The Best Resin 3D Printer for Under $300?

What's the latest in entry-level resin 3D printers? We take a quick look and run some test prints on the Elegoo Mars 5 Ultra, a $270 hobbyist printer with features we couldn't have imagined at this price point. Here's how quick it is to get started and a look at the quality prints from Elegoo's latest.
Elegoo Mars 5 Ultra: amzn.to/4eN4eF2
Elegoo Saturn 4 Ultra: amzn.to/4euzDfM
Foo Lion model: www.myminifactory.com/object/3d-print-foo-lion-207836
Disclaimer: Tested may earn an affiliate commission when you buy through the links here.
Shot by Josh Self and edited by Norman Chan
Music by Jinglepunks
Subscribe for more videos (and click the bell for notifications): kzbin.info
Join this channel to support Tested and get access to perks:
kzbin.info/door/iDJtJKMICpb9B1qf7qjEOAjoin
Tested and Adam Savage Ts, stickers, (de) merit badges and more: tested-store.com
About Tested: www.tested.com/about
Meet Adam in Person: www.tested.com/events
TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@testedcom
Instagram: testedcom
Twitter: testedcom
Facebook: testedcom
Discord: www.discord.gg/tested
Amazon Storefront: www.amazon.com/shop/adamsavagestested
Audio Described and Accessible Videos: kzbin.info/aero/PLJtitKU0CAeiQLgj4PZ9onSW6YXIz5ADR
Intro bumper by Abe Dieckman
Thanks for watching!
#3dprinting

[@tested]

Elegoo Mars 5 Ultra: amzn.to/4eN4eF2 Elegoo Saturn 4 Ultra: amzn.to/4euzDfM Foo Lion model: www.myminifactory.com/object/3d-print-foo-lion-207836 Disclaimer: Tested may earn an affiliate commission when you buy through the links here.

[@timd7709]

wish you guys would show more about how you treat the prints for cleaning and curing also, to give first timers a view of the full work process involved.

[@tested]

thanks for the suggestion--post-processing and safety is a big topic so we'll make a dedicated video about it!

[@Mongo63a]

@@tested I just wish you would print a cube and then measure it for accuracy. Some of us do not print toys but use them from prototyping engineered items.

[@s1ocky]

​@@Mongo63a I'm not saying you intended for that comment to dismissive of anyone not printing engineering prototype, but you should be aware of your tone. Measuring a cube isn't particularly useful however. It'll give you a measurement for outside dimensions, but doesn't really tell you anything about how accurate your inside ends or wall thicknesses are compared to desired spec. I'm not sure what would be appropriate for resin, as a lot of calibrating FDM (my experience) deals with moving the tool head, while resin is more lighting duration\intensity. I suspect you'd want something with narrow walls and medium to long bars in both x and y to measure (and maybe angled to not stick to tightly to the film).

[@get2dachoppa249]

The blanket on the couch, unmistakable pattern, great choice for October spooky season.

[@lesterawilson3]

Redrum!

[@Soul-Burn]

As a layman, the details on that lion look great!

[@chicken133221]

The Foo Lion was exactly what I have been searching for to print. 3 months with printer QiDi max3 3d so very thankful I found this video

[@austinmckimmey8566]

That gave me such happy feelings when I heard the call back to the old music. Love it!

[@brianjnemec]

Be aware before buying (I wasn't when getting the Mars 3), the Elegoo printers are now using a proprietary file format slicers with Chitubox and Lychee Slicer. These tools have ads and paywalls for features and lock up quite a bit. Those 2 slicers are nowhere near the quality that I expected coming from the free Prusa slicer world and this has negative impact on how often I use it. When my resin printer is replaced, support for the open standards and better slicers is going to be a strong consideration in the future choice which is currently not in Elegoo's favor.

[@PaulStevensonPinball]

Thanks for calling attention to this. I bought an Elegoo Mars 3 a few years ago and fell into the same trap. You do get free slicer usage for a while, but once it expires it's time to pay up. I've refused to pay for the Chitubox slicer, so now my printer is essentially dead. They lock the printer down in the firmware to require an encrypted/keyed file from Chitubox. And don't be fooled into thinking it's just a cheap, one-time cost. Chitubox plans are expensive, and licensed monthly and annually, and will add hundreds to the cost of this printer. Elegoo has lost me as a customer.

[@jonathanbedard3900]

I have the Elegoo Saturn 4 ultra and I use Chitubox basic, which is free and has no intrusive ads. Once you open chitubox, there is a small ad window that you can close right away. I don't know what I am missing, but I've been printing miniatures for months now and no problem using Chitubox. Chitumanager works well to control the printer remotely. I've never had a failed print that was due to Chitubox. The printer is super reliable. The only down side I have is cleaning the narrow space on the build plate.

