Creality Ender 3 Vs Anet A8: Which Is The Better 3D Printer?

3D Printing is in demand as of now, and because of which the 3D Printers are popular in the market right now. In this article, we would be comparing the two famous, affordable 3D Printers Creality Ender and Anet A8. We will see the differences and similarities and how these two are different from each other.

Our Verdict

According to us, we would prefer the Creality Ender over the Anet A8. Although the Anet 8 is cheaper, it does not have the features that match up to Creality Ender 3. However, we will thoroughly review both the products and you can select the one which is best suitable for you. We will see the differences, the similarities, specification to compare.

Creality Ender 3 Vs Anet A8: Comparison Chart

Differences

1. Build Time

This is one of the significant differences between the Creality Ender and Anet 8. The A8 requires skills to join the materials together. That means you need technical skills, building skills, and maybe a bit of electrical work as well. Although there is nothing to solder, your connections must be proper and secure to avoid any errors.

Building the Anet A8, needs more than 8 hours. Between this time, you might end up with some confusion or mistakes, which retakes more time. But the Creality Ender 3 just takes few hours to complete. All it requires is to fix the frame together using the screws and the extruder. Its way more straightforward compared to the Anet A8.

2. Construction Quality

Another difference is the quality of construction between the Anet A8 and the Creality Ender 3. The Anet A8 uses the Acrylic frame but Ender 3 uses a stiff aluminum frame. The aluminum frame offers more stability and is not heavy during prints. These features result in better prints when compared to the Anet A8.

3. Material Used

Another small difference between them is the materials that are used for the movement. In Anet A8, line bearings are used. Whereas, the Creality Ender uses V-Slot wheels. These wheels are fixed to the aluminum cover and give a more accurate, precise, and quieter movement compared to Anet A8.

4. Printing Area and Accuracy

The Creality Ender 3 has a printing area of 220 x 220 x 250mm. Whereas the Anet A8 has a smaller printing area of 220 x 220 x 240mm. Talking about the accuracy, the Ender has ± 0.1mm X-Axis accuracy and ±0.1mm Y-Axis accuracy. But the Anet A8 has better accuracy with 0.012mm X-Axis accuracy and 0.004mm Y-Axis accuracy.

5. Printing Materials

Creality Ender can print using filaments like PLA, ABS, and wood. PLA, ABS, TPU, wood, Poly, PVA, Luminescent, and few other filaments are used as printing materials in Anet A8.

6. Printer Bed

The printer bed is an essential factor that depends on the surface and temperature. In the case of Creality Ender 3, it has a magnetic sticker that is easy to peel off once printed. It takes only five minutes for the bed to heat and reaches up to 60 degrees. The Anet A8 has an MK-3 hotbed made of aluminum. The temperature can be varied from 50 to 100 degrees. The different adjustments in temperatures are the right choice, as some filaments require hotbed.

Similarities

1. Cost

One of the fundamental similarities between the two is the cost price. Both the 3D Printers are available at reasonable and cheaper prices. Both of them look similar and have almost the same dimensions.

2. Specifications

Most of the specifications between these two are similar. Both have connectivity through the form of Tethered USB, or you can even insert an SD Card.  They also heat beds that are used for a controlled cooling process. The layer thickness in both these printers is 100, with one nozzle exactly. The diameter of the nozzles is 0.4mm each. The filaments that are used in these printers are PLA, ABS, and TPU. Both of them have similar MK-8 Extruders, which is good as it reduces clogging and uneven surfaces.

3. Open Source

Both the printers have an open-source firmware. You can access the printer’s code and improvise on it.

Features And Technical Specification of the Creality Ender 3

• Dimensions: 7 x 8.7 x 9.8 inches 
• Weight: 43lbs 
• Printing Area: 220 x 220 x 250mm
• Filament Size: 75mm 
• Hotbed Temperature: 60° 
• Printing Accuracy: X-axis- ±0.1mm, Y-axis- ±0.1mm 
• Printing Speed: 180mms 
• Warranty: 1-year 
• Resume printing in case of a power cut
• Aluminum frame material
• ABS, PLA, Wood Printing Materials
• Magnetic Sticker Hotbed

Features And Technical Specifications of Anet A8

• Dimensions: 2 x 12.4 x 8.2inches dimensions
• Printing Area: 220 x 220 x 240mm 
• Filament Size: 75mm 
• Hotbed Temperature: 50ºC-100ºC
• Printing Accuracy: X-axis- 0.012mm, Y-axis- 0.004mm 
• Printing Speed: 100mms
• Uses NEMA 17 motor
• Aluminum plate Hotbed
• ABS, PLA, Wood, PVA, PP, Nylon, Luminescent filament Printing Materials
• Aluminum frame material

What’s In The Box?

The Creality Ender 3 

• Screws and Bolts
• Idlers for the X-Axis
• Sample of PLA filament
• Bowden Couplers and Z-Axis Limit Switch
• Micro-USB Reader with Card and AC Power Cable
• Fine Point Needle to Clean Ends
• Spool Holder and Mount Creality Extruder
• X-Axis Motor
• V Slot Extrusion and Lead Screw
• 20 by 40 V Slot
• Z-Axis Motor and Opposite Carriage for X-Axis
• LCD Screen
• The base of Creality Ender 3
• Creality Ender 3 Power Supply

The Anet A8

• Chassis kit and Vertical frame kit
• Nuts, screws, cylindrical head screw
• Limit switches, Power supply, and mainboard
• Filament holder
• X, Y Z1, Z2 motor line and X, Y, Z limit switch line
• Black winding pipe and Extra fuses
• Hexagon wrench bag, transparent ruler, plier, screwdriver
• application and manual on TF card and USB adapter
• white PLA filament
• Power line
• Instruction manual and Warranty Card

Overview Of Creality Ender 3

The Creality Ender has an aluminum frame that is stiffer when compared to the Anet A8. The dimensions of the device are 220x220x240. This is also a DIY build kit but more comfortable to build when compared to the Anet A8. The print speed of this 3D printer is as quick as 200mm/s. The layer resolutions come down to 100, and you can use PLA, ABS, and TPU filaments. You can connect the 3D printer using USB, or you can also use the SD Card slot provided along with it.

Overview Of Anet A8

The Anet A8 is also a DIY 3D printer, but this printer takes more than 8 hours to build when compared to the Ender 3.  It has several pieces and materials that are required to make the printer. But once everything is fixed, the precision of the printer way better than expected. This is also cheaper compared to Ender 3. You can upload the desired models using a tethered USB or SD Card slot similar to the Ender 3. These models have layer resolution somewhere around 100 microns and print at the speed of 100mm/s. It also comes with a heated aluminum that heats up to 250 degrees.

FAQs

Bottom Line

Finally, it is a tough call to select the best among these two. However, if you are looking for a device with an accessible building, we would choose the Creality Ender.

While buying the Anet A8, do remember that it requires more than 8 hours of building. But once it is completed, it does give a smooth output, and also it has a cheaper price tag.

So, if you are looking for a device with no long DIY time, do go for the Creality Ender 3. It is easier to use and easier to use. But have you ever wonder how Creality will perform if compared with CR-10.