Fantastic hoenst review mate. The lack of replacement nozzles / other nozzle sizes is easily my biggest issue with the machine currently. Also, I'm still waiting on my replacement hotend that also massively clogged up on my N4 Plus. Fingers crossed they get those replacement parts sorted soon or hopefully a 3rd party will make them available via amazon
Thanks Brother! I actually got a Delivery the day after I recorded this. Was just the Nozzle and Heatink! I was considering buying from the Aliexpress store, but the hot end on there is listed as the same one for all Neptune 4's yet we know the Plus and Max are totally different. I took this to the storage unit today where it will sit until resolved. Gutted because you know I love Elegoo
@@FauxHammer What kind of filament did you use while having the big nozzle clog? i had some clogs in my anycubic i3 mega s while printing matte filament(esun 0.4mm nozzle). since that i print matte only with 0.6 and had no issues with that. so yeah we need aftermarket nozzles. and yes... they should have just used volcano nozzles cuz those are nearly the same dimensions.
Hope you got your hotend. I had exactly the same issue. They sent one out pretty quickly, and when I told them the structure sucks, they also offered to send me a spare. Great service, although it is a very concerning issue I hope they rectify. I'm tempted to go for a refund and go for another max size printer but I need it for work so they're all problematic delays.
This entire video could have been 30 seconds and said "if you want a printer that just works out of the box, spend twice as much money and expect to get half the build volume". still appreciate the honest review though, I think everything you said was accurate. I had the same problems with my N4 Max to begin with, but firmware updates over the last month plus the switch to orca 1.8 with its built-in profile has fixed every issue I had. I'm getting about three times the speed I did over previous 3D printers I've had and that's pretty awesome. I think as the software matures it's going to get even faster.
you probably got a good one in the batch I return mind cause no firm or nothing will fixed im done with this hot garbage never had this many issues with a 3d printer
I had f. ton of problems for the first 4 hours, then I've updated firmware and its wonderful. The only issue is that i think I'll glue or weld all the screws as the vibrations make them unscrew themselves, belts are loosening after around 20h of printing. overall I didn't expect its possible to build slinger bed so big and so fast without it falling appart. I was right, but i still love that thing.
And yet...my Kobra 2 pro killed its hotbed the other day and getting the replacement will take potentially months as it's sold out... now... I'm considering a replacement FDA.... willing to drop about 500$ -.... which one should I get?
My Neptune 4 Max is working good. There was some growning pains because the pinter was used but I got it printing really good now. My only complaint is that I have to level the bed every printer but I am used to that with other printers that I own. I am printing a lot of big things now and its just fine.
I will give you honesty is great but I think on some of this you missed the mark a bit. Klipper is not just the IT thing as its been around for almost half a decade. The print head thing I have run into but who hasn't? If you have ever owned an Ender this is old hat and can be fixed. Any who this is all your opinion and I like that you broke it down so honestly.
Thanks for the review. I have had my 4 Max for about 6 weeks and while there were a few problems to start with (to the point where I was about to return it) the 3D printing community and forums helped me to get mine working properly. There are still issues but I believe Elegoo are working them and issuing regular firmware updates, saying that though you are correct when you say this product was rushed to the market. No product should ever go on sale with so many problems. I too am an Elegoo resin printer fan having the Mars and Saturn printers, unfortunately the Saturn now has problems which I wont go into here. Thanks again for the honest review, if I hadn't already bought mine I would not be purchasing the N4M after seeing this review.
@@wiseguy7242 I joined a group on Facebook and they have helped me out on several occasions. I also contacted Elegoo when my printhead/extruder turned into a blob of melted plastic - they sent me a new printhead/extruder and I am back to printing again - I have found Elegoo support to be excellent - stick with it and I am sure you can start to get the results from the printer you want. 🙂
This makes my FOMO from the holiday sales much more manageable. I want a large volume FDM for cosplay/prop purposes, but now I'm glad that finances were forcing me to wait anyway
0.4mm nozzle has been found to be just as fast but higher quality then a 0.6+ nozzle in almost all instances on newer printers that can print fast(including the Neptune 4 max) This is because the limit now is the melt rate for the current hot end designs and a 0.4mm nozzle can already extrude faster then the filament can melt properly. Prusa XL for example now comes with 0.4mm not larger because of this fact.
very insightful, thanks. looking to add another printer to my collection and was curious about the larger form factor, the standard 225x225 can print 4 of my parts while this one can fit 16. not too concerned about printing big things so maybe i'll stick to the smaller form factor in case an error happens on the week long $50 prints it would be doing.
I just bought a 4 max and im picking it up tomorrow but i live a few miles from a elegoo warehouse/distributor that i can just order from and pick up they have nozzles in various sizes and spare parts ready to go so hopefully i wont have these issues im excited to have a large format printer this big
Guys, Stop! Don´t let this review put you off buying this model. I have bought and own one of these and the thing works great. I´m no printing guru but know what I´m doing in regards to getting a print up and running, predominantly in PLA and TPU. I don´t know why this reviewer had so many issues but It has to be down to bad luck to have so many problems of this nature. Not to say that all of the reported experiences are not real and valid, but this will not apply to every model rolled off, of the production line. Could you have issues, off course, but you could with many other models out there unless your paying the big bucks for the you know what´s of this world. I guess you typically get more feedback from people when stuff doesn´t work, would be interesting to hear about the success stories as I´m sure there are a few out there. I never thought to post this at all, why, because I´m a happy customer just getting on with it as my 95A TPU print runs next to me, clean with no issues at 70mm plus a sec. I also own a Neptune 2S which is a champ and runs PLA almost flawlessly, TPU a bit more of a faff due to the Bowden setup. Just to be clear, I purchased my Neptune 4 Max before this review was released but after watching this review and a ton more, I leaned more towards Aurora Techs review which convinced me this was the one for me and to keep it once it arrived. The choice is yours but you will never get a printer at this price that runs flawlessly IMO as so many factors can spoil a print. Hardware issues out of the box should never happen so that can not be excused and if it does the manufacturer should replace the faulty part like yesterday free of charge. I expect software bugs/issues of some sort on all of these printers from experience but yes, they should be the exception rather than the norm. Also remember to make sure every screw and bolt which matters is tightened as I had a couple loose out of the box which will ruin your experience if not addressed correctly. Happy printing people...
yeah, you're completely right. in regard to not letting one review put you off a printer. I had a bad experience, the printer was fundamentally flawed from the get go. but everyone looking to buy a printer should watch multiple reviews of the product to determine if that products features and performance is right for them. In My case, As I said, I feel this is a Rushed upgrade of the Neptune 3 range. and it is limited by the fact that you you have Nozzles with difficult to access parts like the extruder gear (good job you never need to perform maintenance on that part in the history of 3D printing). and you can't get different or replacement nozzles. Weeks after this review went live now and months after the printer was released, I still can't get a replacement hotend module so many people have reported this clogging issue and layer shifts, even Uncle Jessy himself had his clog... I'm glad you got a good one, I wish I'd had that experience as I did with the Neptune 3. But yes, I agree, do not buy a printer based of any single reviewer's videos. Ever. always get a second and third opinion.
@@FauxHammer I agree with everything you say 100 percent and god forbid I need a main spare part as you mention as I have heard challenging stories from people in the FB groups trying to get these parts for the Neptune 4 series. I did order and receive (15) 0.4mm spare nozzles at 1 Dollar a piece (0.93 euro/0.80 Pence prior to getting this printer in preparation for clogs etcetera but you are spot on about the non availability for 0.6 - 0.8 spares. With them being proprietary nozzles, they are cheap with shipping added on top but I believe customers should be pro-active and place orders for the main parts that are likely to fail at some point such as the full extruder assembly, mainboard, nozzles along with their orders if they can afford to. This will avoid down time where possible as obviously they are not available on Amazon or anywhere else for that matter and I have a feeling their stocks are low on these spares. Oh well, looking forward to your next FDM printer review, stay safe🙂
I have the smaller neptune 4 Pro and it has been running for 2 months daily. Only hiccup was after I re levelled it but that was me. All good again now
Honestly all the issues you had is what you'll get with basically every printer. There's no printer out of the box that's immaculate without slight tweaks. Most of this review was just personal preference based lol. I have a Neptune 3 Pro and the 4 Max and they are both great.
