Creality Ender-3 S1 Plus 3D Printer with CR Touch
Creality Ender-3 S1 Plus 3D Printer with CR Touch Auto-leveling, Sprite Direct Metal Dual-Gear Extruder, FDM 3D Printers High Precision Dual Z-axis Printing Size 30x30x30cm
From the brand
Good printer, plain and simple
I have a few years experience with resin printers but this was my first filament printer. Not disappointed. Build out of the box and set up was very easy and the manual steps were simple and intuitive. My printers setting seemed mostly bang on out of the box verily little adjustments required.
I have printed a number of large prints now and have about 5 days of solid print time racked up, and only one failed and that was more my falt than the printers.
feature reach
he printer is great, amazon had a promotion or something I got it dirty cheap. However….the CR touch failed in 2 weeks of using it, and I started having all sort of bugs, I contacted the manufacturer support, they are useless. they told me basically to go through all sort of things, at the end, “I” fix it, not sharing the solution due to frustration.
Their warranty claim procedures shines by the lack of it, they actually ask you for all sorts of personal info which specifically Amazon says “do not share” for security reasons, surely they must be able to sort with Amazon and Amazon with me, but no, they tried to cut corners and charge more for something that is faulty withing warranty. there are other printers in similar price range with same or more features, DO NOT BUY CREALITY. Unless you are prepared for long email trails, and navigating through “google translator” chinese-english instructions, and are happy waiting for a solution, supply etc.
Ofcourse, this is my personal experience, yours could be wonderful, would you risk it to find out?
Great seller , really good communication.
Printer is really good . The model in the pic (groot) is 29.5cm tall , and came out amazing ! No visible layer lines !!
I upgraded from an Ender 3 neo v1 and this is soo much better . I just wish it had the same bed levelling and auto Z offset as the Ender 3 v3 se , but the larger build volume more than makes up for it . And the levelling is so much better than the older Enders.
So much more reliable than my old printer due to the direct drive.
Easy setup, but read carefuly
I watched the unboxing and set up videos before this arrived. After setting up, I printed the rabbit with the supplied filament along with other products I’d designed.
Great starter printer, and look forward to using it more.
If you have problems printing, you can adjust whilst the machine is running to get the adhesion and Z offset right.
Great printe
This is my second Creality printer both of which are exceptional.
The Creality Ender Max Neo superb. The prints I’ve done are flawless. I only have one minor complaint is the set up instructions. If you are new to 3D printing the instructions could be quite confusing.
Second Printer bought nd No Issues at all
great printer, easy too set up, great quality prints straight off the bat, for the price its fabulous, no adhesion issues at all with either side of the glass bed, print quality amazing
Creality Ender 3 Max Neo 3D Printe
Being a complete novice to 3D printing, I decided to give this one a try. It is very heavy and was a bit fiddly and hard to assemble, but between us we managed it.
It has taken us ages to get comfortable with its use, but have been pleased with the results. The screen is easy to use and the base size is more than big enough. The printing does look good quality, with great detail.
I’m not sure if this is best for beginners, but we are overall happy with it.
It was delivered well packed and it took a bit of construction and setting up, and I recommend watching the supplied video. The software comes in a .RAR file so you may need to download and install a RAR extraction program.
The video goes through the Z configuration options far too quickly and covers more than is in the poor quick-start manual, so again, well worth watching (and pausing) the video.
Do not expect to print quickly! The unit comes with a file of a small rabbit to print — it takes 1.5 hours. And then you have the joy of working out how to remove the model from the plate as it is stuck fast. There are no instructions on what to do so I Googled for information. Remove the glass plate and use the supplied tool to prise it off.
There are many extra bits supplied that I guess are a replacement nozzle, nozzle cleaning wire, cable ties etc. but again — absolutely no instructions on what to do with them or how to maintain the unit.
And the side panel has tons of options, but absolutely no instructions or explanations on what they do.
I want to print .STL files so I load them into the supplied Creality Slicer software, slice them and then save as a .GCODE file. The Creality Slicer software itself is not that friendly (and comes with no useful user instructions — even the document download link returns a 404 error). I have an .STL file which contains many parts and I only want to print a few — the Creality Slicer software does not allow you to delete elements within a file. However — I have found a way to do so. If you are using Windows 10/11 then download the Microsoft App called 3D Builder and then you can. There is also one called 3D Viewer and both bits of software are really good — and free!
I have now ditched the Creality slicing software and use the free Prusaslicer software – so much friendlier to use and it warns you if you need to add supports etc.
Finally – a few recommendations for the developers – make the PVA holder slightly higher as the cables underneath run against the rotating drum, and have an auto-shutdown option after x minutes of inactivity.
So in summary, the printer prints well, but slowly, and the whole thing is in dire need or something more than just the quick start guide.
A little bit intimidating
Firstly, this 3D printer is very heavy. When I tried to get it out of the box the two parts are attached by the coil part so I really struggled to get both pieces out of the box, on my own.
It then seemed impossible to get the screws in, so I had to wait for my more experienced DIY hubby to help me. The screws are very tight and don’t feel like they want to go in, so what we thought would be a quick job with a few screws took ages!
The instructions seemed a bit basic with putting everything in the right place, but we got there eventually.
That’s before we even got to the printing! You do need to adjust the nozzle on the bed yourself before turning the printer on and doing to auto level. It’s all a bit terrifying, but I think once you have the basics sorted, it will be plain sailing. Comes with some files to get you started. I can’t wait to find some more designs to print!
Great starting kit easy to use and quie
I’ve always wanted to try a 3D printer and this kit is excellent. The quick start guide and stickers make it straightforward to set up, but there are also lots of YouTube tutorials from people who use printers a lot and can provide useful tips for this specific machine to ensure a smooth finish.
