FDM printers such as Anycubic i3 Mega Vs Creality Ender 3 V2 are convenient and easy to start with. These printers are affordable and performance-wise are also impressive. They are perfect for beginners and everyone who want to get into additive manufacturing. There are some slight differences too and if you want to know what, let’s see what they can offer below.
In this comparison, we are going to talk about:
- What is a Filament Printer
- What are Anycubic i3 Mega and Creality Ender 3 V2
- How is the Setup of Anycubic i3 Mega and Creality Ender 3 V2
- How is the Capacity of Anycubic i3 Mega and Creality Ender 3 V2
- How are the Build Bed in Anycubic i3 Mega and Creality Ender 3 V2
- What else Anycubic i3 Mega and Creality Ender 3 V2 can offer
- How is the Experience with Anycubic i3 Mega and Creality Ender 3 V2
- Anycubic i3 Mega Vs Creality Ender 3 V2
Filament Printers
In modern days, there is various new tech that may be helpful in your field of job or hobby; one of them is a 3D printer. Not everyone will need the machine, but if your project often requires creating a 3D model of something, the printer will be very helpful equipment to have. Is a 3D printer expensive? It depends on the capacity and features. They are getting more affordable nowadays, and you can even find a mini printer that costs around $100.
The most popular 3D printer, especially for beginners, is probably an FDM printer whose material is called a filament. What is filament in printing? In 3D printing, the filament refers to the stock thermoplastic fed into the machine and used to build the item. There are currently many types of filament available with different properties, which means the quality and character of the prints will vary. Some of them are easier to melt, some can be stronger, and some are safe for application that requires contact with food.
Another type of 3D printer is known as resin printer, such as Anycubic Photon Mono X Vs Phrozen Sonic Mini 4K. They are very different in how the model or product is made. Resin printers use photosensitive liquid resin to build the model, and to do so; the resin must be exposed to UV light. The process is called curing as it happens from liquid to solid material. The light will expose liquid in a vat per thin layer while the build plate will move slowly upward as it is done curing.
| Anycubic i3 Mega | Creality Ender 3 V2 | |
|---|---|---|
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| Product Dimensions | 16.14 x 15.95 x 17.83 inches | 18.5 x 18.7 x 24.41 inches |
| Shipping Weight | 24.25 Pounds | 17.2 Pounds |
| Shop now at Amazon | Check price | Check price |
About Anycubic i3 Mega and Creality Ender 3 V2
Can you make money with a 3D printer? Yes, many people are buying a 3D printer for their small businesses. The most common is designing and selling printed products through an online platform like Etsy. You may also rent them, such as printing the model designed or asked by customers and sending the product to them. If you don’t plan on professionally using them, the printer is a fun tool to create so many exciting items that you can design or download from the internet.
You can make many different options with how 3D printers are involved in many crucial productions nowadays. But, for the beginner or new enthusiast, it is wise to start with an affordable machine with decent build volume and performance, such as Anycubic i3 Mega and Creality Ender 3 V2. These printers are ideal for beginners and budget shoppers because they are very affordable and what’s surprising is their print result is more than what we expected for the compact machines.
Is the i3 Mega a good printer? It is for the price point, and this model used to be the best below $300 when it was first launched. The machine is still a reliable choice today, but you can find other alternatives that are similarly interesting, like this Ender 3 V2. As the name suggests, it is the successor of the original Ender 3 and is indeed an upgrade. Is the Ender 3 V2 the same as Ender 3 Pro? Most of the crucial components are the same but the build plate.
In our opinion, the charm of Ender printers is their ability to be upgraded. This may not seem like an exciting feature for new users because it is more convenient to use functions that are already available on the machine. But, you will gain more experience, and a high chance also wants more from the printer. Having an option to upgrade your 3D printer manually is a great value, so we can keep using the machine for longer and just put parts or replace them when improving performance.
