Elegoo Mars (2 Pro): Which one is the best resin printer?

[@DavidFernandez-sc5ws]

I just bought a 3D printer 3 days ago. A creality ender 3 V2. I don’t even have it yet. And I’m already looking at reviews for other printers. I think I’m addicted...

[@Emily-fm7pt]

Don't worry once you get it it will only get worse (Ok, Maybe worry a little bit.)

[@SplicesAndCelluloid]

The detail that resin printing produces is truly incredible. If only it was as clean and straight forward as FDM.

[@shadow7037932]

It is kind of simpler compared to FDM in some ways. There's far fewer settings that impact print quality for example. You don't need to deal with jerk settings, fan speeds, bridge distances, 4 axis motion (vs just 1 for MSLA), etc. But at the same time, it's messier to work with and resin is toxic.

[@cavemaneca]

I'd argue that resin printing is more straight forward than FDM. I've had a much better success rate with my own original Mars than any of my FDM printers in the same price range. The only disadvantage in my mind is the cleaning. Other than that they've each got their own benefits with different materials.

[@andyspoo2]

I agree. The amount of chemicals you need to use and trying to dispose of them safely is not good. And the impact on health if your not using an extractor cabinet is also a major concern.

[@ejectkid26027]

I just sold my OG mars, and purchased an Epax X10 mono. The mars was decent to get started, but after a year i found my needs have changed. Elegoo makes great printers. Great video, look forward to the next!

[@ejectkid26027]

@@3KGONE Volume and speed. The lil mars couldn't keep up. I print mainly minis for tabletop gaming.

[@littlesnowflakepunk855]

@@3KGONE Tbf the Mars is ~$200 and the x10 mono is $1200. There are some things you just won't get for $200 lol

[@ScottLahteine]

Wow, you've got an entire Mars bar there!

[@antoninjanku3358]

Nice pun!

[@paparoysworkshop]

I just bought my first resin printer a few weeks ago. I bought the Elegoo Mars 2. I use is mostly for making parts in HO scale (1:87) for model railroading. Last night I just finished printing some canoes and the curve of the hull is just fantastic. Smooth as silk. I am so impressed with the quality but since is this my first resin printer, I have nothing to compare it with. Regardless, I'm very satisfied so far.

[@andy_liga]

You can buy activated carbon filter in any pet store, in the cat toilet section. You normally can buy them in packs of 5st (100mmx200mm approx)

[@shadow7037932]

Yup. Can also buy them online but you gotta be careful to get the real stuff and not some cheap fake stuff. I typically use Honeywell universal carbon pre-filters, more expensive than the pet store stuff (again, gotta be careful to get legit ones than the counterfiets flooding Amazon), but works much better for this kind of application.

[@andy_liga]

@@shadow7037932 Tbh I actually was 100% unaware of the fake ones even existing, that's a good thing to know. Appreciate the tip!

[@johnmullen946]

You can also buy activated carbon by the carton and print up your own refillable filter cartridges, as with aquarium filters

[@anthonyrich1592]

For replacement filters... you can get activated carbon impregnated foam blocks (normally used in aquarium filters) from decent aquarium stores and cut them down to size. It's probably cheaper and easier to use activate carbon in mesh bags, again from aquarium stores.

[@reid-dye]

Great vid, but especially thanks for the add being not a total scam lying about how good vpns are. Thanks. Also, I finally know how to pronounce "Sanladerer"!

[@winstonsmith478]

How about a DIY carbon filter using readily available, activated carbon filter material from room air filters cut into small squares and stacked into a 3D printed case or modified (opened) original Elegoo filter case? Or does the Elegoo filter use activated carbon granules below that glued-on top grill? If so, cut off that grill, refill, and close with a 3D printed top grill.

[@1Wolverine2]

Very good review Tom. We've been working with our Mars 2 Pro for a month now with very good success rate. We've even tried special resins made for DLP machines on it (resins for odontology) with as low as 2.8s of exposure.

[@tunaroll3957]

One of the best comparison/review videos! Thanks a lot for showing us the surface quality in micro detail - nobody does that! :)

[@haenselundgretel654]

I really like your objective reviews. They really are the best way to find out things about printers.

[@bmobert]

As someone who has worked with the Mars without a Mercury cleaning station and currently owns a Mars 2 Pro as well as a Mercury, I can testify that the Mercury is *WELL WORTH* the expense. It turns an ratherr unpleasantly messy job into one that is merely mildly unpleasant. Further, the extra print speed of the Mars 2 Pro changes the dynamic so that prints I might have left for over-night are.now confidently started and finished in the evening. There is a difference in quality but, as Tom says, it's only mildly better, both being excellent.

[@1Wolverine2]

I double that about the Mercury. We have the same setup here (M2P + Mercury Plus) and it's amazing how easy and clean post-processing is now.

[@bigeye6606]

printing with the mars pro for half a year now. it had problems with the lens matrix which was addresses by elegoo and they've sent out replacements. now it prints perfectly fine.

[@CountryAireDesign]

Watching this and agreeing with everything because I've got a Mars 2 Pro here in the office.

[@JCsRiptrack]

I bought a Mars Pro in the late summer and have been learning as I go. I'm quite happy with how the prints are turning out so far. It was good to see all of these side-by-side. Thanks!

[@tec4303]

You should have mentioned your videos on proper and save resin printer handling in the end

[@dendec7631]

Also good job on the macro shots...I really like this type of content in reviews!

[@HEMASimian]

I know this is a little late, but something you don't mention is how some resins work way better with mono screens than RGB. Highly pigmented resins like Epax Hard or Siraya Tech Sculpt which are not recommended for rgb screens work wonderfully on Monochrome and can provide levels of detail way higher than other resins. I would recommend the 2 pro above the others any day of the week because of that reason alone

[@aspmos]

Great review. But please spray a primer grey spray in order to SEE every detail of the model. Without that the camera cannot show the details.

[@matineyang]

Mars 2 mono for me. Love it and have been printing 1/6 head sculpts for months now.

[@anthonyrich1592]

Tom, wrt. your C-Mount to M12 lens adaptor observations... If you want mechanically accurate parts out of resin printers then you really should *not* be using translucent or transparent resins. Resin printers are basically photographic processes in 3 dimensions. On translucent resins, and especially transparent resins, there is significant light bleed in all three dimensions (roughly equivalent to overexposure) that causes solid parts to become oversize. If you want mechanically accurate parts then you need to use opaque resins instead. Your comparison between the Elegoo prints with translucent resins versus the Prusa print with the opaque yellow resin wasn't really a fair comparison because of this. You could confirm this outcome for yourself by reprinting the adaptors on the Elegoos using the same yellow resin that you used on the Prusa, and I would hope that you do this to see for yourself.

[@MadeWithLayers]

Good point!

[@petercallison5765]

Thomas Sanladerer - I might also add that there are differences in print speed (as in mm per second) which my be more significant than the improvement from the Mono Screen. This would seem to be at least partially due to the intensity of the LCD Array. Speeds seem to go from 20 to 80 and of particular intertest is the Saturn quotes 20.

[@DarthTater5738]

Great video. I always find it odd when products dont get incrementally better with each new version. Cost aside the latest model should always be the best. I have considered getting into resin printing but it looks so messy.

[@dumbcat]

video suggestion: making resin printed parts that snap fit together. i have yet to resin print parts with tolerances good enough to connect various pieces after printing. example, a figure who's arms pieces connect to the body piece. i always have to do a buch of sanding to get the pieces to fit together and even then it often looks like crap

[@android4cg]

The problems with resin printed thread are mainly caused by the shrinking of the cured resin. Resin with high shrink require some modification of the scale factor. Especially the cheap resins have higher shrinkage.

[@spokoman23]

True. A specialty resin might be the way to go here.

[@KillSwitch1970]

I have the Mars Pro.. I can't wait to see the Saturn review.

[@ColorHeartCarlie42]

I'm thinking of getting an Elegoo Mars for Christmas, but I have never tried 3d printing, so I'm looking around to see if it's the best option. I just want to have a 3d printer so that I can print mini-figures and paint them afterward so that I don't have to keep buying buy my figures internationally.

[@Flumphinator]

I just bought a Mars 2 with a green cover for $200 on Amazon. This explains why all of the info out there is for the Mars 2 Pro and none of them are green.

