There are so many good FDM printers out there but it can be confusing to choose only one because many are very similar to each other such as the makers’ favorite Creality Ender 5 Pro Vs Ender 3 Pro. These printers are not only reliable out of the box but are also slightly upgraded to move into the more capable machines. You can print a wide range of products with them but let’s see what they can offer before deciding the option.
In this comparison, we are going to talk about:
- What are Cartesian and CoreXY Printers
- What are Creality Ender 5 Pro and Ender 3 Pro
- How are the Design of Creality Ender 5 Pro and Ender 3 Pro
- How are the Capacity of Creality Ender 5 Pro and Ender 3 Pro
- How are Building Bed in Creality Ender 5 Pro and Ender 3 Pro
- How are the Extruder in Creality Ender 5 Pro and Ender 3 Pro
- How are the Performance of Creality Ender 5 Pro and Ender 3 Pro
- Creality Ender 5 Pro Vs Ender 3 Pro
FDM Printer Types
When it comes to 3D printers, most people are probably talking about FDM machines because this is the most common type of printers or method in additive manufacturing, at least the type that we can conveniently use at home. What’s more interesting, there are actually lots of FDM machine types that are separating them altogether with different advantages and drawbacks. For today’s focus, we are going to talk about the CoreXY and Caertesian style.
CoreXY is one the most common types of FDM printers because this is also what often comes out when people are mentioning or thinking about an FDM machine. As the name suggests, this type of machine is referring to the printer’s motion mechanism so to put it simply they are designed to move along three axes X, Y, and Z. The machine itself needs two stepper motors to do the work and they can move simultaneously or independently from each other but back then they did have each motor for each axis.
You can easily notice a CoreXY from the design because they are boxy and there are four pylons that support the extruder. The naming itself is because this extruder is only moving in two axes which are X and Y while the Z axis is taken care of by the building bed. It is fairly new compared to Cartesian and since there are more parts working together, it can be more challenging for beginners to get into the machine or troubleshooting it later.
On the other hand, Cartesian is the classic and is the most beginner friendly option if you just get into additive manufacturing. As the name suggests, it uses all three axes which means the machine needs to be very stable when used. They also use Cartesian coordinates to map out the areas where the printing is happening. Instead of using four pylons to support the extruder, this type of printer only has two of them and instead of just moving in X and Y, it moves in X and Z axes.
The bed is what moves in the Y axis so bed levelling is still crucial for the printing process. They are not only easy to build if you want the kit variant but also affordable such as how Ender 3 is offered at below $200 for a machine with a decent built capacity. However, CoreXY, similar to HBot machines they tend to be more sophisticated and cost higher, sometimes come with full-enclosure as well like FlashForge Adventurer Lite Vs Adventurer 3.
| Creality Ender 5 Pro | Ender 3 Pro | |
|---|---|---|
  |   |
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| Product Dimensions | 21 x 21 x 9.5 inches | 20.94 x 15.04 x 7.91 inches |
| Shipping Weight | 29.25 Pounds | 18.96 Pounds |
| Best offer | Check price | Check price |
About Creality Ender 5 and Ender 3 Pro
Both machines have their own advantages and disadvantages so it is wise to get the one that fits in your preference or usage and skill level. You can go with any promising machine, even on the higher end but if there is the budget, we do recommend getting one that is upgraded from the entry-level because it is more convenient and we don’t need to spend more time or effort in upgrading the machine later because many people will want to do so.
If you already have a favorite brand, it is also convenient to look into their collection because most companies have a wide range of options to choose from and among them Creality is always one of the best choices for everyone who wants to have a good machine but at a very affordable price point. This brand made lots of interesting offerings for almost every user on every level but also different types of machine based on which seems to work best in your application.
For those who will be using the machine for prototyping or making small products and objects for hobby or learning purposes, the Creality Ender 5 and Ender 3 Pro are two ideal options to consider. These machines are not only reliable but also pretty easy to get used to, especially the Ender 3 Pro which is the upgraded version of the original machine. This new variant is like a beefier Ender 3 with typical upgrades we often put on the entry-level printer.
