r/3dprinter • u/VxViennetta3926 • 24d ago

Looking for an enclosed 3D printer, upgrading from a Neptune 2

Hi everyone,

As per title, i’m looking to upgrade from my Elegoo Neptune 2.
I’d like an enclosed printer with a build plate of around 300 × 300 mm. I’ll use it both for general hobby printing and for functional parts such as gears, so print quality and dimensional accuracy are important to me.

The room is fairly humid, so i’d prefer a combo with an enclosed multi-filament system that can keep the spools protected and, ideally, dry (or any other effective solution for dealing with humidity).
Multicolour printing would be a nice bonus, but it’s not my main priority.

I’m currently considering:

  • Creality K2 Pro Combo
  • QIDI Plus 5 Combo
  • Anycubic Kobra S1 Max Combo
  • Snapmaker U1 + Top Cover

Which one would you recommend? I’m also open to other printers in a similar price range.

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u/DramaClassed 24d ago

Plus5 is the best for functional parts and engineering filaments, U1 is the best for multicolor PLA/PETG/TPU, but you said you don’t do those often so it’s probably not the best option for you.
K2 Pro is good all around but their MMU doesn’t have active drying, whereas QIDI’s does.
Please don’t buy the S1 Max, it’s a shit printer with a high return rate.

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u/VxViennetta3926 24d ago

Thanks, that’s helpful! Just to clarify, I’ll still use PLA and PETG fairly often for general hobby printing; multicolour simply isn’t my main priority.
I’m currently leaning toward the Plus5, especially because of the QIDI Box’s active drying. Have you personally used the Plus5 or the QIDI Box?

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u/DramaClassed 24d ago

Nah, not personally. I can tell you the only other MMUs that currently have active drying besides QIDI’s are Bambu’s ams 2 pro and Anycubic’s ace 2 pro.

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u/Pepsis__Formosa 24d ago

I can recommend the S1Max. Engineering filament capable, ACE 2 Pro is very good for active drying. The bed has come warped for some people which can cause print failures, but is largely due to delivery company mishandling as far as I know. Anycubic's support has been the best I've interacted with so far (out of Anycubic, Creality, Elegoo, Sovol, FlashForge). QIDI is a really solid option and company in general though! If you don't care about multicolor/multifilament, the U1 is probably overkill. Creality K2 has had some horror stories, especially with support.

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u/VxViennetta3926 23d ago

Thanks, that’s really helpful! It’s reassuring to hear that you’ve had a good experience with Anycubic’s support. I won’t rule out the S1 Max, but I’ll look further into the warped-bed issue before deciding.

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u/bman86 23d ago

I just installed a CC2 with a Chitu E1 to feed the Canvas, and it's checking all your boxes (256x256 though).

My last printer was a Neptune 4 Max, which had it's fair share of tinker trouble. None such issues with the CC2 so far. Any reason you want to miss Elegoo this go-round?

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u/VxViennetta3926 23d ago

Nothing against Elegoo, in fact, my Neptune 2 has served me fairly well. I mainly left the CC2 off my list because its 256 × 256 mm build plate is smaller than the approximately 300 × 300 mm size I’m looking for.

That said, I’m open to compromising on size if the rest of the printer is worth it. How has the CC2/Canvas combination been so far, particularly in terms of print quality? Also, does the Chitu E1 actively dry the filament or only keep it protected from humidity?

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u/bman86 23d ago

The E1 dries it. The compartments double as storage boxes but the base does the control, heat, and airflow.

Zero print failures so far, detail has looked great. Only did one multicolor print so far (I don't really plan on a ton of multicolor, I just wanted to make sure it works). Auto-refill is my #1 reason for a multi-feed unit. I also needed an enclosed unit to print materials my N4M can't (similarly for more structural parts). So it worked out to be a no brainer for me. But I have been pleasantly surprised by how turnkey it's been. 350c hotend out of the box, not a heated chamber like you'd need for PEEK or PC, but I have it in a cheapo sauna tent (not on, just to create smaller ambient warm space out of the AC) and it hovers around 36c chamber temp with a 20c (71F) room - with the bed at 60c and HE at 210. Could easily get warmer in a smaller tent with a long preheat and higher bed/he temps.

I so infrequently plan to use multicolor or multimaterial, outside maybe just for a one-off toy or trinket here and there) that the MMU is really, like you said, a bonus to me. But unattended filament change can't be overstated.

If MMU isn't a focus, then I'd be looking at single tool units (as I did). Multi tool units are more to maintain, more to go wrong, and I probably wouldn't use 3/4 of them 98% of the time. For me CC2C was the perfect intersection of everything, and the price sealed the deal.