Printer comparison
Anycubic Kobra 3 Max vs Rat Rig V-Core 4
Compare hardware, build volume, printing specifications, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore Anycubic Kobra 3 Max comparisonsMore Rat Rig V-Core 4 comparisons
| Property | Anycubic Kobra 3 MaxBEDSLINGER | Rat Rig V-Core 4COREXY |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Brand | Anycubic | Rat Rig |
| Class | BEDSLINGER | COREXY |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Manufacturer & exact marketed model name (verify the exact product identity first) | Anycubic Kobra 3 Max[1] | Rat Rig V-Core 4, sold in the US as "RatRig V-Core 4 3D Printer Kit"[2] |
| Release date (announcement and actual shipping) | Listed on the Anycubic store from 19 February 2025 (Shopify publish date)[3] | Not documented |
| Street price (USD; dated snapshot per entry) | $429.00 with a US plug on store.anycubic.com, Aug 2026, against a compare-at price of $699.00 ($493.00 for the EU plug variant)[3] | $2,319.99 at Fabreeko for the fully-specified US kit (price includes shipping and duty in the continental USA), Batch 4, checked Aug 2026. 300 mm ABS-parts variant in stock, 400 mm down to one unit. Rat Rig's own base kit is priced separately in EUR[2][4] |
| Variants & sibling models — and how to tell them apart (spec-contamination risk) | Same 420 x 420 x 500 mm build volume as the older Kobra 2 Max, so build volume will not tell them apart - but the Kobra 3 Max is faster (600 mm/s claimed against 500), runs Kobra OS with multi-colour support and a 4.3-inch touchscreen, and is lighter at 19 kg against 21 kg. Its acceleration ceiling is 10000 mm/s2, half the 20000 mm/s2 of the smaller Kobra 3 - a difference the marketing does not lead with[1][5][6] | Three sizes (300, 400, 500 mm cubes) and three motion configurations: Standard CoreXY, Hybrid CoreXY (+$149.99, adds two motors to Y), and IDEX with two independent toolheads (+$450.00). Superseded by the V-Core 4.1. Raspberry Pi and enclosure panels are not included[2][4] |
| Market position: superseded? successor announced? | Not documented | Superseded by the V-Core 4.1, which adds a steel X gantry, a full-metal toolhead, improved part cooling, 8 mm beds on the 400 and 500 sizes and pre-made cables. Rat Rig sells a 4.1 upgrade kit for existing V-Core 4 owners[4] |
| Physical & Frame | ||
| Build volume X×Y×Z (mm) — advertised vs actually usable | 420 x 420 x 500 mm, which Anycubic states as 88 L[1] | 300 x 300 x 300, 400 x 400 x 400 or 500 x 500 x 500 mm. Sortable value is the 300 mm kit[2][4] |
| Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang) | 706 x 640 x 753 mm[1] | Not documented |
| Net weight (kg) | 19 kg[1] | Not documented |
| Frame construction & material | Not documented | 30-series aluminium extrusion with printed ABS structural parts[2][4] |
| Enclosure: open / enclosed; panel material; door/lid | Open frame, no enclosure[1] | Open by default; enclosure panels sold separately[2] |
| Kinematics & Motion Hardware | ||
| Kinematics (bedslinger i3 / CoreXY / other) | Anycubic's table gives the construction as "Gantry System" - a bed-slinger, with dual Y-axis motors added to stop layer misalignment on the large moving bed[1] | CoreXY, or Hybrid CoreXY, or Hybrid CoreXY IDEX depending on the configuration ordered[2] |
| Belts (type, width, e.g. Gates?) | Semi-automatic belt tensioning, which Anycubic pairs with motor anti-skip[1] | Not documented |
| Stepper drivers (exact model e.g. TMC2209; UART/SPI; sensorless homing?) | Not documented | TMC2209[2] |
| Speed & Acceleration | ||
| Max print speed (claimed, mm/s) | 600 mm/s maximum print speed (manufacturer claim), 300 mm/s recommended[1] | Not documented |
| Recommended/typical print speed | 300 mm/s recommended print speed (manufacturer figure)[1] | Not documented |
| Max acceleration (claimed, mm/s²) | 10000 mm/s2 maximum acceleration - half the ceiling of the smaller Kobra 3, because of the moving mass[1][6] | Not documented |
| Extruder | ||
| Type (direct drive / bowden) & design name | Direct drive ("short distance extrusion") with a quick-release hotend[1] | LDO Orbiter 2.0 direct-drive extruder[2] |
| Hotend & Nozzle | ||
