Nils! I bought two K1 printers a few months ago. They both lasted a week. The Y axis stepper motor bushing wore out from the belt tension. Can you test longevity? I found the K1 prints good enough for the price. If you read this, look where the Y axis belt meets the Y axis pulley wheel... You'll notice the shaft and wheel are slightly leaning towards the front of the machine. FYI, a replacement motor is hard to find online and if I recall correctly it cost $28 and ships from China. If you have to buy a $28 motor every week it defeats the purpose of buying a cheap printer.
@@sidekick96734 if you want a fantastic quality, cheap large printer, get the anycubic i3 mega s, its around 200, if you want a small printer that has never failed me, get the monoprice v2, fantastic little printer, i own both and absolutely love them
Even if they weren't Chinese clones, there's not really copywright infringement because they're based on open source designs from the reprap project. With a few modernisations.
Thank you so much for making a fun, high resolution video of these. I'm always so tempted to try tiny machines for fun and talk myself out of it because it's, as you noted, half of a much better printer, or 1.5-2x ultra durable nozzles, a decent UPS on sale, etc. But they're so dang adorable, making it quite enjoyable to get to see them. :)
I appreciate the kind words! I’ve always been curious about these too and, while they are more cute than functional, they can print with some patience. Thanks for watching.
Seeing the Mini's botched attempts made me laugh so much. poor little thing really tried it's hardest xD For anyone actually looking to get a budget 3d printer to get started, just go for an Ender 3 I don't know about the states but they run about 150 - 170 GBP and honestly the extra 50-70 is so worth it from a quality, build volume and lifespan perspective
3D printers is definitely a product you don't want to go cheap into it. 3D printer filament is not the cheapest thing and I don't want to have to trundle shoot all the time. My first printer was cheap but going to a better printer made 3D printing fun again.
Agreed. You don't have to spend a lot more to get a lot more and while these aren't bad, I'd recommend saving a bit more and going for something more customizable and more solid.
They aren't copies, they're from somewhere like AliExpress likely all made in the same or similar factory and then they're given different names depending on what the Amazon seller wants
I kinda wanna see how far you can modify these small printers. I would never replace my ender 3 with these but if I want (for example) a kid to learn how to tinker and make their own improvements, I'd probably buy them one of these
This is something completely new for me, but my youngest son has recently showed interest in this hobby. I think I'm going to get him one of these for Christmas
@@Xbox-3b0 Christmas is gone.. I just saw your comments today. I would highly suggest you to invest a little more and get an Ender 3 or similar. You will get wayyyy more quality for your buck and it's ready to print high quality (and the bed is a descent size too).
My first printer is a cheap little Weedo, around $100 that I am actually pretty impressed with. I use it fairly frequently, never had a clog, it has a screen, it can self level, and the prints are pretty decent and have had success with even some more detailed and articulated prints. Anyone know if that file for the self watering pot is somewhere online?
Bought 2 printers from Goodwill for $40 each, they thought they were rotisserie ovens lol. Both work great, one needed an extruder but was cheap to replace. Eventually will buy one with a large print bed or the creality model with the rolling bed for larger prints but getting started with these was a bonus.
If your tronxy is has a build volume of 330 x 330 x 400, it's ~3.5 times larger than than the build volume of 100 x 100 x 100. It's not 43 times larger. When talking about how much larger something is, this is called the scale factor. Scale factor (sf) is always based on the dimensions that make up what you're scaling. If you want to scale the area or volume, the scale is squared for area and cubed for volume (area = original area x sf^2. Volume = original volume x sf^3). In short, this is why a scale rc car is considered 10th scale, when it's volume is actually 1/1000th of a full size car.
@@BigDaddyD_Official He literally describes the cubed size he's referring to "a cube of about 4 inches" when referring to the 100x100x100 build volume of the small printer. "It can print something 43 times larger than that" .
I bought an Easythreed K1 for my son 2 years ago for his birthday and it's still going strong, it's simple enough for him to use at a young age and it gets the job done. He loves it, after initial setup he just has to level the bed sometimes.
I love the video idea, though, one word of caution I'd throw out is that the quality control on these devices is probably non-existent. Basically, is this one of those "you managed to get a good one" type deals, where you just so happened to get one of the better K1s (on your second attempt, mind you), but most don't print as well. And, on the flip side, is one of the other printers typically more reliable, you just happened to get a dud
That's always a risk with unknown brands, but some might actually be good, and just not have been around long enough to earn a reputation. And when they give the reviewer the device, knowing that it's for a review, they might give him/her one that's more likely to be one of the good ones. (They might have tested it first, while the average one wouldn't have had similar tests before going to a retailer.) When one fails in these circumstances, it's a strong indication of poor quality. I'd look for user reviews. If they're very new, there might not be enough user reviews to know the quality.
When I chose a printer I needed a sturdy Z axis and large print area, that’s why I chose the Creality Ender 5 Plus. It’s the only printer I’ve seen other than the Cr-10 and that tronxy with 4 steel rods for smooth layer lines. The Ender 3 horizontal gantry often gets misaligned, and never prints correctly. I’m not sure how often the 2 sides of the Ender 3 need to be calibrated, but I often see the horizontal axis fail because there’s just too much weight on one side at a time. Dual Z-axis motors and no horizontal z axis is the key to smooth layers
Dual Z Axis motors misalign as well. Stepper motors aren't going to stay in sync with each other just because you drive them with the same signal. No solution is perfect. You tram the bed on the Ender 3 to match that misalignment of the X Gantry. So long as the misalignment between the left and right extrusion stays consistent and the bed is properly trammed its going to print just fine. Now if the misalignment shifts thats a huge issue. However often you find yourself tramming the Bed on the ender 3 is how often it needs to be calibrated. Take a look at the Ultimakers that use a single Z screw and rods to support a cantilever bed. Those rods flex, no matter what. Rail's can provide better results and when you are paying $2000-$6000 for a printer you would think they could afford something better. But they also work. Every part of a 3D printer isn't as precise as it should be. Go order extrusions, the cut length accuracy for every vendor I have looked at is interesting. Plus add up the twist and surface inconsistencies (Which is what really hurts the wheels on an Ender 3). The worst thing is Tooling plate aluminum for beds. I looked at one vendor so far and their flatness spec is between .127 and .384. That's entire layer line differences from one side to another somewhere in the plate on a bad day. I hope to find something better than that lol
@@user-yk1cw8im4h I think that was in reference to bed flatness. Generally sourcing beds from the same places unless you buy an extra Gucci one with logos that last I looked is out of stock. I'm currently working on an IDEX Voron Trident based on what Eddie the Engineer is doing. Probably around the time I left the comment I hadn't gotten quite that far though
My anycubic mega zero 2.0 (basically ender 3 clone, exact same specs) was 115€, so about 130$ or so. Heated bed, marlin fw, screen, 220x220x250 volume etc, great printer. Many parts come out similar to my heavily modified Ender 3 V2, just not at the same 100mm/s.