The display screen is easy to use and fits nicely onto a stand on the machine, with wires hidden away. It’s quiet so won’t disturb you when left running. You receive one roll of white filament and then need to order what you need.
As someone new to 3D printing, I recently ordered and tried out the Creality Ender 3 Max Neo, and I must say that it has left me impressed with how easy it was to set up. I found the setup process to be quick and straightforward, and the auto-levelling feature made it even smoother. This feature allows the printer to adjust the height of the print bed automatically, ensuring that the first layer of any print is level and sticks well to the bed. I still recommend manually levelling the bed using the paper method but this feature gives you a bit more leeway.
One of the features that stood out to me was the printer’s bed size, which is 300x300x320mm. This larger bed size allowed me to print more extensive and more intricate objects than I could with my previous printer. Additionally, the printer is quite versatile, and I was able to print various objects with great results.
Another feature that impressed me was the printer’s user-friendly interface. The screen is easy to use and navigate, and I found it to be very intuitive. It’s an excellent addition for beginners who may be struggling to figure out how to use a 3D printer.
One issue I did notice is that the fan can be quite loud when printing. However, this is not a dealbreaker, and from my research, it’s a common issue with 3D printers.
Overall, the Creality Ender 3 Max Neo is a reliable and high-quality 3D printer that can produce stunning prints with great detail and accuracy. While it may not be perfect, it is an excellent choice for anyone looking for a starter-friendly option with advanced features. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced 3D printing enthusiast, this printer is worth considering.
This could be a very addictive hobby.
I was sent this 3D printer back in February, just before my father passed away. Not long after, I lost an Auntie. So, to be honest, I have not been in the right frame of mind to try the printer out and write a review. My apologies to the seller.
3D printing is something I’ve been wanting to try. In the day, I used to design computer peripherals, but back then you had to prototype using either balsa wood or modelling clay. CAD programs were a lot harder to use due to the limitations of the available computer hardware. Often you had to commit to having the tooling made with your fingers crossed that you got everything right. Tooling in those days could easily cost a thousand pounds, and a lot more if you needed changes. How much easier life would have been with a 3D printer!
This Creality printer arrives in a large and heavy cardboard box. Everything inside is firmly packed with foam rubber. The first job is to assemble the printer. This is quite a challenge, which isn’t helped by having a relatively poor user guide. Trying to follow the steps was both confusing and unintuitive.
To save you time, there’s an SD card in one of the packages. This has the user guide on it in PDF form. Even better, if you search around the card, you will find a short video which guides you through the steps. I wish I had found this earlier! There are quite a few tutorial videos on YouTube as well.
The printer is built like a tank, which explains its weight. There are no obvious weak spots, but you have to bear in mind that this is a precision piece of hardware and should be treated as such. It does feel a quality product, but then, so it should at this price. The only criticism I have is that they only supply a small amount of filament. They should supply a full reel in my opinion.
I haven’t really tried it out other than printing a small 3D rabbit. That worked pretty well on the second attempt. The first attempt failed because the table the printer was on was too wobbly. So, bear that in mind too, you need a good sturdy desk. You also need to make sure that the unit is perfectly level, but this is made easy by a built-in levelling system.
Once I get my mojo back, I will experiment a lot further. I’m amazed at how many designs are available for free on online sites. These only need to be downloaded and then processed by the software. Most designs will take many hours to complete, even the simple ones. This is not a hobby you need to get into if you have very little or no patience.
So, the only gripes I have is the poor user guide and the lack of a reel of filament. Even so, the quality is so good, I can’t give anything less than full marks.
Overall, this could be a very addictive hobby. I hope that helps.
Takes a bit of setting up but great beginner 3D Printe
The previous 3D printer that I have used did not require any preconstruction so after levelling the plate on that one it could be used immediately. The Creality Ender 3 Max Neo 3D Printer however does require some construction. It arrives well packaged to prevent damage in transit but takes a while to put it together. It was not too difficult to do, but experience with flat pack furniture might be handy! Levelling the plate took a bit of working out and therefore a bit of time to do but was OK. The printer comes with a nice screen (not touch screen) which provides an effective interface to the printer. There is not however much explanation of the software. The printer comes with a micro-SD card containing two print files (a boat and a rabbit) plus a mysterious rar file that we couldn’t figure out how to extract. We ended up going to the Creality website to download “Creality slicer”, which is what lets you make the file printable. It seemed a little confusing to set this up, but at the beginning you choose the printer you have, and I think it uses that for pre-sets for the settings so you don’t need to actually change any of the scary numbers! So far we have printed out several items and are very impressed with the resolution. We printed the tester boat (The printer comes with a reel of white filament so you can initially get going without ordering anything additional) and a numbered jar shape. Note that this printer has a heated base plate so should have fewer issues with items sticking/removing items from the plate — which did happen sometimes on my previous printer. It also comes with a scraper and a pair of pliers to cut the end of the filament which is very nice. All in all, this seems like a great beginner 3D printer. You need to set aside a bit of time to get it set up, sort out the software etc. but once you have done this you can get going with the printing. I am sure there is lots more we will learn about how to get the most out of the printer, but it’s nice that once set up you can easily print out the test objects. You should be able to print out some quite big items with this printer, whereas other printers I have used are fairly limited on size.
Decent quality larger format printe
Lucky for us reviewing a printer is quite an easy job, we have so many different printers and have use lots over the years it’s easy to tell which ones are going to be a pain and which a low maintenance affair.
