Creality K1C All Metal Extruder Update - When All Really Is Not All!

[@TwistTapeTechnology]

Creality posted a chart comparing the K1C, K1 and K1 Max, where they specifically differentiated between the K1C "All-Metal direct drive extruder" and the K1 "Dual-gear direct drive extruder" This was no accident...

[@PedroGomes_27]

So good to see a review from someone who does not give a fuck about the brand and sponsorships! 🙏 thank you!

[@jamesmason7124]

At least to me, a all metal extruder should be all metal everything, if it only has metal gears then that is what it should say

[@802Garage]

I don't think there is any wiggle room here. An all metal extruder should at a minimum have all metal gears and bearings. I would forgive a plastic casing or even tensioner lever. Plastic gears however are not really excusable. Sure, you can claim that all the parts actually touching the filament are metal. Who cares? That has been the norm on pretty much every printer for quite some time. All metal should mean that at least everything that moves within the extruder during the extrusion process is made of metal, as those are all the parts which can wear and need to be precise.

[@claytonbagley9049]

Hey - I follow you on tiktok, hey man! 😂

[@802Garage]

@@claytonbagley9049 Heyyy thank you! :D

[@georgemouer4565]

Another observation ! The nozzle you have clearly has thread on the end yet the one pictured on their web page sure looks smooth !

[@Ideadores]

Hello, I totally agreed with You, It needs to be all metal!, I have the k1 max, and The first time I tried to tighten the screws, the extrusion kit broke down, one of the holes for the screws that fix it to the motor, lost the thread and the screw does not tighten, I had to put some thin wires inside the hole so that the screw could tighten.

[@mobne]

Is there an upprade kit for the Max to get the unicorn new hot end?

[@georgemouer4565]

I wish you asked them about replacement (and different size) nozzles not being available on their web store. I am sure they will be some day but they should already be available.

[@ctbob7635]

Clog free? I have to disassemble the extruder to clear a stuck filament with a mere 1.5 hrs of operation out of the box...

[@billverine765]

Bravo Sir, I salute you! Not hard to believe that a company with zero customer service would lie to the world in their marketing materials. A lie by any other name still stinks like a pile of shite. I don't understand all of the Creality apologists responding to your review and strongly suspect they are either paid by Creality to do so, or are actual employees. This was not a typo and was a blatant attempt at misrepresenting a product. The only way we as consumers can combat this type of BS is with our money. Don't purchase from companies like this period. I for one will never purchase anything from Creality again after the disaster that was the Ender 3 Max Neo. By the time I had it upgraded enough to be functional, I could have bought a P1P. Their customer service was non-existent and they could even be bothered to answer a simple question let alone address a real issue.

[@faramineuzefotos2975]

I bought one, first prints were magnificent, now after maybe 30 or 40 hours of printing PLA only, it is clogged: no more extrusion!

[@kehindehassan8668]

Just bought the Max and was thinking of returning and exchanging for the K1C. Looks like I should not....or just return it period.

[@socalob]

Regardless of what they meant, thank you for auditing their product and clarifying the actual product! Great job and much appreciated!

[@RossTang]

Got one few weeks ago. I am not a pro so i don't care much about which is which as long as it does its job. thanks for the review.

[@3dpathfinder]

Mainly it only matters if the internal temp of the printer cabinet is above 85C. Metal gears and nylon should work perfectly fine. They did mess up on the advert but it looks liked they have corrected it. So , if it was a mistake then so be it, if it was on purpose then they have mud on their face but I think the printer is still a great upgrade on the K1 .

[@tk-maker]

I have PC printer which heated bed at 130-160c, case temp go over 60-80c and extruder max 550c (print around 350c for pure PC), Its fine for metal-nylon hybrid gear.

[@RichM1967]

Due to the abrasive nature of carbon fiber, you want metal as it will quickly wear out other materials. Having a nylon gear that doesn't touch the filament isn't a problem for me. To be ready to print carbon fiber you'd want all metal parts touching that filament. Please correct me if I am wrong.

