Anet ET5X

When it comes to budget 3D printers, Anet offers a range of cheap, good 3D printers. And its ET5 series is a solid option. In particular, the Anet ET5X is one of the best budget 3D printers on the market. With a slew of premium features, an enormous build platform, and simple assembly, it’s a compelling option for both seasoned makers and 3D printing enthusiasts alike. If you’re looking for a good cheap 3D printer, the Anet ET5X is a solid choice that delivers impressive print quality.

Despite its budget price tag, the Anet ET5X sports a slew of premium features. Auto leveling streamlines the setup process, while print resume and recovery ensures that you can continue a print job in the event of a power outage. Automatic filament loading and unloading works at the touch of a button. Its modular design lets you assemble the Anet ET5X in as little as 10 minutes. And dual Z-axis, as well as dual motors, provide smooth movements. Operation is nearly silent. But print quality is where the ET5X really succeeds. Out of the box, the Anet ET5 produces gorgeous prints with little to no fiddling. It’s impressive to the point of competing with printers worth well more than its modest price tag. Unfortunately, the printed assembly instructions leave a bit to be desired. And in CURA, there isn’t an Anet ET5X profile, instead there’s merely an ET5 configuration. Still, printing worked well and assembly isn’t particularly challenging, especially with helpful video installation tutorials.

Because the Anet ET5X is a semi-assembled DIY 3D printer kit, it requires a little assembly. It’s as simple as affixing the Z-axis to the print bed, looping the X-axis belt through the X-axis and inserting the hotend, then plugging in a few cables. While assembly is fairly straightforward, the printed instructions leave a bit to be desired. Thankfully, there are several helpful ET5X assembly videos including an official Anet video guide. As such, it’s a breeze to assemble. In fact, leveling the bed manually took longer than assembly. Although it’s a somewhat do-it-yourself printer, the ET5X arrives mostly put together.

Bed leveling is simple, and there’s an automatic bed leveling feature as well. Still, it’s necessary to first manually level the print bed as close as possible before running the 25-point matrix automatic leveling feature. Unlike my Anet ET4, the leveling sensor is built into the hotend rather than as an external sensor that needs to be installed before leveling, then removed before printing. Within less than a half hour, I went from opening the box to printing the first test print.