There are a few print out if box features But I’m not sure how rejecting companies making proprietary nozzles with no benefit for the user, and releasing a printer with a limited range available and no way to get replacements is a personal preference.
Lovely and refreshing to watch an unbiased review. Probably the only thing that makes the manufacturers take not and revise the hardware and firmware... or in this case just make some alternative spares available.
I have one and have been able to get my hands on a whole extruder assembly for 45$ on amazon. So far so good for me as I haven't really pushed it. First layer is difficult but after that it prints nicely.
I have this same printer. My only complaint is the nozzle. No hardened nozzles available yet either. I was printing a glow in the dark Apollo helmet and the glow in the dark filament is abrasive and ate thru my nozzle. I only got one with mine. I ordered a dozen from them for now till aftermarket becomes available. Glad mine didn't have the melted glob! Keep up the good work!
I was about to pull the trigger on this one bud after seeing this video and countless reddit comments, I'm not sure if I should get one or not. Is there any update on the issues after 4-5 months after this video? If it's still crap, any other recommendations in 600$ range and min 300x300 dimensions?
It is crap. I brought one last month and had constant problems with it. I am sure I could fix them by modifying the printer but I didn't buy a printer just to fiddle with it constantly. I reached my breaking point where I returned to a failed print because the nozzle on the brand new, just out of the box, hotend managed to unscrew itself by about a centimeter and dug itself into the print. I returned it and brought a bambu A1. I would not recommend this printer, or any other large printer int his price range unless you absolutely need the large print size. If you buy the printer buy a emmc to USB adapter so you can flash it with OpenNept4une, and just resign to the fact that you probably are going to spend a lot of time fiddling with the thing.
If you remove that extra fan and change the max height in your slicer, can you get it back to 500mm? or 400mm for the Neptune 4 Plus? I've considered getting one of these, but it's hard to go for the 4 when the 3 equivalent has a larger build area.
Thanks for the comment, I was wondering is cura skin total crap or is it usable? Also, does this include input shaping and pressure advance and is it open source where you can change / modify Klipper firmware?
Hello there I am new to FDM printing but do resin what one would you say would be good for a newbie. I mostly want to print stuff like Helmets and useful items around the house so from a good sized to smallish parts. So hard to find honest reviews saw the Ender 3 V3 as a possible one.
Get a Bambu A1 or P1S, you would need to print in multiple parts still for most helmets. after that, I actually really like the Creality K series, in which the K1 max is nice!
I think your being your're being a bit harsh on Elegoo for something that was essentially your own fault, (as it is for many other users) The amount of posts I've seen from folks complaining about this and that, when it is pretty obvious that much of it is down to user error. I have one of these and yes, I too think it was rushed to market, BUT, I've been knocking out perfect 3ft long articulated dragons and Ugrinsky turbine blades, and that was before the new firmware. The filament I've used so far has been dual silk PLA (Eryone) and PETG (eSUN). This is my 1st ever 3d printer and whilst not perfect I am extremely happy with it.
Thanks but please remember I’m an Elegoo fan. And whilst not stopping it fast enough to rdsolve the clog is my issue. As I said it was in the video in order to avoid u due blame on them. Is it my fault that I can’t fix this because you simply cannot buy replacement hot end units? Is it my fault they used apropos nozzle? Is it my fault that if I want to access the extruder mechanism or heatsink. I need to remove the whole part cooling fan and hot end? So yeah, I’m harsh on Elegoo, but if I do the same thing many others has and pander to the creator. I’d have no respect from my audience All issues I don’t have with my Kobra Max
@@FauxHammer Thanks for replying but I can't help thinking that yes, it is "partly" your fault. I'm not being rude but these things have been known about for months so if you bought this printer you either didn't do any homework beforehand, or you decided to buy it anyway, knowing that these "issues"? exist. My max is from the 1st batch and I knew about these things then. So if you have to undo a few screws to get to the print head, it's not a deal breaker for me and you get a spare nozzle with the machine anyway, so when you wear out the 1st and put the 2nd in, send Elegoo an email for another.. If you want a bigger nozzle? buy a different machine. Or wait until Elegoo, or the aftermarket start selling them. The fact you can't get parts other than from the manufacturer is not unheard of either (you can blame Apple for that) so I don't understand why you are being so harsh when this info is already out there . The machine isn't perfect as I said and I've never 3d printed a thing before I got the max, but it can, and does, turn out absolutely stunning prints when you get it dialed in properly.
I had one of these as my first printer before my current neptune 4. I inly had one problem, but it was a bad one. My heatbed would heat up, but could not maintain the 60 degrees centigrade temperature. And it triggered an error and i would have to restart the print but the difference is that I set the heatbed to 40 degrees. Then it worked. I should have gotten the regular 4 in the first place…
Good review. I am tempted by a return/refurb for a lower price entry. I was not aware they had hard to get parts as well. After dealing with proprietary nozzles for my two printers at work, I'll wait for a better deal. Keep up the great work!
Imagine if this thing was as good as an A1 (with commensurate support and aftermarket parts availability). This printer would be god-like in the FDM sphere.
What is the current status, have the mentioned issues been resolved? I am new to this hobby and plan to get started. I'm considering between the Elegoo Neptune 4 Max and the Artillery Sidewinder X4 Plus, but I will most likely choose the Elegoo Neptune 4 Max because of its larger print area. However, I wanted to ask first. Additionally, can it handle composite filaments, such as carbon fiber blends, at 300 degrees Celsius?
Was looking to buy a neptune 4, but the whole propietary nozzle thing, and the fact that with such a huge printbed and the klipper speeds will make the inertia blow the machine appart, Im guessing I will be buying a N3 Max.
I was considering this printer for the plate size but i think ill keep looking. There are good alternatives? I dont need a fast printer (i get used to my slow Ender 3), but a really big one to print large single pieces.
My N4 Max clogged the nozzle, too… and I watched the first six or seven layers lay down before walking off. I sent it back. Bought a Bambu X1 Carbon based on your review.
Some will say the wrapping up of the printer at the end is a reverse of the opening... and they're technically be correct - the best kind of correct :D
I had the same problem, I wrapped a lot of plastic around the hotend and wound up breaking the heater carteridge wire trying to clean it out. I contacted Elegoo and the responded promptly up till it was time to actually purchase the new hotend it’s now been 3 weeks since they said would sell me a replacement. They never did contact me with the final instructions so I can purchase the hotend. I have made repeated attempts to get some sort of response and so far it has been complete radio silence. Also not only the nozzle is proprietary the heater block and heater cartridge are too.
Has anyone ever tried getting spare .04 nozzles, drilling them to a larger hole size .06, .08, 1mm, or larger, and then adjusting the filament feed rate plus or minus to suit? The only difference between them is the hole size in the end, possibly 3D printing a mini lathe to do this.
LOL i watched the video because of the thumbnail. I watched UJ video for Neptune 4 and i was like wtf .. this is an ok printer and he is pricing it like he is a elegoo fan-boy?!? I do not watch him often so i wanted to hear another review and watched a couple of your videos. I am glad I found you out because his video suuuuuuuuckd :D For the printer location I had similar issue with Sidewinder X1 V4 and I just bought an ikea Lack table but a double one. They have such a model and then align the printer perpendicular to the wall. It should work with your workspace too :)
How about to upgrade firmware and software in it? With Creality Ender it is a pain in,,,,, Mine is gone dead as good as after upgrading. En downgrading seems not possible.