[@kedrickperkins331]

I was very excited about this printer. Thought it might be time to finally pull the trigger. Just not sure after all of this

[@TheAdambright]

Ohhh…this doesn’t sound like CF will be kind to this! Do you think it will last with CF?

[@parzival5884]

my k1 max has a plastic tube that comes out the bottom of the extruder

[@williamtam6732]

Thank you for your honesty!

[@TimothyStovall108]

Well, this makes me feel much more confident to try printing some PA6 carbon nylon I have lying around on my newly purchased K1 Max, since the updated extruder mechanism are exactly the same from what I can tell. Just have to update to hardened steel nozzle is seems, which should be here today. Guess we will find out. lol

[@camdavbax]

Any follow up on how this went?

[@TimothyStovall108]

It actually went really well@@camdavbax. The part came out good. I might have need a little hotter temp on the hotend, at around 295C-300C for better layer adhesion. Need to test. Had the bed temp at 110, and used the glue that came with it, as well went slow, like 30-50mm/s max. I used a .8mm hardened steel nozzle, so the print actually went pretty quick. I've sealed up all the air gaps in the case, so now it get's up to a chamber temp of 45C pretty easily, and stays there. So, should be really good now for this ASA I just go in today.

[@myfpv6813]

Thanks for You being honest to viewers :) some things and values are priceless

[@petrikarkela6800]

Did you find that spring in the ad inside extruder? They are saying it is to improve grip? I could not see it in your extruder.

[@MadRC]

It is there if you look.

[@juggalizzle75]

I bought a k1c bundle that came with an obviously textured pei sheet. It was labeled build sheet kit. I got another smooth sheet. They have since changed the description to say smooth sheet and changed the picture. They did send me a textured one but I do have to send back the extra smooth one. It took a lot of arguing.

[@MidMadn]

It has an all metal filament path to handle abrasive filaments which is what I assume they meant and what's important.

[@johnnyandersen2337]

I like your channel very much, always tell the thruth. Keep up the very good work you do.

[@MadRC]

Thanks.

[@tylerclark1836]

I just received my k1c two print into and it's clogged

[@henleyshere6344]

Is it still a solid printer in the 500-600 dollar range?

[@RichM1967]

In my opinion, the reason you want all metal is due to the abrasive nature of carbon fiber filament, and that it will quickly wear out parts that are not metal. So what matters is what contacts the filament, and from the looks of it, that's all metal. The plastic gears don't look like they'd come in contact with the filament. The question is what kind of metal is it? Is it pot metal, metal, or hardened steel? That would make a huge difference.

[@noneya135]

Thank you for clarification and the honest content.

[@ChrisHarmon1]

I think the nozzle reminds me of the creator 3 nozzle more than the Revo.

[@charlesrestivo870]

Interesting video While i think its a bit overblown .But he did catch a marketing ploy .Kudos to him and his honesty

[@bmarquis3500]

Would you say this printer is still appropriate for extensive pa-cf printing or should I buy something else?

[@Nandox7]

This is nitpicking, probably the ones that are ordering because is all-metal very likely don't know or would never understand it. What matter is if the hothead is all metal, that is what matter, the rest is peanuts and issues with translation.

[@missile1506]

Is the Bambu X1C all metal extruder actually all metal? Because I am of the same mind that all metal means all metal, not part metal and part plastic.

[@MadRC]

They have an hardened metal gearset. That is at the very least what we would have expected “all metal” to mean.

[@Maximalisms]

The torque gear from the stepper to the extrusion gears is still plastic, it’s the big yellow plastic one

[@metaldirtnskin]

I got a K1 Max right after Christmas and it is great in a lot of ways, but the hotend has clogged multiple times in a few weeks. I just wanted it to work without constant unclogging and fooling around, so I thought about returning it but didn't pull the trigger... it figures this whole thing drops right after my 30-day return window closed. Now I could wait and see if I can fit their "clog-free" extruder , but I no longer feel like I can trust Creality, and I'd probably ditch the thing if it was still possible to return it.