I still have and occasionally use X1. It was my introduction into 3d printing. Mine is still alive, well and kicking after more than 2 years. I don't get any layer shift issues. Only time I had layer shift problems were when I tried to use it with raspberry pi print server and direct control over COM, but that happened most likely due to some communication issue. When printing directly, I never had any layer shift. Prints are pretty OK with 25-28 print speed (though, much less for the walls). Quality PLA with 220 temp and down to 0.06 layer height can make some pretty good prints with its limitations in mind. It also came from factory with the part cooling installed, which looks like it was actually the factory QA print for mine that they just installed. I don't have a hot bed, but the magnetic plate is quite adhesive, though I use stick glue and narrow brim for adhesion, which was so far my goto on it. I think quite high of X1. Nice to see a review.
My first printer was an Imakrr Startt! at 99 bucks. Basically a rebranded tronxy. Sort of a mini Anet A8 with full size stepper motors and a 6 clone and printed really well.
Nice, thanks, I had been curious about the clones.. Layer shift on x1 seems to be from tension on the head.. the double gantry on K1 seems to make a difference
I have the Modified Easythreed K9 Printer (heated bed mod), and to calibrate the bed, it has the four buttons, for four corners. When you press a button, it moves in the required position. 1 = Left front (home) 2 = Right front 3 = Right back 4 = Left back.
Well, to be fair, you have to spend some time with each printer, add a part cooler, try different settings. Like you would do with a "serious" or expensive printer. I got an X1 last May to see if 3d printing was right for what I needed and I have to say that I would still be using it as my only printer if it had a slightly larger build surface. I did use it a lot though, at 30-40 mm/s2, even in making all the printed parts of a clone CR 10 300x300x400. It did that job very very well. It takes a bit longer than an Ender 3 style machine would, but the pieces come out beautiful looking and very stronk.
Agreed, I could have spent more time with each. The hard part on most of these is that there is so much less you can actually tweak, especially when compared with a printer that's $100 more. It may be a bit like my first guitar - the strings were way far away from the neck (terrible action) and it was incredibly difficult to play. When I got my second guitar I felt like a rockstar but because everything about it was easier and better.
If you have a microcenter close, they usually have an online coupon for new customers that makes the creality ender 3 pro only $100. Unfortunately you have to buy it in store for some reason. Also, there is a coupon in the printers box for $10 off a spool of inland filament.
oh lord, whats the point of those printers? you can get an ender 3 (v1, non pro) for the same price as this and the ender will 1) work VERY reliably even stock and 2) can be modded over time to become a printer that matches or even beats stuff along the lines of a prusa in many ways. i mean, put an RRF + DWT board in an ender 3 costs you 25$, enables you to print and monitor over wifi, slap on a bltouch and a dualgear extruder and you got yourself a printer that is VERY capable for well under 200$
i stopped using cheap filaments with my ender 3v2 because nothing would print. Switched to Ender branded filament and works perfectly. A whole lot of problems i have experienced with 3d printing is just poor filament or moisture in filament. Nice video btw. +1 sub
I've had an Ender 3 Pro for 6 months now and have always used Creality (Ender) filament with no prblems. Au$20 plus Au$6 postage from old mate on eBay, can't fault it.
I started with the K1 and K7, I prefer the K1 with the bars having a bit more stability. I just got a creality ender 3 v2 and still trying to get the hang of a bigger more precise printer lol
A comparison review between the K1 and the K1 Plus (which has better steppers and a heated bed) would make an interesting video, I think. Very little content about the EasyThreed "plus" models out there.
The ended 3 seems like a good printer and everything but mine had issues right out of the box. The filament feeder just doesn’t work. It does not want to feed itself the filament.
Good video! Idea: Buy the same 5 printers again, test them and compare with these results! I'll bet so-and-so brand that did great this time, won't! Good work.
They are from the same company can’t you precise. Got the easythreed k1… if you are printing some small thing and don’t care that it is loud cool, but else just get an ender 3 pro print good and last long
It's funny, you went out to buy the cheapest of the cheap, and I'm jealous of a feature. Really wish my Vyper had some posts and recesses to make centering the magnetic plate less tedious
My first 3D printer was a MonoPrice Delta Mini. 110x 110 x 120mm print area, heated bed, delta, of coarse. I think straight from MonoPrice was $99, but I found one on Wish for $65. Printed nearly perfect, right out of the box. Nearly two years later, even though I now have three "adult size" printers, I still use the MP for small items because it prints so well and reliably. Can't say much about MonoPrice - I know they don't make their own products - but I love that mini delta.
Could you please do me a big favor? Provide the profile values for the Easythreed K1 you have there? The green one. I got that one and Cura values aren’t working for me. Totally a noob here. Thank you
I love mini 3dprinters, as a speaker about industry 4.0 or society 5.0 here in Brazil I do have to travel quite a lot for conferences, and having a small 3D printer with me is just perfect for bettet illustrate what I am saying. For many people it is still their first contact with a 3D Printer. So I bought almost all possible small 3D printers starting with a makerbot CNC cupcake, a MakerBot Mini, a CR-100 from Creality and a Minnie easythreed, that was for 2 years my favorite, so small and light and yet capable of doing all the small prints that I showed off... great video. Thanks for making it and please, keep a log about the longevit os this models.
