Hi all, Looking for input on the Anycube Kobra 2 series of FDM printers. I see the Neo, the Pro and some others. What's the real differences? Who has what and what are you r thoughts. Would you buy it again if you were to start over? Resin is out by the way. The wife and I both have issues with the smell. Thanks for the info!
I have a Kobra 2 and I love it. Others have not had the same positive experience I have. Blown power supplies seem to be an issue I've seen crop up more than once. The neo is a watered down version of the Kobra 2 and doesn't have the nice auto-levelling system of the Kobra 2 and is a little slower. Kobra 2 Pro is faster than the Kobra 2 and runs Klipper (which helps it achieve the higher speeds while keeping print quality) However, one complaint I've heard on the Pro is that you can't get into the software to dial-in the Klipper settings. Which for people that modify their printers, this is a necessity. So despite me loving my Kobra 2, I probably would not recommend buying it today. If you're getting a steal of a price (say, 100 bucks) then maybe. But if you're going new, I'd go with some of the other printers that are fast, affordable, and run Klipper without the restrictions. The Kobra 2 was one of the first affordable printers that cracked into the new speed levels which made it appealing at the time. Today there are a lot of printer options that print fast and have good quality. Cheers -Mike
I've got 2 Ender 3's and really like them and would stay with another if I had to. Not saying they are the best but I like the huge support group out there. I had one do down and in hind sight think it might of been my doing for some of it. New screen was $30 I think and main board was I believe $40. I think I took the main board out when I was messing with the screen failure. Both were easy replacements. I've printed hundreds of items on them. After helping a nephew get an Ender with Auto-leveling I wouldn't want one but that might be the only choice and if you manually level it at the beginning then the auto is probably fine. If you get one I can give you links on that. Don't let it scare you away. Personally I'd stay with a basic model, but that is me. Both of mine are Ender 2 Pros. Also if you get them setup right, even with the stock nozzle you can print down to N scale stuff that is really respectable for most layouts. Not loco shells but buildings and lots of other small detail items. I use Hatchbox grey and personally wouldn't use any other brand of filament although some others have to be good also but love the stuff. Sumner
Alright, we have a "I'd buy another Ender 3" and an "Anycube Kobra is nice but wouldn't buy it again" so far. If you were going to be buying a new FDM printer what would you all recommend then?
If I were shopping for an FDM printer right now with the same budget I had for the Kobra 2, I'd give a serious look at the Elegoo Neptune 4 Pro. Looks like there's a sale running on it bringing it in under 300 at Amazon - which, if you have any problems with it you can't go wrong with the return policy. It's high speed, has Klipper, auto-levelling, direct drive extruder. Those are all good things. Mike
Since I'm old, old fashion, I tend to take the opposite approach from Mike, no offense mike , and sometimes see add features as making something less desirable for 'my needs'. I've already made my thoughts about auto-leveling known above. I've also considered going to extruder direct drive. Recently found the article below to be good, don't know if it is totally accurate or not, and after reading it decide that for me staying with a Bowden tube is best for now at least. I'm not really interested in other filaments than PLA and sooner or later clogs do happen and from what I can see they are easier to deal clear with the Bowden tube setup. The following article has some good pros/cons for both so maybe read it and decide which way you want to go. Sometimes the newest greatest is also a cheaper option for a manufacture. There is no right or wrong direction to go in so pick what is best for you .... https://www.wevolver.com/article/direct-drive-vs-bowden-extruder-for-3d-printing Sumner
I've had a much different experience with my Ender 3 Pro than @Sumner has had, I can't recommend it since it has been a project printer from day one needing many adjustments that I'd rather not deal with (which is why it has sat idle for a while gathering dust). With the price point of the Kobra2 being what it is, I'd also consider looking at other printers that may be more "plug and play" and potentially faster at churning out prints. I've been quite happy with my Flashforge printers, the only downside being the slicer (FlashPrint) not being ideal in every case. However, with the latest FF Adventurer 5M Pro mine has been running without any major issues and is fully supported by OrcaSlicer and very likely a few others now. For my FF Dreamer (dual nozzle model) I printed a couple risers for the lid so I could use dry boxes and larger spools (5kg), the internal spool holders can fit most 1kg spools but work best with 500g spools.
oh and I'm right there with you on resin printers. I have an Elegoo Saturn S with all of the extras and I'm going to be putting it inside an enclosure with a fan to extract the fumes / smells to a window vent (along with my reflow oven and laser cutter)
All good and no offense taken I read over the article on direct drive vs Bowden and at first wondered when it was written as some of the drawbacks cited for direct drive aren't as applicable today. For example, more mass on the print head hindering print speed - if we're clocking 200-300mm/s+ with a direct drive, that's a lot faster than what we were getting before with sub 100mm/s speeds. And the issue of amplified ringing was true before the advent of Klipper (although Klipper doesn't kill all ringing, it is in most cases much improved) The author's sources are from early 2023 and 2022 which tracks as that was prior to input shaping going mainstream with Klipper. Klipper really is a game changer that makes the current generation of FDM printers possible. All said, I'm thrilled with today's printers, bowden or direct drive, as my introduction to 3D printing was ten years ago where the struggle bus was real and practically anything today beats that awful experience. -Mike
I have had Enders and wouldn't go back due to horrible factory support. However, there is a huge online support for them that will get you through with the headaches [if you have any]. I currently have a Kobra with the direct drive head and am in love with it. Not a single problem and would never want to go back to Bowden tubes. The print quality is very good with the .4 nozzle and if I wanted even better detail would switch to a .2, but I am not going to at this time.