[@sidstevens1590]

The current plastic geared extruder is not clog free as witnessed on my K1 max - frequently having to pull apart to remove jammed filament fragments. So for me I suggest another marketing failure to suggest that the current extruder is clog free. Certainly, from brand new I has no clogging but after many prints it's far from reliable.

[@stevecade857]

I hope you don't get a clog on the K1C extruder printing TPU. Creality obviously agree it's not an all metal extruder after changing their marketing material. For me though if it doesn't need to be metal for increased reliability a lighter material like plastic is the better option anyway.

[@ferrumignis]

_"for increased reliability a lighter material like plastic is the better option"_ How does a lighter material provide better reliability? Lighter is better for motion control when you want to move the hot end around with high accelerations, but I don't see that lighter makes the extruder more reliable.

[@MCsCreations]

Do not worry, Ian! At all! 😊 Actually, thanks for everything you do! Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

[@fredriklindgren4126]

Honestly what am I missing? You want the drive gears to be metal? Why? You'd have to lubricate them... Nylon, like they are using, is a much better idea and it's also what the likes of Bondtech uses. This was not malicious but yea, sure, I guess the marketing material was kinda sorta maybe incorrect.

[@rangermctague]

I like your reviews but Does anyone make “all Metal” direct drive with no plastic / I mean literally 100 percent metal? I almost ordered one taking your review in consideration.

[@ferrumignis]

The original Creality "upgrade" extruder for the Ender 3 was 100% all metal. It was a basic direct drive extruder though.

[@lilyvmax6642]

How long can a plastic extruder even print CF filaments

[@ericthecyclist]

Somewhere in creality's engineering department, some there is some poor engineering cursing their marketing department.

[@TimothyStovall108]

Yep, someone in the marketing department misunderstood when the engineer was telling them the specs. lol

[@oldman1944]

Still says all metal extruder on the Creality store text.

[@jclosed2516]

Well - Creality changed their website because it was simply confusing. I don't think they did used the words all metal on purpose in the way you perceived it. It's very common to call a hot end all metal if the heater block, supply shaft and nozzle are fully metal without any PTFE lining . If you look at the typical advertisement for most printers you will see that most all metal hot ends use non-metal gears. So - I do not think the original advertisement was very wrong or misleading on purpose. It was not detailed enough maybe... Anyway - It's corrected now, so it all ends well. As a side note - I personally prefer plastic/nylon gears and casing, because it reduces weight and thus the mass that has to be moved. For fast moving heads it's highly advisable to keep things as light-weighted as possible. Adding metal gears and thus more weight would be contra-productive. So in this case using non-metal gears is actually beneficial...

[@tk-maker]

I believe this is interpretation problem. When I search metal extruder usually in my mind will pop out is full metal hotend (never care about metal gear) and those Chinese site are listing those part correctly. Should be not a real problem for those looking for 3D printer.

[@funaro13]

A creality prometeu uma K2 pra ele de graça aí ele mudou de opinião....

[@MadRC]

Haha yes right. I’m sure that happened.

[@duanedurrant1]

I 100% agree with you. Hopefully i hope they change it . Lets see

[@lancenig]

It's everything I expected and nothing more or less. They made it super clear what the change was about (hotend and nozzle). I saw ALL of the content and even when I'd read an add that said all metal extruder my mind would correct to, the same extruder already on it. Because that's all it ever was going to be...

[@IggyBiggy]

I was going to buy one to go with my elegoo 4 pro but think I'll pass for now. Thanks for the honesty, appreciate it

[@TimothyStovall108]

I just got a K1 Max to go with my Neptune 4 Plus, and so far it has been a far more capable machine strait out of the box. I've had my N4+ for 4 months now, and I have thoroughly been enjoying not having to tinker with the K1 Max just get it to print like it should. Much faster too, with better quality too from what I have experienced so far. Don't get me wrong, the N4+ is a capable machine, and I still like it for what it is, but it doesn't compare to the K1 Max when speed and quality come into play. Just printed a gridfinity box on both machines, and the K1 Max was about 5 hours quicker overall building the box, with the print looking so much better while doing it. Then there is fact I had 3 failures on the N4+ while building this box wasting a total of around 17+ hours, which was how long the N4+ took to make one box, compared to the K1 Max at 12 hours. There was also a part for a PC case I designed that ended up in spaghetti all 3 times I tried it on the N4+, but K1 had no issues. Each have their strengths and weaknesses, but they have fixed many of the K1 series. I don't feel this extruder "issue" will be much of an issue, but only time will tell there.

[@IggyBiggy]

@@TimothyStovall108 sounds like some serious user error here. I rarely ever get failed prints on either of my neptunes (max and pro) When I do it is user error. The fact you say its so much faster is just a lie. Neptune has klipper and runs at 500 and 600 mm/s respectively. So im not sure how you are printing 5 hours faster, considering neptune is a faster machine. To each there own though.

[@TimothyStovall108]

I don't know what to say, other than that's my experience. Same settings in Orca slicer, using the stock speed and acceleration profiles for the K1 Max and N4+. The k1 Max has been consistently faster. Both set at 500mm/s, but the accelerations on the K1 Max are 6X what the N4+ is capable of. Some prints the time difference is negligible, but on other prints the time difference has been substantial. As far as the N4+ quality and consistency, I've squared the gantry, trimmed the bed level within .18mm, tuned POM wheels, which are things that are checked regularly, as alignments and adjustments get out of wack quick, and just don't stay put. I've replaced the springs with silicone spacers, as well about to do the linier rail upgrade. Perhaps it is user error, but I can have one print run fine, then the exact same print go wrong next print cycle. I won't even begin to go into the extruder issues I've been facing the last few weeks. Great printer when it works as it should. I've just spent half the time I've owned it working on issues that come up. I feel I have to constantly baby sit the thing because I don't know what to expect from it as far as consistency goes.

[@IggyBiggy]

@@TimothyStovall108 maybe you got a bad printer .. when I got my n4 max, I leveled my bed and printed a 28 hour print and it came out great, first try. Been printing great since I got it.

[@TimothyStovall108]

Wow @@IggyBiggy Certainly sounds like you're an exception to what I've been seeing on the forums. From what I've read and been seeing, the N4 Max has had many issues for a lot of people. That's awesome yours has been working great for you. Haven't given up on my N4+, and it does do great with TPU, which I have been printing more and more of. May just become my dedicated TPU machine for a bit, till I can figure out what's going on with the extruder that's been giving me fits for the last month.

[@JustFavorites123321]

Great follow through, you got them to clean up their marketing BS!

[@LeviTorgerson]

I appreciate the details. Your disassembly of the extruder head was a big help for me. I had a print fail due to no extrusion. I attempted to extrude/retract to no avail. Turned out that the filament had formed a small gob of plastic that was inside the head, between the "metal" 🙂knurled extrusion wheels. Too big to fit thru either entry or exit holes. Clipped it, pulled the filament out and re-assembled. All ok. (Also a shout out to Guys Shop, kzbin.info/www/bejne/jGqQg5yjgp6qftk for great info and mods for the K1)

[@sidstevens1590]

Yep, that's my frequent experience.

[@sidstevens1590]

I have subscribed to this channel, it would be unwise for Creality to exlude machines for review here. Reviewers who provide quality assurance feedback to manufacturers should be considered high value by any manufacturer. Manufacturer needs to be fully engaged here

[@jeffwhite9001]

You are 100% right, I would expect an "all metal extruder" to indeed have a metal gear set. The other thing I wish they had done, why did they not make it so just the tip of the nozzle could be replaced? Where I live I think the current sort of price for the nozzle as it is is around $40 which makes it damn expensive, must rather of been able to replace a $2 nozzle tip.

[@ChazmillsADLT]

Good honest “tell it as it is” review in the first place a good follow ups. Well done on passing on the information. I’ll stick with my X1C.

