Top 9 Best Creality 3D Printers 2021 Reviews & Buying Guide

Whether you are looking for a 3D printer as a hobbyist or a professional, its equal to impossible to go wrong with one from Creality’s long lineage.

Creality, in fact, appears to be quite keen to launch the iterations and enhanced versions of its printers. No Matter if you are searching for CR Series or Ender 3d Printers we have covered both so you can decide what to choose from.

If you want to start your career with some Basic 3d Printers and you are totally Beginner it is totally fine. These Creality Printers will going to help you in doing amazing 3d printing in no time.

This article will review 9 Best Creality 3D Printers in detail, explaining the similarities and differences between various models, to share your buying burden. We are sure that by the end of this read, you will be qualified to make an informed decision.

1. Official Creality Ender 3 3D Printer

Ender 3 was launched in March 2018 when Creality had already earned a name with the launch of CR-10 in 2016 and became known in the 3D world. However, Ender-3 was warmly welcomed due to its being a budget price printer with great print quality and user-friendly features.

Owing to these three features, Ender3 made itself the best choice for first-time users and students.

Unlike the majority of the other Creality printers, which are closed source, Ender3 is an open-sourced printer. Therefore, all its documentation and firmware can be accessed on the official page byCrealitynamed Github. This allows developers and other hardware operators to keep their printers updated by the newly introduced upgrades by Creality. Due to this attraction, Creality Ender 3 has become many 3D enthusiasts’ choice.

Its nozzle diameter is 0.4 only while the layer thickness can be adjusted between 0.1-0.4 millimeters.

Its hotbed is heated at the maximum temperature of 110 degrees Celsius while the maximum temperature recorded for the nozzle is about 255 degreesCelsius.

Another plus of Ender 3 is that it can also work on offline mode via SD card.

In sum, Creality Ender 3 can be the best choice for those who are on a budget as it is well equipped with everything a 3D printer is supposed to have. However, it cannot be called the best in Creality lineup as there are many better options available. Even if you bring your budget a bit up, you can have Creality CR-10 which outperforms Ender 3 in many respects-as its printing bed has much better temperature and is relatively faster in printing operations. However, much to our disappointment Creality-10 doesn’t remember where it left off in case of a power cut and you have to manually restart all over again.

2. Official Creality Ender 3 Pro 3D Printer

With its launch in September 2018, Ender 3Pro took Creality fans by storm. Three major differences can be noticed in Ender 3 Pro,from its original version Ender 3. They are increased stability, a magnetic printing surface, and a certified power source.

With these added features, it makes itself a perfect budget-friendly present for the upcoming birthday of your game freak teenager! Its easy assembly, quality performance, and user-friendly interface, it will surely appease all his weird gaming fantasies.

Its cut-price should not make you think that Creality must have compromised on its printing performance. Once you start printing with it, you will experience that it rather exceeds all your expectations by providing you with the nearly perfect final products.

Like a dutiful successor of Ender 3, Ender 3 Pro has ironed multiple lapses of its precursor. As mentioned earlier, it is made more stable with a sturdy aluminum extrusion which is added to its Y-plane.

To make it more stable, Creality has installed stiff bearings in Pro version which resulted in reduced friction and made the whole build stand more firm during printing operations.

One more feature which is improved in Ender 3 Pro is the addition of C-MAG, which is a magnetic printing bed and allows you to stick the first layer on the bed thoroughly so that you don’t have to set it again and again during printing. It also makes removal easier. You can pluck the printed models off the bed smoothly without getting the base damaged.

You will be surprised to know that Ender 3 Pro, like the priciest 3D printers in the market, is versatile enough to smoothly handle not only ABS, PETG, PLA but also several exotic filaments.

You will highly appreciate its easy assembly and user-friendliness it offers to its users. To quote an example, although it has a manual bed leveling system, however, the company took special care to place a big bed-leveling knob on the printing bed, which has made calibration easier. It gets the printing bed leveled in a few moments.

My only quibble about Ender 3 pro is that its base is quite wobbly, which keeps giving speed bumps to the whole-body during printing operations. However, if you choose to support one of its borders with a wedge, this issue will be resolved.