[@DamnCyrus]

If resin printers were cleaner, I would totally get one, great video on the 3 printers I constantly saw when looking to get my first 3D Printer

[@antoninjanku3358]

Which one did you get then? Need some help with my first 3d printer (on budget) :D

[@DamnCyrus]

@@antoninjanku3358 haven't grabbed a resin printer yet, sorry. The Ender 3 pro and Prusa i3 are what I have. Try to grab an Ender 3 v2 on sale if you want fdm

[@antoninjanku3358]

@@DamnCyrus thank you very much! :)

[@TaskerTech]

I wonder if we could tweak the sub-pixel resolution on the monocromatic screen, this ways increasing the resolution 3x

[@PRNT3DbyMark]

I'd hands down recommend the Mars 2 Pro out of the three. I think the speed increase alone is worth it. Interested to know if you are actually printing on the Mars 2 Pro at 2 or 2.5sec per layer with 0.5 layer height and regular resin. My exposure tests have me printing at 3.2sec per layer, as I found between 3-3.5 gave the best results. Had me thinking that the time of 2sec per layer was only properly achievable with a lower layer height.

[@spokoman23]

That's interesting to know. Also, resin color should affect these times. The 3.2 sec you mentioned, for which color is that?

[@PRNT3DbyMark]

@@spokoman23 It’s for Elegoo Water Washable grey. Colour definitely plays a part too. Black resin is known to need a longer curing time. I’m not sure how the clear green prints, but that may explain some of Toms results.

[@Dougie085]

Wish you had the standard Mars 2....i can't decide if it's worth the extra. The filter seems like a gimick since it's so difficult to replace the carbon.

[@davidgillan7026]

hi the link you give for the replacement lcd screen takes you to a generic page that mainly shows replacements for the mars pro and mars 2 pro but not the normal mars

[@christopherlang5835]

is this the same one but bigger ? ELEGOO Mars 2 3D Printer, MSLA UV Photocuring LCD 3D Printer, Front USB Port, 2K Monochrome LCD Screen, UV LED Light Source, Off-Line Print, 5.1x3.1x5.9in Printing Size

[@StefsEngineering]

If only the saturn was available. I've been keeping an eye on it for a couple months now without succes.

[@anno5936]

I just wonder as i currently consider the Mars (1): if i compare resins, most of them seem to recommend a light exposure of 8 seconds, so does a "faster" printer make sense anyhow ?

[@danamccarthy5514]

Resin always seems to warp a little bit, FDM is much better for mechanically accurate things like threads on that adapter

[@hmenioascanio7184]

EXCELLENT VIDEO. You studied the most important details about the three different models. Thanks.

[@keeganrempel6847]

What kind of camera is the one that uses the c-mount lenses?

[@hans-dieterjung4026]

Thanks for the Video, great work. I heard there is some flexible resins and it is mixed with normal resin it would be more durable. Did you test it?

[@richardalpert76]

Still don’t know whats the difference between the SL1 and one of the Mars Printers is, beside of the (increased) Price for the SL1.

[@petercallison5765]

You should note that the mono replacement screens are more than twice that of the original ones.

[@rogg0224]

My machine only prints the first few layers and they're on the fep. I've tinkered around with curing times and upped them to 8 seconds and 60 seconds bottom time, and same result. Extremely sad. I even level after each heartbreaking 2 dimensional print. Any help 😔

[@octapc]

July 2021, I just bought the Elegoo Mars Pro for only USD $125 here in Australia.

[@Cerulium]

How?

[@dendec7631]

I would like to know if I should wait for the new small 4k printers to hit the general market (like the Phrozen Sonic Mini 4K). Its a tough call for me since the prices for resin printers have dropped so much in the last couple of years. Should we take advantage of the deals now knowing better quality is coming just around the corner?

[@Oldmonstrosityshop]

Hi Thomas. I’ve been a CAD designer for about 5 years but I’ve never owned a SLA printer myself. I like the look of the Saturn just for print volume but if you had a €1000 budget which printer would you choose? Thanks and keep up the great videos

[@rogg0224]

I'm new with computers, can you explain the whole exporting - slicing process?

[@chuck80y]

I thought the lens mount was a Droid restraining bolt.....

[@recowabunga7200]

Thinking of getting a Mars 2 pro for the 30% speed increase... but I'm concerned about the LCD screen not having any protection... Can you still wipe it clean with Isopropyl alcohol as i used to with the standard Mars, if ever you spash a drop of resin on it? or is it doomed?