Happy to say this was in the latter category, easy to put together and easy to level with the cr touch style levelling. I have to be honest I’m not a massive fan of the creality textured beds, I find they wear quite quickly and always opt to turning them over and printing on the glass side with some hairspray. This bed I have to be honest and say will be the same, it’s the same as the standard textured creality bed on the Enders and a bit like the Geeetech superplate. Adhesion is good if you get the levelling right, you can see by my pictures one rabbit is a little off but with some tweaking the 2nd one was perfect. I could have stopped after the 1st layer as I could see if was slightly too high but wanted to find out how it coped.
Nice to already have a metal extruder, this was always the downfall of the smaller printer making one normally the first purchase in the journey to fix printing issues.
The only problem I had (and it’s not just this printer) is that the filament sensor is rubbish, it is really basic and also puts a fair amount of drag on the filament leading to poor printing. The images are from the sample spool, one is with the filament sensor bypassed and the other used it. The one bypassed is far better and in the subsequent prints had similar results. Like I said it’s not just this Creality machine, I pretty much disable and remove filament sensors from all printers I get.
Build quality is good, volume level is low and the fans actually do a decent job and are a bit quieter than something like an Anycubic Kobra I have. I have noticed this printer is quite slow at printing, I know it’s a larger machine and acceleration limits might be set low in the firmware but using the same slicer, model and print quality and speed settings I achieved 4.5 hours of a model railway piece on a smaller Creality Ender 3 vs. 6 hours on this Neo Max. Definitely due to size and weight but I’m sure you can tweak settings to speed it up a bit (even setting it at 120% on the actual machine might do it).
Keep in mind this is a big machine, you’ll need a bit of space behind it and in front of it so the bed can move to full extremeties. This is however a well priced machine for the size and the Creality community is great help and being a popular machine there are many spare parts around too.
Nice Beginner Printer - Steep Learning Curve
This 3D printer has promise, having not used one before, it is easy to assemble, the frame slotting into the base, making sure it’s the correct way around. There are a few screws to secure the frame, plus the material reel (you get a small 200g reel of PLA) and the dial driven control screen. A couple of connectors to power the screen and the extrusion head motors, and an IEC power plug and it’s ready to switch on.
Calibration is the awkward part, I had to unscrew the surface dials halfway then do the paper test, to make sure the nozzle was paper thickness from the surface at the center and all 4 corners of the plate. Initialisation is quite simple thereafter.
The problem came with adhesion of the bunny test model I was trying to print. It all started ok for a few layers, then, it came unstuck from the plate.
Tried several times with different temps and adjusting z offset, but no luck. I’m finding the learning curve is quite steep with 3D printing, so I’ll try a textured base plate next, then maybe an enclosure, since my house is quite chilly at the moment.
This is not the fault of the printer, which appears to work fine; it’s just the users that are incompetent in this case. A good starter printer for someone who wants to learn about 3D printing.
Addendum: I’ve since changed the glass plate to a textured PEI one from Two Trees – although about a centimetre shorter than the original plate, it provides much better adhesion and it started working properly as soon as it was stuck to the printer bed. I’d be inclined to suggest this is the sort of printing surface that should be supplied by default.
Decent printer, read for updates.
Printer comes extremely well packaged,
All items nicely accessible from the foam inlay tray,
Building the printer instructions at step by step but information is limited,
Calibration of the bed manually did take some time, but once completed, auto bed levelling was done and we was away,
Started off using the supplied rabbit print, which came out well,
Some minor imperfections on the rear, but sure with some minor tweaks this could be improved,
“Note fan is extremely noisy and never stops” you will not want this sat in your living room or near where you sleep!
Downloaded the slicer and print applications from there site where they list firmware updates at the top and not hidden away, will attempt these later after I’ve had more time to tinker,
So 2nd print was slightly larger, and issues began higher it got,
Clearly something isn’t right as the print begins to drift,
Did some research online and attempted a few of the ideas suggested,
3 model completed better but here the problems started,
4 print would not adhere to the bed at all,
Cleaned the bed, no change,
Ordered a 3D printer glue stick,
5 model (same as model 2)
Base seemed to attach only to find out halfway through print the machine just stopped,
At this point I called it a night,
Following day, checked the bed for level still all ok,
Cleaned the bed again, adjusted temp setting of the bed during initial layer, and nothing will make the skirt stick to the bed,
Contacted a friend who owns a 3D printer and advised I remove the glass bed a get a magnetic metal textured sheet,
Found another product to try on the bed to create adhesion, and have ordered, hopefully this will work,
Update,
Pva based bed primer is working like a treat, have printed 3 further models and all have bonded and completed without any issue,
Review, printer seems well built and very easy to assemble,
Bed does not provide adequate bonding with its surface,
Most issues after have been down the the slicer software and fine tuning but this is a human error not machine,
Apart from the constant loud fan, it’s just click print and leave!
Easy to use
This is a really good 3d printer. Was really easy to set up following the enclosed instruction. There is a sd card which slots into the supplied usb stick to download the designs you need, then the sd card slots into the printer. My partner did this step as I’m not very tech savvy. 2 designs are included.
Printing is really straight forward using the screen on the printer. It tells you how long the design will take. The rabbit took well over an hour so it is not a quick print. It came out fantastic though, really impressed with the print quality. I would add that the reel needs to be threaded through the small hole in the outside of the casing then through the clamp to access the tube. My partner missed this hole and couldn’t understand why it wasn’t printing. ( photo added to show).
I can’t wait to download more designs onto the sd card for my daughter and help her design her own.
