Creality Ender-3 S1 3D Printer Review – A great budget 3D printer for under £350

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My third Creality 3D Printers review. I’ve previously written reviews of the Creality Halot One Plus resin-printer and the Sermoon V1 Pro.

Creality’s Ender Series includes some of my favorite printers, and the Ender-3 S1 does not disappoint. It can be expanded with extras or additional components, but it still works well.

For me, the best way for learning is to actually get something out of your hands and do it. Ender-3 S1’s semi-constructed design is what I like. It is an ideal learning tool for beginners about how to use a printer. This allows you to learn without having to deal with every part. You can also build your machine to see where the expandable parts of the printer are. Ender-3 S1 offered a variety of extensions, including LED lamps, water cooling, laser engraver and LED lamps. It is easy to connect and fit each module, with a UI option that allows you to change the operating system to an engraver mode.

I was initially skeptical about the Ender-3 S1’s performance, as Creality offers a range of accessories, some even recommended. Ender-3 S1 does not need any of these extras. The printer performs well even with no bells or whistles. Only thing I can recommend is the tempered-glass build plate.

Specification:

• Allgemein
  • Technology: Fused deposition modelling (FDM)
  • Assembly: Semi-assembled
  • Mechanism: Cartesian XZ-head
• Three-dimensional Printers: Features
  • Build volume220x220x270mm
  • Feeder systemThe Direct
  • Make sure to print the head: Single nozzle
  • Nozzle size: 0.4%
  • Max. Max.: 260 ℃
  • Max. Max.: 100 ℃
  • Make bed with printed materialSheet of spring steel coated with PC
  • FrameAluminum
  • Bed levellingAutomated
  • Display: 4.3 inch LCD
  • ConnectivityUSB and SD cards
  • Print Recovery:
  • Filament sensorYes
  • Camera: No
• Materials Used
  • Filament diameter: 1.75 mm
  • Trond-party filament:
  • Filament materials: Consumer materials (PLA, ABS, PETG, Flexibles)
• Software
  • Recommendations for slicing Creality Slicer. Cura. Simplify3D. Repetier.
  • Operating system: Windows, Mac OSX, Linux
  • Types of files: STL, OBJ, AMF
• Dimensions
  • Frame dimensions: 487x453x622 mm
  • The Weight9.1kg

Create a Plate

PC-coated steel spring plate forms the core of the Ender-3 S1. Removing prints is incredibly easy when using a magnetic base and a flexible platform – compared to the Ender 2’s rigid PC platform, secured with bulldog clips. Despite the platform being flexible, there are still many issues with the coating. Poorly levelled nozzles can cause damage to the platform, while PLA residue often remains after printing. If you’re printing at a high volume, on a large scale or simply want to have a more enjoyable printing experience I highly recommend the tempered glass plate. Glass has a great adhesion and is easy to clean.

Automated Bed Levelling

To echo the Sermoon V1 Pro review I mentioned, I have not tested two printers using the same auto-leveling method. Most printers will employ some kind of probe or sensor in order to find the actual distance to zero. “Levelling” is perhaps not the right word to use as the print bed, in every system I’ve seen so far, doesn’t actually adjust. The printer will adjust the height of the print layers to compensate for any minor deviations.

The Ender-3 S1 has two methods for levelling – Creality’s CR Touch Automatic Bed Levelling Device or standard manual levelling. The printer activates auto-levelling by deploying a tendril on the printhead and probing the surface 16 more times. This device is a variant of the strain-gauge sensor that was used with the Kobra Max. Although this has not been stated. This levelling system is great because it gives the user a lot more visual information about its performance. It isn’t perfect, however. To adjust the offset on the z axis you will still need to use a Layer Heights Gauge.

The UI allows users to adjust the z-axis in increments up to 0.01mm. As with all the FDM printers that I reviewed previously, this level of fidelity was very welcome.

Ender-3 S1 comes also with an extra z-stop sensor, which can easily be attached to the frame and then installed. You are likely familiar with the z-stop, which allows you to use an alternative manual leveling method. This is an excellent addition that allows the user to either use the standard levelling system, or to act as a backup in case the new sensor malfunctions.

Sprite Dual-Gear Extruder

I believe the Ender-3 S1 uses the same extruder as the Sermoon V1 Pro, anointed the “Sprite Direct Dual-Gear Extruder”. The gear ratio is 1:3.5 and delivers a pulling force up to 80N. While the numbers don’t necessarily mean much to you, they do indicate that more power is available to shift filaments. This results in improved extrusion, and retraction.

The direct extruders get better and more advanced with each new model. Direct extruders have become more common in 3D printers for beginners. It adds up to the extra weight of the carriage and the additional weight of the pull-on spool onto the x axis.

Additional Bits and Bobs

The filament sensor is a useful component of the direct extrusion process. The filament sensor is not something I care about, however, the Ender-3 S1 has two functions. The sensor is used to feed filament from the spool onto the extruder. The sensor also stops vibration and shaking from the printer by stabilising some forces on the spool. This reduces ghosting.

Dual z-axis screws are also included in this printer to ensure greater stability and precision. This is a nice feature as it helps to balance the loads between the threads.

Also, it’s nice that there are knob-type tensioners for belts. I’m glad they’re there, but at this point, I’d almost expect these basic ‘quality-of-life’ features on a printer. Especially as companies are rapidly innovating interesting new high-tech auto-levelling systems and other gizmos, I can’t really call these knobs a ‘feature’ anymore.

You can print samples

Final Thoughts

The Ender-3 S1 overall is a good machine. While it isn’t particularly exciting, what it does does very well. The printer produced excellent prints, with consistent quality, at good speeds. It’s a wonderful addition to my collection.

Purchase the Ender-3S1 3D Printer

Updated on: 2022-11-28. Affiliate Links / Images From Amazon Product Advertising API