Creality Ender-3 V3 SE Review: The Budget Printer, Honestly
The cheapest way into 3D printing that still prints well. What you give up against a Bambu A1, and who should still buy it.
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The Ender-3 has been the starting point for 3D printing for years. The V3 SE is the current budget version. It is far easier than the old kit, and it still costs much less than anything self-calibrating.
What has improved
Older Enders made you level the bed by hand with a sheet of paper. The V3 SE has a CR Touch probe for levelling and a strain sensor that sets the nozzle height. Those are the two jobs that defeated most beginners. Assembly is three steps.
The Sprite extruder is direct drive, so it prints flexible TPU as well as PLA and PETG. A dual Z-axis keeps the gantry level.
What it lacks
Against a Bambu A1:
- No Wi-Fi: files go on an SD card.
- No camera, no filament run-out sensor, no touchscreen.
- 250 mm/s top speed against the A1’s 500 mm/s. In practice prints take noticeably longer.
- A smaller 220 x 220 x 250 mm volume.
Reviewers also report heat creep in hot rooms, where filament softens too early and jams. Some of the bed’s weight moving under tall prints shows up as wobble.
Who should buy it
Someone who wants to learn how a printer works and enjoys upgrading it. The design is conventional and parts are everywhere. For someone who wants to print parts, not tune a printer, the A1’s price premium buys back hours.
What works
- Auto bed levelling with a CR Touch plus a strain-sensor Z-offset handles the first-layer setup that older Enders left to you
- Sprite direct-drive extruder prints flexible TPU, which many budget printers struggle with
- A dual Z-axis keeps the gantry level and helps tall prints
- Open, conventional design that you can repair and upgrade with common parts
What doesn't
- No Wi-Fi, camera or filament run-out sensor; files go on an SD card
- No touchscreen, so its menus are clunky
- A bed-slinger tops out at 250 mm/s, and tall prints can pick up wobble from the moving bed
- Reviewers report heat creep when printing in a hot room