Reviews You Can Rely On

Creality Ender-3 Review

A famously quirky, and famously economical 3D printing relic
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Creality Ender-3 Review
Credit: Matt Lighthart
Price:  $189 List
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Manufacturer:   Creality
By Graham Faulknor and Kyle Hameister  ⋅  Dec 23, 2024
58
OVERALL
SCORE


RANKED
#9 of 11
  • Print Quality - 40% 6.1
  • Ease of Use - 30% 5.2
  • Print Capabilities - 20% 6.0
  • Support - 10% 6.0

Our Verdict

Creality's Ender line of products has been popular for a long time, and the Ender-3, in particular, is one of the best-selling models still available on the market today. It has made a home in the low-budget yet serviceable niche of the 3D printing world better than just about any other product we've seen. It is, however, undeniably aged and more at home in 2014 than in the modern era. But everything needed to make a print is there, in a solid frame with passable specs for the strapping young lad who would rather tinker and trifle with a project build to save a few bucks.
REASONS TO BUY
Very affordable
REASONS TO AVOID
Slow
Outdated features
Manual bed adjustment

Compare to Similar Products

 
creality ender-3
This Product
Creality Ender-3
Awards  Editors' Choice Award
Best Runner Up 3D Printer
Best Buy Award
Best Value Resin Printer
Best Buy Award
Best Value FDM Printer
 
Price $189 List
$189.00 at Amazon
$300 List$209 List$200 List$250 List
$223.99 at Amazon
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Bottom Line An out-of-date printer that still finds a foothold in the marketA polished, reliable 3D printing option for all usersA cost-effective way to get into resin-based printingA printer that aims a little too hard to be your child's first entry to the communityA technologically advanced, reliable resin printer for larger prints
Rating Categories Creality Ender-3 AnkerMake M5C Anycubic Photon Mono 2 Entina Tina2 Elegoo Mars 4
Print Quality (40%)
6.1
7.7
8.0
5.5
7.7
Ease of Use (30%)
5.2
9.0
6.4
7.6
4.8
Print Capabilities (20%)
6.0
7.5
4.0
4.0
3.0
Support (10%)
6.0
8.0
6.0
7.0
5.0
Specs Creality Ender-3 AnkerMake M5C Anycubic Photon Mono 2 Entina Tina2 Elegoo Mars 4
Time to Print a Benchy 112.30 min 36.00 min 175.50 min 91.00 min 142.90 min
Measured Effective Bed Size 200mm x 200mm 205mm x 205mm 137mm x 80mm 120mm x 100mm 153mm x 77mm
Bed Temp Gradient 4.4° C 3.1° C N/A N/A N/A
Maximum Extruder Temperature 285 C 300 C N/A 245 C N/A
Screen Resolutiuon N/A N/A 4096 x 2560 N/A 8520 x 4320
Compatible Materials PLA, TPU, ABS PLA, PETG / PET, ABS, PLA-CF, PETG-CF Supports most resins on the market (water-washable, standard, ABS-like, plant-based, etc.) PLA/PLA+/TPU Supports most resins on the market (water-washable, standard, ABS-like, plant-based, etc.)
Build Volume (X x Y x Z) 220mm x 220mm x 250mm 220mm x 220mm x 250mm 143mm x 89mm x 165mm 100mm x 120mm x 100mm 153.36mm x 77.76mm x 175mm
Overall Size 17.3" x 17.3" x 18.3" 15.4" x 9.0" x 9.3" 8.9" x 8.9" x 17.3"
Self Leveling Bed No Yes No Yes No

Our Analysis and Test Results

We can't help but marvel at the staying power of the Ender printers. This line of machines has proven itself through a series of rapid innovations that the 3D printing world has experienced over the last 10-15 years. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Performance Comparison



Evaluating the effectiveness of the Ender-3's heated bed
Credit: Matt Lighthart

Print Quality


Out of the gate, the Ender-3 delivers mixed results throughout our series of printing tests. As with all printers in our lineup, we run the same test prints, using as close to 'out-of-the-box' settings as we can in both the printer itself and the recommended software slicing program.

creality ender-3 - surface quality on the ender-3 was ok, as seen in this macro shot.
Surface quality on the Ender-3 was ok, as seen in this macro shot.
Credit: Matt Lighthart

Perhaps strangely, what we found the Ender-3 does best is simple shapes, sharp corners, and flat surfaces. The classic calibration cube print came out nearly flawless, showing phenomenal surface quality and well-defined lettering. The Tower print test was similar, showing sharp, clean corners and only minimal wave or wobble seen in the full length of the sides.

creality ender-3 - bridging and overhangs render decently off the ender-3.
Bridging and overhangs render decently off the Ender-3.
Credit: Matt Lighthart

Other tests were not so hot. We found extrusion and retraction control issues throughout, resulting in fine gossamer strands, wall thickness inconsistencies, and slumps and bumps on overhangs. Some of these issues can be improved by tweaking your software (slicer) settings, but often, this is due to a fundamental engineering error having to do with the moving parts of the print head itself. These concerns were most pronounced with suspect clearances preventing moving parts from breaking apart easily or support contact points, which we had to forcibly break or cut away in some instances.