This is excellent quality, straightforward to use and prints brilliantly
Well made and works well
I have been using the Creality Ender 3 Max Neo 3D printer for a couple of weeks now now and it has definitely impressed me. It’s great for someone new to 3D printing, and I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t difficult to put together, and I was able to start printing sooner than I expected. The printer’s larger build volume is a plus for me, allowing me to print both large and small models, I’ve yet to try several small models at once. There are two basic models to get started on the MicroSD card that’s included, a tiny rabbit (approx two hours to complete) and a boat (hour and 45mins) both of which came out looking great. The CR Touch Automatic Levelling feature, which measures and adjusts the 25-point print height on the heat bed, has been helpful in making levelling easier, although I have found that doing the initial bed levelling manually produces better results. The dual Z-axis and full-metal extruder have contributed to a smoother printing experience, reducing the risk of nozzle blockage. The printer’s resume printing function and filament sensor have also been very useful, preventing wasting and enhancing the success rate. The 32-bit silent mainboard has greatly reduced noise exposure to below 50dB, although the consistent fan noise can still be a bit annoying. One downside is the awkward side positioning of the filament spool holder, but it hasn’t been a major issue. I would have also liked a touch screen interface. The 4.3-inch colour knob screen is easy to use and optimised with icons, but I would have preferred a touch screen for even easier navigation. Overall, a great 3D printer, especially for beginners or those looking for a simple and efficient 3D printing experience.
An amazing 3D printe
Creality are a well respected brand in the 3D printing industry and for good reason, their printers are of a great quality and usually offer more value than their competitors. This printer continues that legacy.
The Creality Ender 3 S1 Plus is a fantastic 3D printer. The printer comes in about 6 parts that you can assemble easily – all tools are provided in the box, as are instructions. The instructions are very easy to follow. As well as tools for assembly you also get a scraper and some cutters to help you when printing.
The unit itself has a way larger than average bed allowing for massive prints which is awesome. The majority of it is made out of a lovely black metal and has excellent finish, everything oozes quality. There is also a small tray at the bottom front which allows you to keep your tools safe in a good location.
The user interface is pretty nice, there is a touch screen unit you plug into the side and the UI is pretty intuitive. It has some preset heating options for PLA and ABS but also allows you to custom set your temperatures too. There is a pretty good auto-levelling feature too. Overall it is very easy to navigate this menu in my opinion, and the menu is very stylish/modern.
Now onto arguably the most important part: the 3D printing quality. You’ll be pleased to hear that the printing quality is superb! My first print using the default settings and included white PLA came out phenomenal (see benchy boat picture) and my subsequent prints came out just as well. I even did some colourful prints with PETG and these were fairly easy too, but required a little more configuration since the material is a bit more difficult to work with – no fault of the printer. The unit also comes with a SD card and USB adapter which you can use to transfer GCode from the slicer to the printer. The bed adhesion is awesome.
Overall this printer is a fantastic quality producing wonderful professional looking prints with an easy to learn and welcoming UI that would even work for newcomers. Ontop of this everything you need is included and the tools provided are of an equally good quality, this is a truly great offering from Creality and I can recommend it with not a shadow of a doubt! 🙂
Great printe
This is my first 3d printer. I was nervous about even setting it up but there are plenty of videos to help.I took my time seeing it up and all in all it wasn’t that difficult really. There is sd card that comes with the software for the printer. This is also easy to set up. Once set up I tried printing one of the objects that are in sample selection (rabbit) It turned out brilliant.I then wanted to try out something of my own which also turned out fine. Once you have done a couple of things you then don’t want to stop trying new ideas. Only problem I have had is adjusting the bed plate which seems to go a bit off centre. This is also easily resolved once you look at video for the advice needed. I’m very happy with my 3d printer and if your looking at buying one I would definitely recommend this one.
Easy to assemble and use, prints really well, although they do take a long time
390 at time of review
This is my first try out with 3D printing, I’ve been wanting to experiment with it for ages, so when I saw this I jumped at the chance. So I’m afraid I can only give a review based on my first experience with this printer, although I’m glad to say, so far so good. Just be prepared to disappear down a rabbit hole of websites about 3D printers and modelling for a few days 😉
Set up was relatively simple, you need a good firm base somewhere that you can leave this thing undisturbed while it prints ie don’t make the mistake I did setting this up on your dinning room table at home, then having to explain to the boss that you can’t move it right now and no I didn’t expect it to take so long to print and yes you’re right I should have read the manual, and yes I agree I should have set it up somewhere else and yes I didn’t think about dinner and everyone else you get the picture.
For fun I downloaded and printed a Tic-Tac gun from the creality website, it was actually the first item on their website, so obviously has been downloaded a lot. I left it running over night and in the morning was presented with the various parts, amazing! The quality was great (although I’ve nothing to compare it too, but looked good to me)
Of course initially printing a toy gun didn’t do me any favours with the boss, although once I’d assembled it and she realised she could shoot me across the room with tic-tacs she finally saw the use for the 3D printer!
So for me as a first step into 3D printing and experimenting this is great, I can see me getting hooked on these things and constantly thinking of things I can make!
Hope my review was helpful
An EXCELLENT printer with a couple of small issues on initial assembly
Creality Ender 3 S1 Plus Review
This is my tenth 3D printer, and my 6th FDM printer.
I started out with my trusty CR-10S a few years ago and I’ve been printing ever since.
This printer has lots of features my earlier printers did not have, including:
* Magnetic removable print surface
* CR-touch levelling sensor
* Trinamic silent motor drivers
* 24 volts for fast heating (particularly the hotbed)
* Easy levelling
* Colour touch-sensitive display
* Direct Drive print head
* Z drive belt
This definitely feels like a high end printer.
It’s my first direct drive printer and it has worked very well.
The belt on the Z drive means that both motors are always completly in synch, which is very nice.