Putting this issue aside, there are numerous reasons I should recommend you Creality Ender 3 pro, as it is incredibly cheap, has a decent build, resumes printing after an accidental power outage, and has a narrow filament passage.

3. Official Creality Ender 5 All-Metal 3D Printer

If you are a hobbyist and love to experiment with large print models, Ender 5 with its increased stability and metal frame will provide you the sheer pleasure of printing massive props and models with ease and precision, though with a higher price as compared to Ender 3, its precursor.

Its relatively higher price is also justified in many ways. For instance, its MK 10 hot end and heated bed, which significantly decreases clogging and doesn’t let the filament jam inside.

As far as the main hot end and extruder assembling procedures are concerned, there is no difference between Ender 3 and Ender 5. However, its main operating system is completely different.

With its improved motion system, its hot end moves on XY-axes instead of moving along XZ-plane. Creality also added 50mm more space to the Y dimension, making 250mm of Ender3, 300mm and the result is relatively a larger build space.

Its bed springs are also made better as compared to Ender 3. It uses Uxcel springs which are improved in two ways- firstly they manage the burden in a better way and secondly require less frequent bed leveling.

Its manual is also improved with the inclusion of a step by step procedure to assembly and addition of pictorial illustrations. Right out of the box, you will require no more than 20-25 minutes to assemble and get your first print.

Another difference it offers from its parent 3D printer, Ender 3 is that it uses Meanwell power supply while Ender 3 uses a conventional motherboard as a Firmware.

For improved safety, not only Ender 5 but all the Creality 3D printers are provided with thermal runaway protection.

Like Ender3, Ender 5 is also moddable. New features like an auto-leveling function termed as BL-touch can be added to improve leveling. Another upgrade to be added is Sikent Motherboard, which abundantly reduces noise during operations.

Honestly, Ender 5 is hailed by the hobbyists well, as it has all thefeatures, theywere expecting from Ender 3. By this, we don’t mean that Ender 5 is the end-all. It has its loopholes too which are addressed in its follow-up versions-Ender 5 Pro and Ender 5 Plus which is its magnified iteration.

4. Official Creality 3D Ender 5 Plus 3D Printer

Another 3D printer from the new flagship of Creality’s Ender family! The series is aimed to make 3D printers approachable for everyone, even those with a low budget. And at the same time,Creality has made these machines reliable.

Let’s start with its obvious feature-its massive outer volume is 632x666x619 mm while the inner volume is 220x220x300mm. This colossal build is a big plus for the Creality fans to have additional space for larger prints.

, it becomes troublesome for those who don’t have enough space to keep it at their worktable.If space is not an issue for you, you are highly advised to go for this and take your 3D printing to the next level. Let me tell you here that you should not expect any component out of this outer volume as it finely holds its power supply and filament inside its frame.

Like Ender 5, Plus also has its print head built at the top of printer body and the print bed slides on Z-plane during operations.

Another similarity with Ender 5 is that it has an independent stepper motor placed at each axis. And the motor at Y-plane runs both the belts simultaneously.

Quite like Ender 5, it has a print resume function if you have frequent power cuts. Also, it has a filament level sensor that warns you well before the printer runs out of filament.

For increased stability, four rods and two lead screws are installed at the bottom of the colossal print bed.

A glaring issue with Ender 5 Plus is that its bed leveling is manual. However, the presence of large knobs has made it slightly easier and you can expect to turn screws smoothly.

With these few quibbles, Ender plus is still worth spending some extra bucks, with some tinkering on the part of the operator, though. It is the right option for you if you want good printing results without messing around.

If you are still not convinced, you may read our Creality CR-10S review as it is almost similarly priced but hasabetter print quality and needs less fiddling.

5. Creality 3D Printer CR-10 Mini 3D Aluminum DIY Printer

This can be the best affordable option packed with various user-friendly features. The best thing about CR-10 Mini is its ability to resume the printing operation. The printers often stop in the middle of operations -due to power cut, clogging, or any other lapse. And it becomes very difficult for the operator to resume where he/she has left from. This problem is best addressed in the CR-10 Mini. And it saves a lot of material wastage.