[@OldManJimmy1]

Creality printers for the win. I have bought Creality lately as well as Bambu, Bambu treats you like a red-headed step-child try talking to their bot if you have issues. Creality got me here interested in 3D printing and I'm sticking with them through this Bambu phase, it will fade away.

[@Steve_Smith65]

With Creality now changing the text just shows it was trying to con the consumer, So what happens when I get a clog Can I sue for the blatant miss representation... I think its pure malice on their part. I was one that bought the K1C because it was Marketed as an All Metal Extruder... expecting something like a Microswiss extruder. As for All metal not being a good thing.. I think MicroSwiss makes some of the best "All Metal" extruders... look at the MicroSwiss NG.. you wont find a plastic gear in that.

[@jackgamble6120]

Thanks for the update...this is a game changer for me! I have a Creality K1C sitting in their shopping cart right now...now it will still sit there while I revisit 3 other manufacturers: 1) Flash Forge: AD5M & AD5MP 2) Bambu Lab: P1P & P1S 3) QIDI: X-Smart 3 4) Creality: K1C (still in shopping cart) Any feedback from anyone as to which is the best one to get....will be appreciated! :)

[@eaman11]

All metal usually means all metal hot-end, extruder was probably an error on the marketing page. Also "all metal extruder" would mean an extruder MADE of metal, like a CNCed Sherpa mini compared to a 3d printed / plastic molded one. So meh, not big of a deal.

[@SebastienChedalBornu]

thnaks for telliong the truth.... as i said creality got me once with the lizard scanner that was supposed to scan dark surfaces.... which it couldn't... until they released the ferret which was marketted as the first one to scan dark surfaces (wasn't the lizard marketed for same thing ??? )

[@rueben68]

Got to keep them honest brother. Great video

[@thefestivemedic]

"if you're being strict" peak creality 💀

[@michaelpronk4884]

They now say Robust extruder!

[@sethhendrix4925]

The biggest lie is "clog-free extruder". I have the K1 Max with the supposed upgraded extruder and it has jammed or clogged on 80% of my prints so far. I have had to disassemble it over and over and I'm about to toss this whole printer in the garbage. Creality's extruders are the absolute worst and in my opinion, it's the first part you should replace if you buy one of these things.

[@TheCatFather01]

2 words: fake advertising

[@cwwisk]

To be fair, I was under the impression this was a FDM printer that printed using a special metal filament. I was disappointed in just about every way here.

[@alfonsor761]

XD for 559 usd?

[@cwwisk]

@@alfonsor761 I mean, if they could make it happen, they'd fly off the shelves. It is a worthy endeavor. If a metal printer is going to remain in the several thousand dollar range, then a cheap alternative would be extremely successful.

[@airheadbit1984]

I put up with Creality since I have a huge choice of third-party parts to make their products work and I refuse to support a company that steals like Bambu Lab.

[@hicamajig]

I had to stop buying Creality machines even though they are great value just because of their shady business practices and inconsistencies.

[@Stig_2000]

Creality caught lying again the Cr-10v2 with a supposed all metal hotend. The Ender 3 pro that was advertised as having a meanwell power supply and now The K1C all metal Extruder.

[@realxman2000]

Thanks for the followup, I agree with you on how you are seeing all of this. Marketing should not be allowed near words they don't understand, and a company that sells technical products should have an engineer fact checking marketing material. I smell a mid-level manager trying to "make everyone happy" and "find a compromise".

[@revodrvr]

The fact that thy showed metal gears in the ad us what makes their argument invalid They know what they was doing

[@Castdeath]

Creality makes a good K1 but makes it look bad with the obsession with carbon fiber filament for who knows what reason.

[@ABoxofFail]

this is a massive faux pas for Creality. Ouch

[@Code_Exodus]

Well, I'm not giving them a dime further till Creality sort themselves out more over this. Either I get what I'm promised on purchase, or I take my money to someone who can deliver with honesty. I'm hoping for a next iteration of the K1 Max design (whatever they end up calling it), but if their marketing isn't gonna play fair ball with the consumer I'll continue to wait & wait till they or a competitor can/does deliver. The consumers wage is not a companies birth right to take, it must be competed for & earned.