The minnie is definitely an m3d clones. As someone who had an m3d, its not really shocking that it failed. The printer is designed well aesthetically but thats about it. Undersized motors, slow firmware, unreliable connectors, motor overheating issues, ability to dive into its own bed, and many more issues. The only difference I see with the mini is that it has an oled display while the m3d micro+ has no display.
I have the k-3 with a heated bed, it dose pretty good for what it is on simple prints. It's a bit bigger than the k-1. Nice little printer I think for a kid.
I just went to a daily deals and found that Anbull 3D printer brand new with no defects for $8 but can’t find enough on it. Thank you for this video man! 🙏🏽
I bought an easythreed X1 at Walmart a few weeks ago for $55... I got it for it's transportability and not used it much yet. I don't know what I'm doing differently but it prints almost as good as an ender 3 pro at 35mm/s.
I am operating currently a Tronxy like yours, and honestky as it came out of the box is crap, solid frame, crap plastic mounts for motors (changed them with machined aluminium from other printrer I modified in the past) crap heatsink system, the fan actually blows over the heatblock too, rendering printing problematic, etc. Now it works, but aside the frame, electronics (also crappy, and I intend to change the mainboard) software (probematic too) and belts/motors, that i tuned, stiffened, etc, I changed the entire printhead. I started with printing myself a tool swap mount (using another printer that works, obviously) in polycarbonate, than a V6 tool holder (actually two, one full metal line with bimetal heatbreak throat tat works fine for anything but PLA and one with PETF down to the heatblock throat for PLA, I can swap the whole thing in 5 minutes now), than a water cooled hetsink tool holder, and now it is a decent machine that I use as backup to fast print things when i am modofyig the other printer, my workhorse. Bottom line, Tronxy took a good concept, made a grat frame, and failed at everything else, pitty.
I find it weird that 3d printing is becoming ever more easy to access by the average person yet with companies that make miniatures their prices keep going up insanely (100 AUD for 5 guys?)
@@xuttuh5260 I haven't had a chance to try either of those yet but they look pretty decent. I'd check out some of the reviews online to learn more but I'm a fan of the Ender series since they've been so reliable and affordable.
For anyone looking for a good budget 3d printer, I bought an xyz da Vinci mini w+ and it works amazingly for the price of just $200. $20 shipping. Only thing is you have to pay $50 dollars to use 3rd party plastic but that's still a decent deal.
Great video (as usual)! But it's also an IMPORTANT video because the vast majority of things I print are small. And I bet I'm not alone here! I already have a large (high-quality) printer that rarely requires anywhere near its capacity. I would love to have a small capacity printer (about 150mm x 150mm x 150mm maximum) as a companion to my big printer. But it also needs to be high quality!! Is this an impossible dream? Why must all quality printers be huge? Your thoughts appreciated and if you know of a small volume, high quality printer please let us know. Thanks much?!!
years ago i aquired a Tronxy anet A8 kit ,.i took 4 days to do the assembly about 3 hours at a time,and it has worked great however last year the plastic frame developed makor cracks,so I designed a single arm 3d printer and used the motors ,electronics ,and build plate and built and entirely new machine out of alum profile and so far so good it works much better and faster now I want to purchase one of the 32 bit control cards to replace the original controlboard which is 8 bit so that it will have even more speed and higher precission.
They all have the same locked-down firmware, so modifying it in this way would require getting a new board, and by that time you might as well buy a new 3D printer.
@@3dpprofessor Do we need a firmware to set the z axis height? In cura I think we just configure the profile and set the new z. The firmware seems to just run the z till the end stops clicks... probably easy to test if you have a spare (I do not, this is my first go at learning. Figured a small kit that expanded the z would let me go bigger / taller without more complexity...
@@thewatersavior on the K7 I have, the firmware seems to be aware of the x any y axis limits and won't go past them, even if the gcode says to. I assume it would be the same for the Z.
@@3dpprofessor On the x2 it seems if you do not home it before starting, it will just take that as 0 and start in mid air, suggesting it doesnt know its position without the switches
Anyone considering buying a cheap printer like this, just get an ender 3 for a little more. It's what I did when I considered the same and I don't regret it one bit, my Ender 3 is my baby and I absolutely love it
Weird that you have so many issues with the X1. I bought an x1 probably 3 years ago now and it still prints when i need it to, which isnt often if im honest. I now have 2 neptune 2S's and an Ender 3 pro. And you definitely can tightent the belts on it, it just isnt very intuitive; you need to dissasmble the printer. I also made a wooden base for it that i permanently screwed the printer to for better rigidity. The first layers are not super clean but otherwise it prints quite well for the $65 i spent on it. And i was even able to make funtional parts with it. Overall its a solid little machine.
The Elegoo Neptune 2 (and 2S) are cheaper then the Ender (they are clones after all) but they are so much better too. The Neptune 2 runs about $180 now and is a good base machine, the Neptune 2S has a bunch of upgrades already on it that can be put on the vanilla one. It runs about $230 and has a dual geared extruder, magnetic PEI bed and some better leveling nuts, but the real winner is that dual geared extruder.
Just for 70 more dollars than the minnie you could buy an ender 2 pro wich is a bit worse than the ender 2 but mostly the same but a smaller print size.
they all probably have a common firmware and somewhat common frame, that can just be bought alleyexpress and have a cased slapped on, and sold as the "easy3d miniprint 2.0" or whatever
i have the x1 printer and to answers ur question about identical stuff its because they are from the same company. i saw all the printers you bought on the website
well, i had the Easythreed X1 as my "first" printer - ans i even printes the XYZ-Calibration cube, but with the filament what was given with that printer - and the quality was pretty good. i don't know if you had a problematic printer, but mine had worked nice and smooth; the only thing what made problems were "taller" prints - like a benchy (what was sliced with the software what was delivered with; and there's "raft" as bed-adhesion as standard set), who needed to "tape down" several times during the printing process. just to be fair - i wanted to try it on that printer as first, that i know not to dump to much money if 3d-printing wasn't my thing or i won't get that... you might gess on that text, that i had a bigger printer now - a artillery genius, what works for the most prints for me (and i selled the X1 later). for round about 65€ the quality wasn't that bad, and the accuracy (i even had that cube - i collect every cube that i print with one of the printers i've had) was even not that bad. the only problematic thing was that it had a "elephant foot", but that is - in the look of that print quality of that "toy printer" exaptable. but, there's even critic from my side - and you didn't say that (even i can say it just for the X1, but i guess that's for all 3 a thing): these had a holder for spools, but just for the smallest spools you can find - with 250g (that's just 1/4th of a norma-sized printing spool). and that from the X1 tends even to break easily - especially when you try to dismount the printer, 'cause the plastic for those holder is really cheep plastic. but, there's even upgrades out there for the x1 printer on thingiverse (like a active cooling for the nozzle, 'cause that isn't build in etc).
The cheap printer I bought (ANET) was comically noisy. Really bad bearing and motors (don't think the bearing were actually round). Lots of defects due to the terrible bearings and guides.
you got the 5 cheapest? i got the 1 cheapest lol! yeah the x1 is going for less than $60 these days. it'll arrive in a few days. i'm glad i saw your vid because if i hadn't i might've mistaken the package for a deck of cards or something and gotten rid of it lol
I actually have a small 3 d printer, that's pretty good.. It's not the cheapest, but it's not the most, I think the name of the company or the printer is. Entina I got it on Amazon.
I have the same big Tronxy 3d printer you have but it is not working very well and I am now selling it because it needs a lot of fine tuning. Any advice?
Funny how things are different. I tried esun. Got several rolls, and it would not work on any of my 4 printer(s). Also was very brittle. My pla would break with any kind of bend on the spool.
I got K7 and just finished a spool of 250g pla. I still can't figure cura to slice well enough for this printer so I use the slicer that came with instead and the results are acceptable. better than I expected sometimes. the things that annoy me so much are it prints cylindrical shapes poorly. mostly look like a box with round corners. and not for really small objects. I've tried several times on keycaps and it failed miserably on printing the cherry mx style stems.
easythreed is the original, you can see this in linus tech tips video. They first makes the X-1 and then moved on to the K-1. I got an X-1 and my first printer mostly because I did not have enough space for a ender 3 size printer. It lasted my about a year before i upgraded.
I used esun alot but then I started to use comgrow pla in black and gray due to the price of 2 rolls is the same as 1 roll of esun pla with the same print quality
No comments on how amazing the set is!? With color changing to match the filament!!
its really weird to see no likes on a comment from a channel with nearly 1m subs
@@Sharpless2 why? as if that every sub on that channel should know what that channel likes and comments on.
@@duality4ytrue
Nils! I bought two K1 printers a few months ago. They both lasted a week. The Y axis stepper motor bushing wore out from the belt tension. Can you test longevity? I found the K1 prints good enough for the price. If you read this, look where the Y axis belt meets the Y axis pulley wheel... You'll notice the shaft and wheel are slightly leaning towards the front of the machine.
FYI, a replacement motor is hard to find online and if I recall correctly it cost $28 and ships from China. If you have to buy a $28 motor every week it defeats the purpose of buying a cheap printer.
I have a year with my Easyrhreed k2 AND still working so Is hard to see that you have that problem
@@StarkillerVizarD Thanks for your response. I'm tempted to buy another one but I'm hoping to see more reviews before I take that chance again.
@@sidekick96734 if you want a fantastic quality, cheap large printer, get the anycubic i3 mega s, its around 200, if you want a small printer that has never failed me, get the monoprice v2, fantastic little printer, i own both and absolutely love them
@@wickedwildwallace I just got a mega s and it was 70 dollars new on ebay when I go to thier website I was surprised it cost 240 to get it new
I have the k1c and it is working perfectly
This is scary when I picked up an ender 3 pro for 100 bucks at microcenter brand new lol
sammme
Same lol
Same, needed a backup printer.
Same Kyle
I got a normal ender 3 and it was $300!!!!
Even if they weren't Chinese clones, there's not really copywright infringement because they're based on open source designs from the reprap project. With a few modernisations.
Thank you so much for making a fun, high resolution video of these. I'm always so tempted to try tiny machines for fun and talk myself out of it because it's, as you noted, half of a much better printer, or 1.5-2x ultra durable nozzles, a decent UPS on sale, etc. But they're so dang adorable, making it quite enjoyable to get to see them. :)
I appreciate the kind words! I’ve always been curious about these too and, while they are more cute than functional, they can print with some patience. Thanks for watching.
If you want a tiny printer, build yourself a Voron V0.
@@Schnabulation but thats no fun cause its expensive
If you want a cute but good printer check out a Voron 0 build!
Seeing the Mini's botched attempts made me laugh so much. poor little thing really tried it's hardest xD
For anyone actually looking to get a budget 3d printer to get started, just go for an Ender 3 I don't know about the states but they run about 150 - 170 GBP and honestly the extra 50-70 is so worth it from a quality, build volume and lifespan perspective
Poor Minnie, couldn’t move the z axis.
I recommend the elegoo Neptune 3 pro, for 150 euros.
3D printers is definitely a product you don't want to go cheap into it. 3D printer filament is not the cheapest thing and I don't want to have to trundle shoot all the time. My first printer was cheap but going to a better printer made 3D printing fun again.
Agreed. You don't have to spend a lot more to get a lot more and while these aren't bad, I'd recommend saving a bit more and going for something more customizable and more solid.
They're not really "copying" each other, I'd call it "sharing of development and production resources and leveraging economies of scale".
