Creality is probably among the most popular and the go-to of many people who want to buy a new FDM machine, especially those on the entry level. They have more than plenty to consider such as Creality Ender 5 Pro Vs Ender 3 V2 that are not only more capable but also still friendly to the pocket and are easy to use. These machines are upgraded from the entry-level models and for those who want to get into 3D manufacturing, let’s see which will fit you best here.
In this comparison, we are going to talk about:
- What are FDM Printers
- What are Creality Ender 5 Pro and Ender 3 V2
- How are the Design of Creality Ender 5 Pro and Ender 3 V2
- How are the Build Volume of Creality Ender 5 Pro and Ender 3 V2
- How are the Building Bed in Creality Ender 5 Pro and Ender 3 V2
- How are the Extruder in Creality Ender 5 Pro and Ender 3 V2
- How are the Experience with Creality Ender 5 Pro and Ender 3 V2
- Creality Ender 5 Pro Vs Ender 3 V2
3D FDM Printers
Additive manufacturing is an interesting mechanism to create an actual product based on a digital design. They are versatile enough to create various types of products, especially which are made of solid, liquid plastic or material that can be hardened using a certain process. The machine itself is called a 3D printer and they are usually either FDM or SLA based on the material and mechanism used. The two are available widely from a low price point to the more expensive range based on sizes, quality, features, etc.
FDM printers are probably the most well-known when it comes to 3D printing as they are what many of us think about when someone mentions a 3D printer as well as the more common option too. The mechanism of an FDM printer is by depositing melted filament layer by layer until making up the object. Of course this is based on the digital design that you have been feeding into the machine via USB, memory card or wirelessly.
You can make this design yourself or by downloading from a wide range of sources on the internet. Both FDM and SLA will also need slicer software before they can print the design to let the machine understand what it needs to do. STL is the format understood by your machine’s system so it is necessary to not only know about how the machine’s work but also how the related software will play a part in the process.
On the machine itself, the extruder will heat the solid filament typically PLA or ABS plastic but there can be many others too. They will melt at a certain heat and the extruder will deposit it layer by layer at a certain height that can be adjusted from the machine. This layer height will let you balance the resolution of the print as well as the speed of the machine but resolution is a complicated measurement and not as simple as the Z axis resolution.
FDM printers also heat the bed to form an adhesion and to make sure the printing result is formed properly. The surface will affect how the model sticks as it is being printed and not all bed surfaces or types will perform the same. Sometimes the type of heating that is used by the plate below also affects how the print is made or the overall experience when using the machine. There are so many factors that can affect how a print will come out just like how each part of the machine is working together simultaneously.
| Creality Ender 5 Pro | Ender 3 V2 | |
|---|---|---|
  |   |
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| Product Dimensions | 21.7 x 19 x 20 inches | 18.5 x 18.7 x 24.41 inches |
| Shipping Weight | 24.91 Pounds | 17.2 Pounds |
| Best offer | Check price | Check price |
About Creality Ender 5 Pro and Ender 3 V2
Just like any machine, FDM printers will need maintenance and troubleshooting from time to time. Even before starting to print we have to set up the extruder and bed to the correct temperature as well as leveling the bed for a successful print. Getting affordable entry-level machines such as Sovol SV01 Vs Ender 3 is great to let us get used to a 3D printing machine and understand how they work or finding solutions for the typical issues without having to burden the pocket.
But, if you already have an entry-level or prefer to have a machine that is more capable, we can spend more to get higher options. Many 3D printer brands in the market carry a good range of options to consider based on what you want to have from the machine like what Creality has in its extensive collection. This brand is very popular for their entry-level machine Ender 3 but you will find a lot more interesting printers with higher capacity and more reliable in general.
For those who already have an Ender 3 or want a better machine, Creality Ender 5 Pro and Ender 3 V2 are two ideal options to consider. These printers are highly rated for their reliability but, as you can guess, they are far from identical as the mechanism is a bit different with Ender 3 V2 still using the CoreXY style and the Ender 5 Pro using the H-bot style. These two are based on the Cartesian coordinate system but each system has their native pros and cons.