[@chefevans5705]

"all metal" is a pretty basic and conclusive term - nothing other than metal. It's deceptive at the very least.

[@Condamine123456]

If they say its not all metal then they shouldnt market it as all metal creakity sucks balls

[@Pappagar]

Yikes

[@urchinfpv]

This was a bit click-baity and repetitive to the othe video. Getting harder to want to click on your reviews… dragging on the intro for a very long time to get to the point. Just an honest critique. Dont lose audience by leaning into melodrama and belaboring your point.

[@RaulGerardoHuertasPaiva]

This was its salvation against bambu labs. Shame...

[@omegadeepblue1407]

la tenian y la dejaron ir, que tontos

[@Castdeath]

It still is a good core XY printer, especially if you live in a region Bambu still refuses to sell in. (Bambu South America and MENA when?!?!)

[@George241312]

All metal should be all meta not a half metal what ? This is the reason they cannot get a good reputation in the 3d printing community

[@mensb1936]

Chinese marketing is never truthful

[@Mupshot]

So a shill for metal gears now is it? Great follow up. I have always thought of reality like a frozen pizza. Out of the box, nothing special, but can be pretty decent with a few upgrades

[@radiotbo4646]

A full metal extruder in not the best thing since metal with metal y worst that plastic with metal. So it's better how it is.

[@typxxilps]

at the end it is the typical chinese attitude: They claim and present full metall to convince people to buy things instantly but when things arrive it is just average chinese plastic. Sorry, just a tiny misunderstanding , but Why does a manufacturer put all the efforts in the marketing campaign and illustrations if the product is just hocus pocus ? You do not get such animations for free, not the website files nothing, even in china good work will have to be paid and someone most have written the lines what the product should describe right and no one believe that "full metall" means partly metall cause then every one would be also full metal cause all the axis for electrical motors are simply made out of metal and if part is enought to call such product full metall then every printer out there is a full metal one. Bad marketing and again pretty disapointing answer cause what I would expect is a chinese manufacturer employee speaking to this channels audience about what went wrong and why and the usual apology and also what they want to give to all of those scammed buyers cause afaik every buyer deserves such full metal extruder cause it had been promised which means based on our law that they would have to accept return of such used printers even years later . It is a fraud if you do not deliver what you have announced to deliver . Sad but true, creality is for me no longer a trustworthy manufacturer. You can not rely on such manufacturer. I remember the tough days of crossfire and Trappy somewhere stuck in the world, but sooner or later he appeared and explained what tbs has done and should have been done instead. Can't be so hard to learn such lesson. Currently every purchase of such Creality product can be returned based on the paypal policies so buyes will have 180 days - not half a year - to open a paypal claim

[@haschkatze8372]

Thats likely not bad intent but rather when the left arm of the company doesn't know what the right one does

[@harrismagnum04]

think you fecked up

[@MrLeeroyfpv]

Honeslty liked this channel but jesus man all its about latley is moan moan moan ! Dnt review stuff if it annoys you that much ur gunna loose peeps at this rate

[@MadRC]

Agreed, please stop watching.

[@MrLeeroyfpv]

@@MadRC i have mate and the rest ov the fpv lads and with attitude no wonder why !!!!!

[@MadRC]

@@MrLeeroyfpv I’m sorry but I don’t know what you want me to say. You either like the content or you don’t. You live in a world where YOU have the choice to watch what you want. You don’t have to ask my permission to stop watching my content and I never asked for your feedback on what I do. This channel has not changed for over 3 years and I tell you how it’s. Yes I highlight negatives and issues however that’s to make sure you have the full information to make informed decision. If you want to be told everything is perfect then there are plenty of channels that will give you a “it’s amazing” review for what ever you’re looking at. However here I’m going to tell you how it is. Some will like that, some will not, it’s all OK. Loosing or gaining subs is not important, what is important is I remain open, honest and make the content I want to make. You will like that or you won’t. In the end if you don’t like what I do then move on. No need to make a song and dance about it though.