Printer comparison
Anycubic Kobra S1 Max vs FlashForge AD5X
Compare hardware, build volume, printing specifications, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore Anycubic Kobra S1 Max comparisonsMore FlashForge AD5X comparisons
| Property | Anycubic Kobra S1 MaxCOREXY | FlashForge AD5XCOREXY |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Brand | Anycubic | FlashForge |
| Class | COREXY | COREXY |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Manufacturer & exact marketed model name (verify the exact product identity first) | Anycubic Kobra S1 Max[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 16 January 2026 (Shopify publish date)[4] | Not documented |
| Street price (USD; dated snapshot per entry) | $699.00 with a US plug on store.anycubic.com, Aug 2026, against a compare-at price of $899.00 ($804.00 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) | The large enclosed Anycubic. Against the Kobra S1: 350 mm cube against 250 (Anycubic claims 174% more volume), 350 C hardened-steel nozzle against 320 C, 65 C active chamber heating that the S1 lacks entirely, a titanium-alloy throat tube and hardened-steel extruder gears, an activated carbon filter, 720p camera against 480p, and 25.7 kg against 9.37 kg. Its engineering-filament list is correspondingly longer[1][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 usable | 350 x 350 x 350 mm[1] | 220 x 220 x 220 mm advertised[2][6] |
| Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang) | 502.7 x 483 x 584 mm[1] | Not documented |
| Net weight (kg) | 25.7 kg net, 31 kg packaged[1] | Not documented |
| Enclosure: open / enclosed; panel material; door/lid | Fully enclosed CoreXY with 65 C active chamber heating, dual external-circulation cooling fans and an activated carbon filter, plus a temperature and moisture display[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] |
| Passive chamber temperature reached (if enclosed; measured values preferred) | 65 C active chamber heating (manufacturer figure, actively heated rather than passive)[1] | Not documented |
| Kinematics & Motion Hardware | ||
| Kinematics (bedslinger i3 / CoreXY / other) | CoreXY (stated outright in Anycubic's specification table)[1] | CoreXY[7] |
| Speed & Acceleration | ||
| Max print speed (claimed, mm/s) | 600 mm/s maximum print speed (manufacturer claim), 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 speed | 300 mm/s recommended print speed (manufacturer figure)[1] | Not documented |
| Max acceleration (claimed, mm/s²) | 20000 mm/s2 maximum acceleration, 10000 mm/s2 recommended[1] | 20,000 mm/s2 maximum (manufacturer claim)[2][6] |
| Extruder | ||
| Type (direct drive / bowden) & design name | Direct drive ("short distance extrusion") with hardened-steel extruder gears, which Anycubic rates at six times the life of brass on carbon-fibre filament[1] | Direct drive, one extruder, fed by the 4-colour Intelligent Filament System (IFS)[2] |
| Hotend & Nozzle | ||
| Hotend design (proprietary/standard; quick-swap mechanism?) | Quick-release hotend with a titanium-alloy throat tube; 0.4 mm and 0.6 mm nozzles supplied, 0.25 and 0.8 mm optional; hardened steel[1] | Not documented |
| Max nozzle temp claimed AND firmware max temp limit (both values) | 350 C maximum nozzle temperature[1] | 300 °C claimed[2][6] |
| Stock nozzle size & sizes included in box | Not documented | 0.4 mm default; 0.25, 0.6 and 0.8 mm optional[2][6] |
| Heated Bed & Surface | ||
| Max bed temp claimed AND firmware limit | 120 C maximum hotbed temperature on a PEI spring steel build plate[1] | 110 °C claimed[2][6] |
| Bed surface (material, texture, coating), single/double-sided | Not documented | PEI 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[1] | Automatic levelling; probe technology not named[2][6] |
| Filament Handling & Detection | ||
| Filament runout sensor (type, location) | Filament detection with auto resume, entanglement detection and power-loss resume[1] | Filament detection fitted; type and location not published[2][6] |
| Multi-material/multi-color capability or official upgrade path | Up to 16-colour printing with ACE 2 Pro units, sold separately[1] | Four-colour printing via the integrated Intelligent Filament System (IFS), which handles filament switching[2] |
| Cooling & Air Handling | ||
| Chamber/exhaust fan & filtration (activated carbon / HEPA) | Activated carbon filter for odour removal; dual external-circulation cooling fans[1] | Not documented |
| Firmware & Openness | ||
| Firmware base & current version (Klipper fork / Marlin fork / proprietary) | Kobra OS with pressure advance and flow calibration supported[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[1] | Not documented |
| On-device UI capabilities (model preview, per-object controls, etc.) | Touchscreen plus slicing software, Anycubic app and U-disk; AI spaghetti detection using an in-house algorithm and the 720p camera[1] | Not documented |
| WiFi (band/standard), Ethernet, USB ports, SD/flash-drive | Printer UI, slicing software, Anycubic app and U-disk[1] | USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi[2][6] |
| Camera: built-in / optional? Resolution & framerate (verify — marketing often omits real fps) | Standard HD camera, 720p, used for real-time AI anomaly detection[1] | Not documented |
| Calibration Routines & QoL | ||
| Assembly level & time from unbox to first print | Ships 95% pre-assembled; Anycubic claims unbox to print in 10 minutes[1] | Not documented |
| Power-Loss & Interruption Recovery | ||
| Power-loss recovery: mechanism (how is state saved? capacitor / eeprom / file on shutdown?) | Not documented | Power-outage recovery supported; mechanism not published[2][6] |
| Materials Support | ||
| Officially supported filament list | Consumer grades: PLA, PETG, TPU (95A), TPU for ACE, PET, PLA-CF, PETG-CF, PVA. Engineering grades: ABS, ASA, PC, PA, PA6-CF, PC-CF/GF, PET-CF[1] | PETG, PLA, TPU95A, TPU64D-75D, PLA-CF, PETG-CF[2][6] |
| Noise & Power Consumption | ||
| Noise: claimed dB and independently measured dB (distance/method) | 48 dB or less in standard mode, as low as 45 dB in quiet mode - manufacturer figures with no distance or method stated[1] | 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 S1 Max product page (Specifications table) store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Flashforge AD5X multicolour 3D printer product page flashforge.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Flashforge store product feed (live prices and stock) flashforge.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Anycubic Kobra S1 Max Shopify product JSON (variant prices and store publish date) store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Anycubic Kobra S1 product page (Specifications table) store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- FlashForge AD5X technical data table 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Flashforge printer buyer's guide, 5M to Creator 5 eolasprints.com · 2026-08 · review
- Flashforge Adventurer 5M Pro product page flashforge.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Anycubic refund and warranty policy store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor