3D Printing Info

Printer comparison

Creality Ender-3 V3 SE vs Creality K1 Max

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

Creality Ender-3 V3 SE guideCreality K1 Max guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore Creality Ender-3 V3 SE comparisonsMore Creality K1 Max comparisons
Creality Ender-3 V3 SE vs Creality K1 Max — documented properties and sources
PropertyCreality Ender-3 V3 SEBEDSLINGERCreality K1 MaxCOREXY
Identity
BrandCrealityCreality
ClassBEDSLINGERCOREXY
Identity & Market
Manufacturer & exact marketed model name (verify the exact product identity first)Creality Ender-3 V3 SE[1]Creality K1 Max[2]
Street price (USD; dated snapshot per entry)$186.00 on store.creality.com, Aug 2026; Creality's own product page shows $199.00 for the same machine on the same day, so the two Creality properties disagree[3][1]$549.00 on store.creality.com, Aug 2026. Creality's comparison page shows $799 against a struck-through $899 on the same day[4][2]
Variants & sibling models — and how to tell them apart (spec-contamination risk)The cheapest of the Ender-3 V3 family and mechanically the most conservative: it keeps a conventional i3 bed-slinger layout, while the Ender-3 V3 and V3 Plus use CoreXZ and the V3 KE keeps the bed-slinger layout but adds an X-axis linear rail, a 60 W ceramic hotend and Klipper-based Creality OS. Speed ceilings differ sharply - 250 mm/s and 2500 mm/s2 on the SE against 500 mm/s on the KE and 600 mm/s on the V3/V3 Plus. The SE also stops at a 260 C nozzle where the others reach 300 C[1][5][6][7][8]The large K1. Build volume 300 x 300 x 300 mm and footprint 435 x 462 x 526 mm, both much larger than the K1/K1C's 220 mm cube and 355 mm-wide body; rated power is 1000 W against 350 W; it is the only K1 with RJ45 Ethernet. Its hotend is the older metal + PTFE-tube type with a copper nozzle, annotated by Creality as "Changing to All-metal Soon" and "Copper Nozzle Changing to Steel-tipped Nozzle Integrated with Heatbreak Soon", so hotend type varies by production run - do not assume it matches the K1C[2][9]
Physical & Frame
Build volume X×Y×Z (mm) — advertised vs actually usable220 x 220 x 250 mm[7]300 x 300 x 300 mm[2]
Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang)349 x 364 x 490 mm (Tom's Hardware measurement of the machine footprint)[7]435 x 462 x 526 mm[2]
Net weight (kg)7.12 kg[7]18 kg (Tom's Hardware measurement)[10]
Enclosure: open / enclosed; panel material; door/lidOpen frame, no enclosure[1]Enclosed with passive chamber heating only - Creality's comparison table lists "Passive Heating" for the K1, K1C and K1 Max and no chamber heating for the K1 SE[2]
Kinematics & Motion Hardware
Kinematics (bedslinger i3 / CoreXY / other)Cartesian i3 bed-slinger - Creality describes "neat X, Y, Z-axis, smooth T-shaped profiles" with a rigid dual Z-axis and a moving build platform on the Y axis[1]CoreXY (Creality's own K1-series comparison table)[2]
Y-axis guide typeY axis runs on a pair of 8 mm steel linear shafts carrying the build platform[1]Not documented
Z-axis: leadscrew count & type, sync mechanism, anti-backlashRigid dual Z-axis, which Creality says reduces Z wobble[1]Not documented
Speed & Acceleration
Max print speed (claimed, mm/s)250 mm/s max printing speed (manufacturer claim, Creality Lab figure)[1]600 mm/s max printing speed (manufacturer claim). Creality's own footnote says the 600 mm/s figure was achieved in Creality Lab and that the typical speed is 300 mm/s[2][9]
Recommended/typical print speedNot documented300 mm/s typical printing speed with 12000 mm/s2 typical acceleration, stated by Creality alongside the 600 mm/s headline[2]
Max acceleration (claimed, mm/s²)2500 mm/s2 max acceleration (manufacturer claim). Tom's Hardware attributes the modest Benchy time directly to this acceleration cap[1][7]20000 mm/s2 max acceleration (manufacturer claim)[2]
Extruder
Type (direct drive / bowden) & design nameCreality "Sprite" direct-drive extruder, which Creality says works with PLA, PETG and flexible TPU and had shipped over 500,000 units as of June 2023[1]Dual-gear direct-drive extruder[2]
Hotend & Nozzle
Hotend design (proprietary/standard; quick-swap mechanism?)Direct-drive hotend with a 0.4 mm high-flow nozzle (Tom's Hardware description); Creality does not describe an all-metal path for the SE[7]Metal hotend with a PTFE tube and a copper nozzle, both annotated by Creality as changing to all-metal and to a steel-tipped integrated nozzle "soon"[2]
Max nozzle temp claimed AND firmware max temp limit (both values)260 C maximum nozzle temperature per Tom's Hardware's spec box - the lowest of the Ender-3 V3 family, where the V3, V3 Plus and KE all reach 300 C[7][6]300 C claimed max nozzle temperature[2]
Heated Bed & Surface
Max bed temp claimed AND firmware limitNot documented100 C max heatbed temperature[2]
Bed surface (material, texture, coating), single/double-sidedPC-coated spring steel sheet, heated, removable[7]Smooth PEI steel flex plate, heated[10]
Leveling & Z-Offset
Auto bed leveling: probe technology (inductive / strain gauge / load cell / touch probe)CR Touch inductive/mechanical probe for auto bed levelling plus a separate strain sensor for automatic Z offset - Creality's pitch is no levelling screws and no paper method[1]Automatic bed levelling assisted by a lidar sensor - Tom's Hardware records "Automatic + LIDAR", a feature the K1 and K1C do not have[10][11][12]
Filament Handling & Detection
Filament runout sensor (type, location)Filament run-out sensor fitted[7]Filament run-out sensor fitted[10]
Cooling & Air Handling
Part-cooling fan(s): count, size, ducting designTwo fans on the printhead: a front-mounted fan onto the hotend heatsink and a second fan in the shroud with twin ducts aimed at the nozzle (Tom's Hardware teardown description)[7]Closed-loop part-cooling fan and PWM hotend fan, both annotated as changing to dynamically balanced versions; activated-carbon air filter fitted[2]
Electronics & Power
Total rated power drawNot documented1000 W rated power - nearly three times the K1/K1C figure[2]
Firmware & Openness
Firmware base & current version (Klipper fork / Marlin fork / proprietary)Creality publishes an open-source firmware repository for this model, CrealityOfficial/Ender-3V3-SE on GitHub under GPL-3.0 (last pushed July 2024). Unlike the KE, K1 and K2 repositories, it is not described as a Klipper clone, and Creality does not call the SE a Creality OS machine on its product page[13][14][5]Creality OS, a Klipper derivative published as CrealityOfficial/K1_Series_Klipper on GitHub (GPL-3.0); the printhead front cover is listed as an open-source part[15][14][2]
Connectivity, UI & Camera
Display: size, type, touch?3.2-inch colour screen with a control knob - not a touchscreen, unlike the KE and V3[7]4.3-inch 800x480 colour touchscreen[2]
On-device UI capabilities (model preview, per-object controls, etc.)Knob-driven colour UI using motion graphics to show levelling progress and print parameters; auto filament load/unload from the menu[1]Colour touch UI with remote monitoring, time-lapse, build-surface detection and failure detection all included[2]
WiFi (band/standard), Ethernet, USB ports, SD/flash-driveSD card only - no Wi-Fi and no USB host, in contrast to the Wi-Fi-equipped KE and V3[7]Wi-Fi plus RJ45 Ethernet - the only K1-series machine with a wired network port; 8 GB storage[2]
Camera: built-in / optional? Resolution & framerate (verify — marketing often omits real fps)Not documented1080p AI camera fitted as standard with foreign-object detection[2]
Calibration Routines & QoL
Assembly level & time from unbox to first printKit-style assembly from a small number of pre-built sections; Creality claims printing within 20 minutes of unboxing[1]Not documented
Materials Support
Officially supported filament listPLA, PETG and TPU (Tom's Hardware); Creality's own copy names PLA, PETG and flexible TPU for the Sprite extruder[7]ABS, PLA, PETG, PET, TPU, PA, ASA, PC, PLA-CF, PA-CF, PET-CF[2]
Safety
Thermal runaway protection (verify in firmware source if at all possible)Not documentedNot verified directly. Creality's published firmware for the K1 series (CrealityOfficial/K1_Series_Klipper, GPL-3.0) is described by Creality itself as a clone of upstream Klipper, and upstream Klipper ships the verify_heater thermal-runaway check; whether Creality's stock printer.cfg enables it, and with what thresholds, was not checked here[15][14]
Reliability, Support & Ecosystem
Warranty length & support reputation (evidence, not vibes)Creality's US store states "Up to 12-Month Warranty", a 14-day return and refund window and "Lifetime Customer Support" on its printer product pages. The "up to" wording means the term is not uniform across parts[16]Creality's US store states "Up to 12-Month Warranty", a 14-day return and refund window and "Lifetime Customer Support" on its printer product pages. The "up to" wording means the term is not uniform across parts[16]
Independently Measured Performance
Benchmark print times (source + settings)Benchy in 41 minutes under Speed Boat Rules (2 walls, 3 top/bottom layers, 10% grid infill, 0.25 mm layer height, 0.5 mm width) in ordinary grey PLA - independently measured by Tom's Hardware, not a manufacturer figure[7]Not documented
Review scores from major outlets (list outlet + score + date)Tom's Hardware rating 4.5 out of 5 in the page's structured data[7]Tom's Hardware rating 4.5 out of 5 in the page's structured data[10]

