Ender 3 V3 KE: Best 3D Printer for beginners in 2024?

[@cybergnetwork588]

Owner of X1C's, Prusa's, Flashforge, etc. Recently bought a KE. It is AMAZING. As of today, it still blows my mind. Then I've bought a 2nd KE! lol

[@Brianchse]

I have had this printer for about 2 weeks now. It blows my Kobra 2 pro out of the water in every area. I did print a new filament holder/dispenser for it though because the one thats comes with it is a floppy pos.

[@RutgersSieve]

@@BrianchseI think the location hurts it more than anything. That gantry doesn't look like it's meant to hold a kg above its top. I printed out a bearing roller so far, but it's still sitting up there.

[@ushapatel6260]

@@RutgersSieve side spool holder mounts are on printables it’s really good and also you should print a filament guide if you do relocate

[@keithm9715]

Just bought it for $259 at Micro Center. New to 3D printing and set was easy. A little anxiety on my part in printing, but I am very satisfied. I will recommend it to anyone...of coarse I am bias because it is the only one I have.

[@datadreamsit8514]

i just bought that printer yesterday and i cant tell you enough how glad i am i got it. i printed out of the box and im very satisfied with the results. yes the one extruder isn't too fun but still really happy highly recommend

[@ronald2120]

What’s wrong with the extruded? I assumed that the direct feed extruded was good relative to the other options in the market for a cheaper price.

[@datadreamsit8514]

@@ronald2120 i had rough time with the calibration took me a while to stable grasp the how bought allot of spare parts and replaced the hot end kit several times since some print stl files she didn't like and found myself with a big bulb around the whole thing which wasn't fun. but very easy to replace so its ok I guess. you learn as you go. but once you get your head around it, its a good entry printer. I'm still a noob if I was coming across different, but I know my printer now allot better.

[@RutgersSieve]

Thanks for the pressure advance tip. I think you've emphasized that better than any intro/review video I've seen yet.

[@sgtkabukiman9411]

The Eiffel Tower can be printed on an FDM printer, I ve done it on an Ender 3 Pro and Neptune 3 Pro. The trick to making the missing bits print is to set Horizontal Expansion to 0.16 in Cura.

[@scmama4]

The best thing to do with the KE is use the Creality Print slicer software. With this software that comes with the printer, I have had 100% successful prints!

[@kristianshaw8265]

I bought this in the prime day sale, really enjoying it so far

[@Crosslink3D]

Nice one! I hope it will perform great long-term for you!

[@jorgemarinjaramillo221]

I am waiting for mine to come from the US to Colombia and Im so excited to receive it. Can't wait to start printing my first models. Thanks for the video, very useful

[@ty8324]

I know 4 people now with V3 KE's including myself and they all have bed wiggle or the bearings raddle. The number one upgrade will be linear rails which will cost another $50 if you want consistent good prints. Design flaw by Creality

[@suohryu]

how would you go about doing that upgrade?

[@RutgersSieve]

I don't have bed wiggle, which I find quite odd because everyone talks about it. But I do have issues if I don't print in the centre, though I'm putting that up to bed level being too far out that autolevel can't compensate enough. (I think I have deviation up to .8mm) Maybe they fixed it in later batches after the early QC runs?

[@jeffthomas3707]

3 weeks ago I purchased the Ender 3 V2 Neo. It's a very good printer once it's trammed, but.... I'm already going to upgrade to this in a couple of days as I HATE manual bed levelling.

[@aleksandarl6975]

Wow. I'm amazed how Ender 3 realy came long way from from it's first version. With this printer you pretty much have everything that beginner may need to sucessfuly enter in 3D printing world without the trouble of having to upgrade anything and to be able to focus more on printing and less on printer itself, and all of it within the acceptable budget. Very nice.

[@Crosslink3D]

Agree, it's finally a great printer. But guess which brand put the pressure on ;-)

[@aleksandarl6975]

@@Crosslink3D My bet goes on Prusa and Bambulab 😀

[@-novy-]

I'm currently hovering over the 'buy' button. This would be my second 3D printer after the Anet A8 Plus, which, in fact, hasn't been one for a long time due to modifications. However, after a few years, it's been plagued by issues, and addressing them would involve costs that might exceed the price of the Ender 3 V3 KE. The question is, should I go ahead and buy it, or should I invest in something more advanced, like CR10 SE or K1? I primarily use the printer for my workshop-hobby-educational needs.

[@RutgersSieve]

If you love doing mods, the K1 has tons of hype and is probably the one to get. If you just want the best you can get out of the box I would go with the CR-10 SE. Nathan Builds Robots has a pretty good rundown of it. If you're like me and you're on a budget the KE is not too shabby. There's room for mods and improving print quality for sure.

