A quick word of the build volume. The Ender 3 has always been officially listed as 220 x 220mm even though it is capable of reaching to 235 x 235mm. This printer is listed as 235 x 235mm but there is room for additional travel on X and Y. Once the firmware is open source, the necessary tweaks can be made and the area will be closer to 250 x 250mm.

I like the new benchmark to go along with the Benchy, The Nipply

I know there isn't much hype behind this printer anymore, but I thought I should share my experience: I got 3 from kickstarter and those quickly more than paid for themselves. Fast forward 2 years and now I have 39 of these machines (+14 E3V2s and +3E3's). The CR6 SE is a fantastic printer. The only real upgrade I've done is updating the firmware to the community firmware. They are reliable out of the box. The hotend design does cause clogs sometimes, but once you know how to properly assemble the bowden tube and nozzle its not a big deal. They are easy to work on and the parts are high quality. 3D printer fans are notorious for failing and these are no different- but it is really easy because of the connectors at the hot end assembly. Overall, the value for your money is practically unbeatable. I am still buying these printers for my print farm- even though it's been over 2 years since they were released. I sincerely believe that this is the best machine Creality has ever produced.

I would definitely buy this machine is I didn't buy my Ender 3 10 months ago

The CR-6 is definitely homing at a much slower speed. Thank you for this review though, it goes into much greater detail than anyone else's videos.

Love you teaching tech keep doing what you doing!!!!

I’ve got to say yours was the video I’ve been waiting for. Anyone can go over the specs but I really enjoy your more technical look into things

Michael, as always, your presentation is great, its insightful, detail oriented and also presents an overall perspective that helps us all understand vastly better than we would without you! Thank you for that! I do have a concern however. You said you tested the thermal runaway of the CR-6 by disconnecting the heater and watching the temperature drop. This would happen regardless of thermal runaway protection or not. You must know this. Take a breath, and please invest the time to clarify this. Keep up the good work! Thanks!

Great overview. The clarity and thoroughness of your content is very impressive.

4 months later and "ask me how I know" still got me good!

I think your video was OUTSTANDING; A Supplement to the others if you will. i look forward to your official review!

Fantastic deep dive Michael. This looks like a very good machine indeed, I especially like the use of the strain gauge for levelling. Of course, the lined hot end is a concern, but like you said, I bet MicroSwiss will come up with a conversion/adaptation. Kudos to Creality for listening and making the improvements.

Using a load cell for nozzle tip levelling is a great idea. It gives the exact print surface level, but this only works if there is absolutely no filament at the tip! However, to get the most accurate reading, both nozzle and bed should be at printing temperature, with no filament oozing out the nozzle. Since they aren't using the load cell as an active bed leveller during the print, I'll stick with the BLtouch which is a more practical level sensor.

Thanks for the post. I already ordered 2 CR6-E's on Kickstarter. This will be my first 3D printer, so I found your commentary invaluable. Thanks again for excellent content.

As always, Michael great job....look forward to the in depth review, at a later date!

what im honestly most impressed with are those tools it comes with. Full size SD card and the painters tool is by fat the best tool to use for removing prints. Ive never used my ender 3s spatula. All the other upgrade are still amazing. I pray that reality makes a larger scale version of this then i am SOLD

Appreciate the overview and totally agree that a larger build volume would have made this thing pretty damn great. I backed on Kickstarter so I got in at $300...for that money I think it's a pretty good deal. If the price was >$400 retail I'd expect the build volume to match the CR-10.

Very nice overview of this new printer. The printer has a bunch of nice features. It'll be interesting to see how the printer holds up after some significant use time. The ABL is an interesting system, again it will be interesting to see how reliable it stays over time. Thanks for the great videos Michael.

Great video! Lots of details uncovered that are hard to find online (due to the Kickstarter strategy). Loved the comparison not only to the much cheaper Ender 3 but more expensive models.

Thank you for the detailed look at the CR-6 SE. I backed it on Kickstarter the moment Joel's review came out, but have been waiting for someone to come out with a more detailed look at the unit. Really appreciate you testing the upgradability and the detailed look into the auto bed leveling system, both were high on my list of questions. Many thanks for the time you put into making this video!

Great review! Probably the more complex direct drive and all metal hotend requirements are the biggest downsides for the CR-6 for me, I'm also not going to say SE, the name just gets too long. I think the printer does a lot of things right and really pushes the standards for 3D printing forward.

I think this is the new standard in low-cost 3d-printing. As long as their quality control doesn't go to hell as they scale up the volume production, the value for money is unbeatable. Its more expensive than an E3/E3 Pro but you get all of the common upgrade features (they just forgot the Capricorn tubing), PLUS it saves people so much *time* and *fiddling*!! Don't underestimate how little most people want to "tinker" - they want to pull something out of a box and _use_ it. Those of us who like fiddling and DIY'ing are the exception, not the rule. ;-) The only downside is that this is probably going to dry up sales on the Ender3 Pro and E3 v2.

I'd upgrade to this from my ender 3 just to have those bed clips, touch screen and bed leveling.

Looking forward to more videos on this printer. I have backed the project on Kickstarter, and it will be my first 3D printer. Looking to learn lots from your future videos on this printer. All the best to you.

This does look like an upgraded Ender 3 for sure. Like you said in the video, if someone doesn't want to get their hands dirty with upgrading an E3, then it would definitely be worth it. The thing I like about the E3 is that you do need to get your hands dirty to upgrade it, which teaches you essential information about printing especially if you are new like me. It would be nice to have a printer that has a lot of bells and whistles, but the struggle of DIY is a great teacher.

Seams as a good starter printer. Love the intent of opensource. Thanks for sharing :-)

This seems like a good buy for someone who doesn't want to lose print area over an ABL when compared to an Ender-3, considering all the added features.

the short answer to both questions is yes. How rigid is the frame? Yes

Your closing observations are spot on. I agree that the print bed should be a little larger like 275 x 275. It would be just about right as I find my CR-10 print bed a little too large at times and the Ender 3 print bed a little too small.

Great video as always I did join this on Kickstarter. Being a new novice to 3d printing any good commentation such as yours is quite helpful thanks

Thanks, your videos are always thorough and to the points 👍🏻

A Lot of you hate against the PTFE lined hotends, I have used them for years, and this is what I've found. PLA/PETG/ABS/TPU all print well. PTFE hotends can print every filament other than Nylon or PolyCarbonite. The problem you had was cheap PTFE Tube, poorly assembled hotend from factory. The key is to have ZERO gap, completely flush fit of the PTFE tube in the hotend, AND a properly locked collar to prevent the tube from pulling up. Step 1: Get Capricorn Tube (Buy from the OEM.. many places sell fakes, including Amazon) Step 2: Cut PTFE Tube with a proper Tube Cutter (Nothing Else!, not a knife/razor blade/side cutters, ect) Step 3: Loosen Tube Collar on Hotend, Loosen Nozzle a tiny bit, push PTFE Tube down until it bottoms, heat hotend up to 220-240, now tighten top lock collar, now tighten nozzle. If you have done ALL of those things, AND used Capricorn Tubing, cut with a tube cutter, YOU will not have leaks, or burned up PTFE tube. You can print all day at 255 deg with real Capricorn PTFE Tubing, it will not burn. IF you eliminate the potential for gaps in Creality's hotend, it will NOT leak If you are clogging or jamming after doing the above, it's your slicer settings.

I'd like to have seen some testing of the speed claims.

Hello your videos are fantastic I do have the CR10S and had it a few years without a problem I then bought a Geeetech A30T over a year ago as I fancied 3 colour print and I had problem after problem with it so I offloaded recently as it was just stuck in a cupboard and now fancy buying this CR-6 SE to go with the CR10S seen a few videos on this printer which helped make me my mind up...

Thanks Michael, an excellent introduction to this new machine.

I tried and was burned by multiple Kickstarter marketing campaigns. I will never do so again. I will buy the product only after it is available in the market.

Thank you very much. The presentation is very organized and informative.

Thanks Michael. A great video covering often asked questions. I think I would stick to a self modified Ender-3 for the price. But as you say that will require getting my hands dirty. The CR-6 SE looks pretty good for someone who wants the features without mucking around. Thanks

Thanks for your video. I will get my cr-6 tomorrow and the information in this videos made me feel safer with my purchase :) two friends use prusa mk3 but didn’t want to put 1000$ on a machine like that as my first printer. Fingers crossed !

Thanks for the video Michael, comprehensive and well presented. 👍🏼

I really liked the question and answer format.

Just picked one up for $170 to replace my ender 3v2. Looks to be a steal.

This is a really good printer for people new to 3d printing. Everything important and complicated is taken care of. It's stable/solid build and seems to be an overall pleasant printer. I have an Anycubic i3 mega which is also easy to use but without auto leveling, so this is even simpler to use than that.

Another great video, awesome stuff to get some very factual answers on this new printer. :-) Give your Prusa Mini the full bondtech upgrades. It makes them perform as they should have out of the box. I fully rate the change of heat break and extruder.

I've backed this, it's a huge bang for your buck!

That abl and a lot else are actually very innovative. Impressive.

