus' boyfriend…. ??? chin rubs
Don’t they have like a revised version coming out that’s core x y?
That's the Ender V3 Plus, which is a Core-XZ.
It's also much higher price point around $750.
Does CoreXZ actually provide some kind of real benefit or is this Creality trying to co-opt CoreXY jargon?
Integrating the mechanics for both X and Z don't bring any immediate benefits to mind. It's not like faster z-hops are noticeable.
Not much of a benefit really.
If I were to guess, Creality is trying to lower the costs to produce the gantry and to idiot-proof 3D printing to compete with Bambulab.
Then slowly segment them out as “Improvements” at higher price points similar to how Apple segments iphones. (I think the SE is priced fairly fyi, KE, 3D etc are not)
The biggest improvement Creality has made across their V3 lineup is the addition of a Ceramic Hotend with Vertical heater placement on the KE and later generations.
@Yve: the KE was ok when it was a lot cheaper with ebay discounts, as some of the upgrade you would probably do to the SE anyway. (linear rail, PEI bed, klipper)
Don't do it lol, get a Bambu A1 Mini if your budget is low. Anything else is a waste of money.
Oh man🤣
it's a valid point, with the recent price drops.
If you're new and just want to print things, go for the A1 mini at $367.20 from Amazon.
You can start printing while you learn your way around the slicer.
Loads of people new to the hobby start with E3's, this has auto bed level which is what usually causes issues for newbies.
My advice get the E3 V3 which is more versatile than the A1 for $100 less, watch a YouTube video on set up and away you go.
Are you referring to the V3 Plus?
A1 is $579 without AMS,
@Spendmore: I began with an Ender V2, then moved onto a Solvol SV06 Plus. I thought it was the best of the best as it was loaded with every feature possible.
That was until my Bambu A1 Mini arrived yesterday. I can say it's some space age stuff. Prints 2x as fast as the Sovol SV06 right out of the box… super quiet…everything auto calibrates, press and go.
Bambu Labs is like the DJI of drones and action cams.
@Bignudge: Fair enough but honestly like you said there are cheaper printers that are fit for purpose.
This E3V3 i think is a great entry point for a new user. Ilike the idea of bambu but then I also like using klipper and input shaping to print faster. I suppose they both have their pros and cons.
@Spendmore: Both have their place, I got the SE at $186 and don't mind tinkering, adding klipper, upgraded a few parts.
I have the ADXL345 on the way for input shaping.
All of this is time & effort, the A1 just does it all out of the box, and presliced files in Makerworld takes all the guess work out.
It's just a, do you want to become a 3D Printer builder or whether you want to become a Printer type argument again.
I personally think extensive knowledge of 3D Printing and diagnosing 3D Printing issues has to be acquired somehow if you're not on Bambulab.
If you want to save money in this hobby the consequence is that you'll have to figure a ton of things out.
I purchased a V2 Neo which was then converted to the Hero Me shroud system, which was then upgraded to Linear Rails, and Bottom mounted Belted Z mod, all printed in ABS. That opportunity has been invaluable to me, and I think shouldn't be disregarded by the OzB community unless you're just going for a Bambulab printer.
Sure, Ender 3 V3 SE simplifies things regarding ABL, but I believe the difficulty of ABL just feels more apparent because it's the first problem we all encounter in this hobby. I wouldn't consider fixing it any harder than any other step in the process though, which is why I often end up recommending people start with a 2nd hand/refurb V2 at $50 and approach the hobby with a mindset to learn.
A 3-4hr long failed print wrapped around the hot end is probably enough to make any person purchasing the SE solely to avoid ABL problems quit.
@Yve: Yeah I agree and personally think the ton of things is really what you should know if you are serious about the hobby.
I think it's pretty good. Wish I'd gotten the auto level thingy.
As a complete newbie, I have also learned (the hard way) about changing resolution, infill pattern, temperature, wall thickness, and infill %.
It does have auto levelling
I think he meant on the printer he got.
@Brondtstopdt You find it is probably able to ad bed level to most printers. Currently building one (printer and laser in one) and the 3d or bl touch (bed level sensors) are about $10 on ali. Of course need to open and ad it to main board and change it into firmware but probably many videos online on how to.
Not bad Price $249. Especially when seeing how much individual pieces are, probably not far from it.
Learning about the slicer is a part of any 3d printer.
With Bambu it's not as essential as you can use user verified slicer profiles straight from the app.
I bought one of these -> having learnt to CAD, I am using it to print off a handy tool for other hobbies once a month, I regret not spending the extra to get the KE model though :D
I've spent $90 on top already to upgrade to the nebula smart kit & access some open source tools, but if I got the KE (when on sale), it already has the nebula pad & I would be very close in expenditure & it would've given me faster print speeds.
I haven't found myself wanting any Bambu Labs though: My SE has been pretty much plug n play & I don't need the auto-colour swapping: I had benchy printing perfectly 30 mins after opening up the box.
I've saved myself about $80 in printing out my own plastic stuff now, got probably another year or two to go before making back the $340 I've spent on the printer. Sometimes I see some plastic gadget in the shops I try to see if I can CAD one up myself & print it.
