Creality is one of the world’s leading 3D printing manufacturing company that hails from Shenzhen, China.
It was founded in 2014 and ever since then, the company has been gradually dominating the globe with its production of tremendously capable 3D printers.
With the Ender 5, Creality has strategized to make the already very established 3D printer even more striking by releasing the Ender 5 Pro.
The Ender 5 Pro boasts a brand-spanking-new Capricorn PTFE tubing, updated Y-axis motor, a metal extruder, and other minor improvements over the basic Ender 5.
To talk about the Ender 5 Pro in general, it is a machine that brings you amazing value for your money.
It’s loaded with ergonomic features such as a magnetic self-adhesive build platform, an all-new metal extruding unit, a modular design that demands minimal assembly, and a whole lot more that we’ll get to later.
For the price, you simply cannot hope to go wrong with this bad boy. There’s a reason it has received many awards and distinctions, let alone the label of being the best 3D printer under $500.
This article will give you a detailed review of the Creality Ender 5 Pro (Amazon) in an easygoing, conversational tone so you can know everything you need to know about this great 3D printer.
One of the key selling points of the Ender 5 Pro is the V1.15 ultra-mute mainboard along with TMC2208 drivers ensuring that the printer stays very quiet. Users have reported to like this feature very well.
Moreover, this handy upgrade also has both Marlin 1.1.8 and Bootloader pre-installed so you can have more capabilities tweaking around with the software.
The mainboard also has thermal runaway protection enabled by default so even if your Ender 5 Pro reaches abnormally high temperatures, there’s an extra layer of protection that this problem will have to go up against.
Durable Extruder Frame
Adding more to the feature list is the metal extruder frame that’s gathered a lot of attention.
The now updated extruder frame is for building up a better amount of pressure when the filament is being pushed through to the nozzle.
This goes on to improve print performance drastically, as the manufacturer itself claims it.
However, people like to experiment with different types of filaments, and one filament may differ from the other in terms of physical properties.
This is why Creality decided to ship an adjustable bolt in the metal extruder kit so users can optimize the pressure of the extruder gear and help their desired filament perform much better.
Convenient Filament Tubing
Quite possibly the dealmaker for the Ender 5 Pro is the Capricorn Bowden-style PTFE tubing.
You’ve probably heard of this 3D printer component before elsewhere which is why you might be wondering what’s so special about it here?
Well, this highly improved filament tubing comprises an internal diameter of 1.9 mm ± 0.05 mm that reduces any excess space, preventing filaments to bend and warp.
This is a great upgrade to the overall usability of this 3D printer while allowing you to print with flexible filaments like TPU, TPE and other exotic thermoplastic materials.
The Capricorn Bowden tube just has a really good grip over the filament especially flexible ones, and even has tighter tolerances for that matter.
In conclusion, this new and improved tubing is a purely noteworthy upgrade.
Easy Assembly
Another quality trait that makes the Ender 5 Pro (Amazon) suitable for the likes of beginners too, is its simple assembly. The 3D printer arrives as a DIY kit with pre-assembled axes.
All you have to do is fix the Z-axis to the base and get the wiring sorted. Truthfully, that’s about it as far as the initial setup is concerned.
This is why the Ender 5 Pro is definitely easy to build and assembly is not something to worry about.
All in all, setting everything up should take you right about an hour at best, so the Ender 5 Pro gets ready for action.
Double Y-Axis Control System
We assume Creality really had people looking out for this unique functionality of the Ender 5 Pro that was not present in its original counterpart.
Along with an increased print area on the Z-axis, it turns out that the Y-axis motor has been designed very efficient this time around.
There is a distinct Double Y-Axis Control System that allows the Y-axis motor to run along both sides of the gantry, thus attributing to a stable output and integrating smoother movements.
This useful new upgrade makes sure that the Ender 5 Pro is vibration-free during the performance, especially when printing for long hours.
V-Slot Profile
The Ender 5 Pro incorporates a cautiously designed, top quality V-slot profile and pulley that amounts to better stability and a highly refined printing experience.
It gives you that feel of a premium product that other 3D printers fail to.
Besides, the V-slot profile is wear-resistant, makes for quieter printing, and also prolongs the life of the Ender 5 Pro, making it hard to break down before a considerably longer period of time.
Removable Magnetic Build Plate
The Ender 5 Pro (Amazon) also features a flexible magnetic build plate that can be removed from the build platform effortlessly.
Therefore, you can easily remove your prints off of the magnetic plate and get it back on the platform, not to mention the great self-adhesive property of the Ender 5 Pro’s print bed.
This is why taking off the build plate, removing your print, and adjusting it back again is an uncomplicated process. A very nice convenience for users to say the least.