Beyond that, this guy's just flat-out slow. Our trusted Benchy companion took nearly two sluggish hours to come to life, even set to the relatively coarse 0.25mm layer height.

Our Benchy tugboat printed fine, but slow enough that next time we may prefer to to watch a freshly painted wall dry.
Credit: Graham Faulknor

Ease of Use


The Ender-3 shows its age most clearly in this metric. The outdated operation and build quality used to be standard on consumer-level printers circa the early 2010s, and our tester mentioned, “In a way, I feel a vague, fond nostalgia using the old school processes.” But the frustration so common in those days also came flooding back.

creality ender-3 - leveling and adjusting the print bed with the classic paper...
Leveling and adjusting the print bed with the classic paper clearance procedure. (Creality Ender-3)
Credit: Matt Lighthart

The initial build took 45 full minutes, significantly longer than many of its competitors in our lab. There is no auto bed-leveling procedure here, so be prepared to bust out a sheet of paper and manually adjust the bed to nozzle clearance. The touch screen looked like it was from the 90s, and the software's UX felt similarly unpolished. Overall, this printer feels more like an engineering student's school project than a product of a company with 10+ years of experience and hundreds of employees.

The manual was surprisingly unhelpful, and we had to resort to watching a YouTube build video to finish a few steps.
Credit: Matt Lighthart

Print Capabilities


One positive is that the build volume is a respectable 220mm x 220mm x 250mm (8.7" x 8.7" x 9.4"). Unfortunately, both Creality's slicer and the binder clips that are literally needed to hold the print bed in place prevented the full X/Y dimensions from being possible. We found that just 200mm x 200mm was the farthest we could go, over 17% smaller than advertised.

The build plate is officially intended to be held in place with 4 (provided) binder clips.
Credit: Matt Lighthart

The extruder is able to achieve a higher-than-average temperature of 285°C, meaning it is, in theory, capable of running some of the more unique materials, or at least ABS. However, the build plate itself is also dated. We had to resort to the old-school technique of prepping its smooth surface with a glue stick to get reliable print adhesion.

creality ender-3 - the full x/y extent that the ender-3 allowed us to print was...
The full X/Y extent that the Ender-3 allowed us to print was noticeably reduced from the advertised dimensions.
Credit: Matt Lighthart

Support


Creality is a Chinese brand, and there is no US-based support. This is common in the 3D printer market, so it is to be expected, and email support is the preferred method of getting in contact with the company.

creality ender-3 - everything that comes in the box.
Everything that comes in the box.
Credit: Matt Lighthart

A digital manual and firmware updates are available online, but beyond that, we had to go searching for crowdsourced answers if anything else popped up that had to be resolved quickly. Fortunately (or not), there's plenty of forum and video support available out there, covering a wide variety of troubleshooting and techniques to dial in and upgrade the Ender-3.

Should You Buy the Creality Ender-3?


They say you get what you pay for, and that is frankly true with the Ender-3. There's nothing egregiously wrong with it, but there are a few things that don't feel quite right with it. In short, it's simply a holdover from a rapidly bygone era of printer technology. The price tag is undeniably very attractive, and anyone that can pair some puzzle-solving skills with a little patience will be able to make some good use of this quirky machine.

creality ender-3 - detail shot of the hot end extruder.
Detail shot of the hot end extruder.
Credit: Matt Lighthart

What Other 3D Printer Should You Consider?


We've had the pleasure of testing some more modern printer options that are only modestly more expensive than the humble Ender-3. The Entina Tina2 is a great example. It is very easy to use but has a markedly reduced print volume. The AnkerMake M5C is probably your next best bet if you're looking for an FDM printer. It's a fair bit more expensive, but it's also one of our top-performing tested models.

creality ender-3 - the ender-3, at home on your desk.
The Ender-3, at home on your desk.
Credit: Matt Lighthart

Graham Faulknor and Kyle Hameister