[@wxstas.gamedevAU]

i was gonna buy the SE but i now im thinking of buying the KE because its got faster printing speeds and this one has a good review from this guy so im just gonna get the KE

[@kleinbiker1]

I bought this as my first printer just two days ago. I'm brand new to 3D printing and am having the worst trouble getting prints to stay stuck to the table. I'm sure it's user error, so hopefully I'll be able to figure it out soon.

[@micknorthyard815]

This is such a common problem. I had a lot of issues with this myself and tried a lot of things. Now I use cheap gluestick on the bed and the problem is solved. I usually set the bed to preaheat, clean the old glue off with water and tissue paper, then apply new glue when the bed is a little moist, a thin layer of glue is enough.

[@AseGarcia]

+1 to the gluestick solution. Having a detachable flexible bed, It is the cheapest and simplest solution.

[@therenegades-84859]

This is so helpful thank you 🎉🎉🎉

[@krige]

3:34 Thank you for mentioning the Bamb Lab A1! I am planning to buy my first 3D printer and I am exactly in the position of having to decide between the two. It is good to know your experience about color 3D printing, I am also weighing this possibility but the more I hear about it the more it feels like a once in year scenario, probably not worth the money. 15:15 Thank you for mentioning the printing of the miniatures, I am super interested in this application. Could you share what mat you are using under the printer? 17:40 Thank you for mentioning the accessories, that was also very interesting to know. This video is perfect, it sums up pretty well everything I needed to know. Subscription definitely earned.

[@krige]

In the end is bought a Bambu Lab P1P

[@tomshepp1]

I bought 2 KE printers and they worked great at first but I have had a lot of trouble with PLA blobs in the toolhead and clogging. For me the problem is the hotend. I ended up buying a MicroSwiss FlowTech hotend and it solved the problem on one of the printers so I have another one coming. Not sure i would buy these again.

[@Crosslink3D]

Sorry to hear that

[@noodl3d]

Mr Hof... Please could you do a video as soon as you can for the ender 3 v3 ke, the k1 helper script to get kamp and screws adjust and other functionalities/features. Please

[@DarwinTorrealba-c4j]

Bro, nice review! I just bought one and I can wait to use it...

[@crywork]

this model its compatible with the creality laser module? 5W/10W?

[@Slurgical_3D_Terrain_Channel]

Great video. Sadly in my environment I need an enclosure for my PLA. I have a CR10v2 with microswiss upgrade warps my PLA unless its in an enclosure. Environment is a factor.

[@johnh.miller1112]

The A1 and Mini automatic flow calibration makes filament flow problems less of a concern than on Creality and other printers without it. In my opinion flow calibration is a game changer that you didn’t mention. Having to run test prints for every material on the KE is very sad. Now that I own A1’s and Mini’s I won’t go back to antiquated printers such as the KE. The A1’s have made my life easy for production without Creality headaches. My dozen S1 Pros are now collecting dust and have been replaced with Bambu printers. My four K1’s still have big problems and the K1C is not the answer.

[@RutgersSieve]

Yeah if you're running production I can see this being a deal breaker. But for most hobbyists as a STARTER printer, this is perfect. Every one new to the hobby should get used to the idea of experimenting and drawing the best out of their printer, so I find that bit of room for growth a benefit. Once you get the experience it's just a matter of setting up custom g-code regardless and should match your A1 for ease of use.

[@andersnielsen4390]

Thanks for the review. Hmm, as a first timer, I still think I’ll go with the SV06. I like the Sovol “open architecture”, and it just appears more robust overall. I’m not afraid of a bit tinkering. BR,

[@Crosslink3D]

There is so many great upgrades! You’ll have a lot of fun!

[@juansmoctezuma]

I have been a fan of yours for a long time, thanks to you I converted an Anet A8 into an AMV8 with a wheel system, skr 1.4 and marlin, thank you, now they just gave me this printer and it is about to arrive, but I have several questions, and if it is not a bother, I wanted Ask yourself, several people complain about the bed of this printer and what is the software that prints on it?

[@juansmoctezuma]

Sorry for the English, I'm from Mexico :D

[@BigCrafter]

I'm pretty new to 3D printing. What does Tinkering mean? Thanks :)

[@AseGarcia]

Tinkering is not a strictly 3D printing related word. Anyway, in this case "tinkering" means repair, modify or upgrade something so it gives better results.

[@imrosie1]

Hi can you preview the prints on the screen before you print or does the firmware have to be flashed to enable it?? thanks.