Anycubic i3 Mega and Creality Ender 3 V2 Setup
Does it mean we can’t upgrade the i3 Mega? No, there are also many upgrades that you can print on the spot or buy to improve the machine, but Ender offers wider possibilities. First, let’s talk about the setup, and this is almost always a stressful part when you buy an FDM machine. The i3 Mega is more convenient because there is less to put together, while Ender 3 requires more assembly and is also more complicated.
The manual will be helpful, and you can watch assembly videos too. Build quality is impressive as both machines are made of metal, and they feel solid. The control panel on i3 is built in the main base, which also houses the power component. Ender 3 V2 also tuck the power below its heating bed, but the control panel is still separated from the main body. Unlike i3 Mega, to control the menu, we still use this small knob that can be pressed and rotated.
Anycubic i3 Mega and Creality Ender 3 V2 Capacity
When buying a 3D printer, what you may want to consider first is its capacity. Capacity is the machine’s build volume and the maximum size they can make at a time. This can be matched with the size of your specific products, and the bigger the capacity, the more they cost. Larger printers can also print several models at once compared to smaller machines to print faster. The Anycubic i3 Mega and Creality Ender 3 V2 are decent at 210 x 210 x 205 mm and 220 x 220 x 250 mm.
Anycubic i3 Mega and Creality Ender 3 V2 Building Bed
Next, the Anycubic i3 Mega and Creality Ender 3 V2 feature a heated bed to let the first layer stick to the base and provide an ideal temperature for the filament to stick together. This Anycubic i3 Mega comes with an Ultrabase sheet on top of the plate. On the other hand, we find a glass bed on the Ender 3 V2, which is good. Subjectively, we love this type of surface because it can provide a very smooth first layer.
We recommend checking the cable first if you meet some issues while dialing the print bed, such as a problem when heating it to the ideal printing temperature. Hardware issues are very common in affordable printers, so your product may suffer from it too due to poor quality control. In many cases, the cable or wiring may not connect properly, and there is probably damage.
Anycubic i3 Mega and Creality Ender 3 V2 Features
While being budget printers, the Anycubic i3 Mega and Creality Ender 3 V2 also come with some useful features. The i3 Mega, for example is, comes with a semi-automatic bed leveling system. The menu will help position axes out of the way, but the measurement and leveling are done manually, and yes, we still use that paper method to check the height. On the Ender 3 V2 there is only manual bed leveling, but this machine offers an XY-axis tensioner.
There are two knobs on this machine that can work to tighten or loosen the printer’s belts. This is a beneficial feature as we use the machine often and as the belt gets older. The i3 Mega has a better filament feeding system because it is easy to feed the string and because it has a filament run-out sensor. This sensor will detect if the filament runs out or breaks so that the machine will stop automatically, and we can fix the issue.
Another useful feature available on Anycubic i3 Mega and Creality Ender 3 V2 is a power run-out resume function. This is a very common feature but only presented on higher models in the past. The feature automatically resumes printing when there is a power issue.
Anycubic i3 Mega and Creality Ender 3 V2 Experience
Lastly is for the experience and performance of Anycubic i3 Mega and Creality Ender 3 V2. The test print runs smoothly, and the benchy test is very good for the price. The surface is pretty smooth, and the details are there. Typical to FDM printers, you may see the texture on the surface, but this can be fixed with printer settings and better filament. The most common complaints we see about these machines are poor shipment or quality control because hardware issues are critical to running the printer properly.
Anycubic i3 Mega Vs Creality Ender 3 V2
Both Anycubic i3 Mega and Creality Ender 3 V2 are incredible machines for beginners and experienced users who want a reliable 3D printer. The main difference between these two is capacity, build plate and features. Overall, Ender 3 V2 is a very affordable machine, has an extra build volume, and has some valuable features compared to i3 Mega. Sadly, it lacks sensors, but you can always invest more in upgrading and making this printer far more powerful.
Conclusion
There is no wrong option here. We recommend i3 Mega if you want a hassle-free machine because this one is easier to set up and works well out of the box. But, we recommend Ender 3 V2 for those who want a larger build volume and will be interested in doing the manual upgrade in the future because there is still so much for this machine.