I have a Neptune 4 max. Nothing but issues. I am on the current firmware loaded 3 times to try and fix my issues. 1. Input shaper errors out. 2. Printer stops randomly before finishing model, print head just stops where it’s at. The digital display does not show an error it still thinks it’s printing the temp still shows 215 and 70 on the bed. But the bed and print head are cold. 3. Elegoo rapid filament broke of in the extruded and in the tube below the gear melted in the extruder. I am not able to get it out with out breaking the extruder. I have been working with support for over 2 weeks I am currently waiting on extruder replacement. But I believe that that they need to send me a mains board because of my issues. Well it looks like I the part will not show up until next year sometime. Right now I have $500 paper weight. If you are interested in this 3d printer wait 2 - 3 months to see if the issues are fixed.
I havent use any elegoo products . Sorry to see the issues you have. I still trying to get Creality to let me review the K1 Max or QiDi X Max 3. I really need a larger printer for some projects in the works, but just really dont want another bed slinger. I love the Core XY and their features. I love my P1S , but just need something larger. Great video as always ross.
Thank you for the great honest feedback, i still want one, i like the N 3 max but appreciate the upgrades this offers. I will however wait for support to be in place like the ability to find parts, before purchasing. Thanks again for this information, this video helped me to make my decision to purchase the P1S combo for now, and wait for a bit on this one, love your channel, i just subscribed.
My biggest issue with Orca is the speeds. The speed settings are so weird and cant ever find straight up tutorials on how to set it up. I have prints in Cura that will take 5 hours and for Orca shows 12 hours.
I have heard great things about the Nuptune 4 but wanted a lager print volume. When I found out this was pretty jazzed about it. Have not seen enough reviews on them to make an informed decision. The issues you have had would have really been discouraging. So now IDK. I wonder if the Neptune 4 Plus is any better or basically the same thing (a #3 variant) with the same issue waiting to reveal themselves. Anyone here have any experience with either of these?
The hit and miss in quality seems to be a problem across all brands. The extrudermotor on my Qidi X-Max 3 was somehow blocked. I had to dig my way down the hardware to find the problem. Not the Gears, no testfilament from the factory, the motoraxle didn't turn. After some more trying and fiddling on the axle it suddenly turned. A small flake of blue stuff did fall out. Was it screwglue that dripped on the axle? Since then the printer works very good. I have seen other reviews that gave me the shivers. I guess i'm lucky.
I've got the X-Max 3 and the first two months of ownership was more bad than good. But Qidi Tech's support was non-stop and fast (with the exception of the week off for China's national holiday). Parts were upgraded on a "Here you go, you're gonna need this" basis rather than you initiating the upgrade with a "Here is a photo of the smoldering remains, can you hook me up with anything at all?" So do yourself a favor and contact tech support (the email address is printed on the front of the printer), and depending on where your printer sits in Qidi's extremely rapid evolutionary process, you might have a ton of parts to upgrade. These upgrades are significant, and you will be missing out if you don't. And it's free to you. BTW, my extruder was one of the parts that got upgraded with a new one. Jus' saying...
I just had the same blob from my neptune 3 max. Had it for about a month. Been having trouble getting prints to stick to plate. Cleaned with soap, alcohol. Tried glue sticks. Tried masking tape. Nothing was working. I am also waiting on my hot end from Elegoo to try again. Going on week 2 without being able to print with this machine.
Thanks for the honest review it really sucks that this happened I really think this helps i still plan to get one because they really should have solved this by now and nozzles are available if need be but i still think your troubles should not be forgotten thank you for the honest review
@@FauxHammer They had lots of issues that seem to have been resolved with firmware updates. I sell these things and had one returned in worse condition than that blockage you had. These things are so heavy it is a real pain to have one returned for repairs.
Got the 4 Pro, and loved it. Then had this problem at about layer 30 or so. Found a replacement hot end, but no heatsink, and not on Elegoo's site. A month later and I need a new filament gear / tension arm because it is plastic and under spring tension and snapped. I also need a new cable that goes to the head itself because if you print something big it can rub against the uprights. My hot end fan randomly disconnects. They were quick yo respond, but shipping will take weeks. No spare parts anywhere. Wish I had bought a different brand at this point.
He’s saying mars 4 pro and mars 4 max but he means Neptune right? I ended up pre ordering this printer after seeing the build volume. This printer was very much a spur of the moment purchase and my only other experience with an FDM machine was the bambu P1S which I now realize made me think FDM printing was easy. The fan on this thing is redonculously loud and the print head is so big I often can’t see the first layer it’s putting down. Definitely feeling buyers remorse on this one 😢
I Do mean Neptune, Sorry, I keep mixing up the names! yeah, Bambu is 3D printing on easy mode, they are the best printers out there. Everything else pales in comparison. these are even worse.
@@FauxHammer keep up the good work on the reviews. The reason I picked up the P1S, the Saturn 12k Ultra and the GKOne are all based off your content and those have all been amazing
@@FauxHammer just had the Neptune 4 max do the blob of death on my print head and will be contacting support and returning if I can. Not worth the massive headaches for just a larger print bed
i had very very similar issue with the anycubic kobra 2 max showed up broken parts took forever responses took forever software broken in many ways i sent my back month ago and apprently they JUST got the random freeze while printing bit fixed.
On paper, this is just what I’ve been looking for in my next printer - big and fast. I appreciate the honesty and transparency with your experience, I think I’ll keep saving my money. Hell, maybe Bambu will put out a large format printer one day.
I have zero interest in anything Bambu makes. The out of box experience and engineering isn't worth dealing with a company that expects me to upload all of my designs to their cloud server by default, and punishes me with engineered inconveniences if I don't play their cloud server All Your Designs Are Belong To Us game.
just woke up to a glob on my n4 max this morning. stuck with a whole table’s worth of a paper weight for god knows how many weeks until i get a replacement sent after support replies to me makes no sense that no replacement hot ends are available. Seriously, think about how ridiculous it is to have launched a product with this little amount of support not to mention I had to struggle with firmware troubles straight out of the box. Didn’t have anything close to this kind of experience on my n3 pro feeling seriously burned on this buy
I really appreciate your honesty. I've actually been considering for the past couple weeks,switching to them. I have six printers from creality A pair of S1 pluses and three V3 SE's and one of their resin printers. One of my SE's went down, just stopped printing. It is now been down for over 2 months and they are giving me the runaround. They asked for information I gave them everything they needed they said they were going to send me a new motherboard and then...backtracked, Then ghosted me for 3 weeks. A week ago they resumed correspondence because I started reaching out to other parts of their company. Send all the information again as requested.... have you tried flashing it or formatting the thumb drive...... seriously! I put in the work to dial these machines in. So I know enough when something is messed up. I don't mind turning wrenches and doing the work I just want reliable machines that can do the work also. it seems that nothing is safe.
Thanks for confirming what I am also experiencing with the Max4. What a dumpster fire!! Bed slinging at this size is idiotic. I had massive layer shifts when it tried to run fast because the ridiculously tiny nema17 skipped steps. Even after slowing it down it has very poor layer registration because of the pom wheels and poor assembly. Not to mention the thermal expansion when hot on the plate, hot on the top, but cold in the middle. My prints split every time. We spent $1k on a heated enclosure but still have to baby each print. This unit also has a ridiculously small power supply-450watts. My tiny Voxelab Aquila is 350 watts. What were they thinking? It was gratifying seeing you take it apart and ditch it. Btw, an easy fix for the nozzle size is to just use any old 0.8 but use locktite 2722 on the threads. Because its a short nozzle hot filament will try to go around it via the threads since it doesn't seal against the block inside. The locktite is 600C so won't burn out and leak. Elegoo has wasted their rep on this dister.
I would like to ask, if you don't think the Neptune 4 Max is good, do you recommend getting the 3 Max instead? Asking as I'm looking to get a larger FDM printer.
I have 3 of the Elegoo Neptune printers. I have the Neptune 3, 3 Pro, and 3 Max. And I am just fine with the regular, slower speeds. When I print, even big things on the Max, I rarely never go more than 1.5 layer height. My standard is 1.0 layer height on everything! I am just fine with the slower, finer printing. I am medically retired, I have the time (and the beer) to wait. And while something is printing, I am and can be working on or finishing something else printed. Never was a fan of all this high-speed hype. Even my Anycubic M5s resin printer is slowed, I put a clear NFEP and treat it as an M5, but get the auto leveling benefits. Thank you for that @FauxHammer. That ACF film was just stupid. Resin printing is for detail, and the ACF loses it. Slow and steady for me.