I call you “pretending to be sophistic when you are not”
@@user-yk1cw8im4h Duck! Take cover! The woooosssh is circling around and coming back at ya 😂
Sodapraleos
Or "leveraging the manufacturing capacity of an overseas company"
They aren't copies, they're from somewhere like AliExpress likely all made in the same or similar factory and then they're given different names depending on what the Amazon seller wants
I kinda wanna see how far you can modify these small printers. I would never replace my ender 3 with these but if I want (for example) a kid to learn how to tinker and make their own improvements, I'd probably buy them one of these
This is something completely new for me, but my youngest son has recently showed interest in this hobby. I think I'm going to get him one of these for Christmas
@@Xbox-3b0or get him a cheap Ender-3 from Micro center instead. More community for help lol
@@Xbox-3b0 Christmas is gone.. I just saw your comments today.
I would highly suggest you to invest a little more and get an Ender 3 or similar.
You will get wayyyy more quality for your buck and it's ready to print high quality (and the bed is a descent size too).
My first printer is a cheap little Weedo, around $100 that I am actually pretty impressed with. I use it fairly frequently, never had a clog, it has a screen, it can self level, and the prints are pretty decent and have had success with even some more detailed and articulated prints.
Anyone know if that file for the self watering pot is somewhere online?
Dude! We are impressed with your delivery and apparent fairness and hope you are an instructor somewhere as you are so good. Best of luck!
Bought 2 printers from Goodwill for $40 each, they thought they were rotisserie ovens lol. Both work great, one needed an extruder but was cheap to replace. Eventually will buy one with a large print bed or the creality model with the rolling bed for larger prints but getting started with these was a bonus.
I have bought one too and if you use their slicer instead of cura the prints are much better. You should try it
If your tronxy is has a build volume of 330 x 330 x 400, it's ~3.5 times larger than than the build volume of 100 x 100 x 100.
It's not 43 times larger.
When talking about how much larger something is, this is called the scale factor. Scale factor (sf) is always based on the dimensions that make up what you're scaling. If you want to scale the area or volume, the scale is squared for area and cubed for volume (area = original area x sf^2. Volume = original volume x sf^3).
In short, this is why a scale rc car is considered 10th scale, when it's volume is actually 1/1000th of a full size car.
He’s not talking about scale factor, he’s saying that 43 of the smaller printers build areas can fit inside of the big one. Lol nerd
@@BigDaddyD_Official He literally describes the cubed size he's referring to "a cube of about 4 inches" when referring to the 100x100x100 build volume of the small printer. "It can print something 43 times larger than that" .
I bought an Easythreed K1 for my son 2 years ago for his birthday and it's still going strong, it's simple enough for him to use at a young age and it gets the job done. He loves it, after initial setup he just has to level the bed sometimes.
I love the video idea, though, one word of caution I'd throw out is that the quality control on these devices is probably non-existent. Basically, is this one of those "you managed to get a good one" type deals, where you just so happened to get one of the better K1s (on your second attempt, mind you), but most don't print as well. And, on the flip side, is one of the other printers typically more reliable, you just happened to get a dud
That's always a risk with unknown brands, but some might actually be good, and just not have been around long enough to earn a reputation. And when they give the reviewer the device, knowing that it's for a review, they might give him/her one that's more likely to be one of the good ones. (They might have tested it first, while the average one wouldn't have had similar tests before going to a retailer.) When one fails in these circumstances, it's a strong indication of poor quality.
I'd look for user reviews. If they're very new, there might not be enough user reviews to know the quality.
When I chose a printer I needed a sturdy Z axis and large print area, that’s why I chose the Creality Ender 5 Plus. It’s the only printer I’ve seen other than the Cr-10 and that tronxy with 4 steel rods for smooth layer lines. The Ender 3 horizontal gantry often gets misaligned, and never prints correctly. I’m not sure how often the 2 sides of the Ender 3 need to be calibrated, but I often see the horizontal axis fail because there’s just too much weight on one side at a time. Dual Z-axis motors and no horizontal z axis is the key to smooth layers
Dual Z Axis motors misalign as well. Stepper motors aren't going to stay in sync with each other just because you drive them with the same signal. No solution is perfect. You tram the bed on the Ender 3 to match that misalignment of the X Gantry. So long as the misalignment between the left and right extrusion stays consistent and the bed is properly trammed its going to print just fine. Now if the misalignment shifts thats a huge issue. However often you find yourself tramming the Bed on the ender 3 is how often it needs to be calibrated.
Take a look at the Ultimakers that use a single Z screw and rods to support a cantilever bed. Those rods flex, no matter what. Rail's can provide better results and when you are paying $2000-$6000 for a printer you would think they could afford something better. But they also work. Every part of a 3D printer isn't as precise as it should be. Go order extrusions, the cut length accuracy for every vendor I have looked at is interesting. Plus add up the twist and surface inconsistencies (Which is what really hurts the wheels on an Ender 3). The worst thing is Tooling plate aluminum for beds. I looked at one vendor so far and their flatness spec is between .127 and .384. That's entire layer line differences from one side to another somewhere in the plate on a bad day. I hope to find something better than that lol
RainMotorsports build a voron
@@user-yk1cw8im4h that's not very specific now is it.
@@Rainmotorsports you said you hope to find something better than that lol, and a voron solves all of the issues you described
@@user-yk1cw8im4h I think that was in reference to bed flatness. Generally sourcing beds from the same places unless you buy an extra Gucci one with logos that last I looked is out of stock. I'm currently working on an IDEX Voron Trident based on what Eddie the Engineer is doing. Probably around the time I left the comment I hadn't gotten quite that far though
if you add $29.00 you can purchase the ender 2 pro.. and is miles away from those.. you also get 165x165x180 bed and heated bed.
My anycubic mega zero 2.0 (basically ender 3 clone, exact same specs) was 115€, so about 130$ or so. Heated bed, marlin fw, screen, 220x220x250 volume etc, great printer. Many parts come out similar to my heavily modified Ender 3 V2, just not at the same 100mm/s.
Nice i have an imega s, a prusa clone. Love that it's pretty much assembled-just 8 screws to setup
I still have and occasionally use X1. It was my introduction into 3d printing.
