Phrozen Sonic Mini 8KS - performance on a Budget? (honest review)

The new Phrozen Mini 8KS ( 10% discount code below ).
The Phrozen Sonic Mini 8K rocked the printing world 18 months ago with staggering printing power thanks to its 8K 22 micron LCD screen. The drawback was a high price tag. Well Phrozen has placed the Mini on a diet, shed 3 Kg of weight and presented the world with the Mini 8KS, a printer promising exactly the same for less.
So what has changed? What compromises have been made? Has budget enforcement reduced printing ability?
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🔹 PHROZEN SONIC MINI 8KS 🔹
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This product was given to me, free of charge and without obligation. No money has changed hands and the only agreement made was that I video an INDEPENDENT review, expressing my own personal and above all honest thoughts on the product. The opinions stated are my own, based upon my observations of items I have actually reviewed. I cannot form judgements about items I have not seen.
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[@RoseKindred]

Another balanced and fair review. Wow, that power connection. As soon as you showed the back where the power and switch were located I thought along the lines "that power connection will tear loose" and that is what happened. Without seeing the inside I suspect that the stresses were too much for the thin connector bracket holding the hole.

[@vogman]

I think something is loose to be honest. I turned it on and it didn't work. I touched the connection and on it came. Cable ties to the rescue!!!! 😁😁😁

[@JohnJones-oy3md]

5:37 - Phrozen: "Hey buddy, when we asked for an honest review, we didn't mean THAT honest". LOL

[@vogman]

I like making friends 😁 I wonder why I struggle to keep them 🙄

[@hectorgarcia8691]

It’s tough love, truth hurts but it helps us improve our game 👍

[@kudkoc]

Thanks for the review! Just a note, Mono5S has 19x23 um pixels. I hope Phrozen will make better ones soon!

[@vogman]

Hence my disappointment. This is a great printer... but it's nothing new 😕

[@Viskovitz]

@@vogman it is cheaper. 8k resolution in that price point it´s something new, don´t you think?

[@macgyvervanschwartzenstall4662]

@@Viskovitz I don't know why anyone would skimp for a 4k at this point, but I don't think it is fair to call the lower price innovative until it shows itself to last a long enough period of time.

[@markoramljak9579]

will you be releasing the m5s review before the early bird sale starts on may 22nd? I am really itching to buy it, but I wanna see at least one decent and trusted review before spending the money :/ also, I hope you'll test it with more resins other than anycubic speed resin...I'm really not interested in sacrificing print quality for speed by printing at 0.1um layer height.. I want to put that 19um resolution to good use :D also, please check if the fep is easily replacable or if we have to buy proprietary framed feps... I've seen some unboxing videos which showed the printer came with a spare framed fep sheet :/

[@vogman]

I'm working on an M5S review right now. I hoped it would be ready for Monday, but it life got in the way and slowed me down...

[@markoramljak9579]

@@vogman no worries, good sir.. we'll eagerly await your review :D

[@danteinferno6513]

I'm in the same situation : I think about buying this m5s but I need more infos and a honest review to choose right ( Creality is releasing Halot mage pro , and Elegoo is going to announce something at the first of june) hard choice to make quickly with early bird😮

[@arikm8430]

My boyfriend bought this printer with the wash and cure station. I think this is a good printer for someone just getting into resin printing. However, i did accidentally scuff the buildplate because the stock exposure settings in chitubox were too high which made the rafts really sticky at first. But i eventually got it to all come off in one piece. Prints miniatures fantastically. I think more durable resin is what we'll try next.

[@vogman]

We all scratch the build plate. It can't be helped 😁😁😁

[@USALibertarian]

The nice thing is they are approaching the point of diminishing returns on resolution.

[@catnamestaken]

Interesting. Good review as usual

[@vogman]

Many thanks 😁

[@mattblack6736]

love your reviews vogman! I eagerly await a large format DLP...

[@vogman]

We all do Matt. It could be a while. 😁

[@jeremiahembs5343]

The biggest problem with resin printers is the epoxy resin's extreme toxicity and foul odor. I can't use any other brand except MH Build resin since so far only matter hackers has addressed this by making an epoxy free resin. So I want to see massive improvements in this area by other brands, not new printers as all the printers seem to work well enough, but since resin printing is deadly as crap I can't recommend resin printing for anyone until the health issues are solved. Resin printers are mechanically simple so there's only a few areas they can improve. One the resolution can continue to increase, two the mechanical strength of the bond to the build plate can be improved and the release methods improved, three the natural lubrication and durability of the fep film could be improved, four the build plates and vats could be more interchangeable in their various sizes to avoid wasting resin (something which is important in large format printers since people aren't always printing large objects), the LED screens could last longer and could be easier to change out, the LED lights could last longer and easier to change, the whole thing could generate less heat and dissipate heat better, the parts could be easier to clean, the UV blocking lids could be easier to clean and replace, and the air filtering systems could be vastly improved making it easier to replace fans, attach hoses, and change filters. By moving the vents to the bottom here the printer is probably cheaper to produce but might get hotter. That's my major concern. Also the loose plug is a safety issue and needs to be addressed immediately. Also I feel all of the switches, plugs, and controls should be on the front panel as part of a good design so that could be changed. The rail looks solid though and that's a major advantage. I feel the threaded rods for all 3d printers should be much larger in diameter than they are to improve rigidity, but that's less of a problem if the rail is good, but that's another possible way printer manufacturers could improve their products. Also I'd really like to see hobby priced SLA laser resin printers come onto the market. They could be fun to play with and that sort of build process solves a lot of other issues.

[@rolfvanderbijl]

Another delightfully honest review which lets you know what you're getting into when considering buying an 8Ks

[@vogman]

Thanks Rolf 😁

[@peterbonnell4775]

Just got my Mini 8KS today and it has a major strike against it before I even turn it on. I wanted to order an additional resin tank but they are charging an astronomical $89.99 for a single tank! In contrast, I ordered 2 additional resin tanks (with covers) for my Mars pro 3 at $43.99 (only $22 each).

[@dwarvengamesmith9726]

I picked one up because at $288 shipped, tax included it just made sense

[@vogman]

I don't blame you. It IS a good printer. For me it matches the original Mini 8K. Phrozen have simply made it more affordable.

[@dwarvengamesmith9726]

@@vogman Appreciate your review! Your channel is wonderful. I'm excited at trying my hand at some custom handle inserts for my microtech glykon.

[@vogman]

Many thanks. You'll be very pleased with the quality of the prints.

[@gary332]

Nice review. but i have another question. it is about PETG here is a filament for, which you can use your 3D print things for your saltwater aquarium. is there a kind of resin that can also be used in a saltwater aquarium

[@vogman]

I've no idea Gary. That's very interesting. It's certainly a good idea... a food safe resin or filament. There's potential there. I'll drop a few emails and see what I can find out.

[@mogadeet6857]

Thanks for the info! I think painting miniatures will expose layers. That is what I'm trying to avoid. I would love a vid on how ant-aliasing can remove layers.

[@Sovientgnome19]

I didn't see it mentioned, but it seems to me the point of this printer is that it reproduces the same flagship results as the 8K, but more cheaply and, crucially, without Chitu boards (and associated encryption). I really hope they continue along this path so the market doesn't risk getting totally "locked in" to one company. We can cross our fingers for a more open source DLP next?

[@vogman]

I think companies have learned their lesson about boxing in our choices.

[@balkenkreuz2063]

Hey man thanks for your videos; always helpful! I think for me it’s more of a pleasant surprise rather than a disappointment because of the launching price. I bought the Anycubic mono 4K last November because it was the best bang for my buck (only $159 and because it was well reviewed by channels like yours). For only $270 and a bottle of resin thrown in, this new mini 8k-s is hard to pass since I’ve heard it’s praises from every 3d printing channel I’ve seen. My only hesitation would be whether or not should I wait for the new Anycubic M5 which is selling for $399...