[@FrancoisFrank]

Hi, could you please let me know if it can print wood? Should be given specs but they dont mention it. Even better have you tried printing wood? About to order S1 PRO or KE, not sure yet

[@duffycop]

Nice video! Learned a lot! Do you have the 0.2 nozzles link?

[@avejst]

Great video as always 👍 Yes, it seams as a great printer for all, newbie as for older 3D printer users. Thanks for sharing your experience with All of us 👍😀

[@Crosslink3D]

Thanks! I’ll test the K1C soon 😉 so we’ll see who that is for. Also eager to check the new Ender 3 V3 in comparison

[@MrJoep87]

It really winds me up when people use price as a means of measuring 'experience'. In no way does this being a good value printer mean it's any better or worse for someone who's a beginner or a pro.. it all comes down to what you want to spend and what you're looking for in your printer.

[@DanOShea-mp6np]

Great video. what App are you getting your test prints from?

[@thetentaclemonsters]

Hi! Great video. I had a question though. What is the needed space along the y-axis? I have limited room and need to know how much space it REALLY needs. Thanks!

[@Crosslink3D]

61cm total if you don’t want to hit anything

[@16FEET]

Great review 👏

[@TodPro]

KE or Legoo Neptune 4 plus this is my question which one will be better choice...

[@squirralien1863]

I love the idea of the KE and have suggested it to many, then I brought one, out of all the printers i have had and they have all been Creality none have stumped me like the KE, out of the box it was 2mm out from opposing corners, I levelled X and now it is about 1.5mm front to back and no adjusters, so I tried to print hoping it would just over come the level, well all I got was errors so I have a brick at the moment, I think I am just unlucky because most seem to work well. I doubt they will even take it back because I have had it about 2-3 months but only took it out of the box about 6 days ago, that may have been a big mistake leaving it so long. Hopefully somehow I can find how to get it level and it might start printing properly, but I will not add springs and adjuster wheels to level it, I didn't buy it to do that. I love Creality printers but this one has got me.

[@Crosslink3D]

Is the vertical frame „U“ perpendicular to the bottom frame? Maybe it is tilted as a whole…

[@squirralien1863]

@@Crosslink3D I checked with a square as well as I could and seems ok, but I might remove it tomorrow and make sure it’s sitting in properly,

[@RutgersSieve]

Springs and wheels aren't the recommended fix anyways. You just need little spacers to place underneath the posts and maybe some tape on the bottom side of the sheet.

[@squirralien1863]

@@RutgersSieve I leveled the X and it brought it back to around 1mm out front to back, it’s now printing, doing a nice job so one day I’ll fiddle with spacers, it’s just ruined the dreamy hassle free experience. But I got it with the K1 max, I was expecting the same experience. I would like the new K3 in a couple of weeks, hope that gives me a better run. The V3KE is still a great printer, I was just lucky and got the fiddle to work model.

[@Stevo.100]

I just wanna say this review was wonderful. It's made me very confident that I want to buy this printer (but I'll sleep on it first!). It'll be my first printer so I wanted something reliable that'll work for me and not something I need years worth of knowledge to use to get it right after I open the box. That Eiffel tower made my jaw drop, that is incredible quality, because I know that's meant to be a resin print (I've seen a few videos printing it, it looks so good). I was wondering if you could tell me the name of the print at 12:33, that'd looks like something useful that I'd want to do as well. Also those multi color filaments are so beautiful, I need to get some lol At 19:11 you say that you don't like it that the fan stays on after it's printed, I've actually got a solution for you! You could get a smart plug, you can set it so it that when it detects there is very little power draw it will shut itself off automatically, if you don't like the sound of that and it's more the walking towards the printer to turn it off that's annoying to you, with a smart plug you could also switch it on and off remotely using wifi, so while sitting at your desk and you heard it's completed, you can just press a button on your phone (or use voice commands if you're feeling fancy) to turn it off. Thanks for this great review!

[@doron910]

Thank you, what a great video !

[@admintmilgart8585]

Does it comply with Sonic Pad?

[@vikidivik5427]

I am really interested in the Bambu Lab A1 multicolor. But like you said, its not available. Is there any other multicolor printer in the same price range?

[@Crosslink3D]

Currently, I am not aware that there is any affordable multi color printers except the Bambu A1 Mini, which was just reduced in price. However, I am waiting until May to get my hands on the A1 asap.

[@vikidivik5427]

@@Crosslink3D Thank you for the answer. I think I will try the same, if they are not sold out immediately.

[@w3ssu728]

Is it able to print abs?

