Difference Between Ender 3 and Ender 3 V2

Ender 3 and Ender 3 V2 are among the most popular 3D Printers in Creality’s Ender 3 series. Both are budget-friendly and good for beginners. That’s why so many people, including those starting out, have shown interest in these 3D Printers. Today, we compare these two 3D Printers to help you what to buy according to your needs and preferences.

Let’s start with the basics, here are their technical specifications:

	ENDER 3	ENDER 3 V2
BUILD VOLUME	220 x 220 x 250mm	220 x 220 x 250mm
BUILD PLATE	BuildTak style sticker	Carborundum Glass
BED LEVELING	Manual	Manual
MAX. BED TEMP.	100°C	100°C
MAX. NOZZLE TEMP.	240°C	255°C
MAX. PRINT SPEED	180 mm/s	180 mm/s
MATERIALS	PLA, TPU, ABS, PETG	PLA, TPU, ABS, PETG
MAINBOARD	V.4.2.2 (non-silent)	V.4.2.2 (non-silent)
UI	LCD (rotary knob)	LCD (rotary knob)

Of course, this table is not enough right? So let’s dive into the most detailed features of these 3D Printers.

Mainboard

The noise that comes from the 3D Printer can be bothering most of the time. That’s why most users would want a silent board because it is better to live with. Right? But it doesn’t mean to be actually silent but a quieter one.

For Ender 3 it will be a non-silent board but for Ender 3 V2, there is a 32-bit silent motherboard.

Build Volume

Both of these 3D Printers have the same build volume 220 x 220 x 250mm, a medium-sized to think about. This is also the reason why it is suitable for beginners who tend to explore what to print. Of course, they will start in smaller prints. But if you are looking for larger than this, there are other options of 3D printers out there.

Build Plate

One of the differences between these two is their build plates. Ender 3 features a BuildTak style print bed sticker while Ender 3 V2 features a carborundum glass bed.

We can say that this carborundum glass bed of Ender 3 V2 is much more improved than the print bed of Ender 3. It has better adhesion and the model can be easier to remove. Smooth isn’t it?

Extrusion

The basic use of the extruder is to push the filament through a heated nozzle. And there are two setups: a direct drive extruder wherein it pushes the filament directly to the nozzle and a Bowden extruder where it is mounted on the printer’s frame that pushes and pulls the filament through a long Bowden tube until it gets into the hot end.

Well, for these two, both have Bowden extruders. The extruder itself on these two is Creality’s MK8 style extruder which made this setup slightly better for flexible filaments. Additionally, the Ender 3 V2 has a rotary knob on the extruder to operate conveniently.

UI

For Ender 3, there is a simple and easy-to-use UI. From its bases, you will see an LCD screen displaying a shade of blue where you can control this using the rotary knob attached to it.

While Ender 3 V2 is equipped with an HD color screen (take note: not a touchscreen) and is also controlled using a rotary knob. And unexpectedly, this screen is detachable! As long as the cable is connected, you can remove the screen.

Belt Tensioning

It is good that the Ender 3 V2 comes with a brand new XY-axis tensioner that supports the adjusting of the belt tension when it is loose. Whereas in Ender 3, the better option is an upgrade.

Conclusion

As you can see, both these 3D Printers have identical technical specifications. Both of them can print with the same filaments, offer consistent quality, and are easy to use for beginners. The choice between these two mostly depends on the user’s budget. 

If you don’t own any of these yet, and you are into extra features and improvements, go for Ender 3 V2. But if you are considering also the budget, start with Ender 3. 

If you already have Ender 3, just upgrade that to have the same features as Ender 3 V2. Got it?