[@renfrog67]

​@PaulStevensonPinball Chitbox basic is free and does everything you need to print. No need to pay for pro unless you require the pro workflows.

[@3rwtj3]

@@PaulStevensonPinball Lychee Slicer is free (with ads though), and works on the Mars 3 as well.

[@TheStockwell]

I keep telling myself I have no need for 3D printer, that there's no room in my life for one. Then, a video like this comes along. 🤔 Best wishes from Vermont 🍁

[@magmapixel8627]

I don’t think there’s anyone who can’t benefit from having one, even if it’s just a cheap FDM printer. There’s so much planned obsolescence nowadays and plastic parts break all the time. It’s so much more convenient to just print a new one

[@tarkus6670]

i think the exact same thing. i dont need one, i dont need one, now this vid comes out now i need one

[@wkdpaul]

Best thing I did was get myself a used one. Sure you can get a bad or broken one, but honest sellers will agree to let you print a test to make sure. Mine was $90 CAD (less than $70 USD). It's a Elegoo Saturn 1, so it's old, and was cheap because the UV cover was "destroyed" by cured resin on the inside and had cracks all over, but otherwise it's working pretty well (after some cleaning and greasing the lead screw and linear rails). It's a great way to learn about how it works and all the things to do, and not to do, for VERY cheap. If the old and used one has any issues, you can re-sell it for not much less than what you paid and get yourself a brand spanking new one ;)

[@ILoveRedPandas95]

​@@wkdpaulmy boyfriend has that resin printer He had to replace the screen a few times for the same reason of resin build up As it still worked he found out that screen protectors for phones are decent alternative replacements as most companies don't sell replacement screens even if some do it would cost a bit and getting another one every few months wouldn't be worth it

[@Shakes_The_Clone]

Been hearing great things about this printer. Stoked to see YOU taking a spin with it.

[@miranda.cooper]

I keep going "Ohhh I want one so bad!" Then I realize that I don't have a curing station nor do I have a way to properly vent without uh.... having a massive thing over my window that would also need to keep out a Wisconsin winter...

[@johannespechmann4422]

How strong ist the smell of the resin? Can you use such a printer within a normal office room?

[@ZelgadiSexe]

I have both (Mars Ultra and Saturn Ultra), and they're amazing!

[@seanpaula8924]

Wow. Im old, neat to see the new stuff. 👍

[@ricksattler682]

I have the Mars 5 Ultra, pretty happy with it so far. I'm using the water-washable resins so far and am happy with those as well. If anything, I now wish I had bought the Saturn for build plate size only LOL. I bought it to print car model parts and for this, it does a great job. As far as the slicer goes, the Chitubox Basic is free (for non-commercial and home use) and it seems to work well. I wish it came with more resin profiles but I've gotten used to adding them for the various resins I use. The printer did come with a 90-ish day trial of Chitubox Pro, but I abandoned that after not automagically downloading all the resin profiles I had built in the Basic version. YMMV. Cheers

[@corrinastanley125]

Thanks Norm.

[@FlintStone-c3s]

Interesting the tilting vat means the plate does not have to retract. The retracting plate style means the lead screw nut gets a lot of wear and that will increase backlash. This one just goes up, no lash, less wear.

[@Fugnut-model-No.001]

That shisa is absolutely stunning. Weird to think that the highest detail shisa I’ve seen was not in Japan but here. I lived in Japan and seen many shisa, but this is easily the coolest one. Would be cool to see it in full statue size.

[@PDXASM]

Super nice dolly timelapse shot, Norm...

[@goggles412]

Real ones remember 3D Printer Fridays and that music. XD

[@xGaLoSx]

Very cool! I don't a use case for one but i want it 🤣

[@goikofinanzas]

Lol. same!

[@CaptainMug]

What about the smell? I.e. If I'd put this in a badly ventilated spandrel, would it be Ok?

[@Robob444]

That's my concern as well. I like how resin printers have functionally no print lines, but I feel like sitting next to a vat of resin all day might not be the best idea.

[@mdn3518]

Thank you for this video. Curious on your ventilaton. I have a Mars 4 Ultra and the fumes are horrific. To use it in the house, it would need a dedicated fume/exhaust box.

[@RathOX]

Ive just bought the saturn 4 ultra 👌

[@SandstormGT]

The detail of that Lion is sick. I've been thinking about getting rid of my Prusa Mini FDM printer as i didn't use it very often but this looks awesome! Unfortunately, i don't have an area that is "well ventilated" to put this in and also don't really have room for a curing box.