[@RutgersSieve]

Yes it is, but an enclosure and proper ventilation is highly recommended if not required.

[@davidcooper574]

What slicer did you use? Creality Print locks up a lot. I wish Cura would hurry up with a profile.

[@Crosslink3D]

I used Creality print in all my tests. But I am eager to test Prusa or Orcaslicer. The challenge might be remote printing and monitoring

[@RutgersSieve]

I use Orca Slicer. If you use the provided profile, just make sure you increase the bed temp up to 60C. Otherwise not many issues with Orca Slicer. Use the web gui to print as Orca won't connect (unless you root the KE). But Orca does provide a 'device' tab which is the web gui if you provide your printer's IP. It's still a little bit hit and miss, but I find it will at least send the file to the printer so that I can use the screen on the KE to print (though print from web usually works).

[@neiltonks]

I've just bought the KE. Cura doesn't have the printer profile. can I just use the SE one ?

[@neiltonks]

@user-me4he5hu8y it's got SE on the updated cura I have

[@Happy3dprinting]

I’ve bought many 3d printers over the years, many needed a lot of effort to get the best out of them. My favourite printer used to be my ender 3 s1 as it has been a beast of a machine and very reliable until a cable failed and it was sat waiting for a replacement cable to arrive. I was looking for another printer and did consider the se or ke but then the A1 from Bambu was released, I have a carbon x1c but I was still blown away when my A1 arrived. Sadly the a1 has a cable fault but Bambu are handling the issue very well. When it comes to buying your first printer budget is the biggest factor, how much can you lose without issue, that’s it, so there is no best first printer as everyone will have a different budget, some will buy the ender 3 v3 se, some will spend the £80 more for the ke, some will buy a Bambu lab P1S or even the x1c. They are all great first printers, complete novices can use these printers.

[@bakangasani9230]

how good are linear rodes vs rails? Are they stable or wiggly?

[@Crosslink3D]

They are super stable! If you have an old Ender 3, getting linear rails is a great upgrade to do.

[@bakangasani9230]

I am trying to decide between Klipperized Sv06 or this one. Not sure which one to choose

[@basicmods]

Since the title is a question, I'll answer it before watching the video.. yes, it probably is.

[@notchipotle]

Creality spends more money on KZbinrs than on the product R&D 😂 how sad, they should be one of the best judging by how early in the game and how popular they are

[@523atharvganer5]

Can you provide its files?

[@valdirsilvadejesus4710]

The best !!!!

[@Redspark77]

After 4 months with this printer I do not recommend it for beginners unless you want to constantly tinker with it

[@delxinogaming6046]

Best for beginners *that doesnt catch fire

[@oldman1944]

Given the poor QC from Creality and the problems people are having with this printer, I'd say it's not a good printer for beginners. For one, all the screws need tightening, which is not really a thing beginners want to be doing. Belt tension needs checking, and the hotend fan can get noisy. If yours just worked, you got one of the few good ones. I'd recommend an A1.

[@santiagopostorivo]

Bambulabs QC is better but not perfect. The A1 you recommended was recalled. Also, this Creality machine is a 200 dollar printer and for that price it offers a good Printer. I would compare this one to the A1 Mini because is nearer in price

[@Crosslink3D]

Fans on all my Bambus are loud as hell. I don’t think that they actually care as much as people think. I wish, all manufacturers would care more.

[@squirralien1863]

I’m tired of the brand wars, they all have trouble, I have seen Bambu spaghetti, Bambu cloud started printing on thousands of machines damaging machines and prints that were being printed at the time. Bambu’s are great printers but so are Creality, Creality may have more issues but they would vastly out sell Bambu dud to the prices so naturally you will hear more anyway. There is good and bad in all brands, I love all my Creality printers including my KE which I hope to get running soon.

[@16FEET]

Nothing is perfect but I find mine working great and yeah I tightened the bed screws but everymachine should be checked for loose belts screws ect which is easy and a good start to learning maintenance . All machines require it sooner or later .

[@ragesmirk]

I have the V3 KE. The machine is too loud when idle. Nozzle is knocking the prints. Gantry needs calibration. The bed is skewed due to the load cell installed on the left bottom. The PSU is a Chinese copy of the original Mean Well brand. Nozzle explosion blob will happen to you sooner or later.

[@salemstormont7972]

*Promo SM* 🎶

[@justaguy4788]

No it is absolutely not the best printer for beginners. Way too much fiddling and tuning

[@jer3487]

bambu is beter

[@admintmilgart8585]

Yes, but it's also a different prize x3

[@gregrus874]

Higher price range, and they have issues also.