The Ender 3 did very well in the test at the end of 2018.Is it still worth buying, or should you go for one of the more expensive successor models?TechStage highlights the key differences between Creality3D's Ender models.For hobbyists in particular, the costs of getting started with 3D printing should be kept within limits.In addition, users want working technology out of the box;without much tinkering and with a sensible print image.The cheapest filament printers are available from just under 100 euros, but you quickly get to a handicraft shop that can hardly be got up and running without in-depth know-how.A sad example is the Anet ET4 (test report), which basically delivers great results, but in practice turns out to be a hodgepodge of faulty designs.An alternative to the FDM printers that melt plastic together are SLA printers that work with liquid resin.They produce nicer prints and aren't much more expensive, but they have smaller build envelopes and require working with smelly chemicals.More about the two different printing technologies in the article UV resin or plastic filament: 3D printer in comparison.The Ender 3 from Creality3D (test report) particularly stood out in our FDM printer tests.There is now a newer version, the Ender 3 Pro.In addition, the manufacturer now has three different Ender 5 models on offer.We looked at the differences.The Ender 3 comes to the customer as a self-build kit.The manufacturer's instructions are ok compared to other printers, but leave a few questions unanswered.Assembling the pre-assembled components takes about one and a half hours and, thanks to the support of numerous tutorials on the Internet, is also possible for laypeople without any major problems - but you have to know that you have to have the time to get used to it.During the printing process, the print head moves along the X-axis and Z-axis.The movements of the Y-axis are carried out by the motorized printing bed.With dimensions of 220 × 220 × 250 mm, the installation space is sufficiently large for most hobby applications.The low price of 200 euros is not evident from the printer or the printed products.Once the Ender 3 is assembled and properly calibrated, it does a better than average job.One of the biggest shortcomings is that the surface of the printing bed is not quite flat in many copies.This sometimes causes massive liability problems, misprints and thus dissatisfaction.The adhesion of the filament on the print bed surface can at least be improved with a few tools (3D print beds: Better adhesion for standard filaments).If the surface is very uneven, only replacing the print bed will help.PLA, PETG and Wood filaments work very well with the budget printer and without further conversion measures.Our guides for standard filament and exotic filament show what this means in concrete terms.With the elastic, almost rubbery TPU filament, the Ender 3, like all other Bowden extruders, is a bit bitchy.With the appropriate tuning parts that you can print out yourself (Thingiverse) and the correct print settings, the flexible material also works.Since there is no closed installation space/pressure space, ABS is difficult to process.Although there are self-made solutions for this, experience has shown that we prefer processing PETG, which is also very stable and less demanding.A closed installation space is also not necessary for this.A big advantage of the 3-model is the huge community in connection with numerous instructions and tuning parts to print out.The high reliability and low price of the Ender 3 have attracted a lot of attention.The manufacturer Creality 3D took advantage of this popularity and released an improved version with the Ender 3 Pro.The price difference between the two printers has shrunk from 100 euros to just under 40 euros.But is the extra cost worth it?The changes are only visible at second glance.The Ender 3 Pro has been made a little more stable overall.Replacing some aluminum rails and the guide rollers ensures smoother running, greater torsional rigidity and slightly lower noise levels.In practice, this results in fewer movements during the printing process and an overall better print quality.Creality3D has the problem of uneven print beds much better under control with the Pro series.In addition, the manufacturer has given the Pro model a magnetic print bed pad.Although this makes it easier to remove finished printed products, the solution can also be easily retrofitted.Corresponding print runs cost around 20 to 30 euros.The change in the positioning of the fan and the new design of the screws for aligning the print bed does not bring any major practical advantage from our point of view.If you want, you can also carry out these two upgrades with parts you have printed out yourself.A higher-quality power supply unit is also installed.With the Ender 5, Creality3D has a significantly more expensive version in its range.Thanks to the improved instructions, assembling the pre-assembled individual parts is easier and faster than with the 3-series - despite a significantly larger number of parts.Despite the still open installation space, the Ender 5 looks more stable and bulky at first glance.The manufacturer has designed the printer to be significantly more massive and torsion-resistant overall.This is also noticeable in the adjusting screws and springs of the printing bed.The installation space in the direction of the Y-axis is 50 mm larger than that of the Ender 3 series.The power supply is a certified model from Meanwell.The Ender 3 only has a Chinese no-name power supply.However, it must also be said that the current versions of the Ender 3 are based on a version 1.1.4 mainboard, which has thermal continuity protection.If the temperature of the print head and print bed does not rise as it should, this causes an automatic switch-off after 20 seconds.Only the previous version 1.1.3 is used in the Ender 5, the thermal protection is missing here.Another difference is the way the print head moves.This now always stays at the same height and instead travels along the X and Y axes.The print bed takes over the movements along the Z-axis.While the 3-series models come with an MK8 hotend, the Ender 5 uses an improved version called the MK10.In practice, filament jams and blockages occur less frequently.The