Mine is still alive, well and kicking after more than 2 years. I don't get any layer shift issues. Only time I had layer shift problems were when I tried to use it with raspberry pi print server and direct control over COM, but that happened most likely due to some communication issue. When printing directly, I never had any layer shift.
Prints are pretty OK with 25-28 print speed (though, much less for the walls). Quality PLA with 220 temp and down to 0.06 layer height can make some pretty good prints with its limitations in mind. It also came from factory with the part cooling installed, which looks like it was actually the factory QA print for mine that they just installed. I don't have a hot bed, but the magnetic plate is quite adhesive, though I use stick glue and narrow brim for adhesion, which was so far my goto on it.
I think quite high of X1. Nice to see a review.
Would be interesting to see a comparable video comparing resin printers.
Make a 3d printer out of 3d printer
underrated comment
Fr
My first printer was an Imakrr Startt! at 99 bucks. Basically a rebranded tronxy. Sort of a mini Anet A8 with full size stepper motors and a 6 clone and printed really well.
I think saving another $80 would be a better investment
Nice, thanks, I had been curious about the clones.. Layer shift on x1 seems to be from tension on the head.. the double gantry on K1 seems to make a difference
I right now own a Lulzbot Taz 6 and a BambuLab X1 Carbon, great printers! I think if I had to buy one of these though I would go for the k1
Can also pickup a voxelab aquila for like $160ish, it's an ender 3 v2 clone and works quite well
I have the Modified Easythreed K9 Printer (heated bed mod), and to calibrate the bed, it has the four buttons, for four corners. When you press a button, it moves in the required position.
1 = Left front (home)
2 = Right front
3 = Right back
4 = Left back.
I wonder if you would get better printing results using Simplify 3D as a slicer instead of Cura. It was more options for DIY printer settings.
I have x1 whatever it is and it did NOT have the rocket in the card, it just had an empty file and I use the cord that came with it anyway
Control the K1 with octoprint and its a very capable
A friend of mine that I work with sometimes to make Dolls and Miniatures got a small 3D Printer like that and it works out perfectly. :)
Well, to be fair, you have to spend some time with each printer, add a part cooler, try different settings. Like you would do with a "serious" or expensive printer. I got an X1 last May to see if 3d printing was right for what I needed and I have to say that I would still be using it as my only printer if it had a slightly larger build surface. I did use it a lot though, at 30-40 mm/s2, even in making all the printed parts of a clone CR 10 300x300x400. It did that job very very well. It takes a bit longer than an Ender 3 style machine would, but the pieces come out beautiful looking and very stronk.
Agreed, I could have spent more time with each. The hard part on most of these is that there is so much less you can actually tweak, especially when compared with a printer that's $100 more. It may be a bit like my first guitar - the strings were way far away from the neck (terrible action) and it was incredibly difficult to play. When I got my second guitar I felt like a rockstar but because everything about it was easier and better.
@@The3DPrintingZone Hah, that's a pretty good analogy.
You wouldn't add stuff to the prusa i3 mk3s+. It prints good from the get go
If you have a microcenter close, they usually have an online coupon for new customers that makes the creality ender 3 pro only $100. Unfortunately you have to buy it in store for some reason. Also, there is a coupon in the printers box for $10 off a spool of inland filament.
Rumor has it that Inland filament is also made by esun, which is a pretty good filament.
Question, what do I do when my 3-D printer is lit on fire cut in half and underwater😅
oh lord, whats the point of those printers? you can get an ender 3 (v1, non pro) for the same price as this and the ender will 1) work VERY reliably even stock and 2) can be modded over time to become a printer that matches or even beats stuff along the lines of a prusa in many ways. i mean, put an RRF + DWT board in an ender 3 costs you 25$, enables you to print and monitor over wifi, slap on a bltouch and a dualgear extruder and you got yourself a printer that is VERY capable for well under 200$
i stopped using cheap filaments with my ender 3v2 because nothing would print. Switched to Ender branded filament
and works perfectly. A whole lot of problems i have experienced with 3d printing is just poor filament or moisture in filament.
Nice video btw. +1 sub
I've had an Ender 3 Pro for 6 months now and have always used Creality (Ender) filament with no prblems. Au$20 plus Au$6 postage from old mate on eBay, can't fault it.
can you use a 3d printer to make a 3d printer... if so... how small can it get?
I started with the K1 and K7, I prefer the K1 with the bars having a bit more stability. I just got a creality ender 3 v2 and still trying to get the hang of a bigger more precise printer lol
A comparison review between the K1 and the K1 Plus (which has better steppers and a heated bed) would make an interesting video, I think. Very little content about the EasyThreed "plus" models out there.
The ended 3 seems like a good printer and everything but mine had issues right out of the box. The filament feeder just doesn’t work. It does not want to feed itself the filament.
I need to order a K1 just to have in my craft room. I have an Ender 5 Plus but that little K1 is my favorite color.
Good video! Idea: Buy the same 5 printers again, test them and compare with these results! I'll bet so-and-so brand that did great this time, won't! Good work.
They are from the same company can’t you precise. Got the easythreed k1… if you are printing some small thing and don’t care that it is loud cool, but else just get an ender 3 pro print good and last long
It's funny, you went out to buy the cheapest of the cheap, and I'm jealous of a feature. Really wish my Vyper had some posts and recesses to make centering the magnetic plate less tedious
My first 3D printer was a MonoPrice Delta Mini. 110x 110 x 120mm print area, heated bed, delta, of coarse. I think straight from MonoPrice was $99, but I found one on Wish for $65. Printed nearly perfect, right out of the box. Nearly two years later, even though I now have three "adult size" printers, I still use the MP for small items because it prints so well and reliably. Can't say much about MonoPrice - I know they don't make their own products - but I love that mini delta.
so which one is the best?
The Ender 3 Pro for $100 after you get the $100 first time customer coupon for Micro Center.