Unlike other mini printers, CR-10 Mini is at least twice the volume of the other 3D mini printers available in the market. However, as compared to its big brethren CR-10 it is small enough to be packed inside its elder sibling.

Best utilizing its space, CR-10 Mini shares many of the great specs of CR-10 family.

This includes a removable heated glass bed for printing, compatibility with ABS and PLA and fast printing speed.

You will love to learn that it is highly moddable and you can upgrade its any part and enjoy staying up to date. The features like all-metal extruder or secondary Z-rod may interest you in this regard. This feature makes CR-10 Mini a great pick for those who want to keep their appliances upgraded.

It will amaze you with its printing accuracy at the rate of 0.1 mm only. CR-10 Mini runs at the minimum speed of 80mm/s while at maximum the speed may cross 200mm/ second.

Equally fit to run on various operating software, including Windows, Linux, and OSX, CR-10, Mini works ideally at the temperature between 10-39 degrees Celsius with the humidity level between 20-50 percent.

Assembly is as minimum as possible. Therefore, new and inexperienced users don’t need to fret. Within 15 minutes after unboxing it, you should be ready to get your first model printed out. The better way to assemble it without encountering any problem is to play its official assembling video on the site and follow the step by step procedure.

In gist, CR-10 Mini is rightly named as it is a mini version of CR-10 and shares all the best and worst in CR-10. It also does away with the unreliable 3D stock spare parts placed in CR-10.

6. Official Creality 3D Printer CR-10 V2 New Version

It is an outstanding 3D printer, reasonably priced and highly recommendable to the beginners, intermediates and expert professionals alike. It came to the market in 2016 and is the fourth generation in Creality’s long lineage. Although its iteration with the name Creality – 10S was also launched shortly after its release, this original version seems to be a better investment.

After reading consumers’ reviews thoroughly on different buying sites online, it is fair to conclude that apart from a few issues solvable issues, Creality-10 by far has been an excellent 3D printer, especially for printing miniatures as it prints with detail and precision. And the final product it delivers to consumers needs very little finishing touches.

This is the reason that hundreds of reviewers from across the globe generously expressed their pleasurable experience of printing their 3D models, props, and costumes with Creality-10. They praised CR-10 for its affordability, user-friendliness, and high-resolution.

What mainly makes it the best choice for printing miniatures is its standard nozzle with 0.4 diameters. It renders the printer the ability to perfectly run its head on the model detailing with fineness and perfection.

It works equally well on huge statues because it has a large printing bed which is always a wise option to choose in 3D printers as it helps print large models and costumes in one go and you don’t need to trouble yourself with the welding process after printing.

In all, it may be called as a multi-functional printer which prints high resolution small as well as large models with equal ease.

As for reliability, it should be rated higher than other Creality3D printers with the same price tag.

You will find it handling PLA and PET with perfection. However, it is also said to go well with ABS. the final product CR-10 delivers is always smooth and finely surfaced which needs no finishing. A few consumers reported that they tried CR-10 for nylon and other stretchable filaments and their printer did not disappoint them at all. If it is considered true, CR-10 becomes a more economical choice as with this you will have to spend less on filaments.

You will have a few extra tools and other things delivered with your CR-10. These things become a real bonus at such a low cost. You will be delivered PLA filament, one masking tape for bed adhesion, an additional PTFA tube, a usable spool, an instruction manual, a USB card reader, and an SD Card.

7. Creality 3D Printer with CR-10S Pro V2 BL Touch Auto-Level

Creality’s famous CR-10 lineup has several iterations that at times one feels that one is losing the count. One of the smart 3D printers from Creality CR lineage is CR-10S Pro V2, which seems to eclipse many of its younger brothers in features, though at a slightly higher cost.

It has ironed out many of the lapses found in CR-10S Pro which has disappointed many of Creality’s regular consumers with its poor-quality prints. Significantly improving on print quality and performance, CR-10S Pro V2 has become a reliable pick for many around the globe.