magnetic print bed overlay of the Ender 3 Pro is also used in the Ender 5.The print bed itself is a bit larger, but the heat output is identical to that of its predecessor.Uneven print beds are no problem with the 5 series.Power failures or empty filament rolls shouldn't be a problem with the Ender 5 either.In addition to a filament sensor, an auto-resume function is also integrated.This enables a print to be continued even if the printing process is aborted or paused (e.g. if the filament roll is empty or there is a power failure).However, the manufacturer also does without an automatic print bed calibration with the Ender 5. This is where the very active community comes into play again.If you want, you can also make numerous modifications and improvements to the 5 Series yourself.Suitable print templates and tutorials can also be found here on Thingiverse, for example.As with the previous versions, the print image of the Ender 5 is very good.With the right settings and proper calibration, first-class printing results are possible.The Ender 5 is also available as a Pro version for a surcharge of a good 80 euros.In return, the user gets the newer silent mainboard including quieter motor drivers.This, together with the pre-installed Marlin 1.1.8, enables quieter operation and more precise control.The thermal continuity protection missing from the standard model is finally present in the Pro version.A revised, all-metal extruder combined with a higher-quality PTFE feed hose ensure improved reliability in filament feeding.The Ender 5 Pro is therefore more suitable for exotic filament types and the flexible TPU without further modifications.The rest of the specifications, including the magnetic print bed support, are largely identical to those of the Ender 5.Incidentally, the back of the control panel is not integrated in a housing in any of the printers mentioned so far.As with the other Ender versions, there are of course suitable solutions for the Ender 5 Pro that you can print yourself.As the name suggests, the Ender 5 Plus primarily offers more space.With the build space grown to 250 × 350 × 400 mm and the massive Ender 5 design, the Plus looks huge compared to the Ender 3. In order to achieve reliable Z-axis operation at maximum print size, Creality3D has modified the construction in some places amplified and modified.The power supply and monitor are integrated directly into the printer housing on the largest Ender and are therefore stored more stylishly and securely.The Creality Board V2.2 with thermal protection is used as the mainboard.The removable print bed of the Ender 5 Plus is made of glass.This allows for a good hold of the filament and comfortable handling.A highlight of the Plus version is the factory-installed BLTouch sensor.This measures the printing plate and allows much more precise leveling of the printing bed in the event of deviations on the Z-axis.In practice, this means less effort and more reliable operation.Filament sensor and auto-resume function are also on board the Plus.With the right settings, the print image should also be very neat on the Plus.With the use of the entire installation space and a high quality requirement, however, a little more initiative is required here because of the smaller community when making the settings.Ultimately, however, this is complaining at a high level, because there is still sufficient help.Despite its age and the many successor models, the Ender 3 is still a good and, above all, very inexpensive 3D printer for beginners.Print image and the huge community clearly speak for the standard ender - despite the no-name power supply.Since the price difference compared to the Pro version is now only a good 40 euros, we would still go for the successor model.The better pressure plate, the practical magnet support and the higher stability justify the surcharge.The Ender 5 offers a little more installation space and in particular improves comfort compared to the 3 series.The filament sensor, magnetic print run and auto-resume function are practical, but they do not improve the printed image or security.Due to the lack of thermal continuity protection, this is only partially better than in the Ender 3, despite the higher quality power supply. The Ender 5 Pro offers sensible thermal continuity protection and has improved filament routing.However, the additional price of almost 80 euros does not justify it.The Ender 5 Plus offers significantly more space and, thanks to the BLTouch sensor, finally a simplified leveling of the print bed.The integration of the electronics in the housing and the glass print bed look professional and look less like DIY.However, the fat surcharge of 229 euros compared to the standard Ender 5 is full.From a purely technical point of view, the plus is not worth this higher investment.Only the large installation space justifies the additional costs.The Ender 3 (test report) is still a good choice for beginners with a limited budget.The large and still very active community alone makes the Ender 3 a recommendable FDM printer.Because of the low price difference, we would still go for the successor model, the Ender 3 Pro.In our opinion, the surcharge for the standard Ender 5 is not worth it.Ultimately, it offers only a minimally larger installation space and a little bit more comfort.If reliability, comfort and high-quality hardware are more important than a low price, the Ender 5 Pro is a well-equipped mid-range printer with decent features.Measured by the print result, upgrading from Ender 3 Pro to Ender 5 or Ender 5 Pro is not worth it.The price of the Ender 5 Plus is only worthwhile if you really need the large installation space.From a technical point of view, the Plus offers some practical extra functions, but these can also be retrofitted in some form to all Ender models.If it is not the size but the accuracy of the print products that is decisive, we recommend using a DLP or resin printer.Entry-level models such as the Elegoo Mars (test report) or the Nova3d Elfin (test report) cost between 230 and 320 euros and enable a significantly higher print resolution.- The links marked with are commission links (affiliate links).If an order is placed via such a link, TechStage receives a commission.This does not result in any additional costs for the buyer.