The nozzles that are on Amazon that say they are for the Neputune 4’s are too short. Also, thanks for turning me on to Orca Slicer. Very slick interface.
Thanks for this review I was looking at ordering one over these for my second 3D printer but I think I'll order another bamboo lab X1CC and wait. If only bambu made a large printer like this, id whip out my CC in a second.
i am so happy with my 3 max... as soon as i saw they were making it come out with klipper, i knew it was going to be a mess or problems... giant bed slingers shouldn't be going that fast... every day in the elegoo facebook group, people post that something blew out, or huge layer shifts... i mean, you can slow it down, but the nozzles was a huge deal breaker for me... originally, i wanted to use the hotend from the 4 on my 3 to increase my flow rate, but now i'm over it...
I know this is a bit of a stretch to ask, but after a good while has the Neptune 4 become more worth it apart from the 3? Currently trying to see if I should spend the extra 80-100 for the 4, after seeing all the complaints n all. So far Leaning more towards the 3.
Anycubic also don't have larger nozzles for their fast printers. I wonder if the issue is that at these higher print speeds, a larger nozzle would run into flow-rate issues where it can't melt filament fast enough, so they've intentionally kept it at 0.4mm to avoid those issues. I have an Anycubic Kobra 2 Pro and it's kind of impressive to see how fast the spool spins compared to older slower printers, bump that up to a 0.8mm nozzle and it'd have to draw then melt filament 4 times faster.
Probably just supply chain issues. You can get larger brass nozzles for the Kobra 2 series but not for hardened steel. I put in the Vyper heat break so I could use regular Volcano nozzles.
@@petercallison5765 I don't think you can get larger nozzles for the Kobra 2? They're the same nozzles as the Kobra 2 pro and the only ones I see on Anycubic's site is 0.4mm. The original Kobra used a more standard nozzle so there was more options, but it also wasn't as fast as the Kobra 2/2 Pro.
I'm not sure if the light on printhead is a path that more manufacturers will go, as current trend is "a need for speed" and if you are trying to squeeze each and every second your printhead must be lightweight, so each and every gram matters.
@@FauxHammer yeah, the feature is not only cool but also practical and as the afterthought - no one is buying this to win speedboat competition, so maybe consumer grade bedslingers will actually adopt this feature.
There definitely are more benefits to Klipper firmware than just being popular. It basically boils down to higher processing power available on the hardware that can run the software. Due to the hardware requirements, people have developed software with advanced capabilities such as input shaping and generally smoother or higher resolution printing without hiccups. Now, these same advantages could be programmed for Marlin based hardware as far as I understand, but it would require the hardware being more powerful and people developing that software. Hopefully I'm making sense.
@@FauxHammer They may have custom firmware which replicates some of the features of Klipper such as input shaping. As I said it's not that Marlin couldn't theoretically have most of the same features, it just doesn't universally and can't on many of the older pieces of hardware. In order to add Klipper to an older machine you need that secondary processor to have the speed. Klipper also allows the much faster interface with the printer and any or better web access abilities, printing queues, better visualizations of prints, camera recording, and more. The input shaping features will also show up more in the quality of a print, especially a fast print, rather than solely the maximum possible speeds. I'm definitely not an all around Klipper expert, but just going off what I know.
Coming up to Xmas and they are sold out of replacement hot ends for the Neptune 3 series and you can't even buy a replacement brass nozzle for N4 Plus or Max even on Aliexpress. I will also say that the parts are a lot more expensive than the Kobra 2 printers. Reviewers need to pay more attention to these issues. The Sovol SV07 Plus may be the safest option for a mid-size Klipper printer.
only two issues ive had are, my bed has some weird dip in it that wont let the back 1/4 of the plate level out, yet the rest i got flat. so im limited to smaller prints atm (still waiting on support to get back to me). also the nozzles as well, im on my last one and have zero options to get more if that gets ruined.
I have the Neptune 4 Plus and I worked on it with the help of the support team and never was able to get it running so now it sits in the corner of a closet up in the attic.
This is a great review. This was my first filament 3d printer that I was hoping to use for wargame terrain. Previously, I had a Elegoo 3 resin printer that I absolutely love. However with the Neptune 3 - I ran into the exact same issue with the nozzle and I couldn't get it cleaned off even after research. I also tried reahing out to Elegoo and there was no response. I was so disappeointed. I'm now back to searching for a decent entry level 3d filament to get details terrain pieces.
No replacement parts especially nozzle, that’s bad, I was seriously considering this printer for making some functional parts. Thanks for posting the video
So many new machines are coming out, and not enough replacement parts to support, they just go until it runs out and then move onto the next bigger, newer machines
It's an absolute to monitor the first layer on any beds linger. In fact I come back and check often for the first hour. All the potential issues can be prevented and stopped then.
I've had the neptune 4 max for about 3 weeks now and i have yet to have a successful print from it. Its gotten to the point where it just sits now and i use my 3 max without any issues
Not a serious review. You complain about a bunch of really minor stuff and then complain about a failure. So I'm essence you had a problem with the hot end and decided to make a revenge video? Not very professional of you. Your videos are usually good, but this one lowers your average significantly.
Fantastic hoenst review mate. The lack of replacement nozzles / other nozzle sizes is easily my biggest issue with the machine currently. Also, I'm still waiting on my replacement hotend that also massively clogged up on my N4 Plus. Fingers crossed they get those replacement parts sorted soon or hopefully a 3rd party will make them available via amazon
Thanks Brother! I actually got a Delivery the day after I recorded this. Was just the Nozzle and Heatink!
I was considering buying from the Aliexpress store, but the hot end on there is listed as the same one for all Neptune 4's yet we know the Plus and Max are totally different.
I took this to the storage unit today where it will sit until resolved. Gutted because you know I love Elegoo
I thought I've seen replacement nozzles for the 4 series on Amazon. Do those not work?
@@FauxHammer What kind of filament did you use while having the big nozzle clog? i had some clogs in my anycubic i3 mega s while printing matte filament(esun 0.4mm nozzle). since that i print matte only with 0.6 and had no issues with that. so yeah we need aftermarket nozzles. and yes... they should have just used volcano nozzles cuz those are nearly the same dimensions.
@@YoDobberThose are different than for Plus and Max 😢
Hope you got your hotend. I had exactly the same issue. They sent one out pretty quickly, and when I told them the structure sucks, they also offered to send me a spare.
Great service, although it is a very concerning issue I hope they rectify. I'm tempted to go for a refund and go for another max size printer but I need it for work so they're all problematic delays.
This entire video could have been 30 seconds and said "if you want a printer that just works out of the box, spend twice as much money and expect to get half the build volume". still appreciate the honest review though, I think everything you said was accurate. I had the same problems with my N4 Max to begin with, but firmware updates over the last month plus the switch to orca 1.8 with its built-in profile has fixed every issue I had. I'm getting about three times the speed I did over previous 3D printers I've had and that's pretty awesome. I think as the software matures it's going to get even faster.
I wish I had that experience. I'm still gutted I have no way to get this working. I'd love to use it.
you probably got a good one in the batch I return mind cause no firm or nothing will fixed im done with this hot garbage never had this many issues with a 3d printer
😂 can’t wait
Me too... I ordered N4Max two days ago.. 😮
I like the down-to-earth honesty that is always present in your videos - led me to get an Elegoo Neptune 3 and Anycubic 6xs!
Thank you for the honest review. Proprietary nozzles are less than ideal but not providing replacements is unacceptable.
I had f. ton of problems for the first 4 hours, then I've updated firmware and its wonderful. The only issue is that i think I'll glue or weld all the screws as the vibrations make them unscrew themselves, belts are loosening after around 20h of printing. overall I didn't expect its possible to build slinger bed so big and so fast without it falling appart. I was right, but i still love that thing.
