Creality Ender 3 Pro Review

3D printer buffs will be familiar with the Creality Ender series. The Ender 3 Pro is the latest in this line of excellent printers. Without mincing words, it’s affordable and offers unique features for its price. It’d be fair to say the Creality Ender 3 Pro punches well above its weight and does that well.

Few 3D printers offer fast heating and resume print along with printing stability, with the same poise that the Ender 3 Pro does. It allows you to create complex models with minimal temperature fluctuations.

Creality doesn’t let you start from scratch with the Ender 3 Pro. The kit comes pre-assembled. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I’ll let you read the rest of the details in the section ahead.

Overview of the Creality Ender 3 Pro

Why would I even consider reviewing this product? It’s not just that I’ve owned a few 3D printers over the years. The company has a policy I find impressive as a maker. Creality is one of few 3D printer manufacturers that interacts with customers to uncover engineering faults. The Ender 3 Pro is the third generation of this series, and it’s popular among users.

There’s great value in owning the Ender 3 Pro, and I find myself marveling at how the success of this machine has inspired other companies to serve users their version of the 3 Pro’s exciting features. Let me warn you that there are clones.

The hot end and the base are the most complicated parts of the Ender 3 Pro, and they come pre-assembled. You’ll have to finish the frame, add the PSU, mount the Y-axis, and round up the electronic cabling to start printing.

There is a large color construction sheet that shows, in twelve straightforward steps, how to assemble the machine. It was easy for me, and I assume it’ll be the same for you. You can do this in two hours or as little as forty-five minutes if you’re familiar with this world.

Creality provides a dull printer toolkit, along with a Hex key set, some small spanners, a screwdriver, and a few modeling snips. You won’t need any more tools, and the bolts and nuts come with extras in case you need them.

Specs

Dimensions

• Physical Dimensions: 17.3 x 16.1 x 18.3 in (440 x 410 x 465 mm)
• Weight: 18.96 lbs

Functional Specs

• Bed Leveling: Manual
• Build Volume: 8.6 x 8.6 x 9.8 inches (220 x 220 x 250 mm)
• Connectivity: SD, USB Data Cable
• Display: Color Touch Screen
• Extruder Type: Single
• Input Formats: G-Code, OBJ, STL (Cura converts to G-Code)
• Layer Resolution: 100 – 400 microns (0.1 – 0.4 mm)
• Maximum Heated Bed Temperature: 110 °C
• Maximum Nozzle Temperature: 255 °C
• Modeling Technology: FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling)
• Nozzle diameter: Single 0.4 mm
• Output Format: G-Code
• Power Supply: Mean Well UL-Certified power supply
• Print Speed: 180 mm/s max
• Print Precision: ⁺/_– 1mm
• Support Print Materials: ABS, Flexible, PLA, TPU, and Carbon Fiber
• Travel Speed: 100 mm/s

Materials

• Filament Diameter: 1.75 mm
• Third-party Filaments: Yes
• Support Print Materials: ABS, HIPS, PETG, PLA, TPU, and Wood

Software Requirements

• Operating System: Windows, Mac OSX, Linux
• Recommended Slicer: Cura, Simplify 3D

Features

I’ll tell you here about features from the Creality Ender 3 Pro that tickle my fancy:

Let’s begin with the extruder. Make no mistakes – it’s still a Bowden – but you cannot print with flexible filaments. Overall though, I like the superior design.

Efficient Extruder – Churn Out Excellent Prints at Rock-Bottom Price

The Creality Ender 3 Pro sports the MK10 extruder. I enjoy the fact that I face pretty fewer clogging and uneven extrusion issues.

Creality thrives on feedback from the public. The extruder employs a Bowden design, which early Ender 3 adopters had issues with. The connector at the hot end thrust the flexible tube out, leading to a head blockage arising from friction.

The Creality Ender 3 Pro has taken care of these issues, and spare connectors come with the package. I like the fact that there’s an additional extruder head.

Stability, Frame, and Bearings Better By Several Orders of Magnitude

A quiet environment is soothing to my soul. The Ender 3 Pro’s wider rubber feet absorb much of the noise from the machine. It’s not zero decibels, but it’s much better than without the feet.

The 40 x 40 aluminum extrusion for the Y-axis ensures excellent stability, while the trusty bearings keep friction as minimal as possible.

Flexible Magnetic Bed – Get Hacking

A flexible magnetic print bed comes with the Ender 3 Pro. Initially, I couldn’t get quite the finish that gave me pride as a maker. But the rough surface certainly helps the first layer stick. The magnets don’t seem to keep it at the center, and it can rub on the frame edges, but I want my prints to come off easily, and the flexibility gives me just that.

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Pros

• An Easy-to-Assemble product
• Compact Design dishes out a decent print volume
• Tight filament path enhances compatibility with flexible elements

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Cons

• You may need additional adhesion materials and watch out for a brittle filament
• Tricky printing bed level; you need to relevel before every print
• Many flaws of the original Ender 3 are still present

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Conclusion

The Creality Ender 3 Pro is an upgrade of the Ender 3. Naturally, we all expected much more from it? Did Creality deliver? Well, yes and no. Make no mistakes – the Ender 3 Pro is exceptional. I think the company is more than capable of fixing some of the issues with the product. For one, it’s a no-brainer that some of the pesky problems present in the Ender 3 Pro should never have made it to the Ender 3 Pro.

Let’s be clear on this: the Ender 3 Pro is affordable for the superb product that it is. The manufacturer’s put it out with a bold marketing statement. It’s an excellent machine if you want something to tinker with, feed your maker enthusiasm or hobby. I’m recommending this to my educated beginner friends who’ll like to impress their wives, at least.

So, would you like some outstanding prints that’ll make owners of more expensive 3D printers cower, the Creality Ender 3 Pro is the real McCoy even if it’s not professional.

Besides the low price, the build volume is a decent 220 x 220 x 250 mm. Oh! The tight filament pathway makes flexible materials pure joy to work with. Plus, if you know anything about the Ender 3, you’ll enjoy even more hackability with the Ender 3 Pro. Regardless of the flaws, I love this 3D printer.

Should You Buy the Creality Ender 3 Pro?

It’s difficult to deny full marks to a 3D printer that’s as efficient as the Creality Ender 3 Pro.  If you consider that Creality wants to be a part of your entire 3D printing journey, you’ll do well to go with the Creality Ender 3 Pro.

There’s an 18-month limited replacement parts warranty, all-day customer service, and lifetime technical support – goodies that other manufacturers simply won’t give you. Now that you know this, the ball’s in your court if you’re willing to roll up your sleeves.

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