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. Creality Ender-3 V3 SE product page creality.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  2. Creality - Compare K1 Flagship Series (K1 / K1C / K1 Max / K1 SE side-by-side spec table) creality.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  3. Creality US store - Ender-3 V3 SE 3D Printer product page (live price) store.creality.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  4. Creality US store - K1 Max 3D Printer product page (live price) store.creality.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. Creality Ender-3 V3 KE product page creality.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. Creality Ender-3 V3 product page (full specification table) creality.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Tom's Hardware - Creality Ender 3 V3 SE Review (spec box and Speed Boat Rules Benchy time) tomshardware.com · 2026-08 · review
  8. Tom's Hardware - Creality Ender 3 V3 KE Review (spec box and Speed Boat Rules Benchy time) tomshardware.com · 2026-08 · review
  9. Creality K1C product page (full specification table) creality.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. Tom's Hardware - Creality K1 Max Review (spec box) tomshardware.com · 2026-08 · review
  11. Tom's Hardware - Creality K1 Review (spec box) tomshardware.com · 2026-08 · review
  12. Tom's Hardware - Creality K1C Review (spec box and measured print time) tomshardware.com · 2026-08 · review
  13. GitHub API - CrealityOfficial/Ender-3V3-SE repository metadata ("Open source for Ender-3V3 SE", GPL-3.0) api.github.com · 2026-08 · doc
  14. GitHub - CrealityOfficial organisation repositories (per-model firmware sources) github.com · 2026-08 · doc
  15. GitHub API - CrealityOfficial/K1_Series_Klipper repository metadata ("clone from https://github.com/Klipper3d/klipper/", GPL-3.0, last push Dec 2025) api.github.com · 2026-08 · doc
  16. Creality US store - K1 3D Printer product page (live price, warranty and returns banner) store.creality.com · 2026-08 · vendor