[@1Wolverine2]

We've been using one for over a month now, using cotton to clean the screen from time to time, no problems so far. The tape around the screen grants a small gap so you can slide the vat slightly angled so it doesn't rub on the screen when fitting in. Elegoo also is the only one to offer warranty of 6 months on the LCD, so it's a bit more of peace of mind.

[@cwbh10]

I know not exactly in the same category, but have you thought about trying out a Formlabs printer?

[@freedy191]

Was the ELEGOO Mars 2 Mono Green left out because it's the worst of the four? I ask because I'm looking at getting that one but there are very few videos and information about it.

[@destroyer2012]

any suggestions for DIY washing/ curing stations? Seems quite easy to build

[@ssrix]

They've quietly released the mars 2 (non pro) and now I can't decide what to get

[@andrewtoth7674]

Hello Thomas, You didn't ask for video requests, but would you compare the Prusa SL1 to the Elegoo Saturn and the Formlabs Form 3? I'm interested in SLA, love my Prusa i3 MK3, and don't know which I should be saving up for. Thanks for your videos. I think you do a good job presenting the information

[@MadeWithLayers]

Someone looking at a Mars most likely doesn't even have the SL1 or Form 3 on the radar. They each have their own pros and cons (price being a big one), but I don't think I'll be doing a comparison between them (sorry)

[@andrewtoth7674]

@@MadeWithLayers FWIW: Saturn, not Mars But you're right, talking $500 < $1400 < $3500

[@Kalvinjj]

A question to M-SLA users: have you ever repaired a dead LCD by replacing the polarizer film? I've tried finding about that but didn't see much, some people on the Prusa forums said that what degrades is the liquid crystal itself and not the polarizer glue or film, so that wouldn't work. It would, whoever, make it far more interesting for me than having to replace the whole panel when it dies. Is it possible to do so? Of course, I know how to remove said top film, but I don't know if it does anything at all.

[@86abaile]

Is it worth the hassle for a $20 part?

[@Kalvinjj]

@@86abaile Considering in Brazil these 20 dollars are hard to come by, and takes at least a month to arrive, yes. I also haven't found them for 20 dollars at all. I can only find them closer to 50 at least (the 2560x1440 panels at least, dunno the lower resolution ones). I might be underestimating their reliability of course, but I prefer to have a machine with far less maintenance costs on the long run, and removing a polarizer ain't too much work for me after so many Game Boy LCD repairs, just wanted to know if it even works at all.

[@andyspoo2]

There don't seem to be any on sale at the moment?

[@BaconGoddess]

Now how do these three mars compare to the mars 2 mono ?

[@globalrevolution]

To launch a 2 pro before the standard 2 is marketing gold.

[@3DChallenger]

wow, dude ! Guys like You will kill television faster than I thought 😁 . I love Your profesionalism and way of explaining stuff. Bravo 👏

[@ThingEngineer]

Great review, as always!

[@tvideo1189]

Skip to 2:25 to miss the sales pitch.

[@Kalvinjj]

When even the uploader loves your comment, you can see how much everyone in general hates adds

[@tvideo1189]

@@Kalvinjj :)

[@josephmama9657]

Dude. Really?? Why did you make such a great review video? 😂 Accent is hot. 😂👍🏽 Subscribed!

[@sehrausch156]

Ein Test für den Mars 2 wäre auch cool ;) Toller Kanal, Thumbs up!

[@wookoouk]

What is that blue camera body? link?

[@machoneboard]

Great video Thomas! Which current SLA printer system would you recommend overall in the sub 1000 category?

[@Moonrakerd]

bought the anycubic photon, was expecting paradise :D well not as easy as it looks in videos, many times had problems with unsticking and the fumes :D but when it works its amazing

[@galaxy6847]

The omission of glass screen protect seems to be a step back Thought anyone ?

[@Filmman586]

Hi Thomas, great channel! Looking to get into resin printing and was looking for some recommendations. Looking for a midsize range, not small but not too large. Any recommendations?

[@UncleJessy]

Saturn 🙃🤘 great video

[@column.01]

I want a saturn so bad, still waiting for price drop and availability

[@petercallison5765]

@@column.01 The Phrozen Sonic Mighty 4K seems a better choice to me.

[@javziovaldez3024]

@@petercallison5765 how come if you don’t mind me asking ?