I am jealous of my friends with their BL P1S/K1C's but whenever I see the price tag I change my mind: It probably makes sense if you're just printing out high quality models to go on display, but if you're just printing out tools/stands/grips/hooks the extra few percent in print quality isn't justified. (That said I did print out a conical 1 layer thin lampshade for my small light successfully -> so this SE is pretty damn accurate as long as things stay sturdy)
I'll look for a new printer again when these things start printing metal.
I have both V3 SE & A1,
SE is giving me great results but I've spent effort to tune & calibrate it. I've set it up on Klipper using an old SFF and have upgraded the hot end to the new ceramic with unicorn nozzle. PEI bed is a day one upgrade for sure.
Many QOL factors on the A1 & the AMS, even nozzle cleaning which I do manually on the SE.
I've actually kept all the hardware stock as it's been fine for me so far & I'm not chasing super-smooth accuracy. It hasn't stopped me from getting decent & functional prints. (I've printed about 10 custom-CADed things so far and have had no print failures with default calibrations)
I was concerned initially about the the stock bed, but has been fine for me too: Just the casual clean with iso-p from my grubby fingers.
I might upgrade it when I've made my money back, but so far so good, no adhesion issues.
The only reason I got the nebula pad was to be able to control things via wifi…. most ppl could stick with the base $250 SE and get good results & hopefully a quicker ROI.
PEI bed is $15 on aliexpress and saves having to use a scraper, the stock bed sticks too well.
Ahh… I was lucky during the last sales, I managed to snag the Ender3 S1 Pro for $278 delivered.
Been an interesting journey, and I think I'm hitting my stride with PLA.
I just bought a Flash forge adventurer 5M for $449 (Amazon). For pure beginners, Bambu Lab A1 or A1 Mini on sale (Amazon) would be the way to go unless you don't mind troubleshooting/tinkering.
Dangit! Was originally going to get the Ender 3 v3 KE or Sovol S06+, then saw some reviews on the Bambu Lab A1 and pivoted to that, then saw the 5M. Still, $450 is still a decent price considering what I get.
Got this one last week and for this price cannot go wrong.
Only done a handful of prints so far, but is the closest to plug and play I've experienced so far.
Previously tinkered with VOXELAB Aquila X2 (clone of Creality Ender 3 v2) and JGMaker Magic. Both were good for getting on the learning curve required for 3D printing and at excellent price points, but too much stuffing around.
If you value your time and want more set and forget, then for the extra $140 (when on sale) compared to the one in this thread, I wouldn't go past the Flashforge Adventurer 5M.
Yes, or just go direct to Bambu
I'm in a very similar boat. I've been 3d printing for 8+ years with a very old kit build, and spend a lot of time tinkering to get half-decent results. I enjoyed the challenge at first, but got pretty tired of endless tweaks and levelling and all the tedious stuff.
Got a 5M on special a couple weeks ago for less than $400, and had my first benchy within an hour of opening the box - absolutely zero fuss. I'm now in the process of adding some DIY creature comforts (IP camera, enclosure etc) and having a ton of fun, without any of the heartache associated with getting my old machine working nicely. The speed is just mind-boggling.
Considering it is almost half the price of the most equivalent Bambu machine, they would need to have something super special to make any sense for a hobbyist.
@klaw81: AMS system adds even more QOL and is not something you can just add on easily to any other printer.
The makerworld ecosystem for one-button prints.
The 5M is a great alternative to other printers in that price point though.
@ShMiCk: With Klipper you just install crowsnest and you can use any USB camera or IP camera with RTSP stream.
ESP-cam is a cheap, affordable option.
@ShMiCk: I got the official Flashforge camera from Aliexpress on the cheap (about $36 delivered, compared to $69 direct from Flashforge).
I had some stuff lying around so I tried a couple of other options first:
A cast-off USB webcam worked fine, but the wiring makes the enclosure more difficult and the picture was nothing special.
I attempted to use an ESP32-based camera from a previous WiFi doorbell project, but it was too bulky to fit anywhere convenient and the resolution/exposure was terrible, even after tweaking.
It's hard to beat how neat and clean the factory install is, tucked up into the corner - and it's plenty good enough for monitoring and it's accessible on any browser at the printer's IP address.
Another upgrade to this printer is the hotend fan & part cooling fan.
Not only much quieter but much better part cooling performance.
Any recommendations on which fans to get?
Sunon or Delta if you can find ones that are not fakes (good luck with finding real Sunons though). Otherwise Winsinn is regarded as pretty decent. Or Noctua if you want to spend money, but you have to be careful that they still provide enough airflow.
When I did fan upgrades, I just sourced a huge crapload of fans from different places and kept the best ones (best meaning they'd still start up with reduced voltage, and were fairly quiet).
I haven't kept up with Ender evolutions, but the best thing to do when I had one was to just replace the entire hotend shrouding because the default setup kind of sucked. There were two or three very modular designs to accomodate various fan and hotend options (e.g. HeroMe/Hydra and a couple of others). This was years ago- designs have probably changed, but just looking at the photo of the current Ender suggests that the fans and shrouding are still not great.
Sunon maglev 24v
4020 for the hotend and 5015 blower for the part cooling.
Get them from aliexpress
The polarity of the wiring is also reversed for both so just reconnect them
I want to buy another one
Pls send help
To convince the missus' boyfriend