[@broncofun5636]

When you do the Anycubic 5s review, please test how brittle the fast resin is. Thank you.

[@AlexSiu]

I was going to preorder the new mini 8ks. But lucky I didn't. i will not buy this year's phrozen update after seeing other company putting out resin printer that don't need to adjust screws to level. It took me a lot of time and resin to fine tune my OG sonic mini, and it still need to be tune from time to time as the screw come loose when removing prints from bed. just increase resolution is not a good selling point for me, which is also why I am still using my OG sonic mini. the prints I need to print will be cover with sprayable putty and paint, lots of the "4k/8k" details will be cover/sand off during painting process. I end up getting a high speed FDM printer (K1) instead. After seeing how good high speed FDM can do in person with my fd's x1c, I think high speed FDM is now advance enough to compare with low end resin printer on time and quality. the raw prints from x1c actually looks better than my OG sonic mini because the sonic mini have Z wobble issue

[@vogman]

I'm hoping Phrozen is concentrating its efforts on something else, maybe a DLP. Time will tell.

[@bibo987945]

Thanks for your review. 8KS is good for miniatures but the final result is not only depending on the resolution but also painting skill. At the moment I would wait for 12k or high resolution of DLP.

[@vogman]

With AA applied and a layer height of say 0.03, it's amazing how smooth you can makes these prints 😁

[@tonywharton5220]

Do they include cable ties? I am impressed with the print quality. I've been looking forward to the 12k review. Not for everyone but from what I've seen, it's very well priced in my opinion.

[@vogman]

Apparently the Phrozen endorsed cable ties are $100 each... just kidding. I'll be reviewing the new 12K Anycubic very soon. Take care buddy.

[@CatFinder3000]

Hello is a review for elegoo mars 4 dlp coming soon?

[@Down_Time_Dad]

It would be fantastic if you could review the new creality halot mage (none pro) it seems like fantastic value for money for such a large build plate.

[@vogman]

I do have one here to review, but I think it's the pro...

[@dannyrooster8554]

I'm also looking forward to this review. Also the non pro because there is big price jump for the speed, WiFi and resin pump.

[@carnajom8831]

@@vogman the pro looks great with great features, but at a price. I wonder if the upgraded light source makes a difference in print quality the non-pro though.

[@Microwavingmetal]

Hey VOG if you have the time would you review 3d Materials Supercast resin? Seems like a great budget casting resin.

[@johnhutchinson5557]

I got my 8KS Monday, but multiple attempts have failed. I downloaded there software. Chitu dose not allow me to identify 8KS as a model they support . got any ideas?

[@David-ym2vk]

I was about to preorder the mini 8ks and then anycubic announced the m5s 12k for only $100 more. Now the mini 8ks makes A LOT less sense. Especially when you consider the innovations in build plate design. After seeing the gk two build plate that doesn't allow resin on the top saving so much mess after the print, I can't see why every manufacturer isn't trying to adopt a similar style. Anycubic is finally making an adjustment in the right direction with the m5s build plate not having those stupid bolts on top that always get resin in them and they're hard to clean. The mini 8ks also has this antiquated design as well. All in all, I'm gonna have to pass on this mini 8ks now with all the competitors coming out with innovations while Phrozen is stuck in the past.

[@vogman]

I've got a SHORT coming out in a couple of hours. You might want to watch it 😁😁😁

[@TzarChelo]

Hi, i can see the layer height of 0,05 mm. Friend of mine recomend me 0,05 and also in the vídeo of vogman i saw he put the configuration of 0,05 but in other fauxhammer i can see 0,02. Will i get better detail with 0.02? Will the resin of anycubic craftsman be able to do this detail? Thank you

[@Miketz]

I am pretty sure that your power issues is merely a case of either the plug or the socket being the wrong one. (As in the centre pin of the socket being a smaller diameter than the socket in the plug.) It probably won't be an issue on the production version.