The 24 volts to the hotbed ensures it heats up in a reasonable time.
Many of these improvements were things I had to fit myself to my old CR-10 printers.
It is an excellent printer. Out of the box, it is easy to assemble.
The instructions direct you online for bed levelling, but it’s pretty easy to get right.
There is just one thing that is holding me back from giving this printer five stars.
That is QUALITY CONTROL!
You see, when the printer arrived, the cogs and tension springs for the hotbed had mostly fallen off in transit.
I’m not sure why we need these on a printer with auto bed levelling to be honest, but there they are.
So my first task was to reassemble the hotbed with the cogs and springs.
I also noticed that the hot bed had a terrible wobble, so I had to also tension the v-slot wheels underneath the hotbed to stop this.
I always check a new printer for bed wobble, but if you were new to 3D printing, you might miss this.
Given the price point of this printer, I expected a little more.
I also had another issue after a few prints – the print bed managed to disassemble itself completely (see the pictures).
I think this is because I did not tighten the bed adjusters tightly enough which led to them unscrewing again.
However, I should not have had to do this in the first place…
I have been printing with this printer for the last three weeks.
Overall, I would say this is an excellent, excellent printer.
It cost the same as my old CR-10 did, but it has far more features.
I love it and I would definitely recommend it if you have the money.
I just wish Creality would pay a bit more attention to their quality control – you can fix the issues easily, but why should you have to?
Very capable and not just a toy
I regarded myself as intermediate in terms of 3D printing but having read various articles and books on the subject, I suspect I am still in the junior school – at least so far as the projects I attempt are concerned.
When I unpacked the printer, which is of a good size for printing objects, I felt momentarily overwhelmed. However, after a quick web search, a very clear account on the Gadgeteer website for this piece of kit (well worth reading) enabled me to assemble it and get it working fairly easily.
I initially created the test items (programming supplied) just to make sure that I can actually make something. These came out with good definition and no imperfections. I then chose some of my own sourced items (a lamb and its mother) and the printer was of sufficient plate size to handle these tasks with ease. They took a while to produce but the printer can just be left to run, although I did find myself mesmerised at watching the creation process.
I am about to attempt a more complex and intricate item (a ship with sails) and although I was sceptical as to whether they were too complex for the printer, everything I’ve read about it indicates that it is well suited to advanced tasks.
The predecessor I had been using was suited to more basic tasks and this piece of kit provides me with lots of scope to develop and will take me through to advanced projects. If you have ever wondered why people become absorbed 3D printers, just try and you will become hooked. Aside from enjoyment, they also serve a practical purpose. I need a piece of plastic to replace a battery cover that I have lost from a radio and quite spoils what is a not inexpensive item. Once I have more confidence, I will be creating the input necessary to create a replacement. Another few years and every home will have one. As I progress, I can see more and more practical applications as well as the sheer fun of watching complex creations emerge before my eyes.
Easy to assemble and smooth running
This arrived in a plain brown thick sided box that opened at the top. Once opened everything is really well protected and packed into bespoke foam cut-outs. This pack comes with everything you need to start printing along with a small reel of PLA filament.
Once I had unpacked everything I went through the assembly process. I found putting this together very straight forward with the whole kit being geared to ease of construction. You have four bolts to fix the main frame, and then it was just a case of fitting the spool holder, the control panel, and then plugging in all the leads, and it was ready to start going through the leveling process.
I found the setting up well detailed and easy to follow, I do have quite a bit of experience with setting up 3D printers, and in my opinion this is easily the quickest and most simplified one I have put together.
After I had levelled the bed I fitted some red PLA I had to run a test print. I selected the rabbit from the micro SD card, and thought the print extremely good considering I had not made any adjustments from the stock setup it arrived with.
I next went on to print a 22 hour large print of a flexi circus Elephant, I find for me this is a good test of the detail, smooth running of the printer on a long print, and this print has no support but flexible parts which tests accuracy. The print came out great and I was impressed, I used the Creality slicer software with standard setting, no support and a 10% infill, I left all the other settings as default.
This printer has a glass bed which is my personal preference as I find they give good adhesion, and removing prints is fairly easy once the bed has cooled. The printer is fitted with a silent board which makes the stepper motors almost silent, this makes a huge difference as I have used printers without silent boards and they are very noticeable. The only real disappointment for me was the loud fans, it would have been perfect if the fan sound matched the silent motors but I did find these gave a noticeable background sound.
Overall I am impressed with this printer, it is really easy to assemble and have up and running. The print quality is really nice along with being able to create larger prints. My only slight niggle is the fan sound but apart from that in my opinion an ideal first 3D printer.
What a machine!
I have never used a 3D Printer before until this arrived, it’s always been something I wanted to try out, to make my own little trinkets and what not.
It doesn’t come with any filament so you would need to purchase that separately.
It was easy to set up and didn’t take much time to do so, just follow the instructions provided.
There’s loads of resources online that show you how to set the system up and change settings where applicable, there are also various groups on F.Book that you can join specifically for this brand which I’ve found really helpful.
The prints themselves once you get one chosen can take a few hours to print – just you’ll need to do something in the meantime to keep yourself busy!
It’s Easier Than You’d Think But Not Without Issues
I am a complete novice when it comes to 3D printing, but it’s a fascinating subject I’ve been interested in, so when I had the opportunity to test out this Creality Ender 3 Max Neo printer I jumped at the chance.