[@cowboy124aa3]

One important thing I would suggest is to put some grip tape on the sides of the area where you grab the build plate, because its smooth, it maybe hard to grab the build plate off the printer, it maybe slippery from your protective gloves and you could drop the build plate. I've also heard that this printer has some adhesion issues with prints and them falling off. Also its is very hard to clean the resin off the top of the build plate between the build plate and the mount. I do love Elegoo, and I have the Original Mars and now the Saturn 3 12k and the Anycubic M5s 12k printers. They are great printers too. Good luck with yours Norm!

[@jacobl2222]

This might be my next printer. The self-levelling build plate is probably my favorite 3D printer innovation - one less fiddly step I have to worry about getting wrong. I like the idea of the tilting vat, but I do worry about it as an additional point of failure, and how much of a pain it will be to replace or repair parts if something goes wrong.

[@crispy_338]

I’d rather have the elegoo ball joint build plate and a stationary vat. Leveling the build plate is super easy on resin printers

[@jacobl2222]

@@crispy_338 Yeah, I would generally agree that simpler is better. But I always have this nagging doubt at the back of my mind that I knocked my plate out of level while removing prints. If they could reliably remove levelling from the equation it would just be a nice extra bit of peace of mind.

[@crispy_338]

@@jacobl2222 If it’s tightened it shouldn’t be out of level. Unless you were forceful in removing your prints, and in that case just take 30 seconds and re-level it

[@peterrodriguez14]

That machine cover should be on and you should be wearing gloves from the beginning and a facial mask. Need to be safe!!

[@DarkusZarvix]

Been debating on upgrading from my Elegoo Mars 4 Max and wasn't sure what to go with. I think I know now. XD That moving vat instead of the build plate moving up and down is a HUGE plus. I was wondering why the vat was soo deep/tall... but the tilting explains why. Need to be even more careful of not overfilling that vat. The Mars 4 Max had a USB filter that seemed to help with the smell. This doesn't seem to have that feature?

[@Scyrner]

I've always been intimidated primarily by the amount of ventilation that's needed for resin printing. I haven't found a clear answer when I looked, aside from 'lots'. Anyone here know? How much ventilation is enough ventilation?

[@nathkrupa3463]

Great work norm sir 😊❤

[@DavidMcGuizz]

I love this technology simply because it reminds me of that epic scene from Small Soldiers at the start where they shoot lasers into this resin to create the first models of Chip Hazard and Archer. Always seemed so high tech to me and now you can have it in your bedroom. Just don't put any X1000s in what you create and you should be good.

[@eatmarth]

It's Friday, so you know what that means! Print the mystery object in the 3D printer day!

[@shweenz]

I've had a resin printer sitting in a box for like a year. The safety factors really intimidate me compared to FDM.

[@treborrrrr]

At 12:26 you can clearly see that the supports have ripped off the print on the left hand side. Doesn't inspire much confidence.

[@EarlMiller]

A little bit of wisdom you can apply across the board with 3D printers. You can make just as many mistakes with a $3,000 printer as you can with a $500 printer. The only difference between the two is with the $3,000 printer you don't care if you've made mistakes or not. Once you are dialed in you'll never have to spend $3,000. That said, Elegoo can probably be considered the benchmark when it comes to range of features and sizes of printers, hands down.

[@tobiasjennerjahn8659]

I like the video, but you're setting a really bad example in the timelapse, leaving the enclosure off and working right beside it without any additional ventilation or filtering. This video is specifically aimed at people who don't have a lot of (or any) experience with resin printing and I would expect better from this channel. You mention it at the very end, which is good, but since the timelapse directly contradicts your advice I feel like that disclaimer was more of an afterthought.

[@jamiewhite1616]

I agree. But Adam probably didn't think about it, until he did it for the first time.

[@KingZedusPrime2009TyrentKaiju]

Don't know if you noticed but this is actually a review for a 3d printer and not a step by step guide to 3d printing. Hope this helps! 😊

[@ShaCaro]

@@KingZedusPrime2009TyrentKaiju A review aimed at people who don't have a lot of, if any, experience printing, so showing proper practise is not uncalled for. No need to be passive-aggressive over well meant and valid criticism.

[@juliojimenez9794]

Well, it's very on-brand for the channel. Have you seen Adam operate his machines? Yikes!

[@notsunil]

yeah this was really really disappointing especially since this is aimed at people who want to get into resin printing. to barely mention the safety issues at the end, but first show it being used in the worst way possible tells me they don't care about the health of their viewers at all

[@crispy_338]

Acting like leveling a resin build plate is hard to justify a more complex system is wild. It’s much easier than FDM machines by far

[@tenns]

Please do a comparison of the whole line from this one up to formlabs 4. Resolution, ease of use, cleaning etc...

[@neilperry2224]

A guardian of paradise, a temple lion

[@get2dachoppa249]

This was the reply that saved me from posting the same thing. Saw a good many of them in Thailand & Singapore.

[@neilperry2224]

@@get2dachoppa249 have one on my back a long with the Japanese Samurai tiger and rider. Their version of the protection of paradise

[@samuelherts1827]

Wow!!

[@gtree7047]

It looks like it has a wifi antenna. This means you should be able to initiate a print from your laptop or mobile phone without a thumb drive?

[@ricksattler682]

Yes. I initiate prints directly from Chitubox on my laptop using wifi. I don't know about from the phone tho. No thumb drive required

[@zoebaz6969]

I really don't get why no manufacturers seem to want to natively put flex plates on their printers. It is such a huge quality of life thing for printing and allows for much more efficient printing in many cases

[@laptop006]

Aww, I miss printing the mystery object with the MakerBot

[@mattsinibaldi7337]

Can we talk about the Overlook Hotel carpet blanket on the back of the couch?

[@tested]

Oh, we've had it for what feels like a million years.

[@EricGranata]

Dude. Where you get that rad t-shirt?

[@TianarTruegard]

From all the information I've come across, resin fumes aren't great for your heath. To do a proper resin printing setup it sounds like you'd basically need a chemistry fume hood for the printer to operate in. Plus PPE to wear while handling the resin or finished prints. FDM just sounds so much easier and safer for a hobby machine. I can't see wanting a resin printer except for doing super detailed prints of figurines. Hopefully FDM type printers will catch up.

[@Caram0n]

Why do you need dozens of filaments that you have to trim off the Lion? Why not like the chess piece? Do you have to trim every one with a scalpel?

[@Smucklz]

Does it have a way to set the z offset to account for the extra thickness of a flex plate?

[@Takenmynameandmycat]

Either way, Dope Stone Lion

[@buzzsah]

Does it come with a program?

[@sadiablo]

12:57 Did the print cracked there?

[@dt-qh2cj]

What about the VOC of the resign?

[@dt-qh2cj]

More detail: yes you mentioned using open area, but you are sitting in the same room as the active printer. There are people that have tested Resin printers WITH carbon filters and the VOC were still high, you just could not smell the VOCs. See video from “Keeping Making” on KZbin in 2023 kzbin.info/www/bejne/nJvLnouwq8esnKM *** Maybe this is something that TESTED could follow up with another video, fact vs fiction?

[@RawbeardX]

the FDM printer at work I am trying to fix is making me want to strangle my boss for having the hare brained idea to get that thing. I am the third person working on that thing... I wont be the last, only have about one and a half months left there.

[@Shakes_The_Clone]

How is this machine with vapors? Does it have a built in air filter, which actually works? Or would I want to put it in an enclosure (cabinet, or maybe “grow tent”)?

[@vickslab4608]

One of the issues with Resin is that you have to vent it outside.

[@buzzsah]

Well, before this at 279, now 335.

[@Guenounovitch]

BLOODY HELL THE ADVERTISEMENTS ON KZbin ARE IMPOSSIBLE

[@AlienLeadership]

AVP 👽 Ahhh stacking 'space alloy like plywood / I'm thinking / big vacuum , for 3D printing/

[@KevinAdams06]

Just not sure resin is worth the squeeze given the toxicity and the quality of fdm printing these days. Using a small nozzle and printing slow will be good enough for 80% of people.

[@tahaqureshi4505]

Do we need to wear a mask for this resin printer?

[@brandonwestfall3241]

It isn't unwise, resin vapors can affect you over time, iirc You'd need the right filters though, I don't know off the cuff which ones would be appropriate.

[@Koushakur]

Asking that for a specific resin printer does not make sense, either you're working with resin or you're not, the printer cannot change how potentially hazardous resin is

[@framegrace1]

If you are not professionally printing for a life, 8h a day, 5 days a week... no, no need to wear mask. The masks that do anything to really protect you are very expensive, and no need to worry if you are sniffing resin just some hours a week. Just make sure those hours are not at the same time, you may get some headache. If you make any videos, just use a normal SPF mask. Will do nothing to stop the resin, but will stop smarties to complain in the comments.

[@tahaqureshi4505]

@@framegrace1 ok, I know that we also need a ventilated area. Would it be unwise to have a resin printer in a normal room at home

[@framegrace1]

@@tahaqureshi4505 of course.

[@DaReapa]

Consoder am instructional video with the safety steps included.

[@sdericmonty]

Clicks link, well over $300 😂

[@AlexanderWeixelbaumer]

Mars 5 Ultra €269,99 That's what I see, that's 295$. But man the price of the resin....

[@Smucklz]

I think it was on sale just a few days ago

[@marcleekes3040]

In Germany the link says "doesn't ship to your location". If searched it's between 310 € and 370 €.

Says $289 usd for me.

[@sdericmonty]

334 usd for me 😅

[@tycan85]

First😅

[@howlinhauler]

humans neverending quest to make garbage