3D Printing Info

Printer comparison

Anycubic Kobra 3 Combo vs FlashForge AD5X

Compare hardware, build volume, printing specifications, dated prices and sources.

2 selected · all documented properties

Anycubic Kobra 3 Combo vs FlashForge AD5X — documented properties and sources
PropertyAnycubic Kobra 3 ComboBEDSLINGERFlashForge AD5XCOREXY
Identity
BrandAnycubicFlashForge
ClassBEDSLINGERCOREXY
Identity & Market
Manufacturer & exact marketed model name (verify the exact product identity first)Anycubic Kobra 3 Combo - the Kobra 3 sold together with the ACE Pro filament unit[1]Flashforge AD5X, sold as "AD5X - Multicolor 3D Printer for High-Speed, Full-Color Printing"[2][3]
Release date (announcement and actual shipping)Listed on the Anycubic store from 30 April 2024 (Shopify publish date)[4]Not documented
Street price (USD; dated snapshot per entry)$329.00 with a US plug on store.anycubic.com, Aug 2026 ($355.00 for the EU plug variant)[4]$399.00 sale against a $549.00 compare-at price on flashforge.com, in stock, with a further $50 off at checkout, checked Aug 2026. A refurbished AD5X is listed at $315.00[2][3]
Variants & sibling models — and how to tell them apart (spec-contamination risk)Two things to watch here. First, the Combo is printer plus ACE Pro; the ACE Pro alone weighs 4.6 kg and measures 366 x 283 x 235 mm, so plan bench space for both. Second, Anycubic's own specification table on this page mixes generations - the weight row reads "Kobra 3 V2 - 9.2kg" while the package row reads "Kobra 3 - 12kg", and a separate Kobra 3 V2 Combo product is listed at the same price. Treat any single figure from this page as needing confirmation against the exact SKU[1][4][5]Shares the 220 mm Adventurer chassis with the 5M and 5M Pro but differs on the points that matter: 300 °C nozzle (vs 280 °C), 4-colour IFS unit, NO air filtration, NO auto shutdown, and a 300 mm/s print speed against a 600 mm/s travel speed. 3DJake and eolasprints both describe it as open-frame[2][6][7][8]
Physical & Frame
Build volume X×Y×Z (mm) — advertised vs actually usable250 x 250 x 260 mm; Anycubic quotes a 16.25 L maximum printing volume[1]220 x 220 x 220 mm advertised[2][6]
Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang)452.9 x 504.7 x 483 mm for the printer; the ACE Pro is a separate 365.94 x 282.84 x 234.5 mm box[1]Not documented
Net weight (kg)Anycubic's table gives "Kobra 3 V2 - 9.2kg" for the machine weight and "Kobra 3 - 12kg" for the package weight, plus 4.6 kg for the ACE Pro - the two rows do not refer to the same thing, so treat 9.2 kg as the machine and 12 kg as shipping weight[1]Not documented
Enclosure: open / enclosed; panel material; door/lidOpen frame, no enclosure[1]Open frame, no enclosure and no air filtration — FlashForge's own table records "Air Filtration: No". Chamber lighting and remote monitoring are listed as expandable options rather than fitted[2][7]
Kinematics & Motion Hardware
Kinematics (bedslinger i3 / CoreXY / other)Anycubic's specification table gives the construction as "Gantry System" - it is a bed-slinger, not the CoreXY layout used by the Kobra S1 series[1][9]CoreXY[7]
Speed & Acceleration
Max print speed (claimed, mm/s)600 mm/s maximum print speed (manufacturer claim), with 300 mm/s recommended[1]FlashForge publishes two separate figures: max travel speed 600 mm/s and max print speed 300 mm/s. The 300 mm/s print figure is the one that describes printing[2][6]
Recommended/typical print speed300 mm/s recommended print speed (manufacturer figure)[1]Not documented
Max acceleration (claimed, mm/s²)20000 mm/s2 maximum acceleration, 10000 mm/s2 recommended (manufacturer claims)[1]20,000 mm/s2 maximum (manufacturer claim)[2][6]
Extruder
Type (direct drive / bowden) & design nameDirect drive (Anycubic's term is "short distance extrusion")[1]Direct drive, one extruder, fed by the 4-colour Intelligent Filament System (IFS)[2]
Hotend & Nozzle
Hotend design (proprietary/standard; quick-swap mechanism?)300 C quick-release hotend; 0.4 mm standard nozzle, expandable to 0.6 and 0.8 mm[1]Not documented
Max nozzle temp claimed AND firmware max temp limit (both values)300 C maximum nozzle temperature (manufacturer figure)[1]300 °C claimed[2][6]
Stock nozzle size & sizes included in boxNot documented0.4 mm default; 0.25, 0.6 and 0.8 mm optional[2][6]
Heated Bed & Surface
Max bed temp claimed AND firmware limit110 C maximum hotbed temperature on a PEI spring steel build plate[1]110 °C claimed[2][6]
