Less faffing, more printing. That was the logic that led me to buy a Prusa MK3S+ and why I avoided cheaper offerings from other brands. So I was intrigued when Creality sent me the Ender-3 S1 Plus. Could it be as straightforward? As it turns out, yes and no.
But first, relevant details. As with other Ender printer ranges, first came the base model (in this case, the S1) and then the higher end alternative (the S1 Pro). Come July 2022, it was the turn of the S1 Plus. Named so because it has a plus-sized print area.
Whether it is the X, Y or Z axis, you get 300 millimetres, 11.811 inches or 0.000186411 miles of 3D printing space. In which you can print, erm, Baby Yoda Christmas decorations. Let’s get on with my Ender-3 S1 Plus review.
Despite being the latest Ender-3 S1 model, the S1 Plus is technically closer to the S1 than the Pro. Highlights include a fancy 4.3-inch touchscreen display, automatic bed levelling, sturdy build quality, Sprite dual-gear direct extruder and that stealthy colour scheme.
You also get the bed insulation from the S1 Pro for faster and more energy efficient heating. It is just that the 300° Celsius-capable heating block of the S1 Pro is absent, replaced by a 260° Celsius alternative as seen on the S1.
Hardly the end of the world, admittedly, if you only print lower temperature materials such as PLA, PLA+ and PETG. But being constantly near the maximum for ABS, PC, nylon and so on could degrade the internal plastic PTFE tube and cause printing issues.
Yes, it would have been nice for Creality to have included a superior heating block in the box. Especially as an all-metal and pricier bi-metal option are available and relatively easy to fit. There is even a way to raise the maximum temperature to 300° Celsius with different firmware.
Another casualty is the S1 Pro’s PEI-coated bed. Instead, the S1 Plus comes with a flexible textured steel magnetic alternative I will talk about later. But first, installation.
Installation is fast and painless (hours quicker than if you build a MK3S+ from scratch), which makes sense as 96 per cent of the installation is done for you. All the necessary tools and instructions are included as well as one spare of each screw type and a second 0.4mm brass nozzle.
There is also usually an SD card for loading your print files via the front-facing card slot. However, for reasons unknown this was missing from my box.
The extruder attaches to the mounting panel via four M3 cap screws. Then you attach a plastic wire clamp round the back and insert the flat and wide reinforced section of cable housing.
Next, the gantry frame slides into the side grooves and is held in place using four M5 screws and washers. After that, you attach the touchscreen mount (using three screws and a two-prong slot mechanism) and then the filament sensor atop the gantry.
Wiring everything takes little effort. The 24-pin port connects to the nozzle and then you have to connect two wires to the X-axis stepper motor. Finally, plug in the Z-axis motor, filament sensor and screen. Voila.
For quality printing, a level bed is essential. This is done by a two-part process that, rather confusingly, the included paper manual says to do one way and my Creality representative says that is the old way.
I went with the latter, which is a case of manually levelling with the five-position menu system. First the centre, which is done by lowering the Z level using a touchscreen up and down arrow until you feel slight friction on the included 0.1mm thick levelling sheet. Scratching or tearing the paper means the nozzle is too low.
After that, you go to position 2, 3, 4 and 5. At each one, you twist the red levelling wheels until you feel similar levels of friction when sliding the paper. Do this process twice and then run the automatic levelling tool.
Now run the included test filament or some of your own through the filament sensor, then heat the nozzle to the melting temperature of your filament, push on the lever on the nozzle and insert the filament until it starts coming out. You are now good to go.
In terms of quality, I find that the Ender-3 S1 Plus is able to fire out prints at a decent speed. Side-by-side with the Prusa ‘Marvin’ martian keyring and a vase, you can see the quality difference is negligible.
With both printers levelled correctly and decent quality filament, the end result looks great. Even a more complicated Baby Yoda Christmas decoration comprised multiple parts resulted in relatively few rough edges. And I suspect those issues were only caused by a slightly wobbly table.
I also have to say that the touchscreen is nice to have compared with the Prusa’s diddly LCD alternative and the S1’s non-touch variant. The menu system looks great and it is responsive. Points are lost, however, for the menu layout as certain options are unintuitive to find.
Then there are the aforementioned red levelling wheels, which do sometimes get knocked and gradually move during printing. It is also a longer setup process than on the Prusa MK3S+.
With that said, I do like the extra control and it is possible to ditch the springs for firmer alternatives that make life easier and more reliable. Or buy four 18mm silicone spacers (all the same length).
As for the magnetic textured flexible bed sheet, some critics have complained that prints never stick. For me, initially it was the opposite. The Creality multi-coloured filament I was sent sticks too much. So much so, in fact, that part of the bed surface came away and I had to really scrape off the leftover material.
This was partly down to me having the nozzle a little too close, thus flattening the filament and increasing its surface area. But by upping the Z level, I started to get the opposite problem. The first layer would not stick without the use of a glue stick.
As with the PTFE-lined hotend, it is a shame Creality removed the PEI steel sheet seen on the S1 Pro as PEI is generally a more reliable surface. Only recently did the 310mm official PEI bed from Creality become available in the UK.
Also note that the sheet is single-sided, unlike on the Prusa. That means no untextured surface and potentially reduced longevity.
I also noticed that if any filament builds up on the nozzle before a print starts, it can drag the first layer with it if your Z level is too low. Whereas the Prusa keeps on trucking without issue.
Oh and if you want silent operation, look elsewhere. The Ender-3 S1 Plus has tiny jet engine vibes. The constant fan noise makes it far noisier than the Prusa MK3S+ hence why many people swap to a Noctua or equivalent.
In addition, I do not like that the Ender-3 S1 Plus is pickier with file names. Certain characters and long file names can mean your Gcode does not show up on the touchscreen and therefore it cannot be printed.
Okay, so a different naming convention is no hardship even after a year of the unfussy Prusa MK3S+. But then there is the fact the S1 Plus does not scroll through said file names. So if you have two with the same start and longer, you cannot tell them apart.
On the flip-side, updating the printer’s firmware is easier than on the Prusa. Easier than for the S1 Plus touchscreen, which involves undoing the case and accessing the circuit board card slot.
It is worth noting that the printer has a drawer at the front, which you can print an organiser for or use without and fit all included tools and the spare brass nozzle inside. Handy and a nice extra over the Prusa.
Now, 3D printing is a time-consuming hobby and even with the best 3D printers there can be a fair bit of preparation and troubleshooting. However, Creality has streamlined the process to the point where it is becoming more a matter of preference than performance when compared with a Prusa.
With that said, the menu system is not the best and more effort is required to ensure consistent printing quality. Nor I do not like the PTFE tube heating block design as it limits filament choice.
You could also argue the S1 works out better value, depending on your location. Even the more capable S1 Pro is sometimes cheaper, making that larger S1 Plus print area a tougher sell.
Then there is the Creality CR10 and its WiFi connection, superior bed, superior hotend and even larger print area, which could be worth the extra stretch for you.
With all that said, compared with the S1, S1 Pro, MK3S+ and many other printers around this price point, having 300 millimetres of printing space in all directions provides greater printing freedom. Honestly, it makes the 210x210x250mm of the MK3S+ hard to go back to.
In summary, from being in a box to printing Marvin the Martian in under two hours, the S1 Plus proves itself as a good value 3D printer that gives solid printing results without requiring too much troubleshooting and expertise.
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