[@umbratherios5614]

these machines are freaking AMAZING. it's a damn shame that the LCD's can die so fast. I've heard of people with resin machines that had to get spare lcd's every month because they die so fast. that, coupled with how hard the screens are to get... i'm sad. I wanna print, not spend all my money on spare FEP film and spare LCD's... when the resin is already a lot more expencive than PETG and PLA.

[@1Wolverine2]

New monochromatic screens last a loooot longer.

[@mastermoarman]

How bout a companion between photon x and saturn?

[@brianwaltman6077]

Looking for an additional print bed for the mars 2 pro, any ideas?

[@PRNT3DbyMark]

I asked Elegoo if they were releasing them on their own and they said they should be available soon.

[@mixeddesord521]

Waited for this!

[@3dprintall816]

I love the details resin printers can provide, however dealing with the toxic nasty smell of the resin is too much for me :(

[@spokoman23]

Try Anycubic ECO resin. Much better. I'd do a smell test with all these 3 printers if I had the other 2 :)

[@nz-6667]

Thank you so much for your great videos. I don't understand english. Which model has the highest accuracy?

[@silverstone0907]

Mars pro. Not Mars 2 pro.

[@nz-6667]

@@silverstone0907 Thank you for answering!

[@jeffbergstrom]

Can't change the air filter? That's a hard no right there.

[@TheMmeJaune]

thank you for your video!

[@playerone6373]

mars 2 pro or mars 3 4k?

[@nor_cal_trailrides9990]

Holy crap! I paid $3500 for a formlabs form 2 a few years ago!

[@michaels3003]

What kind of things do you print?

[@darren990]

nice video tom

[@KSa-ld7cp]

¿Creality LD-002H or Eleegoo Mars Pro?

[@kavoovak6646]

I had the mars pro, returned it because of UV light issue:(

[@86abaile]

Yeah, had I known about it I'd have waited for the saturn (the 2P hadn't been announced at the time). I bought it months ago so now I'm having to try and get a replacement part from elegoo support.

[@schnabuliertier]

Did you photoshop the name of the Mars 2 Pro to match what you said at 11:37? Lol

[@jobidi99]

Thank you! This was exactly the video that I needed. Wanting to try out sla printing myself on a budget I was left wondering whether the upsell for the mono screens would be worth it, and I found Noone comparing them as you did.

[@HEMASimian]

I know this is a little late, but something he doesn't mention is how some resins work way better with mono screens than RGB. Highly pigmented resins like Epax Hard or Siraya Tech Sculpt which are not recommended for rgb screens work wonderfully on Monochrome and can provide levels of detail way higher than other resins. I would recommend the 2 pro above the others any day of the week because of that.

[@michaels3003]

@@HEMASimian , excellent reply.

[@sugatooth]

Crazy how cheap these are now. I shudder a bit thinking how I bought my photon for $400+

[@esotericsean]

Love your videos, but please update your profile picture to have glasses. I never recognize you from your profile picture haha.

[@N3ss3s]

I'm sorry Tom, but I almost snorted out my dinner when you started talking about shi-tu box :D can't help but think of the south park city wok

[@JohnJones-oy3md]

Way too many Mars options. Too confusing for those who don't live and breathe resin printers. IMHO, if they are going to to minor feature upgrades, they should discontinue the previous versions instead of adding more and more variations of the same basic model.

[@LewyJon]

15 minutes later... Which one is better? I still don't know.

[@AuntJemimaGames]

Phrozen Sonic Mini 4K !

[@malleuwe]

So the Mars pro is Bretter then the Mrs pro2 ? Damn

[@pomprocks]

Geez, they need to reduce the number of models they sell.

[@epicdvhardprowood4412]

Start from 2:26

[@jolandidupreez7468]

excellent video!!!!

[@joker_g7337]

I've got a Mars 2... Not a Mars. Not a Mars pro and not a Mars 2 Pro.

[@t.josephnkansah-mahaney7961]

It’s an ELEGOO rave!

[@jeeplvr2000]

I want the largest printer I can afford. It's not complicated for me.

[@ZakLeek]

I love the title "Gooey Martians", I think it's brilliant! Thanks for the review Tom, it was very informative and, although I don't think I will ever buy a resin printer myself due to the amount of post processing required, I did learn quite a bit about how they work! P.S. Will you review any of the Formlabs printers, my school uses them and I think they are really good.

[@p3chv0gel22]

"Originally, they were known for robotics, and arduino stuff" In fact, i bought an arduino starter Kit by Elegoo just yesterday