One of them makes an H-bot machine better is it can build a very precise model if assembled properly and since the mechanism is more robust, it is also less prone to errors due to various factors that related to how the machine is structured. In terms of being an FDM printer, the Creality Ender 5 Pro and Ender 3 V2 are very similar in print capacity and build quality, as well as the print result.
Creality Ender 5 Pro and Ender 3 V2 Design
Before checking what the machines can offer, let’s see the unit first and in general these two are fairly easy to assemble out of the box yet, if this is your first H-bot styled machine, it may require more time to put everything together because they are also more complicated than the typical FDM printers. Because Ender 5 Pro is using 4 supports instead of two, the frame is also not as wide as the one we see on the Ender 3 V2 but they are similarly robust.
The upgrade that we love to see on the Ender 3 V2 is now the power supply is tucked below the heating bed, making the machine looks cleaner and not cluttering. Ender 5 is a clean looking machine as well but instead of staying on the same level and moving in Y axis, the bed will move in the Z axis and thus the printing process will start with the bed at the higher position and it gets lower as it is almost done.
Creality Ender 5 Pro and Ender 3 V2 Print Volume
Now for the most important part, let’s see what the Creality Ender 5 Pro and Ender 3 V2 can offer starting from the build volume because unless Creality offers a kit to extend their machine, or it is possible to manually extend the machine’s capacity, we will stuck to the same volume until upgrading to another machine. Creality do have a kit for adding a volume for the Ender 3 but we are unsure about the 5 Pro. Without upgrades, these machines will be able to print at 220 x 220 x 300 mm and 220 x 220 x 250 mm respectively.
Creality Ender 5 Pro and Ender 3 V2 Building Bed
Next for the bed, these machines are also quite different with the Ender 3 V2 using a glass bed and a textured layer on top, similar to most machines in this price range while on the other hand 5 Pro is using a magnetic bed that you can attach or detach conveniently as well as flexible for ease of removal. Both surfaces are performing really well at providing adhesive while heated so we have no problem with the type of bed itself.
The slightly annoying part is probably their bed levelling because we are still manually leveling them instead of automatic like the Creality CR 6 SE. It is not a serious issue because those who are used to entry-level FDM printers may already master how to level the bed manually but we had hoped they would be more convenient.
Creality Ender 5 Pro and Ender 3 V2 Extruder
As you can see, the Creality Ender 5 Pro and Ender 3 V2 are also very similar in the extruder part as they use the Bowden style but, the 5 Pro is already using a metal extruder and this is probably why it is more reliable when it comes to handling the higher temperature with its hot end rated at 260 degree Celsius. On the other hand the Ender 3 V3 is still using a plastic housing and while it is rated to 255 degree, it is probably wise to keep it lower due to the construction.
Creality Ender 5 Pro and Ender 3 V2 Experience
Next for the experience, these machines are very well performing when it comes to how good the print result will be. But, the first thing about Ender 3 V2 is probably changing its extruder housing to help with the feeding mechanism. If you are going with the Ender 5 Pro, we do think its bed levelling is the most annoying part because it is not as simple as the CoreXY. Chances are you will need to adjust it from time to time, not the type that we can just adjust once and forget about it.
Creality Ender 5 Pro vs Ender 3 V2
These 3D printers are good options for those who want to have something slightly higher than the Ender 3 but not exactly to the level that they will give a very different experience. In comparison the Ender 5 Pro comes with a slightly larger build volume, with a flexible and convenient magnetic bed, as well as metal extruder and Capricorn bowden tube to be more reliable at handling different materials or higher temperature settings. In terms of print quality they are equally reliable but manually levelling Ender 5 Pro is not as convenient as the Ender 3 V2.
Conclusion
There is no bad option between the two but probably more about which seems to fit you best. Personally if you are not aiming for the higher volume or H-bot style machine, the Ender 3 V2 is more suitable for beginners.