Creality K1 review: Pros & cons from a Prusa owner

In my Creality K1 review, I explain why it has become my go-to printer instead of the Prusa MK3S+ – but not without some key upgrades.

With the recent-ish Bambu ‘security’ fiasco frustrating some users, Creality is emerging as a strong alternative in the plug-and-print market. Especially for those who value full control over their machines.

Since the original K1 release, Creality has expanded the lineup with the larger K1 Max, the enhanced K1C and the more wallet-friendly open-frame K1 SE. Is the standard K1 still worth considering?

Many months of use later, I will say that it has opened my eyes to a world of convenient and rapid-fire 3D printing. Though not without some caveats and hiccups along the way.

Please note: This is the script from my video. Click play above to watch or click here.

Creality K1 review explained

Unlike my Prusa MK3S+, I did not have to build the Creality K1

The K1 has an industrial, no-nonsense dark grey metal and glass enclosure. This design helps minimize noise, stabilise temperatures, reduce drafts that can cause warping and help vent VOCs (volatile organic compounds) away from your precious lungs.

Its print bed measures 220mm x 220mm, with 250 millimetres of build height. As a core-XY printer, two motors control X and Y movement, while the Z-axis is handled separately. Unlike a traditional Cartesian printer such as the Prusa MK3S+, the bed does not move side-to-side or back and forth. Only downwards, layer by layer.

The original extruder and chain link can be problematic

This results in higher printing accuracy, significantly faster printing speeds and a smaller device footprint. Where my Prusa takes 90 minutes to print a Benchy, the K1 can do it in 17 minutes. Out of the box, it can lay down 600mm of filament a second with an extrusion flow of up to 32mm³/s.

Watching the K1 blitz through a 3D print really does feel futuristic and is helpful for rapid prototyping. Setup, meanwhile, is nearly effortless – just remove some screws, attach the touchscreen and plug it in. 3D printing really has come a long way though building my Prusa was beneficial.

Even maintenance is mostly hassle-free. Just five bolts and a plastic cover stand between you and access to the hot-end and extruder. All tools are included in the box plus a plastic scraper, some cutters, spanner, white Hyper PLA filament and a lengthy metal stick for removing stuck filament.

Creality K1 pros & cons

Creality K1 3D printer in sunlight in a living room — I rather like the K1 industrial chic

The pros

The Creality K1 can churn out great 3D print quality using PLA, PLA+, PETG, PETG-CF, ABS, ASA and PC (polycarbonate) to name a new filament types. Its sturdy enclosure gives you the best chance of success whether printing functional items or character models.

It is also a huge plus that Creality has decided against locking down its 3D printers. Unlike rival Bambu. Not only are you able to root the K1 series without much difficulty (guide here), you can begin the process within the K1 menu. Once you pretend to read the disclaimer for 30 seconds.

Pro tip: If you root the K1, do not run automatic updates. Or you will get errors and need to perform a factory reset. Once rooted, you will have full control over Klipper as opposed to the partly-restricted in-built version.

Another pro is the supplied print bed. It may not be double-sided, but print materials stick to it convincingly and separate easily once cooled. Especially if you use the supplied glue stick. Combined with automatic Z-levelling, you spend more time printing and less time trouble-shooting. As it is with a pricier Prusa.

The cons

Core-XY printers can offer a generous print area without needing as much space

While the K1 had early issues, most have been resolved in newer batches (printer batch 2306+). If you buy old stock, expect to upgrade key components. Creality offered a free upgrade for a while (which I missed out on), but it is no longer available. All affected customers should have been given the kit.

To see if you have a new extruder, the extruder lock should feel springy when pressed as the original did not have a spring. The latest version also has a springy ring for locking in the PTFE tube as opposed to those fiddly and easy-to-lose blue clips. Being made of steel instead of aluminium, the new extruder will also be magnetic.

An example of heat creep causing a filament bulge in the extruder, which leads to a failed print

As for the hot-end, the original K1 can be prone to heat creep clogging. As such, you should have the lid off (and maybe even the door open) when printing PLA or other materials that do not need an enclosure. I had a few prints fail because the extruder stops pulling filament through to the nozzle, resulting in the printer never laying down any plastic yet continuing to move as if all was fine.

Getting these clogs out means removing the extruder motor and disassembling, which is annoying but can be done fast with practice. It is no wonder the K1C has a long metal tube as part of its ‘Unicorn’ nozzle design, which alleviates the issue. Ultimately, trust is lost when hours of printing and filament can sometimes go to waste until you get the hang of things.

Backwards thinking

Creality K1 filament sensor at the back — The filament sensor can be fiddly to load and is in an akward place

I am also not the biggest fan of the filament PTFE system, which is behind the machine and sometimes fussy during the loading process. Rather tediously, filament does not always want to get through the Teflon tube into the filament sensor.

I upgraded to a smoother PTFE alternative from Creality, which seems more reliable but is not translucent so you cannot see breakages. Though breakage should not happen unless the filament is old, wet or the angle of entry too tight.

Also at the back of the K1 is the filament reel and power button, which is more troublesome to reach than the holder atop the rail of my Prusa MK3S+. With that said, I typically feed directly from a Sunlu S2 filament dryer.

Points are also lost when printing at slower speeds for materials such as PETG and PETG-CF. Without upgrading the pulleys, you may see vertical fine artifacts (VFA for short) on straight surfaces below 120mm/s. My custom Lian Li 011 Dynamic Evo XL feet extensions, for example, exhibit the issue. Regardless of print orientation.

Rubber feet, while a welcome addition, should also slot into the bottom of the case to make moving the K1 easier. A somewhat quieter fan setup would be great too, especially for those who print at night. Though it is possible to substantially dial down the fan speeds and not affect print quality.

If I had to nitpick, it would also be nice if the enclosure door could open further. Though the beauty of 3D printing is that there are free models for that exact mod.

Creality K1 review verdict

The enclosure build quality is mostly great

If you buy the latest K1 revision or upgrade those aforementioned key components (easy for the extuder, tough for the hotend), you get a fast, mostly reliable, versatile and low-maintenance 3D printer. An even better one if you root the software for full Klipper control.

With four days solid of printing time under my belt, including a lot of pesky polycarbonate, I have only seen a few print failures when forgetting to open the enclosure for filaments that require it. Impressive, if you ask me.

Using Klipper to fine-tune settings and send files from your PC to K1 remotely really does transform the 3D printing process, while the print results themselves are mostly excellent. Apart from some occasional and not-so-nice vertical fine artifacts (VFA).

PETG-CF air intake — A PETG-CF print I did for a customer with less wasteful organic supports using Tinmorry filament

With that said, depending on the price, the K1 Max (with 300 millimetres of printing in all directions) or fancier K1C (which fixes most K1 early issues) may prove to be better long-term choices. Or even the rival Elegoo Carbon Centauri.

It is a shame there are components in the early batches of the K1 that Creality should have avoided using. But all can be avoided with some key upgrades or making sure you buy the latest iteration.

Compared with my beloved Prusa MK3S+, the K1 shows how much 3D printing has evolved – delivering speed, convenience, reliability and value in a compact design.

The Creality K1 was priced at £369 at the time of writing this review. £80 less than the K1C, £290 less than the K1 Max AI and £30 more than the K1 SE.