Other than being a better all-round and quieter board than previous Creality’s electronics, the V4.2.2 also includes a bootloader, allowing you to easily upgrade the firmware. On previous Enders, upgrading required a laborious process involving a third-party single-board computer like an Arduino. This is all much easier here and both machines score points in that respect. Price Hopefully your Ender 5 is fully assembled and maybe even ready to print. But, we'll just go with assembled here. This is the full guide to learn how to print properly. Building the Ender-5 Pro took several hours but wasn't difficult; I'd call it a slightly easier task than assembling the Ender-3 V2. The job involves bolting the vertical beams (a.k.a. extrusions) to the base, which supports the print bed and holds the motherboard and power supply.

You can improve your first layer by tuning the Z offset. This is a value that essentially tells your printer how far to move the Z-axis from the Z endstops – in other words, from the bed. The Creality CR-10 Smart Pro is a modernized version of the classic CR-10, with a premium feature set that includes a direct-drive extruder, automatic bed leveling, and remote printing capabilities. Its build volume of 300 x 300 x 400 mm puts it in a larger print size class than the Ender 3 series, giving you the ability to print noticeably larger parts than those machines. The Sprite direct-drive extruder is a design that we've been very pleased with, and makes it much easier to print flexible materials such as TPU. The all-metal hotend is also capable of heating to 300°C, allowing the use of high-temperature filament such as nylon. Redesigned extruder - makes feeding filament easier since you can disengage the extruder gear to load filament without continually holding the extruder lever. The extruder also has a more closed filament path, making it easier to use with flexibles. However, a direct drive extruder is still a better alternative for any flexible filament.The Ender 3 V2 ships with a tempered carborundum glass bed, while the Ender 5 Pro has a classic magnetic build plate.

While the printer is also able to print a single part continuously with no interaction, we have found that the limitations of the 45 degree angle made it so only certain parts with specific geometry were viable to produce. Based on this, we feel that the printer is best suited for applications for very long prints (such as cosplay weapons or long functional parts), which would not be possible at all with other machines. In many respects, the Creality K1 is in a completely different class than most of Creality's other 3D printers. The mechanical design of the motion system and extruder make it capable of higher performance than their other machines, and the software features make the K1 feel more like a modern electronic product than most 3D printers on the market today. Of course, it has a price to match the feature set--the K1 is notably more expensive than many of Creality's other printers, so if you don't mind a more hands-on printing process and slower print speeds, something like a Creality Ender 3 S1 will give you a similar build volume for a much lower price. Community favorites and consistent entries in many a top budget 3D printer list, these are two of the most popular printers around.Build volume determines the size of the prints you can create, so is a feature well worth mulling over before pulling out your credit card. The Ender 3 V2 has a 220 x 220 x 250 mm build volume, while the Ender 5 Pro offers a slightly larger 220 x 220 x 300 mm. Creality seems well aware of this, which is why we’ve seen the newer Ender models, specifically the Ender 3 S1 and Neo lines-up fitted with CR Touch probes for automatic bed leveling. The 5 Pro comes bundled with a proprietary version of the Cura slicer, the so-called Creality slicer. The default printer profile lets you smoothly print with the provided filament just after unboxing. On the bottom front of the machine, the USB and TF Card slots let you comfortably connect the device to an external computer as well as independently operate it via a TF card. The printer settings and the printing status can be controlled via a 45°-tilted LCD screen.

The Ender 5 Pro is an enhanced version of the Ender 5, the first box-shaped 3D printer of the lineup. Despite its new look, the Ender 5 series shares all the main features that distinguish the Creality Ender 3D printers, namely: The Sprite extruder, combined with some structural improvements, make the Ender 3 V3 SE capable of much faster print speeds than most of Creality’s other printers. In our testing, we easily printed at 175 mm/s without compromising on print quality. Creality has also added various quality-of-life top-ups that make using the Ender 3 V2 a more pleasant and enjoyable printer to use long-term. These include a new, detachable 4.3-inch HD color screen, a potentially useful toolbox carved into the printer’s base, and XY-axis tensioners to easily tweak belt tension on the fly. For example, if you are planning to print with flexible or soft filaments you might want to swap to a direct-drive filament extrusion system. Also, you might want to install an automatic bed leveling sensor or a filament run-out detection system to streamline your 3D printing experience. The Ender 5 Pro has a metal-extruder, which helps iron some of the more common Bowden issues such as filament jams and clogs. The Ender 3 V2 instead uses a plastic alternative, but this is easily upgraded.This article focuses on Creality’s FDM 3D printers; if you are interested in 3D printing with resin, you’ll want to refer to our overview of Creality’s resin 3D printers. If you aren’t sure what the difference is between these technologies, read our Filament vs. Resin article to get an overview and learn which one is a better fit for you. Hi everyone! In this review, we will analyze the specs and features of the Creality Ender 5 Pro, a budget FDM 3D printer kit produced by China-based Creality 3D. Well-known for both the CR and Ender 3D printer series, Creality is one of the most popular and discussed 3D printer manufacturers. Since the launch of their first Ender 3D printer, the Creality Ender 3, the company has achieved remarkable success in the low-price personal 3D printers market segment. That’s why they kept adding new models to the Ender lineup, namely the Ender 3 Pro, the Ender 4, and the Ender 5 series, which includes the 5, 5 Plus, and 5 Pro 3D printers. You can also print single-color models with the CR-X, and it’s a great machine for single-color printing. Aside from the two extruders, it is very similar to the CR-10S Pro V2, and features the newer unibody design with the electronics under the heat bed, BLTouch auto leveling, and dual drive metal extruders. Additionally, it uses standard nozzles and has dual cooling fans, unlike the CR-10S Pro. As with most Creality printers, the Ender 3 V2 and Ender 5 Pro are both upgrade-friendly devices with open designs that facilitate modification and add-ons. It’s something the Ender community has embraced, and you’ll find a huge wealth of options out there from 3D printed parts to third-party parts to improve your printer.

After calibrating the extruder, it’s also important to calibrate the axes of the printer. Calibrating the axes is similar to calibrating the extruder, but requires that you actually print something. Different printers/boards will have different .bin file names but they will all end in the .bin file extension. Assembled, the Ender 5 Pro is a bit bigger than the Ender 3 V2 – 552 x 485 x 510 mm and 475 x 470 x 620 mm, respectively – so factor this in if you’re working with limited workshop or bedroom space. Firmware I’ll share my hands-on experience with each of these 3D printers, and compare all the key differences so you can make a confident choice. Choosing a 3D printer can be overwhelming since there are a lot of options available. If you aren’t sure where to start, print volume is an important factor to consider early on when choosing a 3D printer. We recommend considering what types of objects you’ll want to print most often and using that as a basis to choose a printer in the lineup. However, keep in mind that with the possible exception of the 470mm CR-M4, a larger printer generally isn’t a bad thing, and you may find yourself really wanting a larger build area later. If you do want to print large objects, It’s worth considering an Ender 3 S1 Plus or CR-10 Smart Pro even if you think you might be able to get by with the Ender 3 V3 SE size.

Since 2004, I have worked on PCMag’s hardware team, covering at various times printers, scanners, projectors, storage, and monitors. I currently focus my testing efforts on 3D printers, pro and productivity displays, and drives and SSDs of all sorts.