Its sleek look catches our eyes in the first glance. However, it has a web of cables all around which is a typical feature of all Creality 3D printers.

The main unit of this printer is added at the bottom so that printer doesn’t occupy enough place by expanding its footprints. An additional advantage of putting this brain at the base is that printer is made more stable and doesn’t let the machine wobble in the middle of operations.

However, this architecture has added a few extra inches to printer’s height which becomes weirdly tall for a printer when you add filament spool at the top, making it too high to be accessed properly. However, if you are tall and have a vertically spacious place to keep the printer, that shouldn’t be a big deal for you.

Much to our annoyance, Creality didn’t think of positioning its power, USB, and SD card ports on the façade of the machine, which could have been relatively easier to access.

These ports are conventionally located at the rear of the machine, which becomes fretting. However, this problem can be borne with.

Then comes its printing bed which is far too sticky and refuses to leave the printed models. It should be called a boon and bane at the same time as while setting the bed you don’t have to worry about the printings coming off the place again and again, however, once the job is done you find yourself combatting with the models and at times spoil the base. There is an additional risk of gouging the bed surface too in the process.

If we forget theses quibbles for a while, CR-10S Pro V2 appears to be a neatly packed machine with an elaborated manual to set up the few screws, plugs, and wires it comes with.

True to its claim, CR-10S Pro V2 has an automatic bed leveling. But remember to manually set the plate initially, and then its BL-Touch sensor does the rest of the job of uniforming the layers and everything across the printing bed.

Its filament slides gently inside and doesn’t pose any buckling issues to the user’s inconvenience.

The operations are made easier with the help of Cura-powered slicer which helps you customize the settings not only according to your level of expertise but also the sophistication level you require from your prints.

In all, it’s a great go-to for those who are searching for a reliable, easy to use and easy to put together 3D printer with quality performance.

8. Creality CR-10S Prusa I3 FDM 3D Printer

Creality CR-10S took no time to leapfrog over its counterparts in the popularity chart. And this fame owes mainly to its affordable price and gigantic volume, which lets you print massive sized models with ease.

It’s due to these two qualities that Creality CR-10S became the favorite printer of a large community of hobbyists, professionals, and educationists.

One should expect nothing fancy about Creality CR-10S’s design and build. The first impression it would give you is of a quite clumsy build with an open frame screaming minimalism. However, it is not scattered like other Creality printers as it has a separate control box that resides its LCD interface in. Its USB slots and spool holder are laid neatly on the top of the control box giving a tidy look. Moreover, you will not see it being webbed with wires as other Creality printers because all its cables are decently secured at one side.

Assembling Creality CR-10S is quite straightforward with all the necessary tools and spare parts included in the box. Although its instruction manual has multiple ambiguities and should be worked upon, the assembly procedure is made easy even for beginners. You can easily load its filament yourself without much help from the manual.

Since Creality is not said to have good quality control, I would advise you to meticulously ensure before commanding it for the first print that none of its parts is out of place and no screws are left loose so that issues during operations may be avoided.

The good news for 3D hobbyists is that Creality CR-10S allows third party filaments too as long as they fall within the diameter of 1.75 millimeters. This flexibility makes Creality CR-10S an economical buy in the long run.

Moreover, its print bed has better adhesion and you don’t need to struggle to keep the prints stuck at the place, using routine hacks.

For the user’s comfort, it has a filament level sensor which constantly indicates the level of filament left and warns the user well before time to reload filament so that the operation may not be halted in the mid-way.

One thing Creality CR-10S doesn’t compromise on is its print quality. And this accounts for its popularity. You will find it producing detailed prints effortlessly, both at low- and high-resolution settings.

The sole downside Creality CR-10S has is prolonged prep time. Yes, it takes longer to heat its printing bed. And another bad news is that this old guy needs rest between printing two models, especially with high resolution.

In sum, if you want your printer to perform its basic duty, high-quality prints, well and can wait in between the prints, Creality CR-10S is the best choice for you.