Cracking job. If this was out a year ago I would have got it instead of the Ender 3, which probably cost as much with all the upgrades. Are you likely to get the Ender 6 to review? Much more interested in corexy now I have had the Ender 3.

I think this printer is good for the industry. More people can get into 3D printing with less issues. With an Ender 3.0 Pro and a Creality CR-10 V2 My next printer will be a railcore-ii-300zlt!

For what its worth VERY OUTSTANDING! answered alot of my questions.. Thank you very much! :)

Absolutely great job addressing the WHY and HOWs! I very much enjoyed this video (you are well spoken and thorough) as always! Now.. do you hav $379 USD or $700 CAD (exaggeration) lying around doing nothing? - I want it and I have 3 x Ender 3's!!!

6:28 TPU material used and settings please? Maybe include them in the description.

It's bad that it can't work with Linear Advance! It's almost like a standard now. The printing volume is small indeed (for the price). Also a proper full-metal heatbreak should be an option (for the same money). I'm not aiming to print with PLA usually.

Hope to see soon your review for the CR6 Max. I am on the point to consider a large printer (my basic needs are what is supported by this new unit (400x400x400). I saw your other videos of larger printers but the price tag and overall results did not convince me those are the ones I need. This one is "brand new" and seems (despite some shortcomings) to be a good printer with a robust design. I would expect the price to be more affordable soon (600-700) and in the case confirmed it is a good buy, perhaps my choice. Love to see your opinion soon!

I wish you make more video about CR-6 SE like to know what the best settings and some troubleshooting

Laughed pretty hard at your Octoprint terminal window suggesting New South Wales as an autocomplete 😂

I believe Chuck mentioned the build volume being bigger than the Ender 3. The ender 3 bed is 235, but it's listed as 220 build volume, and the Ender 6 is 250 bed size and 235 effective build volume. Edit: Ender 6 is 245x255 physical bed size according to Chuck (7m45s ish into his vid)

Just pre-ordered mine! Kick-start 🤙💯

I have the unit and it’s a nice printer, but there are issues with poor quality parts like the switch. Bugs with the run out sensor and other QC issues. When the bugs are fixed it going to be nice, but right now would not buy this printer until MB burning and Switch burning and filament sensor issues are resolved. Creality is very slow to respond to many user issues.

the biggest problem with this printer is that it is new and nobody is really using it. there are a ton of guides and accessories for ender 3s and cr-10s, but i can't find information like what is the max travel speed or guides on how to do things. i'm not sure that will improve that much, the printer doesn't seem like it will be super popular compared to others.

I never had good long term consistency with any physical based ABL sensors like this and the BLTouch. I wonder how consistent this system will be long term after say 6+ months. Also wanted to add, the strain gauge type setups have been used across various DIY/RepRap projects over the last decade and it's been a mixed bag. Really wish they went with a sensor like the EZABL.

Thanks Michael another informative video!

I think this sounds like a great first printer if money is not an issue. If on a budget the original Ender 3 still shines. For someone like me who has an upgraded CR10S is doesn't make sense as a second printer, as it doesn't do much more. I'm glad I went through the upgrade process, I learned a lot and am comfortable taking things apart. Which brings me to a video suggestion, assuming a user has a good working upgraded Ender 3-ish FDM printer, what would one consider for a second printer? Something that is more accurate? Resin? Bigger volume? Great video as always, thanks!

8:28 "Ask me how I know." Hah!

A friend that wanted a machine that he do not need to hack and modify. At first I recommended this machine but we found out that shipping cost for some places (such as israel) are almost as the price of the machine it self. We were planning to back them up in kickstarter but we can afford the double price for shipping.

I really wish they'd change the ptfe hotends, its the only thing that i consistently get problems with, on all creality printers

I think it is very worth the price and plan on getting one!

This weekend I spent 48 hours diagnosing under extrusion in my Ender 3. Replaced bowden tube, nozzle, the extruder gear and finally the hotend... still very under extruded... It turns out don't ever turn on "Filament > E in mm3" in marlin! As soon as I turned it off problem sorted!

Thanks for this and all your vids. I should be getting my printer tomorrow April 21 2021

I backed the printer on kickstarter for 320 usd. I have an ender 3 but I don't feel comfortable upgrading it yet. I trust creality so I think it will be worth it,.

This will make a nice third printer for me. I am very interested in the bed leveling and touch screen, two things I have not added to my Ender3 PRO. I'm confident Creality will sell these, but am a bit ignorant on how kick starter works to throw money at it in order to save $100. Do you simply give them $320 (the current early bird price) and this pays for your printer? Or is the money given separate and you have to pay later for the printer as well? What about Shipping? How are those fees accounted for? I'm very curious how spare parts will be handled. This would be a worth while project to buy some of these parts and see what can be retro fitted to other printers such as the Enfer 3 assuming the code is open source.