| Hotend design (proprietary/standard; quick-swap mechanism?) | 300 C quick-release hotend with an aerospace-grade ceramic composite throat tube; 0.4 mm standard nozzle, expandable to 0.6 and 0.8 mm[1] | Phaetus Rapido 2.0 UHF[2] |
| Max nozzle temp claimed AND firmware max temp limit (both values) | 300 C maximum nozzle temperature[1] | Not documented |
| Heated Bed & Surface | ||
| Max bed temp claimed AND firmware limit | 90 C maximum hotbed temperature on a PEI spring steel plate - 20 C below the smaller Kobra 3[1][6] | Not documented |
| Heat-up time to 60°C (measured preferred) | Anycubic claims the ultra-large hotbed heats up in 125 s; no target temperature is stated for that figure and it is a manufacturer claim, not a measurement[1] | Not documented |
| Bed surface (material, texture, coating), single/double-sided | Not documented | Keenovo silicone bed heater[2] |
| Leveling & Z-Offset | ||
| Auto bed leveling: probe technology (inductive / strain gauge / load cell / touch probe) | LeviQ 3.0 auto-levelling with Z-offset and area levelling[1] | Beacon eddy-current probe[2] |
| Filament Handling & Detection | ||
| Filament runout sensor (type, location) | Filament detection with auto resume, entanglement detection and power-loss resume[1] | Not documented |
| Multi-material/multi-color capability or official upgrade path | Supports 4- or 8-colour printing with ACE Pro units[1] | Not documented |
| Cooling & Air Handling | ||
| Part-cooling fan(s): count, size, ducting design | Not documented | Nidec 4028 part-cooling fan[2] |
| Electronics & Power | ||
| Mainboard model & MCU (exact chip markings if teardowns exist) | Not documented | BigTreeTech Octopus[2] |
| Firmware & Openness | ||
| Firmware base & current version (Klipper fork / Marlin fork / proprietary) | Kobra OS; Anycubic Slicer Next is built on the open-source Orca slicer[1] | RatOS, Rat Rig's Klipper distribution[4] |
| Connectivity, UI & Camera | ||
| Display: size, type, touch? | 4.3-inch capacitive touchscreen[1] | Not documented |
| On-device UI capabilities (model preview, per-object controls, etc.) | Touchscreen plus slicer, Anycubic app and USB (print only); AI spaghetti detection and object skip supported[1] | Not documented |
| WiFi (band/standard), Ethernet, USB ports, SD/flash-drive | Printer UI, slicing software, Anycubic app and USB drive (print only)[1] | Not documented |
| Calibration Routines & QoL | ||
| Assembly level & time from unbox to first print | Not documented | Self-assembly kit; Raspberry Pi and enclosure panels sourced separately[2] |
| Materials Support | ||
| Officially supported filament list | PLA, PETG, TPU (TPU is not compatible with the ACE Pro)[1] | Not documented |
| Noise & Power Consumption | ||
| Noise: claimed dB and independently measured dB (distance/method) | 60 dB or less in standard mode - a manufacturer figure with no distance or method stated; markedly higher than the 46-48 dB Anycubic claims for the Kobra S1 and Kobra 4[1][7][8] | Not documented |
| 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[9] | 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
- Anycubic Kobra 3 Max product page (Specifications table) store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- RatRig V-Core 4 kit (US distributor listing) fabreeko.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Anycubic Kobra 3 Max Shopify product JSON (variant prices and store publish date) store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Rat Rig V-Core 4.1 product page ratrig.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Anycubic Kobra 2 Max store page and Shopify product JSON (Tech Specs block, price, store publish date) store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Anycubic Kobra 3 Combo product page (Specifications table) store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Anycubic Kobra S1 product page (Specifications table) store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Anycubic Kobra 4 product page (Specifications table) store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Anycubic refund and warranty policy store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor