When it’s about 3D printers, Creality is a big name in that list. They always come up with quality printers with high-performance capabilities. And they do it within a reasonable price that suits many users.
Suppose you have decided to go for a Creality printer, then kudos to you. But from here on, things can get difficult, because you have to choose from so many options. Among many of them, two popular choices to pop up will be Ender 3 and Ender 5.
That’s why we will take you through the comparison of Ender 3 vs. Ender 5. This will help you decide which one suits your needs better. So, without further delay, let’s jump right into it.
Official Creality Ender 3 3D Printer
Product specifications
Before moving into the detailed overview let’s check out the specs of each printer-
Ender 3 Specs
- Style: Cartesian style XZ head
- Connectivity: Micro USB, micro SD card
- Nozzle: 0.4mm
- Max speed: 200mm/s
- Heated bed: Yes
- LCD screen: Yes
- Technology: FDM
- Layer resolution: 0.1mm
Ender 5 Specs
- Style: Reverse Cartesian style XY head
- Connectivity: ISP port, micro USB, Micro SD card,
- Nozzle: 0.4mm
- Max speed: 200mm/s
- Heated bed: Yes
- LCD screen: Yes
- Technology: FDM
- Layer resolution: 0.05mm
Review Methodology
As a technical team, we have been working with 3D printers for quite a long time now. It’s our job to ensure that we go through the best products to provide any tech support to people.
In conclusion, we went through both the printers, and we can give you our insight and experience. Besides that, we did our research before trying these out ourselves to include our findings from that research.
We will be comparing them in a while but before that, let’s check them out individually. This way, you will get to know why both these printers compete in the first place. Here it goes-
Ender 3 Overview
The ender 3 has been in the discussion for popular 3D printers since its first release in 2018. A reason for that is the excellent quality at an affordable price. Apart from that, the tweaking capabilities have made it a printer to look out for. Here are the features that make Ender 3 a great choice for your printing needs-
- A large print bed: In the Ender 3 printer, you get a larger print bed than its predecessors. This large dimension will ensure that none of the prints go out of the print bed at all. So, your prints will come out just in the place you want them to be, no matter how big they are. This eliminates a lot of trouble for you.
- Power recovery mode: Imagine the power cutting off while you are printing something with Ender 3. Well, you won’t have to worry too much, thanks to the power recovery mode. This feature allows the printer to resume printing right from the place where it stopped. Now, that’s a great feature to have in your 3D printer.
- Fast printing speed: The printing speed on this one is quite fast. It can go up to 8 inches per second if you are going for a 0.1mm resolution. This can save up a lot of your time and great for urgent projects.
- Affordable price: When you consider the print quality and the other features of this printer, the price seems like a dream. It is very much reasonable, which makes it suitable for all. And within this price range, getting all those features and quality printing function is a great deal to grasp.
- Upgradability: This printer offers you a lot of tweaks and upgrading options. You can go for some official upgrades from the manufacturers and some third-party tweaks as well. With this ability, you can unlock the full potential of this printer and take it to the next level.
It seems like a perfect printer, right? Well, no, there are some flaws of this printer that you should be aware of-
- First of all, the assembly of this printer can be a real pain itself. It takes some work and a lot of time to assemble the whole thing. Then it requires some calibration as well.
- Also, the base on this one may be a bit wobbly. It’s uneven too. So, leveling this also requires some effort.
Aside from these, we highly recommend going through the tweaks and adjustments on this printer. Once you get them, this is probably the best printer to have at the price it comes.
Ender 5 Overview
If you need a printer that can go beyond the building size of Ender 3, then Ender 5 is a clear choice for you. It has a larger build platform with a bigger Z-axis compared to Ender 3. Aside from that, it comes with several other features.
- Quick and powerful heating: This printer uses a 350W power supply to heat the bed much quicker than usual. It speeds up the printing process a lot and gives you faster results every time.
- Great filament pathway: The ender 5 has a better filament pathway for a much better experience in 3D printing. It’s a great addition to this printer that makes using the printer a lot more convenient.
- Easy assembly: You shouldn’t face any trouble regarding the assembly process of this printer. It’s super easy to assemble, and the instruction manual is just too good to follow along.
- Quality printing: You will love the printing quality of this machine. It gives proper attention to the details of each model you print. So, what you get is some quality pieces every time you print with a quick printing mechanism.
- Upgradable: This printer also comes with upgradability. With the upgrades, you can elevate the performance level by a lot.
While there are so many good kinds of stuff to talk about this one, there are some drawbacks to look at.
- The first one is the poor durability of the magnetic bed. It’s not very sturdy or stable, which makes printing a bit difficult to perform.
- There are some issues with lading filaments on this printer. Also, you have to level the bed on this printer manually.
Along with all that, it is a bit more expensive, but that’s justified considering the quality and features you get on this printer.
You also want to know the Difference between Creality Ender 3 and Ender 3 Pro.
Ender 3 vs. Ender 5
Now, let’s get into the real deal here. Differentiating between these printers based on quality will be tough. As they both come from the same manufacturers who put out consistent quality. So, let’s compare the aspects of each machine-
The performance
There is quite a lot of difference in performance for both these printers. The major difference is in the power supply. In Ender 3, you get a generic power supply from China, while in Ender 5, it’s a Meanwell power supply. This creates a huge distinction between the performance of these two printers.
The Meanwell power supply is a better option for consistency, efficiency, less noise, better safety, and reliability. Also, the ender 5 has a better hot end that provides a clear pathway—the hot end of the Ender 3 results in more clogging and jamming than the Ender 5.
Overall, in terms of performance, Ender 5 takes the cake away by a lot. But that doesn’t mean Ender 3 is a bad choice, but comparatively, Ender 5 is just better.
Ease of Assembly
We won’t take you round and round with this one; as you have seen above, Ender 3 has a lot of trouble in assembly. It is also hard to calibrate manually, especially because of the unclear instructions; the process becomes a lot harder.
Related: How to Calibrate E Steps Ender 3
On the contrary, Ender 5 is better in every way in terms of the printer’s assembly. It’s much easier and comes with clear instruction. Also, it doesn’t involve too much trouble in calibration. All in all, it’s just easier to use and assemble the Ender 5.
Build size
The build size is a significant factor between these two. There isn’t much difference; only the Ender 5 has a better range over the Z-axis. This leads the printer to have a larger stage for printing. Also, it provides better stability to the printer.
As you can see, the Ender 5 outshines the Ender 3 in every aspect. However, with Ender 3, you get a bit of extra protection from the thermal runaway. Also, you save up money with this one. These are the only two factors that keep Ender 3 ahead of Ender 5.
Conclusion
In short, if you don’t mind spending some extra money, then Ender 5 is a clear choice for you. But if you don’t need that kind of power or size advantage, then you can go for Ender 3. In terms of performance, print quality, features, build size, and speed, Ender 5 is the clear winner. Ender 3 wins only in the price aspect of this comparison.
One thing we can ascertain is the reliability of quality. You get quality from both these printers. Ender 3 also reaches a new level with some additional tweaks and upgrades where you will love the printer much more. So, if you are up for that, you can go for either of them, depending on your budget.
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