Could you please do me a big favor? Provide the profile values for the Easythreed K1 you have there? The green one. I got that one and Cura values aren’t working for me. Totally a noob here. Thank you
so you print that model from japan? They are very familiar in the beginning
I love mini 3dprinters, as a speaker about industry 4.0 or society 5.0 here in Brazil I do have to travel quite a lot for conferences, and having a small 3D printer with me is just perfect for bettet illustrate what I am saying. For many people it is still their first contact with a 3D Printer. So I bought almost all possible small 3D printers starting with a makerbot CNC cupcake, a MakerBot Mini, a CR-100 from Creality and a Minnie easythreed, that was for 2 years my favorite, so small and light and yet capable of doing all the small prints that I showed off... great video. Thanks for making it and please, keep a log about the longevit os this models.
Ohh man! The production value of these videos is mindblowing!
A tiny little printer like this is all I want. Well to be able to print my own miniature figures for tabletop gaming.
The minnie is definitely an m3d clones. As someone who had an m3d, its not really shocking that it failed. The printer is designed well aesthetically but thats about it. Undersized motors, slow firmware, unreliable connectors, motor overheating issues, ability to dive into its own bed, and many more issues. The only difference I see with the mini is that it has an oled display while the m3d micro+ has no display.
I have the k-3 with a heated bed, it dose pretty good for what it is on simple prints. It's a bit bigger than the k-1. Nice little printer I think for a kid.
Thanks for taking your time to review these budget "alternatives" Nils, hopefully you'll save some folks their pennies 🤝
I just went to a daily deals and found that Anbull 3D printer brand new with no defects for $8 but can’t find enough on it. Thank you for this video man! 🙏🏽
PETG can be printed without a heated bed..... assuming these printers are capable of getting up to the required hot end temperature.
I bought an easythreed X1 at Walmart a few weeks ago for $55... I got it for it's transportability and not used it much yet. I don't know what I'm doing differently but it prints almost as good as an ender 3 pro at 35mm/s.
Month later, how's it going?
It's going good. Although it doesn't print small things well.
It’s crazy how in the past 2 years, you can spend $150 for a name brand a1 mini now. Crazy how far we’ve come
I am operating currently a Tronxy like yours, and honestky as it came out of the box is crap, solid frame, crap plastic mounts for motors (changed them with machined aluminium from other printrer I modified in the past) crap heatsink system, the fan actually blows over the heatblock too, rendering printing problematic, etc.
Now it works, but aside the frame, electronics (also crappy, and I intend to change the mainboard) software (probematic too) and belts/motors, that i tuned, stiffened, etc, I changed the entire printhead. I started with printing myself a tool swap mount (using another printer that works, obviously) in polycarbonate, than a V6 tool holder (actually two, one full metal line with bimetal heatbreak throat tat works fine for anything but PLA and one with PETF down to the heatblock throat for PLA, I can swap the whole thing in 5 minutes now), than a water cooled hetsink tool holder, and now it is a decent machine that I use as backup to fast print things when i am modofyig the other printer, my workhorse.
Bottom line, Tronxy took a good concept, made a grat frame, and failed at everything else, pitty.
I find it weird that 3d printing is becoming ever more easy to access by the average person yet with companies that make miniatures their prices keep going up insanely (100 AUD for 5 guys?)
Are any of these made in America?
I want a 3D printer to print 1/64 scale people for my 1/64 hot wheels. Would these one be good for that?
No
Would you suggest buying an Ender 3 V1 considering the big community or the V2?
Definitely V2 - it's a big improvement over V1 and still has a huge community of users.
@@The3DPrintingZone thank you! What about the newer iterations? Ender 5 and 7? How do they fit in? Are they recommendable?
@@xuttuh5260 I haven't had a chance to try either of those yet but they look pretty decent. I'd check out some of the reviews online to learn more but I'm a fan of the Ender series since they've been so reliable and affordable.
For anyone looking for a good budget 3d printer, I bought an xyz da Vinci mini w+ and it works amazingly for the price of just $200. $20 shipping. Only thing is you have to pay $50 dollars to use 3rd party plastic but that's still a decent deal.
What’s sad is I just bought my first 3D printer and I got an Ender 3 pro for $99
there are some great refurb deals on ender 3, ender 3 pro etc out there... but new ones range about $190-220 depending on seller
Great video (as usual)! But it's also an IMPORTANT video because the vast majority of things I print are small. And I bet I'm not alone here! I already have a large (high-quality) printer that rarely requires anywhere near its capacity. I would love to have a small capacity printer (about 150mm x 150mm x 150mm maximum) as a companion to my big printer. But it also needs to be high quality!! Is this an impossible dream? Why must all quality printers be huge? Your thoughts appreciated and if you know of a small volume, high quality printer please let us know. Thanks much?!!
I have an Ender two pro, which is the little brother of the ender three, and it ran me 180 bucks, and it is fantastic.
years ago i aquired a Tronxy anet A8 kit ,.i took 4 days to do the assembly about 3 hours at a time,and it has worked great however last year the plastic frame developed makor cracks,so I designed a single arm 3d printer and used the motors ,electronics ,and build plate and built and entirely new machine out of alum profile and so far so good it works much better and faster now I want to purchase one of the 32 bit control cards to replace the original controlboard which is 8 bit so that it will have even more speed and higher precission.
My first ever 3d printer was a easythreed nano printer. It's still in my room.
The minnie is like a comedian. One moment its the best next moment it's the worst.
The Ender 2 isn't Mac compatible, neither is the software Cura.
idea maker is, but i dont own a mac
But can they run octoprint? There's a creative way to get around the lack of a display
Would love to see these remade with a modular Z axis. For the price, being able to increase in Z could be a game changer
They all have the same locked-down firmware, so modifying it in this way would require getting a new board, and by that time you might as well buy a new 3D printer.
@@3dpprofessor Do we need a firmware to set the z axis height? In cura I think we just configure the profile and set the new z. The firmware seems to just run the z till the end stops clicks... probably easy to test if you have a spare (I do not, this is my first go at learning. Figured a small kit that expanded the z would let me go bigger / taller without more complexity...
@@thewatersavior on the K7 I have, the firmware seems to be aware of the x any y axis limits and won't go past them, even if the gcode says to. I assume it would be the same for the Z.