9. Official Creality CR-10 Max 3D Printer

If you don’t want your printer to be colossally and clumsily built, you should quit reading here and choose from any sleek option above.

With its 17.7×17.7×18.5 build, itis double the volume of other Creality 3D printers.

The gigantic print bed made of aluminum that you would get with your printer will be easily clipped in. It is equally easy to remove the bed at the end of printing; it helps you to take your models off the bed cleanly.

As for filament compatibility, CR-10 Max supports all the basic ABS and PLA filaments. Even flexible and exotic filaments such as TPU and PETG also go well with CR-10 Max.

Its assembly mostly involves the installation of a few screws and plugging in of electric connections, which might be a bit time taking but can’t be called difficult.

For connectivity, CR-10 Max has only two options- micro SD card or a conventional wired computer system connection with the help of a USB.

Right after setting it up, you can select your file using the touch screen controls and command the printer to print your first model.

It will not wobble even if you assign it to the biggest of projects in your schedule. Thanks to its hefty aluminum frame and the dual lead-screw design which renders its high level of stability.

Much of its stability is owed to its auto bed-leveling which functions with precision and removable build plate, which significantly reduces the risk of messing up when you take the model off the plate. This sturdiness makes CR-10 Max a reliable 3D printer for home or work.

One possible problem with large volume 3D printers could be visible layering caused by poor adhesion, warping out of the base. However, CR-10 Max addresses all these issues very well and produces finished products without any such flaws.

Moreover, it keeps its print quality smooth and consistent from beginning till the end, which results in finely done edges, precise hangings,and a flat bottom.

In all, if you have been feeling restricted with the limited volume of your current 3D printer and have been toiling hard with welding and combining your models in the post-printing process, CR-10 Max is an instant go-to 3D printer.

An obvious downside of CR-10 Max is that it takes a lot of space due to its colossal build. And don’t forget that it would require a few inches larger place than its actual size as during operations you would need to move its printing bed back and forth and load filamenttime and again. Therefore, the first thing you need to ensure while purchasing CR-10 Max is that you have an adequate place to keep it.

Buying Guide

Choosing the right Creality 3D printer out of a long lineup is understandably confusing. To figure the things out for you, we have categorized the above reviewed Creality 3D printers into four broad categories.They will help you roughly determine the type of printer you require according to your needs and level.

• Beginners-Small

These printers are reasonably priced and are relatively smaller in size. The print size falls between 220-300mm. Printers such as Ender 3 and Ender 5 fall in this bracket.

• Beginners-Standard

The printers in this category are capable to print the models up to 300 mm.CR-10 and CR-10S Pro are placed in this category

• Large Format

The Creality 3D printers which we placed in this category are relatively higher in their cost and can print a larger sized model, i.e. 400-500mm. CR-10S5 and the CR-10 Max are categorized in Large Format.

• Dual Extruder

The only Creality with dual extruder is CR-10. You should go for this printer if you want to create combination models with a lot of details and hangings upon them.

Once after narrowing your choice down to one or two categories, check with the underlying considerable factors to pick the best suitable Creality 3D printer for you.

Type

As for technology, it’s wise to choose your 3D printer incorporating either DLP (Digital Light Processing) or SLA (Stereolithography) technology as they are tried and tested to be the best for printing miniature models. On the other hand, FFA (Fused Filament Fabrication), the technology which makes use of filaments is not said to be successful with detailed paintings. It cannot mar SLA operated 3D printer in precision and details; however, it provides optimal scope for gigantic printing models and costumes.

Materials

Undoubtedly, a 3D printer that can handle various filament types and can withstand even cheaper metals like nylon, etc. will save you a lot of bucks in the future and will be an economical buy in the long run. Conversely, if you opt for a printer that reserves its proprietary right for filaments will cost you a lot in terms of money as well as availability, as those filaments can be purchase only from their company’s designated stores.

The good news is that Creality doesn’t reserve any such rights and its printers can well handle all types of filaments with equal ease.

Colors

As mentioned under the last category Duel Extruder, that out of the entire collection of 3D printers by Creality only CR-10 offers dual color prints. This particularly helps in printing miniatures that need a lot of details and precision with multi-colors.