And yet...my Kobra 2 pro killed its hotbed the other day and getting the replacement will take potentially months as it's sold out... now... I'm considering a replacement FDA.... willing to drop about 500$ -.... which one should I get?
Hmmm, my Kobra 2 Pro did the same thing. And I thought I was the only one!
Did you ever get it working properly? I'm looking at the 4 plus
I had the same blob issue, thankfully Elegoo sent a replacement, hopefully they make a whole new hot end style with bigger nozzle sizes!
9:55 how you did that on extruder my neptune 4 didn't have any issues is a great printer
he doesnt have any skills he is super noob idk why he said is a bad printer he cant even use one
My Neptune 4 Max is working good. There was some growning pains because the pinter was used but I got it printing really good now. My only complaint is that I have to level the bed every printer but I am used to that with other printers that I own. I am printing a lot of big things now and its just fine.
I know why it was used. ;)
I will give you honesty is great but I think on some of this you missed the mark a bit. Klipper is not just the IT thing as its been around for almost half a decade. The print head thing I have run into but who hasn't? If you have ever owned an Ender this is old hat and can be fixed. Any who this is all your opinion and I like that you broke it down so honestly.
Thanks for the review. I have had my 4 Max for about 6 weeks and while there were a few problems to start with (to the point where I was about to return it) the 3D printing community and forums helped me to get mine working properly. There are still issues but I believe Elegoo are working them and issuing regular firmware updates, saying that though you are correct when you say this product was rushed to the market. No product should ever go on sale with so many problems. I too am an Elegoo resin printer fan having the Mars and Saturn printers, unfortunately the Saturn now has problems which I wont go into here. Thanks again for the honest review, if I hadn't already bought mine I would not be purchasing the N4M after seeing this review.
Thanks for the support.
which community I am in discord, I am not sure where to turn to cause i have a floating z-offset
@@wiseguy7242 I joined a group on Facebook and they have helped me out on several occasions. I also contacted Elegoo when my printhead/extruder turned into a blob of melted plastic - they sent me a new printhead/extruder and I am back to printing again - I have found Elegoo support to be excellent - stick with it and I am sure you can start to get the results from the printer you want. 🙂
This makes my FOMO from the holiday sales much more manageable. I want a large volume FDM for cosplay/prop purposes, but now I'm glad that finances were forcing me to wait anyway
0.4mm nozzle has been found to be just as fast but higher quality then a 0.6+ nozzle in almost all instances on newer printers that can print fast(including the Neptune 4 max)
This is because the limit now is the melt rate for the current hot end designs and a 0.4mm nozzle can already extrude faster then the filament can melt properly.
Prusa XL for example now comes with 0.4mm not larger because of this fact.
Can you use prusa slicer for this printer?
Yeah, Orca slicer would probably be the better choice
Yes, you can.
it's always difficult trying to do honest reviews and managing relationships with the manufacturer's, I think you walked the line here pretty well 🙂
very insightful, thanks. looking to add another printer to my collection and was curious about the larger form factor, the standard 225x225 can print 4 of my parts while this one can fit 16. not too concerned about printing big things so maybe i'll stick to the smaller form factor in case an error happens on the week long $50 prints it would be doing.
I just bought a 4 max and im picking it up tomorrow but i live a few miles from a elegoo warehouse/distributor that i can just order from and pick up they have nozzles in various sizes and spare parts ready to go so hopefully i wont have these issues im excited to have a large format printer this big
Guys, Stop! Don´t let this review put you off buying this model. I have bought and own one of these and the thing works great. I´m no printing guru but know what I´m doing in regards to getting a print up and running, predominantly in PLA and TPU. I don´t know why this reviewer had so many issues but It has to be down to bad luck to have so many problems of this nature. Not to say that all of the reported experiences are not real and valid, but this will not apply to every model rolled off, of the production line. Could you have issues, off course, but you could with many other models out there unless your paying the big bucks for the you know what´s of this world. I guess you typically get more feedback from people when stuff doesn´t work, would be interesting to hear about the success stories as I´m sure there are a few out there. I never thought to post this at all, why, because I´m a happy customer just getting on with it as my 95A TPU print runs next to me, clean with no issues at 70mm plus a sec. I also own a Neptune 2S which is a champ and runs PLA almost flawlessly, TPU a bit more of a faff due to the Bowden setup. Just to be clear, I purchased my Neptune 4 Max before this review was released but after watching this review and a ton more, I leaned more towards Aurora Techs review which convinced me this was the one for me and to keep it once it arrived. The choice is yours but you will never get a printer at this price that runs flawlessly IMO as so many factors can spoil a print. Hardware issues out of the box should never happen so that can not be excused and if it does the manufacturer should replace the faulty part like yesterday free of charge. I expect software bugs/issues of some sort on all of these printers from experience but yes, they should be the exception rather than the norm. Also remember to make sure every screw and bolt which matters is tightened as I had a couple loose out of the box which will ruin your experience if not addressed correctly. Happy printing people...
yeah, you're completely right. in regard to not letting one review put you off a printer. I had a bad experience, the printer was fundamentally flawed from the get go.
but everyone looking to buy a printer should watch multiple reviews of the product to determine if that products features and performance is right for them.
In My case, As I said, I feel this is a Rushed upgrade of the Neptune 3 range. and it is limited by the fact that you you have Nozzles with difficult to access parts like the extruder gear (good job you never need to perform maintenance on that part in the history of 3D printing). and you can't get different or replacement nozzles.
Weeks after this review went live now and months after the printer was released, I still can't get a replacement hotend module
so many people have reported this clogging issue and layer shifts, even Uncle Jessy himself had his clog...
I'm glad you got a good one, I wish I'd had that experience as I did with the Neptune 3.
But yes, I agree, do not buy a printer based of any single reviewer's videos. Ever. always get a second and third opinion.
@@FauxHammer I agree with everything you say 100 percent and god forbid I need a main spare part as you mention as I have heard challenging stories from people in the FB groups trying to get these parts for the Neptune 4 series. I did order and receive (15) 0.4mm spare nozzles at 1 Dollar a piece (0.93 euro/0.80 Pence prior to getting this printer in preparation for clogs etcetera but you are spot on about the non availability for 0.6 - 0.8 spares. With them being proprietary nozzles, they are cheap with shipping added on top but I believe customers should be pro-active and place orders for the main parts that are likely to fail at some point such as the full extruder assembly, mainboard, nozzles along with their orders if they can afford to. This will avoid down time where possible as obviously they are not available on Amazon or anywhere else for that matter and I have a feeling their stocks are low on these spares. Oh well, looking forward to your next FDM printer review, stay safe🙂
I have the smaller neptune 4 Pro and it has been running for 2 months daily. Only hiccup was after I re levelled it but that was me. All good again now
Honestly all the issues you had is what you'll get with basically every printer. There's no printer out of the box that's immaculate without slight tweaks. Most of this review was just personal preference based lol. I have a Neptune 3 Pro and the 4 Max and they are both great.
There are a few print out if box features
But I’m not sure how rejecting companies making proprietary nozzles with no benefit for the user, and releasing a printer with a limited range available and no way to get replacements is a personal preference.
do you have problems with bed leveling ? and should you tu level the bed every time you want to print ?
What brand would you recommend for a decent FDM printer (either 220 or 320mm)?
Bambu A1
Lovely and refreshing to watch an unbiased review. Probably the only thing that makes the manufacturers take not and revise the hardware and firmware... or in this case just make some alternative spares available.
Well, I'm just one review in a sea of "OMG THIS IS AMAZING!"
I have one and have been able to get my hands on a whole extruder assembly for 45$ on amazon. So far so good for me as I haven't really pushed it. First layer is difficult but after that it prints nicely.
I have one and havent had any of these issues. He broke it and he's taking it out on the brand.
I have this same printer. My only complaint is the nozzle. No hardened nozzles available yet either. I was printing a glow in the dark Apollo helmet and the glow in the dark filament is abrasive and ate thru my nozzle. I only got one with mine. I ordered a dozen from them for now till aftermarket becomes available. Glad mine didn't have the melted glob! Keep up the good work!