Power Recovery
The Ender 5 Pro, just like the Ender 5, also has an active power recovery function that allows it to resume printing from right where it left off.
Although this is something that’s become fairly common in the 3D printers of today, seeing this feature on the Ender 5 Pro is just a sigh of relief nonetheless.
This print resuming functionality can save a 3D printed part’s life in case of a sudden power outage or an accidental shutdown of the printer itself.
Flexible Filament Support
The Ender 5 Pro is really worth the extra money and the upgrade over the Ender 5 if what you want from it is to print flexible filaments.
This is due to the courtesy of the Capricorn Bowden tubing of the printer and also the ability of the nozzle temperature to go over 250°C comfortably.
Meanwell Power Supply
The Ender 5 Pro features a Meanwell 350W / 24 V power supply that can quickly heat the print bed up to 135℃ in less than 5 minutes. Pretty neat, right?
Benefits of the Ender 5 Pro
A sturdy, cubic build structure that delivers an appealing, solid look.
Print quality and the amount of detail that the Ender 5 Pro produces will simply surprise you.
A huge Creality community to draw from.
Fast delivery from Amazon with very friendly tech support.
Fully open-source so you can expand your Ender 5 Pro with good modifications and software enhancements.
Nifty hackability that allows you to solve the issues of auto bed levelling with the BLTouch Sensor.
Painless navigation with a highly interactive touchscreen.
Provides an all-rounding printing experience with sound reliability.
A highly recommended option at this sub $400 price range.
A wide variety of 3D printable upgrades are available with no need to purchase anything extra.
Downsides of the Ender 5 Pro
As great as the Ender 5 Pro is, there are some aspects where it takes a significant nosedive.
For starters, this 3D printer could have really used automatic bed-levelling since many people have reported flimsiness, and how the bed isn’t really ‘set and forget’, rather you’ll have to attend to the print bed many more times than you should.
Therefore, the bed requires consistent re-levelling and isn’t very durable at all as well. It seems that you’ll soon have to replace the print bed with a glass bed, as many users have already done so.
In addition, the Ender 5 Pro also lacks a filament runout sensor. As a result, it’s hard to know when exactly you’re going to run out of filament and make changes accordingly.
The magnetic bed, although very useful, can get pretty difficult to clean after printing.
Removal is not a hassle if we’re talking about bigger prints, but when there are two or three layers of filament that need to be removed, the ease here takes a heavy, hard hit.
It can get tough to scrape off small prints, especially when they leave leftovers. The strips of the print, in particular, are tricky to get off the build plate.
Additionally, the print bed is also prone to get pushed by the Bowden tubing and hot end cable harness.
Speaking of cables, the Ender 5 Pro lacks management of wires, and there’s an ugly mess of these that you’ll have to take care of yourself.
Other than all that, the Ender 5 Pro is still a fantastic printer at the end of the day, and really outweighs its cons with a larger number of pros.
People have been very happy with this purchase of theirs, with a plethora of them saying almost the same thing – the Ender 5 Pro is a very capable 3D printer that has met all our requirements for 3D printing.
Many first time buyers have said that they were very sceptical about their purchase at first, but when the Ender 5 Pro arrived, it was an instant delight that packed top-notch quality.
One user says that the 5 Pro’s cubic structure had them very interested, along with a set of other notable features like the silent mainboard, Capricorn Bowden tubing, metal extruder, and the decent build volume.
Another user said that they liked the packaging extremely well, and also the extra added reel of white PLA.
They went on to add that the Ender 5 Pro (Amazon) started to make prints of insane quality right out the box and truly exceeded all expectations.
Some even found the bed-levelling process to be easy which is directed with a four-point system. This may be subjective since many also complained about the difficulty of levelling the bed.
One more reviewer from Amazon stated that they absolutely loved the spare extruder nozzle that came with their order along with all the needed tools.
“It’s admirable how the Ender 5 Pro is solidly constructed”, they also added.
Another compared the Ender 5 Pro with their resin 3D printer and was quite shocked at how this beast from Creality delivered far better results at almost half the price.
“Worth every penny”, “Amazingly surprised”, “Very easy to use”, are just a few more things people have to say about the Ender 5 Pro. As you can see, this 3D printer hasn’t failed to impress, not at all.
Verdict – Worth Buying?
The conclusion? Absolutely worth it. As you can observe by now, the Ender 5 Pro has maintained a quality standard in delivering beyond the expectations of fellow users.
It falls weak in some areas, but when you compare those to its immense benefits, the answer is crystal clear. For a shade under $400, the Ender 5 Pro is definitely the one for you.
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