It’s easy to put together, it come in a ready made bed with just the gantry frame to screw into place either side. All screws, Allen keys, spanners and a small screwdriver. It also comes with spares, pliers, a bed scraper and a TF card with 2 test projects on it and a card reader. It comes with illustrated instructions, plus 200g of white filament on a reel.. Once the physical set up is done, it needs to be configured, again these appear to be straightforward, just follow the instructions (Creality also have a set video on YouTube). I found levelling the bed not so easy as a beginner. But again, I watched a couple of helpful setting up videos on YouTube from other more experienced customers which really helped.
So what was my issue? Getting my printed model to stick onto the bed, as simple as that. I tried different things, reconfigured the settings but my initial model was moving on the bed at the beginning. I googled this issue online and found it’s a common problem, so having checked the levelling, this time I tried solid glue, like a pritt stick I’d read helps, umm not for me. I was getting fed up, but once more I decided to try simple hairspray I’d read about. And low and behold, it worked. Well it did for 75% of my model (the little boat) until it fell over onto its side and it was game over. It was printing absolutely perfectly up until then, so I’m somewhat disappointed it moved so close to finishing the model. As a 3D printer newbie I still have lots to learn, but I am still impressed with it, despite the teething problems I have as an absolute beginner. I should also add I’m in my late 50’s and a grandmother, so if I can do it so can you. I will continue to learn and no doubt get a finished model and I’ll update this review with a photo. There’s a website and app from Creality for using this and other 3D printer models, there’s a community group there for support and tips, plus other models to try. Eventually I’d like to scan my own 3D items, I have a broken catch on my carpet washer I need to replace that I can’t buy anymore, so if I can replicate it on this 3D printer it will be fantastic. Please see my photos and video, I hope my honest review is helpful to you, thank you for reading it.
EDIT: I had another try with the test print models and was successful with the rabbit print as you can see in my added photo. I readjusted the manual levelling, followed by the automatic levelling and adjusted the Z axis down. I also pre heated the filament raised the bed by another 5 degrees and finally I used 3 sprays of hairspray on the middle area of the bed just before the printing started. I’m happy to say it adhered perfectly and printed likewise without an issue. Watch YouTube videos on bed levelling and printing, it’s definitely helped me.
Impressive machine
I have use a 3D printer whilst in university but I have always wanted my own to mess with at home.
This printer is fairly easy to assemble I took my time with the process to make sure everything was fitted correctly.
Once set up there are plenty of tutorials online that show how to level the system and change the settings to make sure it is set up correctly. There will be a lot of failed prints whilst getting used to the machine but it is very normal.
Once everything is set correctly the printer magically gets to work. The prints can take hours to complete but it will just work away untill it is finished. It will s very exciting to see all of the things you can make. The options are endless.
Printing made easie
Creality’s Ender 3 Max Neo 3D printer is amazing. I’m not going to say it’s made 3D printing non-techy friendly (as I couldn’t give my technophobe mother it and expect her to be able to know where to start!) but it’s miles ahead from the “build your own” first generation models of old.
Assembly can be done in about 30-50 minutes depending on how experienced you are in assembly. You start my bolting on the arms, which is simple enough and then follow by attaching the panel to the right side – this are T-bolts, so I can only recommend assembling on a flat clear surface like the floor as I first attempted it on a small table and it was so fiddly it made things needlessly more complicated! Then it’s adding the fiddlement arm and you’re pretty much done except for minor adjustments to the plate if it needs levelling.
It’s an exceptionally capable printer than I’m looking forward to working more and more with it. As always, setting up a printer profile can be a bit tricky and complicated but once you’re up and running it’s done a couple of easy prints with zero problems.
Really looking forward to tasking it with a few overnight prints and have been blown away with my experience so far!
Creality: Ender 3 Max Neo 3D Printe
Updated Review: 14th April 2023 (4 Stars)
After just over a month of using, the printer decided to stop printing; after some diagnosis it turns out the nozzle was blocked and needed replacing.
The downside, Creality don’t include the required tools to do the nozzle change which was annoying. Luckily I had a friend to help me out who figured out I needed a 6mm socket set; the chance and cleaning of the tube took about about 30mins to do.
On a positive note, getting parts are super cheap and easy to get should I need more replacements.
Original Review: 26 February 2023 (5 Stars)
This 3D printer comes with everything required to get you started with printing a 3D model; that includes a spool of white PLA and a MicroSD which has a model of a bunny and boat to choose from.
I must say, the instruction manual was a bit vague in places which meant I was really struggling to assemble the printer at one point; luckily I found a video online that showed me how to set it up which got me back on track. It took me over an hour to assemble and calibrate the printer but once that was done, it was very straight-forward.
You can either print one of the two models that are included with the printer, which I would advise to start off with, because they are small models and are a good way of testing the printer calibration.
Once you’re more comfortable, you can browse online where most creators have made their work freely downloadable. With the ‘STL’ file at hand, you will need to install the ‘Creality Slicer’ software to a computer and select the correct printer model before loading the file; here you can add adjust the infill, supports or adhesion for printing, then just click ‘Slice’ which will make a ‘G-Code’ file and save it to the MicroSD card.
As long as you’ve done the necessary calibrations, this printer is exceptionally precise and I was shocked at how good the 3D model came out (smooth curves and accurately shaped).
I have since purchased more filament (PLA+) and have thus far printed the following:
* Bunny (included).
* Boat (included).
* Cat art model.
* Articulated fish.
* Articulated turtle.
* T-Rex head.
* PS5 headset and controller holder.
I cannot wait to print more things, this printer is an absolute beast!
Beautiful 3D printer, great quality, easy set up and use
I have been wanting to try 3D printing for some time with my daughter. I think it’s an important technology that is going to become more and more common. The Ender-3 S1 has been a great entry into the 3D printing world for us and I’d highly recommend it.