I wish I'd had a good experience, bit the nozzles are a ref flag for me.
interesting my plus came with 2 nozzles, wonder if its only the max they ship with one... that would be a dumb move id say
@@Ni3wint3r You do get spare nozzles in the box. but they won't fix this.
I was about to pull the trigger on this one bud after seeing this video and countless reddit comments, I'm not sure if I should get one or not. Is there any update on the issues after 4-5 months after this video? If it's still crap, any other recommendations in 600$ range and min 300x300 dimensions?
It is crap. I brought one last month and had constant problems with it. I am sure I could fix them by modifying the printer but I didn't buy a printer just to fiddle with it constantly. I reached my breaking point where I returned to a failed print because the nozzle on the brand new, just out of the box, hotend managed to unscrew itself by about a centimeter and dug itself into the print. I returned it and brought a bambu A1.
I would not recommend this printer, or any other large printer int his price range unless you absolutely need the large print size. If you buy the printer buy a emmc to USB adapter so you can flash it with OpenNept4une, and just resign to the fact that you probably are going to spend a lot of time fiddling with the thing.
@@frozenbacon Brought?
Thanks for the real-talk video. Now, off to find info about the Creality K1 Max...
If you remove that extra fan and change the max height in your slicer, can you get it back to 500mm? or 400mm for the Neptune 4 Plus? I've considered getting one of these, but it's hard to go for the 4 when the 3 equivalent has a larger build area.
They went with POM wheels for a fast printer. what were they thinking?
ummm "GET THIS ON SALE!", I guess
Does the Neptune 4 have proprietary nozzles as well? Getting ready to place an order but that would be a big issue
Yep
Thanks for the comment, I was wondering is cura skin total crap or is it usable? Also, does this include input shaping and pressure advance and is it open source where you can change / modify Klipper firmware?
Hello there I am new to FDM printing but do resin what one would you say would be good for a newbie. I mostly want to print stuff like Helmets and useful items around the house so from a good sized to smallish parts. So hard to find honest reviews saw the Ender 3 V3 as a possible one.
Get a Bambu A1 or P1S, you would need to print in multiple parts still for most helmets.
after that, I actually really like the Creality K series, in which the K1 max is nice!
@@FauxHammer great! Thank you
I think your being your're being a bit harsh on Elegoo for something that was essentially your own fault, (as it is for many other users) The amount of posts I've seen from folks complaining about this and that, when it is pretty obvious that much of it is down to user error. I have one of these and yes, I too think it was rushed to market, BUT, I've been knocking out perfect 3ft long articulated dragons and Ugrinsky turbine blades, and that was before the new firmware. The filament I've used so far has been dual silk PLA (Eryone) and PETG (eSUN).
This is my 1st ever 3d printer and whilst not perfect I am extremely happy with it.
Thanks but please remember I’m an Elegoo fan. And whilst not stopping it fast enough to rdsolve the clog is my issue. As I said it was in the video in order to avoid u due blame on them.
Is it my fault that I can’t fix this because you simply cannot buy replacement hot end units? Is it my fault they used apropos nozzle? Is it my fault that if I want to access the extruder mechanism or heatsink. I need to remove the whole part cooling fan and hot end?
So yeah, I’m harsh on Elegoo, but if I do the same thing many others has and pander to the creator. I’d have no respect from my audience
All issues I don’t have with my Kobra Max
@@FauxHammer Thanks for replying but I can't help thinking that yes, it is "partly" your fault. I'm not being rude but these things have been known about for months so if you bought this printer you either didn't do any homework beforehand, or you decided to buy it anyway, knowing that these "issues"? exist. My max is from the 1st batch and I knew about these things then. So if you have to undo a few screws to get to the print head, it's not a deal breaker for me and you get a spare nozzle with the machine anyway, so when you wear out the 1st and put the 2nd in, send Elegoo an email for another.. If you want a bigger nozzle? buy a different machine. Or wait until Elegoo, or the aftermarket start selling them. The fact you can't get parts other than from the manufacturer is not unheard of either (you can blame Apple for that) so I don't understand why you are being so harsh when this info is already out there . The machine isn't perfect as I said and I've never 3d printed a thing before I got the max, but it can, and does, turn out absolutely stunning prints when you get it dialed in properly.
I had one of these as my first printer before my current neptune 4. I inly had one problem, but it was a bad one. My heatbed would heat up, but could not maintain the 60 degrees centigrade temperature. And it triggered an error and i would have to restart the print but the difference is that I set the heatbed to 40 degrees. Then it worked. I should have gotten the regular 4 in the first place…
❤❤❤here now with my max.. no custom support.. the bed is crooked but how do I trust if I send it back they'll give my money back
Good review. I am tempted by a return/refurb for a lower price entry. I was not aware they had hard to get parts as well. After dealing with proprietary nozzles for my two printers at work, I'll wait for a better deal. Keep up the great work!
Imagine if this thing was as good as an A1 (with commensurate support and aftermarket parts availability). This printer would be god-like in the FDM sphere.
What is the current status, have the mentioned issues been resolved? I am new to this hobby and plan to get started. I'm considering between the Elegoo Neptune 4 Max and the Artillery Sidewinder X4 Plus, but I will most likely choose the Elegoo Neptune 4 Max because of its larger print area. However, I wanted to ask first. Additionally, can it handle composite filaments, such as carbon fiber blends, at 300 degrees Celsius?
Just got my Plus but from my understanding its the same parts. I guess fingers crossed I don't also have these issues. Thanks for the review!
how is it
I also got the monster glob on my hotend... 2 week later still waiting for a response from Elegoo
Was looking to buy a neptune 4, but the whole propietary nozzle thing, and the fact that with such a huge printbed and the klipper speeds will make the inertia blow the machine appart, Im guessing I will be buying a N3 Max.
I was considering this printer for the plate size but i think ill keep looking.
There are good alternatives? I dont need a fast printer (i get used to my slow Ender 3), but a really big one to print large single pieces.
This video is 5 months old haven't they fixed stuff now ? I'm looking at this too
The Neptune 3 max is great
How does it compare with the 3 max ?
it's both faster and much more shit.
If you didn't have either which one would you prefer @@FauxHammer
My N4 Max clogged the nozzle, too… and I watched the first six or seven layers lay down before walking off. I sent it back. Bought a Bambu X1 Carbon based on your review.
We're not the only people this happened to
Some will say the wrapping up of the printer at the end is a reverse of the opening... and they're technically be correct - the best kind of correct :D
I had the same problem, I wrapped a lot of plastic around the hotend and wound up breaking the heater carteridge wire trying to clean it out. I contacted Elegoo and the responded promptly up till it was time to actually purchase the new hotend it’s now been 3 weeks since they said would sell me a replacement. They never did contact me with the final instructions so I can purchase the hotend. I have made repeated attempts to get some sort of response and so far it has been complete radio silence. Also not only the nozzle is proprietary the heater block and heater cartridge are too.
Could you tell me what the square lights are u are using on the desk and where to get them please
They are Amran MC RGB lights, you can grab them off amazon - really nice!
I have had nothing but issues with leveling and clogged nozzles from Elegoo's FDM printers :/
Has anyone ever tried getting spare .04 nozzles, drilling them to a larger hole size .06, .08, 1mm, or larger, and then adjusting the filament feed rate plus or minus to suit? The only difference between them is the hole size in the end, possibly 3D printing a mini lathe to do this.
Not that I know of.
@@FauxHammer It would be worth a try, I will try it soon.
LOL i watched the video because of the thumbnail. I watched UJ video for Neptune 4 and i was like wtf .. this is an ok printer and he is pricing it like he is a elegoo fan-boy?!?
I do not watch him often so i wanted to hear another review and watched a couple of your videos. I am glad I found you out because his video suuuuuuuuckd :D
For the printer location I had similar issue with Sidewinder X1 V4 and I just bought an ikea Lack table but a double one. They have such a model and then align the printer perpendicular to the wall. It should work with your workspace too :)
How about to upgrade firmware and software in it? With Creality Ender it is a pain in,,,,, Mine is gone dead as good as after upgrading. En downgrading seems not possible.
