Our Top 3 Creality 3D Printers for Advanced Makers

Banner showing 3 Creality 3D printers for advanced makers

At DIYElectronics it is no secret that we are a big fan of Creality 3D Printers. Offering a wide range of amazing printers ranging from the beginner Ender 3 to the large format CR-10 MAX and nearly everything in-between. With so many options to choose from, as an advanced Maker, how do you pick your next 3D Printer? Luckily, we have come up with a list of 3D Printers that advanced Makers will be able to get the most out of.

Creality has been producing high-quality and affordable 3D Printers since 2014 intending to help make 3D Printing more accessible to Makers all over the world. They have 2 distinct product ranges, the Ender Series and the CR Series, with the CR series being considered the more advanced option. In addition, Creality recently started producing resin 3D Printers of the LD series.

So how do we classify a 3D Printer as advanced?

That is a good question! We consider a 3D Printer advanced when it offers more high-end features such as large build volume, filament runout sensor, dual-drive extruder, and BLTouch.  While the criteria seem very simple we also factor in price and ease of use.  In this blog post, we will be looking at our top 3 Creality 3D Printers for advanced Makers. Let’s dive into it!

CR-10S PRO V2

The Creality CR-10S Pro V2 is a direct upgrade to the CR-10S Pro. The CR-10S Pro V2 offers many of the great features of the original as well as some upgrades. The capacitive probe has been replaced with a stock BLTouch system, the probe was a big complaint with the CR-10S Pro so this is a welcome change. If you’re not a fan of automatic bed levelling then you can still manually adjust the bed with the stock knobs. The user interface has also received an update with a noticeably more elegant colour scheme compared to the original blue UI. Besides this, you can expect features such as a large 300x300x400mm build volume, dual-drive extruder system, ultra-quiet TMC stepper motor drivers, and dual-driven Y-axis rails.

Infographic of CR-10S Pro V2. 3D Printer for advanced makers.

CR-10 MAX

Previously the CR-10 S5 was the go-to for large build volume, but in 2019 Creality released the CR-10 Max. The MAX offers a 450x450x470mm build volume and a variety of upgrades. With a large build volume comes a few possible issues right out the box, with common issues being leveling the bed, bed temperature during printing, and movement of the uprights. Creality has addressed these issues with the MAX, the BLTouch helps keep the bed level, a split PSU gives the heated bed its own power supply, and support arms secure the frame. These upgrades help ensure great quality for even the largest prints. Despite these upgrades, the MAX still requires some experience to get the best results and as such we classify it as a 3D Printer for advanced Makers.

Infographic of CR-10 MAX. 3D Printer for advanced makers.

LD-002R

This list would not be complete without a resin 3D Printer. No matter how many years of experience you have with FDM 3D Printers there is still a learning curve with SLA/DLP 3D Printers. That being said resin 3D Printing is far more accessible than when it was first released with many improvements to both the resins and the 3D Printers. Many companies are moving towards the development of safer resins which we are excited to see, as the safer the resin the more accessible it becomes. If you are looking to create smaller, more detailed prints then you can’t beat a resin 3D Printer. Resin 3D Printers are ideal for printing miniatures, jewellery, and highly detailed smaller prints.

With that out of the way allow us to introduce the Creality LD-002R, the impressive yet affordable resin 3D Printer. The previous LD models had various issues and Creality took customers feedback to heart. The LD-002R offers great features such as intelligent anti-aliasing, perforated build plate, semi-auto levelling system, and a 119x65x160mm build volume. The LD-002R is capable of a Z resolution of 26-50 Microns at speeds of 20mm/hour. You would expect these features to impact price, however, the LD-002R remains incredibly affordable compared to other resin 3D Printers. Resin printing does require experience as resin is harmful and must be handled carefully, the pre-processing and post-processing of prints is also in-depth and time-consuming. For these reasons, we recommend the LD-002R resin 3D Printer for advanced Makers.

Infographic of LD-002R. 3D Printer for advanced makers.

Honourable Mentions

We know we have just scratched the surface of the Creality CR series and therefore we have these honourable mentions of 3D Printers that didn’t make the cut. Unlike the entry-level guide choosing which 3D Printers to include in the list has been a challenging task. If you find the 3D Printers on the list lacking then be sure to check out these impressive alternatives.

CR-10 V2

Creality has raised the bar again with the CR-10 V2. Created as an updated version of the original CR-10 3D Printer. The CR-10 V2 offers a variety of upgrades that make it an impressive 3D Printer so while it may share a similar look to the original it is feature-packed and a great printer for entry-level to experts. These features include an ultra-quiet motherboard & drivers, optimised hotend cooling, and interchangeable bowden/direct drive extruder.

Ender 5 Plus

With a 350x350x400mm build volume, updated motherboard, and a BLTouch the Ender 5 Plus stands out from the rest of the Ender series. This was a very close contender for the list due to the standard features. The Ender 5 Plus occupies a unique position in the Creality range, being priced beyond an entry-level 3D Printer and falling just short of some of the CR series 3D Printers.

Conclusion

We would like to take this opportunity to say that an entry-level Maker can still purchase an advanced 3D Printer. They might, however, encounter more issues than a Maker who has previous experience with 3D Printing. The Creality Ender series is more budget friendly than the 3D Printers on this list and often come with plenty of great features and possible upgrades. We consider the 3D Printers on this list to be ideal for advanced Makers or Makers who are looking for a more challenging machine.

We hope this post helped highlight some of the 3D Printers we find to be suited towards advanced Makers and the pros and cons of each. If you are looking for advice on entry-level 3D Printers then check out this post. If you did find this post beneficial please consider sharing it on social media. Find out more about new 3D Printers and products that we stock as well as sales check out our social media pages. FacebookInstagramTwitter, and Store.

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