First of all, the machine is beautiful to use. It’s pretty quiet when printing and without the excess noise, the printing mechanism is beautiful to watch and we’ve been a bit mesmerised seeing the filament unreel into the printing head and transform into models (the included bunny has been our favourite).
Set up was more straightforward than I expected. Took me about 90mins to assemble using the assembly video. Assembly was actually fun – the materials and tools are really good quality and a pleasure to work with. Levelling was a bit more challenging and I needed some help from YouTube to understand the manual levelling but overall this was also not too hard. Software installation was straightforward and so too was transferring the printing project using a memory card which plugs into the printer. The touchscreen on the printer itself is really good quality and easy to navigate and use.
We’re now waiting for our second lot of filament to arrive to try some bigger projects (the base of the printer is big so can accommodate these) so this printer has definitely given us the 3D printing bug!
Overall a well made great quality machine. Very enjoyable to assemble and use. Nice quality outputs and overall good value for such a quality item. Highly recommended!
Really intriguing
Disclaimer : this is my very first foray into 3D printing.
Getting this up and running is a bit of a project, and took about 90 minutes of assembling things. However, you do get literally everything you need in the box to start printing, except, arguably, a really good manual. The assembly mostly involves screwing and bolting the components together, then connecting up some electrical/data connectors. Where you need a tool to do something, it’s in the box, and you also get some filament to get you started. You do also get some tools which aren’t mentioned in the video or manual, such as a small paint-scraper, and another tiny metal filament, which you’re left to figure out on your own. You also get some extra screws and bolts which you won’t need, and that always makes me wonder if I have indeed done what I was supposed to do when there’s bits left over. The video on the product page is very useful here, and in conjunction with the manual’s absolutely tiny diagrams, you can figure it out. I would say one of the stepper motor connectors was only just barely long enough to connect up, and you will need to improvise a bit to make sure you’re attaching things in the right orientation. I also had trouble initially feeding the filament into the print head, as it kept pinging out. I ended up just holding it into the print head hole until it had heated up enough to “grab” it – again, the manual and video are basically of no help here.
Once connected up, you need to level and calibrate it, and the video and manual are again of very limited help here. You’ll also need to decide where to put it all, as it needs a very stable base – if you don’t level the bed properly or your location wobbles or moves while it’s printing, your objects will come out wonky. I manually adjusted the print head height so that a (supplied – yes, you even get a bit of paper which is used for levelling it in there) piece of paper only just barely fit under the print head, and it seems to have worked, but I’m under no illusion this was absolutely blind beginner’s luck. Your own mileage may vary here. Using one of the supplied models on the included CF card, I left it to do its thing with the results shown in the video and pics – printing that little cat (which I am now oddly attached to) took around 3 hours, so don’t expect fast results. In use, it quietly hums and whines to itself and can be left alone with periodic checks. You also get a link to some design studio software which I haven’t tried out yet, plus the thousands of objects out there on user groups like Thingiverse which are already designed and which you can download. While some filament is included, I do think they’re a bit stingy with the quantity. You can print off maybe 2 of the included trial objects on the CF card with what you get inside the box.
In all, it’s very pricey and a bit daunting, but a reasonably tech-savvy individual such as myself got it up and printing. The sky isn’t quite the limit here, but the possibilities are nearly endless as to what you can print off yourself thereafter.
I'd recommend it.
1st of all I’d like to say that I am completely new at 3d printing, I’ve never even see one in person until I had the ender 3 s1 plus. Because of that reason I can’t really say much about the technical side of things but I can say what I think from a beginners point of view.
I was a little intimidated when I opened the box but after reading the very simple instructions I managed to build the 3d printer and have it up and running in about 2 hours. The printer comes with everything you need to get started, even a nice little set of tools are provided and each screw set has a spare included which I was particularly impressed with. The printer also comes with a usb stick and a memory card that has the software installed on it that you can download onto your computer. The memory card also has 3 designs already loaded on it to get you started which was good since I hadn’t a clue what I was doing. Although saying that the software I downloaded onto my computer was easy enough to figure out and also easy to add more designs to the memory card from the software, then you simply put the memory card back into the 3d printer and use the touch screen to select the project you want. The touch screen is very simple and easy to navigate.
My main worry was I’d seen videos on YouTube etc saying how hard it was to do the leveling, I found this to be really easy though after watching creality’s video and it only took me 10 mins to do so I’m not sure why people seem to struggle so much.
The ender 3 s1 plus does come with a small amount of filerment to get you started but I’d recommend buying some PLA filerment whilst ordering the 3d printer so you can make things straight away. I purchased the ‘ender PLA filerment’ and I’ve had no problems with it so far. The double pack seems to be the best value.
I have made a few little things so far with the 3d printer starting with the bunny that’s preloaded on the memory card and I must say I am very impressed with the quality of the bunny and the machine itself. If you are looking for a 3d printer and you’re just starting out like me then I don’t think you will be disappointed with this ender 3 s1 plus. The quality is brillant and it’s easy to use once you know how. I highly recommend it.
It is a big uprade since the original Creality CR-10
I had my first 3D printer back in 2017 from Creality. It was an original CR-10.
I still have it nowadays, but it is heavily modified.
I decided to go for an upgrade, getting the Ender-3 S1 Plus, which blew my mind.
It is very easy to install, as seen in the attached video. It is a breeze, and even those who are new to 3D printing will have no trouble getting started. The printer comes with a detailed manual, and the process is well documented, making it easy to follow along.
With its CR Touch auto-levelling feature, Direct Metal Dual-Gear Extruder, and Dual Z-axis, it can produce high-quality prints with minimal effort. The build volume of 300x300x300 provides ample space to create larger and more complex designs.
