Newcomer to the market Creality Ender 3 S1: reviews, features and price

23. 05. 2023

Just as we can be sure that the sun will rise in the morning, it is clear without a doubt that Creality will soon come with a new type of 3D printer. Which is exactly what happened at the end of 2021 at the EXPO 2020 exhibition in Dubai. Sit back and learn more about the printer. Creality Ender 3 S1 is a new version of the Creality 3D printer, which for many of us is one of the most popular 3D printer manufacturers in the world. With the new type, you can look forward to several fun and interesting hardware accessories. Such as the new direct extruder "Sprite" or the CR Touch automatic leveling sensor for leveling the print surface. But there's more – separately sold accessories that hint at future modularity, a 32-bit motherboard, a removable spring steel print bed, a brand new user interface and a simple six-step assembly. All of this should represent a significant upgrade to Ender 3 V2. But won't it also go hand in hand with a significantly increased price? If you want to know more about the specific specification, how much it will cost you and if the price is worth it, read on.

Function

Direct Extruder "Sprite"

The new extruder developed by Creality offers considerable pressure with a weight of only 210 grams. Information from the manufacturer indicates that it is a 3.5:1 reduction ratio geared extruder with dual gears that grip and push the filament. This is relatively sophisticated compared to the past Mk8 type extruders we know from Creality.

Creality promotes this upgrade as a flexible, filament-friendly option. Many users modified the extruder on their Ender 3 before the "Sprite" extruder came out. Which speaks volumes for the demand for this configuration.

In the S1 type, you will also find the filament sensor and print recovery functions that have become standard in all high-quality FDM 3D printers.

Automatic leveling sensor CR Touch

Automatic leveling of the printing surface is something that you will definitely welcome. The Creality CR Touch setup uses a metal touch probe that works in 16 areas across the print surface. It should be basically the same style as the BL Touch sensor. In theory, it should account for any inconsistency in the unevenness of the printing surface. You still have the large manual leveling knobs to adjust the general squareness of the surface, but this new sensor should be more accurate.

Printing plate

You have a 220 x 220 x 270mm playing surface, making the Ender 3 S1 slightly larger than the Ender 3 V2 on the Z axis (by 20mm). For comparison, we can mention, for example, the 3D printer BIQU - B1, which gives you a little more side space: 235 x 235 x 270 mm.

If you're the type of person who likes to have a lot of light on the print area, we've got another good news. Creality also offers LED lighting for the S1.

Possibility of future modularity

Creality points out that the direct extruder can easily be removed and replaced with a laser engraving tool head, which is sold separately. We are not yet sure how powerful this laser will be or if more tool heads will follow. It will be interesting to see how Creality takes this upgrade forward.

Quick six-step assembly

Creality says that when you open the box, the printer is 96% assembled. Which may sound a bit strange. Anyway, the S1 can be assembled in just six steps, which isn't a lot of work and is much faster than building the entire printer from scratch.

Steel printing plate Spring steel

The Ender 3 S1 comes with a flexible steel PCB that magnetically attaches to the base PCB. Once the print is complete you should be able to remove the steel plate and bend it so that the prints come loose with minimal effort. The quality of these boards can vary greatly. We've had better and worse boards before, so it will be interesting to see how this board from Creality holds up.

New user interface

Here's a new user interface: a 4.3-inch LCD display with a rotary knob to select on-screen options. This is reminiscent of the Ender 3 V2 - the last printer the company released with such a user interface. Considering the number of recent Creality 3D printer releases with touchscreens, this may seem like a step backwards. However, Creality says the new user interface will "enable you to experience knob control," and we're guessing Creality knows what it's doing.

Other properties

Apart from the above, here is a list of other things you can look forward to with the Creality Ender 3 S1:

• dual Z-axis - the goal is more robust and consistent Z-axis travel. A synchronized dual-controlled Z-axis can help with this.
• full size SD card - this is an underrated thing for offline printing. The full size of the SD card ensures that there is no need to search for a micro card that has fallen in somewhere.
• tool drawer - it's back again. And we all know that it can be used not only for tools, but also for storing snacks, for example.

The Ender 3 S1 was presented on December 1, 2021 at Expo 2020 in Dubai and now you can buy it in our region. Of course, the price of the Creality Ender 3 S1 is slightly higher than its predecessor, the Ender 3 V2 (learn more about this printer here). Whether it's worth it is up to everyone. But you also need to think about the fact that the accessories for the S1 are a bit more expensive. But overall, this is a printer that is comparable to other printers in terms of price vs. performance.

                                                                             

Technical Specifications

General specifications:

Technology: FDM (technology based on the principle of gradual application of molten material in thin layers)

Year: 2021

Assembly: semi-assembled

Mechanical arrangement: XZ Cartesian head

Manufacturer: Creality

Features of the 3D printer:

Printing plate size: 220 x 220 x 270 mm

Feeder system: direct

Print head: one nozzle

Nozzle size: 0.4 mm

Max. hotend temperature: 260℃

Max. heating pad temperature: 100℃

Printing mat material: spring steel sheet

Frame: aluminum

Bed leveling: automatic

Display: 4.3 inch LCD

Connectivity: SD card, USB

Print recovery: Yes

Filament sensor: Yes

Camera: No

MATERIAL:

Filament diameter: 1.75 mm

Third Party Filament: Yes

Fiber material: consumables (PLA, ABS, PETG, Flexibles)

SOFTWARE:

Recommended slicing software: Creality Slicer, Cura, Simplify3D, Repetier-Host

Operating system: Windows, Mac OSX, Linux

File types: STL, OBJ, AMF

Size and weight:

Frame dimensions: 487 x 453 x 622 mm

Weight: 9.1 kg

Below is a short list of 3D printers that you may be interested in. But keep in mind that in the world of 3D printers, the range of things you can try is huge.

Creality Ender 3 V2

The Ender 3 V2 is a very popular 3D printer that prints great and is easy to use. It's a bit cheaper than the S1 mentioned above, so if you don't want to invest more, you can settle for the Ender 3 V2 version.

 

Anycubic Vyper

The Anycubic Vyper is among the 3D printers that have left users with mixed experiences. The truth is that the automatic pad leveling works great and the print pad is easy to remove. But the printer is experiencing poorer print quality and other issues as well.

 

Artillery Genius Pro

What's smarter than smart? Maybe a genius? Maybe Genius Pro? Artillery's latest version of the Genius features a direct extruder, automatic pad leveling, an Artillery-developed 32-bit motherboard, and a large blue plaque with its name on it. In terms of price, this 3D printer should come out slightly better than the Ender 3 S1.