[@vogman]

I tried a couple of power adapters I had to hand (from other printers) and the same issue happened each time. For me something is loose. Maybe a solder dry spot. Who knows 😁

[@MrGekken]

Thank you for the review :) What about the exposure time of 8K and 8KS? Is there any difference? I heard that 8KS is slightly faster.

[@vogman]

Well I used settings I already had and they worked for me, but I suppose really it's best to check a calibration print 😁

[@macgyvervanschwartzenstall4662]

Just what I asked for...unfortunately, since I asked, the Anycubic 12k has been announced.

[@vogman]

I've got a SHORT coming out in a couple of hours. You might want to watch it 😁😁😁

[@macgyvervanschwartzenstall4662]

@@vogman doing the Lord's work

[@UnratedPlayer21]

Looking forward to a review of Elegoo Mars 4 DLP. Keep up the good content

[@vogman]

Coming soon 😁😁😁

[@UnratedPlayer21]

@@vogman omg yes! I don't know why no one is talking about it. Grabbed one as my first printer because I was excited about the dlp technology and wanted to get into jewelry. Still learning so it would be nice to have a decent video review from yourself on this model

[@markmorgan8378]

Long Live Vogman!

[@vogman]

Long live Mark 😁

[@allffrommars6019]

Who wants 8K ... Anycubic has 12K 🤪 ... 2:48 here he is 😀

[@vogman]

And Elegoo... that's coming soon too. I hope Phrozen aren't losing ground here.

[@anab0lic]

do you really need 12 k though? Its sort of getting to the point where the resolution is already more than good enough and instead they should be focusing on other features that make them more user friendly.

[@vogman]

I will admit, the difference between 19 microns and 22 will be difficult to see, but these are mid range printers, so that will be 19 vs 29, and that should be noticeable. Do you or I "need" it? Probably not, but the industry does if it's going to continue to develop.

[@JonasNeumann6]

​@Leanja I think the M5s is already an attempt in going other directions with it's selling point of 3x speed.

[@allffrommars6019]

@@vogman @3DPN ... the 12K prints with 108mm per hour in good quality?

[@ga9098]

5% arrived broken not 11.

[@vogman]

You're right! Ooops. Sorry Phrozen!

[@CraftySven]

nice review ! thanks

[@vogman]

Thanks Sven 😁

[@FantomPhish]

How is the GKtwo going for you?

[@vogman]

Very well, especially on cooler days when the heated vats really comes in handy 😁

[@leopoldomarinero8649]

This is the 3rd review I fully watch on your channel and I really appreciate your advices and your sincerity about the products. For a first printer would you choose the Phrozen Sonic Mini 8kS (around 300€ in EU with coupon) or the Anycubic Photon Mono M5 (369€ in EU)? Thanks! P.D: forget to tell you that would be very interesting to compare print times with typical resines

[@terricon4]

Ok! Here's a warning against it, build plate was uneven, prints didn't stick to the left side, and on the third print and second failure the piece that fell got crushed between the plate and the screen tearing a tiny hole in the nFEP, luckily it was small enough that no resin managed to get through, but IPA when cleaning was able to... So ya, build quality/reliability... Got my new printer, and right out of this high I need to replace a build plate, replace an nFEP, and was scarily close to needing to replace the screen. And Phrozen claims to have no warranty on these parts if they fail even on new orders. It's been a bit over a day now since I sent the help request about that uneven build plate and no reply. So... buy a Sonic Mini 8K S... do three prints, two with failures... possibly need to shell out a bunch more for replacement parts... these tiny couple test minis are the most expensive miniatures I have ever bought... and I question if it's worth it to buy the new parts if they don't replace those, sunken cost phalacy and all, yes, it would be down $300 plus dollars... but if I put out another $120 and get another miss and failure... Oof... not sure what everyone elses experiences are who are getting these, but mine is definitely not good and frankly just terrible. Now, I can't print, and am stuck with that anxiety of waiting for them to respond.... Would NOT recommend. Posting this onto the videos I'd watched that incentivized me to buy it in the first place.