I have a Neptune 4 max. Nothing but issues. I am on the current firmware loaded 3 times to try and fix my issues. 1. Input shaper errors out. 2. Printer stops randomly before finishing model, print head just stops where it’s at. The digital display does not show an error it still thinks it’s printing the temp still shows 215 and 70 on the bed. But the bed and print head are cold. 3. Elegoo rapid filament broke of in the extruded and in the tube below the gear melted in the extruder. I am not able to get it out with out breaking the extruder. I have been working with support for over 2 weeks I am currently waiting on extruder replacement. But I believe that that they need to send me a mains board because of my issues. Well it looks like I the part will not show up until next year sometime. Right now I have $500 paper weight. If you are interested in this 3d printer wait 2 - 3 months to see if the issues are fixed.
Are they fixed yet? Looking at getting one.
No, i am not wasting any more time with it. I have moved on to a bambu an live it.
I havent use any elegoo products . Sorry to see the issues you have. I still trying to get Creality to let me review the K1 Max or QiDi X Max 3. I really need a larger printer for some projects in the works, but just really dont want another bed slinger. I love the Core XY and their features. I love my P1S , but just need something larger. Great video as always ross.
Thanks, yeah I think we are all desperate for Bambu to release a bigger printer!
Suggestions instead for FDMs on this scale? @@FauxHammer
4:05, that's a ton of infill.
It looks like the nozzle kits are in stock? and replacement extuders...
Finally
Thank you for the great honest feedback, i still want one, i like the N 3 max but appreciate the upgrades this offers. I will however wait for support to be in place like the ability to find parts, before purchasing. Thanks again for this information, this video helped me to make my decision to purchase the P1S combo for now, and wait for a bit on this one, love your channel, i just subscribed.
instead of buying a large build plate printer you bought a small one that cost 3x ok it was smart haha looks like a fake comment ;)
My biggest issue with Orca is the speeds. The speed settings are so weird and cant ever find straight up tutorials on how to set it up. I have prints in Cura that will take 5 hours and for Orca shows 12 hours.
Can someone recommend something better than this 3D printer but with similar build area?
Kobra 2 Max - started review this week.
I have heard great things about the Nuptune 4 but wanted a lager print volume. When I found out this was pretty jazzed about it. Have not seen enough reviews on them to make an informed decision. The issues you have had would have really been discouraging. So now IDK. I wonder if the Neptune 4 Plus is any better or basically the same thing (a #3 variant) with the same issue waiting to reveal themselves. Anyone here have any experience with either of these?
Frankly Built has had some nightmare problems with the version of klipper Elegoo put on this thing.
I just received my black friday N4. I haven't even unboxed it. How hard is it to send back?
I'm also still waiting on my replacement hot end. Thinking honestly about just returning the whole printer. Creality K1 Max looking awful good rn
Yeah, well put it this way, I got this free and I don't use it. and I'm considering buying a second K1 Max
So do you like the Neptune 4 max or the Neptune 3 max
The hit and miss in quality seems to be a problem across all brands. The extrudermotor on my Qidi X-Max 3 was somehow blocked. I had to dig my way down the hardware to find the problem. Not the Gears, no testfilament from the factory, the motoraxle didn't turn. After some more trying and fiddling on the axle it suddenly turned. A small flake of blue stuff did fall out. Was it screwglue that dripped on the axle? Since then the printer works very good. I have seen other reviews that gave me the shivers. I guess i'm lucky.
I've got the X-Max 3 and the first two months of ownership was more bad than good. But Qidi Tech's support was non-stop and fast (with the exception of the week off for China's national holiday). Parts were upgraded on a "Here you go, you're gonna need this" basis rather than you initiating the upgrade with a "Here is a photo of the smoldering remains, can you hook me up with anything at all?"
So do yourself a favor and contact tech support (the email address is printed on the front of the printer), and depending on where your printer sits in Qidi's extremely rapid evolutionary process, you might have a ton of parts to upgrade. These upgrades are significant, and you will be missing out if you don't. And it's free to you.
BTW, my extruder was one of the parts that got upgraded with a new one. Jus' saying...
I just had the same blob from my neptune 3 max. Had it for about a month. Been having trouble getting prints to stick to plate. Cleaned with soap, alcohol. Tried glue sticks. Tried masking tape. Nothing was working. I am also waiting on my hot end from Elegoo to try again. Going on week 2 without being able to print with this machine.
Can anyone recommend a superb 3D Printer with a large bed similar to the Neptune 4 Max but without the hassles of proprietary Nozzles, etc.
wanted to get a Neptune 4 Plus, saw the issue videos, got it, sent it directly back to the shop. Going for a Bambu Lab now
Thanks for the honest review it really sucks that this happened I really think this helps i still plan to get one because they really should have solved this by now and nozzles are available if need be but i still think your troubles should not be forgotten thank you for the honest review
what's a better alternative? I have my Amazon cart loaded, but now I'm really reconsidering.Good vid!
you could look at reviews of the Kobra 2 max? I haven't unboxed mine yet.
@@FauxHammer They had lots of issues that seem to have been resolved with firmware updates. I sell these things and had one returned in worse condition than that blockage you had. These things are so heavy it is a real pain to have one returned for repairs.
What big 3d printer do you recommend?
Got the 4 Pro, and loved it. Then had this problem at about layer 30 or so. Found a replacement hot end, but no heatsink, and not on Elegoo's site. A month later and I need a new filament gear / tension arm because it is plastic and under spring tension and snapped. I also need a new cable that goes to the head itself because if you print something big it can rub against the uprights. My hot end fan randomly disconnects. They were quick yo respond, but shipping will take weeks. No spare parts anywhere. Wish I had bought a different brand at this point.
He’s saying mars 4 pro and mars 4 max but he means Neptune right? I ended up pre ordering this printer after seeing the build volume. This printer was very much a spur of the moment purchase and my only other experience with an FDM machine was the bambu P1S which I now realize made me think FDM printing was easy. The fan on this thing is redonculously loud and the print head is so big I often can’t see the first layer it’s putting down. Definitely feeling buyers remorse on this one 😢
I Do mean Neptune, Sorry, I keep mixing up the names!
yeah, Bambu is 3D printing on easy mode, they are the best printers out there. Everything else pales in comparison. these are even worse.
@@FauxHammer keep up the good work on the reviews. The reason I picked up the P1S, the Saturn 12k Ultra and the GKOne are all based off your content and those have all been amazing
@@FauxHammer just had the Neptune 4 max do the blob of death on my print head and will be contacting support and returning if I can. Not worth the massive headaches for just a larger print bed
i had very very similar issue with the anycubic kobra 2 max showed up broken parts took forever responses took forever software broken in many ways i sent my back month ago and apprently they JUST got the random freeze while printing bit fixed.
On paper, this is just what I’ve been looking for in my next printer - big and fast. I appreciate the honesty and transparency with your experience, I think I’ll keep saving my money. Hell, maybe Bambu will put out a large format printer one day.
We are all praying for that day where Bambu goes bigger.
Yeah, but that one will be over 2,000 dollars
I have zero interest in anything Bambu makes. The out of box experience and engineering isn't worth dealing with a company that expects me to upload all of my designs to their cloud server by default, and punishes me with engineered inconveniences if I don't play their cloud server All Your Designs Are Belong To Us game.
just woke up to a glob on my n4 max this morning.
stuck with a whole table’s worth of a paper weight for god knows how many weeks until i get a replacement sent after support replies to me
makes no sense that no replacement hot ends are available.
Seriously, think about how ridiculous it is to have launched a product with this little amount of support
not to mention I had to struggle with firmware troubles straight out of the box.
Didn’t have anything close to this kind of experience on my n3 pro
feeling seriously burned on this buy
I really appreciate your honesty. I've actually been considering for the past couple weeks,switching to them.
I have six printers from creality
A pair of S1 pluses and three V3 SE's and one of their resin printers.