On the other hand, Ender 5 Pro is also a slight upgrade over the original machine but this is a different mechanism to the Ender 3 line as this is a CoreXY system. This type of machine is not only more complicated to put together but also not as user friendly if this is your first machine. In addition, we do think they are still just slightly above the basic machines so in terms of features the two will be quite lacking if convenience is what you aim for.
Creality Ender 5 and Ender 3 Pro Design
One of the most annoying parts of 3D printing is putting up the machine together because this requires process and while the first Ender 3 was quite concerning in terms of built quality, thankfully the Pro variant is much better. It is in general better and is faster to put together compared to Ender 5 Pro, especially if this is your first experience but the manual should be helpful and the machine itself is also neat-looking.
The power supply is located below the building bed of Ender 5 Pro which means it is not obstructing the machine’s look and safer too, as it is away from your reach in the printing process. As you can see they are similarly Bowden style and for those who are familiar with Ender 3 probably will feel at home seeing that the two have the same control panel. From the accessibility, the card reader and USB are located at the front panel so we can easily find them.
Creality Ender 5 and Ender 3 Pro Capacity
Now for the most important part, let’s see what Creality Ender 5 and Ender 3 Pro can offer starting from the build volume which is very important because we will get stuck with the capacity until upgrading to the new machine. For the Ender 3, this machine is adequate for the size and typical entry-level machines but you can add an Extension kit to increase the size and originally we can already get 220 x 220 x 250mm volume while for Ender 5 Pro it is just slightly taller at 220 x 220 x 300mm.
Creality Ender 5 and Ender 3 Pro Building Bed
Now let’s see the building bed which is also similar because in previous machines Ender 3 came with a glass bed while on the original variant it is just a removable bed. At least this Pro variant comes with a magnetic bed which some people may like better, and this is the same to those in Ender 5 Pro. Since it is magnetic, we can remove and flex the bed to undo the adhesion when it cools down but because they can stick automatically, sometimes we have to slowly and precisely put it above the heating bed.
In addition, the heating bed in Creality Ender 5 and Ender 3 Pro are manually leveled which is a bit inconvenient if you are looking for the fastest machine to get used to. The manual leveling is quite tricky too because we found it is not fixed and not as reassuring as first time makers or even the experienced users. As for the maximum temperature, it is claimed that Ender 5 Pro is capable of heating up to 135 degree while 3 Pro is up to 110 degree Celsius.
Creality Ender 5 and Ender 3 Pro Extruder
The extruder is similarly Bowden style but Ender 5 Pro is already using Capricorn tube which is more stable and reliable and what’s more interesting is it also comes with a metal housing in which most FDM printers are using plastic casing including 3 Pro. The metal housing is going to give the machine a stronger pressure as it pushes the filament through the nozzle and in many cases, this type of upgrade is often implemented in entry-level printers to improve their reliability.
Creality Ender 5 and Ender 3 Pro Performance
Lastly for the performance, we don’t think Ender 3 Pro is far different from the original machine as it is still carrying some of the complaints people have before. The test print shows that it is prone to under extrusion and a benchy test shows some occasional blob or minimal layer lines. As for the Ender 5 Pro, it still has some issues with bed levelling and benchy tests show some stringing especially if you use the cheap filament but overall the machine is tweakable and satisfying to use.
Creality Ender 5 Pro vs Ender 3 Pro
Both Creality Ender 5 and Ender 3 Pro are good printers based on the design and the ability to print good objects. In comparison, one is a CoreXY and the other is a more common Cartesian machine with similar build volume but the box printer can indeed work at taller objects. In addition it also has the metal extruder frame and Capricorn tube as well as higher temperature settings.
Conclusion
You can go well with any of these machines because they are very promising but we do think they are made for different people because Ender 5 Pro is meant for those with more experience while Ender 3 Pro is great as your first machine.