[@terricon4]

Got a replacement plate, it's also not great, the vertical supports on them are too stiff, just tightening the thing causes the plate to bend, so this seems to be a pretty regular issue to expect, and it's a known issue from old 8K, so they don't seem to care. Worse, when I posted my review on their website, they just removed it after a day. So Phrozen deleted reviews they don't like, terrible company practice, I don't see myself trusting them at all going forward.

[@tudesomer-chu1219]

How many times have you printed Mini VogMan! Surely he has a small army by now.

[@vogman]

I've got a fair few now, but I can't find them. They keep hiding from my wife.

[@WhereNerdyisCool]

The race to the bottom , it seems On another note - is there any good "tough" resin? My complaint with these machines is I haven't seen any material that's "tough", just brittle.

[@vogman]

There's several these days. A while ago I did this SHORT on Liqcreate resins kzbin.infoGYnusjLbMKA I don't claim to know a lot about resins, but there also Siraya Tech Blue

[@Miketz]

You can mix resins. I have found 70% cheap/brittle resin mixed with 30% expensive/flexible gives a pretty tough result.

[@ajc4477]

Sunlu - Nylon like is bloody fantastic.

[@ajc4477]

You're paying for the brand name with Phrozen, they've placed and priced themselves as an "upmarket" brand when the bulk of their components are exactly the same as the "midrange" printers. I like the idea if the database of printers but unless you've based the results across a standard number of machines then the results will always be incorrect. Sure there are less reports of problems with Phrozen machines but that's because less people own them compared to the likes of Elegoo machines. More owners means higher reported issues.

[@markburton5292]

did you get sent a anycubic m5s for review?

[@vogman]

I'm working on that video right now Mark. I was hoping it would be done by Monday, but life had other plans 😁

[@Insane_Kane]

Why on earth do they keep putting the usb on the side. WHY WHY WHY

[@vogman]

Pure guesswork, but probably cost. My guess is that they're making use of standard PCBs which they can buy at a certain rate. If they move components, like the USB port, then maybe it then becomes a custom PCB which will increase the price per unit. Like I say, it's just a guess. They could be doing it just to annoy you 😁😂🤣😂

[@emiliol3706]

Excuse me guys, do you know when it will go on general sale?

[@vogman]

It's already possible to buy one phrozen3d.net/sz864 but it's on pre-order (and you can use my discount code). When it will be on sale on Amazon, etc, I've no idea.

[@emiliol3706]

@@vogman thanks :)

[@AtkinandSon]

Just a shame you wasn’t sent the M5s

[@vogman]

I have buddy. I'll be reviewing it very soon.

[@rauugarciteru1469]

AND THE ELEGOO MARS 4 DLP????? Review?????

[@vogman]

I received a Mars 4 DLP just a couple of days ago. I'm really looking forward to getting my teeth into that one 😁

[@rauugarciteru1469]

And anycubic m5s?

[@preddes6522]

2:58 😧 wow

[@vogman]

That's what they tell me 😁😁😁

[@noviceartisan]

Why are you printing the Z height at double the xy resolution? lol

[@vogman]

Because that's the height 99% of folks use. Personally I tend to drop to 0.03 when I'm looking for fine detail. Any lower than that takes too long 😁

[@noviceartisan]

@@vogman yes, but making it double the xy distance makes the point of the increase xy Resolution a little pointless, as you're halving the visible resolution of the printer. People print at .05 on printers like this cos they're idiots who don't understand basic physics 😭😂 I genuinely get frustrated watching almost every KZbinr make the exact same fatal flaw and printing at the wrong layer height for their printers. Sure it may print "faster" but it's definitely reducing the quality of the piece by 50% to do so.

[@mysteriousfox88]

phrozen is the biggest disappointment of this generation. Firmware issues on both the mini 8k and mighty 8k thats still unresolved today causing AA issues and lychee users to have their prints bashed into and cracking their screens, terrible assembly qc with screws shipping loose and broken, the shortest warranty on their lcd across the whole market

[@ChannelHTS]

proves they can markup their printers so much with no real upgrades not for in the hand anyway

[@vogman]

It makes you think mate.