The absence of this feature in your 3D printer translates into a long post-printing process. Therefore, choose CR-10 with double extrusion if your core job is to do multi-colored props.

User-friendliness

Equally worth considering is the thing that how friendly or, in other words, how easy it is to use your 3D printer.

Ease of use includes many things, such as assembly procedure after unboxing, then ease during printing operations, and the convenience a 3D printer offers in post-printing processes. The ease in post-operation includes convenience in plucking the model off smoothly without any damage. Then comes maintenance, you need to check how demanding and time taking is the maintenance and tuning of the 3D printer you have opted for.

I would advise going for the one which doesn’t require assembly from the scratch, especially if you a first-time user.

Similarly, make sure it has an auto bed-leveling system as manual leveling can result in completely botched up models sometimes.

Lastly, a 3D printer with an auto cleanliness option and very low maintenance should be the best pick.

Stability of Structure

Precisely, a better 3D printer has always a solid and stable structure composed of hard steel, aluminum, or other metals. On the other hand, if you choose a plastic body, which might appear to be more appealing to the eyes, at first sight,it will wobble during printing and affect the details of your printing model.

Place of Use

It is an over-looked but highly considerable factor as some Creality DLP/SLA 3D printers need to be installed at such a place where they can have a cleaning tank and a curing spot with it as some of their parts have to be cleaned and cured by UV lights again and again. And all this requires a sizeable space to run smoothly.

Environmental Considerations

Given the fact that 3D printers are mostly used indoors by professionals, enthusiasts, and hobbyists, you should prefer buying the one which doesn’t emit any toxic fumes to pollute the environment you are breathing in.

Additive Features

Also, worth considering are some additional features that are being offered by some recent Creality models, though at a higher price.

These features include a touch screen with a user-friendly interface

A filament level gauge which keeps updating the user with the remaining level of filament and timely warns to reload before it completely runs out.

Another feature to consider is a pre-constructed cartridge that comes loaded with filament which saves you from the trouble of threading your filament manually every time you print.

Yet another considerable feature is failsafe, which is a print resuming feature and in case of accidental power cut remembers where it left the operation and resumes from there as soon as the power is recovered. This saves you from a lot of messing and wasting material.

As for customers’ technical support and active community on social media sites for problems like adhesion, stringing and layers, you don’t need to worry as Creality has the best of both.

1. Which Creality 3D printer is the best?

Much of it depends on your requirements and budget. However, CR-10 is an all-time favorite Creality 3D printer in terms of performance, build, printing quality, price, user-friendliness, and durability.

2. How to build the CrealityCR-10 3D printer?

The assembly for CR-10 is almost the same as CR-10S. After unboxing, check that you keep the frame with its print surface down. You will find the adjustments to screw the rollers on the outer side of each rail. After flipping the frame over with its printing surface down, adjust it all up. Try doing one side at a time. To tension the belt, first loosen all the four bolts. Then fasten them up making sure that the bracket is away from the printing bed.

3. How to make G code for my Creality 3D printer?

You don’t need to write each code yourself as the process is made easier by Cura software which you will find inside the pen drive or the USB port. Insert it into your system port and import your 3D printer model into Cura and choose to click Save Tool Path if you are satisfied with the settings. It will export G code for your printer. Once you are done with exporting, eject the drive and insert it in your 3D printer’s SD card port. It will enable you to select and print your model by using the controls on display and the scroll knob.

4. How to fix 3D printer stringing CrealityCR-10?

You can well avoid stringing by setting three factors to the ideal setting:

Retraction, Temperature, and Speed

By setting retraction, the nozzle is pulled back in between the printing operations and doesn’t leak during the travel moves. You can set your printer to auto retraction with the help of Cura which retracts by default during the travel moves.

You may also fix stringing by reducing the temperature. It makes the filament less liquid and less dripping. However, one cannot tell the exact degree of temperature which will fix the stringing issue as it varies material to material.

Lastly, setting your Creality to a relatively higher speed also overcomes the stringing problem as the nozzle gets less time to drip over.