One of my SE's went down, just stopped printing.
It is now been down for over 2 months and they are giving me the runaround. They asked for information I gave them everything they needed they said they were going to send me a new motherboard and then...backtracked, Then ghosted me for 3 weeks.
A week ago they resumed correspondence because I started reaching out to other parts of their company.
Send all the information again as requested.... have you tried flashing it or formatting the thumb drive...... seriously!
I put in the work to dial these machines in.
So I know enough when something is messed up.
I don't mind turning wrenches and doing the work I just want reliable machines that can do the work also.
it seems that nothing is safe.
Thanks for confirming what I am also experiencing with the Max4. What a dumpster fire!! Bed slinging at this size is idiotic. I had massive layer shifts when it tried to run fast because the ridiculously tiny nema17 skipped steps. Even after slowing it down it has very poor layer registration because of the pom wheels and poor assembly. Not to mention the thermal expansion when hot on the plate, hot on the top, but cold in the middle. My prints split every time. We spent $1k on a heated enclosure but still have to baby each print. This unit also has a ridiculously small power supply-450watts. My tiny Voxelab Aquila is 350 watts. What were they thinking? It was gratifying seeing you take it apart and ditch it. Btw, an easy fix for the nozzle size is to just use any old 0.8 but use locktite 2722 on the threads. Because its a short nozzle hot filament will try to go around it via the threads since it doesn't seal against the block inside. The locktite is 600C so won't burn out and leak. Elegoo has wasted their rep on this dister.
What is your opinion on the Elegoo Neptune 4 Plus? I just ordered it and all of the reviews say it's amazing.
I would like to ask, if you don't think the Neptune 4 Max is good, do you recommend getting the 3 Max instead? Asking as I'm looking to get a larger FDM printer.
I liked the 3 max, had no issues with it, and I can get parts. It's just slow. but for detail and quality, that's often better.
I have 3 of the Elegoo Neptune printers. I have the Neptune 3, 3 Pro, and 3 Max. And I am just fine with the regular, slower speeds. When I print, even big things on the Max, I rarely never go more than 1.5 layer height. My standard is 1.0 layer height on everything! I am just fine with the slower, finer printing. I am medically retired, I have the time (and the beer) to wait. And while something is printing, I am and can be working on or finishing something else printed. Never was a fan of all this high-speed hype. Even my Anycubic M5s resin printer is slowed, I put a clear NFEP and treat it as an M5, but get the auto leveling benefits. Thank you for that @FauxHammer. That ACF film was just stupid. Resin printing is for detail, and the ACF loses it. Slow and steady for me.
Love the honesty. My quest for a good FDM printer for wargame terrain continues. Any suggestions outside of Elegoo?
The nozzles that are on Amazon that say they are for the Neputune 4’s are too short. Also, thanks for turning me on to Orca Slicer. Very slick interface.
Thanks for this review I was looking at ordering one over these for my second 3D printer but I think I'll order another bamboo lab X1CC and wait. If only bambu made a large printer like this, id whip out my CC in a second.
i am so happy with my 3 max... as soon as i saw they were making it come out with klipper, i knew it was going to be a mess or problems... giant bed slingers shouldn't be going that fast... every day in the elegoo facebook group, people post that something blew out, or huge layer shifts... i mean, you can slow it down, but the nozzles was a huge deal breaker for me... originally, i wanted to use the hotend from the 4 on my 3 to increase my flow rate, but now i'm over it...
I know this is a bit of a stretch to ask, but after a good while has the Neptune 4 become more worth it apart from the 3? Currently trying to see if I should spend the extra 80-100 for the 4, after seeing all the complaints n all. So far Leaning more towards the 3.
Anycubic also don't have larger nozzles for their fast printers. I wonder if the issue is that at these higher print speeds, a larger nozzle would run into flow-rate issues where it can't melt filament fast enough, so they've intentionally kept it at 0.4mm to avoid those issues. I have an Anycubic Kobra 2 Pro and it's kind of impressive to see how fast the spool spins compared to older slower printers, bump that up to a 0.8mm nozzle and it'd have to draw then melt filament 4 times faster.
Probably just supply chain issues. You can get larger brass nozzles for the Kobra 2 series but not for hardened steel. I put in the Vyper heat break so I could use regular Volcano nozzles.
@@petercallison5765 I don't think you can get larger nozzles for the Kobra 2? They're the same nozzles as the Kobra 2 pro and the only ones I see on Anycubic's site is 0.4mm. The original Kobra used a more standard nozzle so there was more options, but it also wasn't as fast as the Kobra 2/2 Pro.
I'm not sure if the light on printhead is a path that more manufacturers will go, as current trend is "a need for speed" and if you are trying to squeeze each and every second your printhead must be lightweight, so each and every gram matters.
yeah, it is what it is, I just like it.
@@FauxHammer yeah, the feature is not only cool but also practical and as the afterthought - no one is buying this to win speedboat competition, so maybe consumer grade bedslingers will actually adopt this feature.
what do you recommend in the under $400 range?
The Neptune 3 serie is great
There definitely are more benefits to Klipper firmware than just being popular. It basically boils down to higher processing power available on the hardware that can run the software. Due to the hardware requirements, people have developed software with advanced capabilities such as input shaping and generally smoother or higher resolution printing without hiccups. Now, these same advantages could be programmed for Marlin based hardware as far as I understand, but it would require the hardware being more powerful and people developing that software. Hopefully I'm making sense.
Well you say that, but the Anycubbic Kobras are on Marlin and they match these speeds? am I missing something?
@@FauxHammer They may have custom firmware which replicates some of the features of Klipper such as input shaping. As I said it's not that Marlin couldn't theoretically have most of the same features, it just doesn't universally and can't on many of the older pieces of hardware. In order to add Klipper to an older machine you need that secondary processor to have the speed. Klipper also allows the much faster interface with the printer and any or better web access abilities, printing queues, better visualizations of prints, camera recording, and more. The input shaping features will also show up more in the quality of a print, especially a fast print, rather than solely the maximum possible speeds. I'm definitely not an all around Klipper expert, but just going off what I know.
Coming up to Xmas and they are sold out of replacement hot ends for the Neptune 3 series and you can't even buy a replacement brass nozzle for N4 Plus or Max even on Aliexpress. I will also say that the parts are a lot more expensive than the Kobra 2 printers. Reviewers need to pay more attention to these issues. The Sovol SV07 Plus may be the safest option for a mid-size Klipper printer.
only two issues ive had are, my bed has some weird dip in it that wont let the back 1/4 of the plate level out, yet the rest i got flat. so im limited to smaller prints atm (still waiting on support to get back to me). also the nozzles as well, im on my last one and have zero options to get more if that gets ruined.
Were any of these problems resolved ?
I have the Neptune 4 Plus and I worked on it with the help of the support team and never was able to get it running so now it sits in the corner of a closet up in the attic.
This is so many people’s story unfortunately
This is a great review. This was my first filament 3d printer that I was hoping to use for wargame terrain. Previously, I had a Elegoo 3 resin printer that I absolutely love. However with the Neptune 3 - I ran into the exact same issue with the nozzle and I couldn't get it cleaned off even after research. I also tried reahing out to Elegoo and there was no response. I was so disappeointed. I'm now back to searching for a decent entry level 3d filament to get details terrain pieces.
No replacement parts especially nozzle, that’s bad, I was seriously considering this printer for making some functional parts. Thanks for posting the video
So many new machines are coming out, and not enough replacement parts to support, they just go until it runs out and then move onto the next bigger, newer machines
It's an absolute to monitor the first layer on any beds linger. In fact I come back and check often for the first hour. All the potential issues can be prevented and stopped then.
I've had the neptune 4 max for about 3 weeks now and i have yet to have a successful print from it. Its gotten to the point where it just sits now and i use my 3 max without any issues
Any change in three months
Not a serious review. You complain about a bunch of really minor stuff and then complain about a failure. So I'm essence you had a problem with the hot end and decided to make a revenge video? Not very professional of you. Your videos are usually good, but this one lowers your average significantly.