CR6-SE Review

 Ok, so about 2 weeks into this 3D printing experiment. And this is still fairly new device. And there isn't a lot of info out there. And what is out there all seems soiled by some early stumbles. I can find almost nothing which talks about this printer from the PoV of someone how did not buy it as a part of the Kick Starter campaign. And that is relevant because virtually none of what is being complained about has been relevant to me.

So, how do I feel about the printer? Honestly? I love it.

I had ABSOLUTELY no experience in 3D printing going into this. I had very little in terms of expectations. Basically, I wanted to print a few device enclosures and then likely odds and ends for the around the house and then probably nick-knacks for our daughter. So, I had low expectations for quality as well.

You're not me. Your needs will be different and I will try and cover some of that (as best as I can).

For me, I bought it. It was in stock when others weren't. It was only marginally more expensive. And it did automatic bed levelling, which from the few encounters I had with the term prior to purchasing made me think it was a pain in the butt I would be happier not dealing with.

Then I read around and started getting concerned. People complaining about it being a fire hazard. Destroying computers. And generally being a heaping bag of suck. Many pointing out that if you can live without bed levelling you can even get cheaper, but better printers from the exact same company.

Now, two weeks on... I could probably manually level a bed just fine. But, the other printers still weren't in stock. And it was really the sort of thing where it helped to have a device in front of me to learn from. So, I don't regret it. It was also eminently affordable. If I could go back in time... I'd have done the same thing. 

Why? I had zero clue what I was doing. I now maybe have 1 clue out of possibly hundreds. This thing was relatively easy to assemble. I followed an unboxing video which covered some things to check on to ensure it was all stable. And then it printed very well the first time I tried. Frankly, I'm unaware of anything else on the market at that price point which can deliver that experience.

Next, the thing is actually quite modular and repairable. And, with a bit of know-how it seems it is probably even upgrade-able. Both great points for a total noob. Sure, many others printers are as well. But, some cheaper ones aren't it seems and the more expensive ones a noob is more likely to break while still setting it up.

Perhaps most importantly, I can't sympathize with ANY of the concerns. Well, I still have the 5v pin on my USB cable taped because I can't find a straight answer on whether or not this is a problem with 32-bit boards with the latest firmware. But, all else aside, I had none of the problems complained about. My power switch is the good one, my motherboard is the upgraded one. All of the critical components securely fastened. Even the free filament was fine. I even had zero issues upgrading the firmware. Including using a simple trick to flash the display using a 32 GB SD card.

I haven't tried any prints which took over 10 hours yet either. But, I printed off some feet for the printer which has drastically reduced the heat around the boards on the bottom of the unit. So, I don't expect any problems there.

So, yeah, basically... I wanted to use Octopi, so I taped off a USB cord. And the filament ain't great. But, certainly nothing to complain about. I probably wouldn't notice if I hadn't tried a few others. And to be fair, the white PLA I bought suffers many of the same issues and may even be worse than the freebie that came with it in some ways.

I don't expect most people in my situation would be at a point on day #1 where they want to use Octoprint, so the USB issue may be less relevant. I still think it is a major issue, if it is still an issue. But, I can easily imagine a group of less technical people who live their entire 3D printing lives printing from the SD card. 

And the cheap filament? Again, I only notice it is cheap because the extra free roll of red PLA the company I bought from and the TPU I bought both print like a dream comparably. But, with my low expectations, the white PLA would have exceeded them easily. I even printed a threaded nut and bolt on that free white Creality PLA. Something many people have problems with in general. And it works perfectly.

Yeah, there was more popping and more blobs than the other filaments. But, nothing drastic. I had no stringing, and build plate adhesion was phenomenal. In fact, I had more issue removing them than anything. I might not be happy if I used it to print some intricate figurine, but it is fine for testing the printer and firing off a few more functional or simplistic prints. And, when you consider that filament rolls can cost 10% or more of the cost of this printer, getting your expectations too high here is a little silly.

Basically, I think Creality took the feedback and responded. And quite well at that. To the point where the only thing I can really complain about is tape on a USB cord.

If I were more experienced... I would probably have bought something else. If I had specific demands or needs I might recommend something else as well. Honestly... after having spent 2 weeks with a 3D printer though... they aren't incredibly complex devices.

And this explains two things; why I'm thinking my next 3D printer could be totally custom built, and why most people cling to a few popular models which have a lot of ready made upgrade paths. The CR6-SE could see mounting options and hardware to provide upgrades as well down the road. But, it seems less likely given how the community at large has shunned it.

Nonetheless, I still see this as a greater entry level 3D printer.