To buy or not to buy, that is the question.

Spot on first-look :) That ABL may not be suited for a "standard" direct drive, but I'd really like to see you try the Flex3drive G5 you already reviewed on the Seckit SK-GO as a possible upgrade on this new machine: I wonder if a lighter (in)direct drive would be a good trade-off or if the peculiar ABL system of this machine is too edgy even for that.

Naomi did a review too ... and you get to taste the rainbow too

Own it. Love it.

i backed it, im really exited for it

I would love to get that ABL for my Ender 3.

Thanks. I will get this

Thank you

Been using my Ender 3 Pro for Face Shield frame production. I was looking into upgrading it and then heard about the Kickstarter for the 6 SE and decided to get the 6 SE. By the time the 6 SE comes in my poor Ender 3 may be worn out from all the face shield printing.

I've seen some interested feature, bed clamps. Ender3 has ordinary clamps, Ender5 magnetic base plate and this one some new types of clamps. However I guess base plate is most likely the same like Ender3.

I can see difficulties in proper bed probing if the nozzle has some melted filament stuck to it, especially since it seems the firmware doesn`t allow for bed leveling with a heated nozzle. On the other hand if the machine retains its Z-offset with the fixed bed I can see it as no problem to set it once and forget about it. I don`t know about production machines but this seems to be 8-bit board? Creality cheapens out again. That extruder looks problematic aswell and I`m guessing its plastic? I like the quick release clamps on the glass bed and the fact that it`s a fixed bed like the Prusa should insure better overall consistency over time. At almost 450 US it`s awfully expensive and there are better, bigger machines for the price.

Considering it's only ~$50 more than the Ender 3 Pro I purchased a year and a half ago, for the added features and the QOL upgrades, I think the price is pretty decent (for the KS).

Thanks! Very informative!

The smile of Michael at the end of his videos is a reminder of the vampire family he is coming from. But don't worry, nowadays vampires only drink blood from cows in sterile plastic bags. Otherwise the Winchester brothers would arrive to end the problem. Yes Australia is a long way for the Winchesters but Michael is careful. Happy Vampire 3D printing :)

Thank you for this good video!

Love your videos! Just subscribed :)

I've backed this on Kickstarter and it'll be my 1st printer. It looks a lot more refined than their current printers, so hoping it will give more consistent results out of the box. I'm wondering given that a strain gauge is used to achieve the auto bed levelling if there is any effect on accuracy due to temperature dependence of the strain gauge. I see the display board you show in your unit seems to have an area and pads to solder on a WiFi board. Also interested in how well the belt tensioners work. I'll probably go with the 32-bit board, guessing it'll be more capable but maybe less support initially.

I wish i could use cr-6 se extruder, bed leveling, bed locking system and filament runout sensor on my ender 3, that would be very big upgrade for me, beacause for now I have almost stock ender 3: extruder, stock bed springs, no bed leveling. One upgrade that is bought by me for my ender 3 is a magnetic creality bed sheet.

Michael please do a video on setting up PINDA 2 probe in Marlin 2.0 including temperature compensation.

Great info and well presented

What does Creality already sell for the same price as a CR-6 that prints twice as fast? A pair of Ender 3s.

Being only 15mm bigger than the Ender3 it's not a great upgrade path, but even if it was 250mm it would still in that dead man's zone between E3 and CR10, ie, if you needed bigger, 30mm is a poor upgrade. 1st time purchase makes sense, but they should just label it Ender3 Extreme.

Seems to have basic design flaws that the PRUSA solved long ago, like a single narrow rail to mount the bed, and plastic wheels, and the non-solid gantry frame.

Looks like the warranty card could use some editting by someone who speaks English (well) to clean it up a bit. might be worth having it editted prior to shipping thousands of them out to the US.

It's brave, quite expensive for what it offers and I can't believe they even considered an 8 bit board in 2020. Clearly a good printer but is is good enough that's Cr10v2 pricing without the build volume

Why do you suggest that hot end "fix"? It changes the pivot point of the Bowden tube, making it easier to pull out.

So refurb’d ones go for $220 on Comgrow. $20 more than an Ender 3 V2. Seems worth it to me.

Great run down. For me the crunch question is how did the results compare to the SecKit that you felt was your best printer yet?

when you do your review. please compare it to the Prusia MK3. I think this printer could well give knock that!

got 2 se 6 love them