One of the standout features of this printer is the touch screen LCD, which makes it easy to navigate through the various settings and features. The interface is intuitive and straightforward, and it’s easy to make adjustments to the print settings on the fly. The touch screen also displays the printer’s current status, allowing you to keep an eye on the progress of your print.
Overall, the Creality Ender-3 S1 Plus 3D printer is a fantastic choice for anyone looking for a high-quality, easy-to-use printer.
I’m very happy with my acquisition.
I highly recommend it.
Great for large prints. Easy to use.
This is a really good printer if you want to create items up to 300mm x 300mm x 300mm. Out of the box it produces some really good prints and it’s got lots of little features that set it apart from some budget devices. I still think it’s a little expensive though.
Assembly is pretty straightforward, and you’ll have to do this with any 3D printer of this style. It’s all quite simple, with a few screws to bolt the aluminium frame together and the print head, then connect a few leads. The video explains it perfectly.
I’ve currently got a TronXY 2 Pro, and this compares favourably to that in most ways except price. It’s got a large print bed but levelling is similar (although this uses a mechanical arm, the TronXY uses a proximity sensor). The case is well sealed from bits of dust/filament excess and it’s a lot more polished in appearance.
USB-C and SD card slots are on the front, a real bonus over the hard to reach slot on the back of the TronXY. Power switch is on the side, which is a little easier to access as well.
Goes high enough in temperature for all my filament types and heats up quickly. Once built I printed the bracket shown, and there was no support needed for any of the parts – rather impressive printing. The slicing software is easy to use and similar to most slicers I’ve seen.
The display is quite easy to use and tweak settings, but although it’s fancier than some, doesn’t really do much different.
Overall it’s a very nice and easy to use printer, that commands a higher price than some budget models for the larger print bed and ease of use.
As someone who is new to 3D printing this is a really impressive machine. It took about an hour to set up and I did find the video on the amazon listing difficult to follow at times due to the speed it went through some of the instructions.
It comes with a small amount of PLA filament, enough to make at least 2 of the pre inputted designs that come on the memory card. I feel for the price, they could have provided more filament to get you started so I would recommend buying a roll of PLA if you don’t already have some as ive had to delay a project whilst I await a delivery of PLA.
In terms of noise, it’s not horrendous, there is a fan that runs with the printer which causes more noise than the actual printer itself but you can still talk/watch tv over the noise without much difficulty.
I watched a few YouTube videos with regards to the auto levelling and how to set this all up properly as it wasn’t clear from just the instruction booklet and video that came with it, there is a fair amount of manual levelling required before the auto levelling will work. I naively thought it would be completely automatic however you do have to adjust the red dials under the base plate to get this all set up.
I like that the base plate has a removable section which has a small amount of bend in it which makes the projects easier to remove, just make sure you allow it to cool before lifting this off. There are grooves at the back which make aligning back on pretty easy. The base plate is also grooved which helps to provide adhesion of products to the base plate reducing the risk of projects not adhering and moving around mid print.
One thing that would be good is if the printer autoshut off if it has been inactive for 30 minutes, the screen does dim, however I left something printing when I went to bed as it still have an hour to go and when I got up in the morning it was still turned on and the fan was running which was a bit annoying.
As a beginner, I feel my review is based on someone just getting into 3D printing and I feel this product is really good however I am no expert at 3D printing
For the price, its on the higher end for 3D printers however I am impressed with the print quality.
Excellent Size Print Bed - Levelling So Challenging!
This Creality Ender S3 S1 Plus is the biggest 3D printer i now have – the print bed dimension are fantastic at 300x300x300, this allows me to do some great scale projects a step up from what i am used to printing.
The printer requires some assembly when you remove it from the box, however if you follow the Creality on line video setup it makes it a breeze – it took me around 45 mins from unpacking to turning on. The printer is very well made and has a good weight to it – material and workmanship are fantastic.
The printer comes with a direct drive dual gear ‘sprite’ extruder with a hot end capable of getting to 260c, this covers a wide variety of filaments. I tend to print in PLA and TPU mainly, but it is nice to have the choice of others. The bed temperature can also reach 100c, with a max print speed of 150mm/s.
The first thing you need to do once you have set up the printer is level the print bed. On my other non Creality printers i have never ever had any issues – however with the Creality printers for some reason i always struggle with the bed levelling – this printer was the worst one yet – i was trying to level it for over 2hrs!! The levelling process requires you to set the Z axis height then adjust the turn wheels at the bottom of each corner of the bed before setting the auto level function on the controller. However it the printer wasn’t displaying ‘probe error’ it was gouging chunks out of the print bed!! Finally i kind of managed to get some sort of levelling done, although during my test print the printer was making very strange scraping noises so i assume the levelling was still not correct. I have managed to complete several prints on the printer now and each one has gotten a little better (after tinkering with the bed level constantly).
The printer is controlled by Creality’s touch screen interface, this display is fantastic – works very well and has a wide range of options available for you to select – including being able to adjust speeds/temperatures during your print. You transfer your print files via the included SD card, i sliced in both Cura and Creality’s own slicing software – both worked well.
Print quality wise this printer is the usual amazing quality that creality printers produce. I love their printers, i just never understand why the bed levelling is so much more difficult compared to my other brands of printer.
I am tonight printing a very complicated print, a polygon vase which is over 20cm tall – so far so good!
In summary this is an excellent high end 3D printer – the bed size is great for your bigger printing projects and opens up huge potential for your future prints. I would however say that to use this printer you need to have some experience with 3d printers – if you are a beginner then this printer will be a fairly steep learning curve – just for the bed levelling issues alone!
I hope that you found my review helpful