Bed surface (material, texture, coating), single/double-sidedNot documentedPEI flexible spring-steel sheet[2][6]
Leveling & Z-Offset
Auto bed leveling: probe technology (inductive / strain gauge / load cell / touch probe)LeviQ 3.0 auto-levelling with Z-offset, plus area levelling[1]Automatic levelling; probe technology not named[2][6]
Filament Handling & Detection
Filament runout sensor (type, location)Filament detection with auto resume, filament entanglement detection, nozzle clog detection and power-loss resume[1]Filament detection fitted; type and location not published[2][6]
Multi-material/multi-color capability or official upgrade path4-colour printing with one ACE Pro, or up to 8 colours with two units[1]Four-colour printing via the integrated Intelligent Filament System (IFS), which handles filament switching[2]
Firmware & Openness
Firmware base & current version (Klipper fork / Marlin fork / proprietary)Kobra OS. Anycubic's slicer, Anycubic Slicer Next, is stated to be built on the open-source Orca slicer[1]Not named by FlashForge; the supported slicers are Orca-Flashforge and OrcaSlicer[2]
Connectivity, UI & Camera
Display: size, type, touch?4.3-inch capacitive touchscreen with a 30-60 degree adjustable tilt[1]Not documented
On-device UI capabilities (model preview, per-object controls, etc.)Touchscreen plus Anycubic Slicer Next, the Anycubic app and USB (print only); AI spaghetti detection and object skip are supported[1]Not documented
WiFi (band/standard), Ethernet, USB ports, SD/flash-drivePrinter UI, slicing software, Anycubic app and USB drive (print only)[1]USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi[2][6]
Camera: built-in / optional? Resolution & framerate (verify — marketing often omits real fps)Camera is optional on the Kobra 3 - a 720p HD unit, not fitted as standard, unlike the Kobra S1, Kobra 4 and Kobra X[1][9][10]Not documented
Power-Loss & Interruption Recovery
Power-loss recovery: mechanism (how is state saved? capacitor / eeprom / file on shutdown?)Not documentedPower-outage recovery supported; mechanism not published[2][6]
Materials Support
Officially supported filament listPLA, PETG and TPU, and Anycubic notes TPU is not compatible with the ACE Pro multi-material unit[1]PETG, PLA, TPU95A, TPU64D-75D, PLA-CF, PETG-CF[2][6]
Reliability, Support & Ecosystem
Warranty length & support reputation (evidence, not vibes)One year on the complete machine (excluding gifted and second-hand machines), with component warranty periods that vary by part; the period starts on the delivery date and is suspended while a replacement is in transit. Anycubic states it will follow longer local statutory periods where they apply[11]Not documented

Manufacturer claims, independent measurements, packages and test conditions retain their source wording. FDM linear speed and resin vertical speed use different units and are not directly comparable. Unknown values are marked “Not documented”. Prices and source dates remain historical snapshots; check the linked guide for product details. Differences highlight text, not a universal winner.

Sources for this comparison

  1. Anycubic Kobra 3 Combo product page (Specifications table) store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  2. Flashforge AD5X multicolour 3D printer product page flashforge.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  3. Flashforge store product feed (live prices and stock) flashforge.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  4. Anycubic Kobra 3 Combo Shopify product JSON (variant prices and store publish date) store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. Anycubic store 3D printers collection (current line-up and headline prices, Aug 2026) store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. FlashForge AD5X technical data table 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Flashforge printer buyer's guide, 5M to Creator 5 eolasprints.com · 2026-08 · review
  8. Flashforge Adventurer 5M Pro product page flashforge.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. Anycubic Kobra S1 product page (Specifications table) store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. Anycubic Kobra 4 product page (Specifications table) store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. Anycubic refund and warranty policy store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor