Elegoo Centauri Carbon - REALLY Tempted To Buy

Guys, I keep going back and forth on buying the $299 Elegoo Centauri Carbon. The value is just incredible and the reviews are pretty solid.

I've been pretty happy with my Ender-3 V3 SE, but I do like the idea of a faster enclosed printer that can get both the nozzle and chamber up to higher temperatures.

I was thinking about holding out for a larger print bed core XY printer, but none of the current offerings are really speaking to me and I just realized that the Elegoo Centauri Carbon It does have a slightly bigger build volume than my Ender-3 V3 SE.

A few things holding me back:

• Noise: Pretty much every review says how crazy loud it is. I really like having my Ender-3 right next to me, and I feel like I'd have to put the Elegoo in another room. Not the end of the world, but definitely inconvenient compared to just looking over and seeing how the print is doing right next to me.
• Direct USB connect: I've been spoiled by how easy it is to print directly from my computer to the printer via USB.
• Long Bowden Tube: I love how convenient and easy it is to stick filament right into the extruder and pull filament out. I haven't missed the Bowden tube of my older non-direct drive Ender printers, and this kind of feels almost like a step backwards having to use a long Bowden tube again.

... but ya, the biggest issue is not having the printer next to me. I guess I could get "used to" the noise levels, and I'm assuming/hoping that as this printer gets more and more popular, people are going to find ways to reduce the noise levels (Swapping out fans, adjusting the settings and software, etc. ).

What do you think?

I mean, at that price, why not both?

chaos_engineer said:

I mean, at that price, why not both?

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LOL! Believe me... that's definitely something I've said to justify it

QIDI are reportedly launching a smaller version of the Q4 in September, known as a Q2. It should be a Bambu killer by all accounts and much cheaper, but if you have money buring a hole in your pocket you could also look at the Q1 Pro, a pretty solid printer, enclosed with a chanmber heater too.

They often have sales but at the current price it has a lot going for it...

https://us.qidi3d.com/products/q1-pro-3d-printer

I don't think the Q1 Pro will get the multicolor upograde so if that is a desire you may want to look at alternatives.

You could also have it in another room to reduce any noise and have a video feed as it has a HD camera on board.

The Centauri is incredibly cheap but its currently in its infancy so expect a few problems that will get sorted as it matures. I tend to look at Discord now for a more real world view of printers as a lot of the YT vids are simply made for earnings from affiliates and YT ads. Its also important to have a good community of users that can help each other out.

Great points and ideas!

https://auroratechchannel.com/ (which I really respect) gives the Qidi PLUS 4 really high marks, and it's been one I've also had my eye on.

I really have so many issues around spending money and buying stuff!

I think there have been maybe a dozen times that I have put this printer in my shopping cart and almost pushed "buy".

... only to question myself: "Do I really need this printer? Is it really that much better than what I already have? Does this really have the features that I need and want? If I'm going to spend the money, should I get something more reliable or better? "

Ugh!

If you really want one at or around that price I would stretch for the Qidi PLus 4. Its not perfect but there is a great community around it and it produces good prints.

Have a look at the Discord in particular the Plus 4 Channel. One member there Stew675 has done amazing work on the printer as far as upgrads and quality goes and I'm sorely tempted to go down the PLus 4 route just for the chamber heater and printing ASA and other CF and Nylon blended filaments.

https://discord.gg/42VuBWEK

The independent QIDI community is also a great resource for tweaking/upgrades

https://github.com/qidi-community/Plus4-Wiki?tab=readme-ov-file

You'll probably curse me for tempting you to buy one but at least it will give you some real world information on the Plus 4.

Thanks for that aurora link it seems to be a good resource.

Redbrickman said:

Thanks for that aurora link it seems to be a good resource.

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She is one of the best no-nonsense / to-the-point / consistent-process reviewers out there.

... oh, and on her "top printers" list, she has the Qidi PLUS 4 listed as "The best-performing fully enclosed high-speed 3D printer (mid-size)"