@@3dpprofessor Ah gotcha, thanks for confirming! I have an X2.. so much for hoping!
@@3dpprofessor On the x2 it seems if you do not home it before starting, it will just take that as 0 and start in mid air, suggesting it doesnt know its position without the switches
Anyone considering buying a cheap printer like this, just get an ender 3 for a little more. It's what I did when I considered the same and I don't regret it one bit, my Ender 3 is my baby and I absolutely love it
Weird that you have so many issues with the X1. I bought an x1 probably 3 years ago now and it still prints when i need it to, which isnt often if im honest. I now have 2 neptune 2S's and an Ender 3 pro.
And you definitely can tightent the belts on it, it just isnt very intuitive; you need to dissasmble the printer.
I also made a wooden base for it that i permanently screwed the printer to for better rigidity.
The first layers are not super clean but otherwise it prints quite well for the $65 i spent on it.
And i was even able to make funtional parts with it. Overall its a solid little machine.
How do you not have a million subs, subbed myself just now, great video
Thanks for sharing this video and information. Recently I acquired a Creality SerMoon V1. I enjoyed watching your video hearing your thoughts & ideas.
The Elegoo Neptune 2 (and 2S) are cheaper then the Ender (they are clones after all) but they are so much better too. The Neptune 2 runs about $180 now and is a good base machine, the Neptune 2S has a bunch of upgrades already on it that can be put on the vanilla one. It runs about $230 and has a dual geared extruder, magnetic PEI bed and some better leveling nuts, but the real winner is that dual geared extruder.
Just for 70 more dollars than the minnie you could buy an ender 2 pro wich is a bit worse than the ender 2 but mostly the same but a smaller print size.
So which one is best to use for printing tabletop miniatures?
Of these? None are going to do a great job. I'd go with an Ender 3 if you're looking for a cheap alternative that can actually print.
they all probably have a common firmware and somewhat common frame, that can just be bought alleyexpress and have a cased slapped on, and sold as the "easy3d miniprint 2.0" or whatever
i have the x1 printer and to answers ur question about identical stuff its because they are from the same company. i saw all the printers you bought on the website
It looks like the mini was just a faulty batch with a failing z- axis, not a wrong construction
Over all, get the K1. My first printer was an Ender 5. Now I have 5 Forges
I just got a Neptune 3 pro for my first printer it hasn’t arrived yet but I’m so excited
well, i had the Easythreed X1 as my "first" printer - ans i even printes the XYZ-Calibration cube, but with the filament what was given with that printer - and the quality was pretty good. i don't know if you had a problematic printer, but mine had worked nice and smooth; the only thing what made problems were "taller" prints - like a benchy (what was sliced with the software what was delivered with; and there's "raft" as bed-adhesion as standard set), who needed to "tape down" several times during the printing process. just to be fair - i wanted to try it on that printer as first, that i know not to dump to much money if 3d-printing wasn't my thing or i won't get that... you might gess on that text, that i had a bigger printer now - a artillery genius, what works for the most prints for me (and i selled the X1 later). for round about 65€ the quality wasn't that bad, and the accuracy (i even had that cube - i collect every cube that i print with one of the printers i've had) was even not that bad. the only problematic thing was that it had a "elephant foot", but that is - in the look of that print quality of that "toy printer" exaptable.
but, there's even critic from my side - and you didn't say that (even i can say it just for the X1, but i guess that's for all 3 a thing): these had a holder for spools, but just for the smallest spools you can find - with 250g (that's just 1/4th of a norma-sized printing spool). and that from the X1 tends even to break easily - especially when you try to dismount the printer, 'cause the plastic for those holder is really cheep plastic. but, there's even upgrades out there for the x1 printer on thingiverse (like a active cooling for the nozzle, 'cause that isn't build in etc).
I think the mini needs replacing and retesting because it might just be a faulty one
Did you just... benchmark... without Benchy? Madness.
I live on the edge.
Love this video. Learned a LOT!
The cheap printer I bought (ANET) was comically noisy. Really bad bearing and motors (don't think the bearing were actually round). Lots of defects due to the terrible bearings and guides.
you got the 5 cheapest? i got the 1 cheapest lol! yeah the x1 is going for less than $60 these days. it'll arrive in a few days. i'm glad i saw your vid because if i hadn't i might've mistaken the package for a deck of cards or something and gotten rid of it lol
They are solid little printers. And the K1 has space inside for lots of stuff, like a battery.
I actually have a small 3 d printer, that's pretty good.. It's not the cheapest, but it's not the most, I think the name of the company or the printer is. Entina I got it on Amazon.
I have the same big Tronxy 3d printer you have but it is not working very well and I am now selling it because it needs a lot of fine tuning. Any advice?
Funny how things are different. I tried esun. Got several rolls, and it would not work on any of my 4 printer(s). Also was very brittle. My pla would break with any kind of bend on the spool.
I got K7 and just finished a spool of 250g pla. I still can't figure cura to slice well enough for this printer so I use the slicer that came with instead and the results are acceptable. better than I expected sometimes. the things that annoy me so much are it prints cylindrical shapes poorly. mostly look like a box with round corners. and not for really small objects. I've tried several times on keycaps and it failed miserably on printing the cherry mx style stems.
Thanks for sharing! I was looking at this set as a sorta entry-level 3D printer (I am specifically going to print small things!)
easythreed is the original, you can see this in linus tech tips video. They first makes the X-1 and then moved on to the K-1. I got an X-1 and my first printer mostly because I did not have enough space for a ender 3 size printer. It lasted my about a year before i upgraded.
I had to do a tone of tuning in cura, but was able to get really good results. Unlike linus video mine did come with a pet cooking fan
I used esun alot but then I started to use comgrow pla in black and gray due to the price of 2 rolls is the same as 1 roll of esun pla with the same print quality
For even less than that price I had gotten my Mini printer {Anet A9}. which was about 60 euro.
It currently is in pieces, as it is has heating issues
Can you 3d print a little bag keychain 3dprinter?- to print little phone reset button sticks