3D Printing Info

Printer comparison

Creality Ender-3 V3 SE vs FlashForge Adventurer 5M Pro

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

2 selected · all documented properties

Creality Ender-3 V3 SE vs FlashForge Adventurer 5M Pro — documented properties and sources
PropertyCreality Ender-3 V3 SEBEDSLINGERFlashForge Adventurer 5M ProCOREXY
Identity
BrandCrealityFlashForge
ClassBEDSLINGERCOREXY
Identity & Market
Manufacturer & exact marketed model name (verify the exact product identity first)Creality Ender-3 V3 SE[1]Flashforge Adventurer 5M Pro; FlashForge's own spec table gives the machine name as "Adventurer 5M PRO" and the store abbreviates it AD5M Pro[2][3]
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[4][1]$449.00 sale against a $599.00 regular price on flashforge.com, in stock, with a further $80 auto-applied in cart, checked Aug 2026. FlashForge's own product feed lists the first variant at $399.00, so the price you see depends on the variant selected. A refurbished AD5M Pro is listed at $339.00[2][3]
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]Enclosed sibling of the open-frame Adventurer 5M (same 220 mm cube, same 280 °C nozzle, same 600 mm/s, but 100 °C bed vs 110 °C and no filtration). Also distinct from the AD5X, which shares the chassis but has a 300 °C nozzle, a 4-colour IFS unit and no air filtration. Refurbished units of all three are sold separately[2][9][10][3]
Physical & Frame
Build volume X×Y×Z (mm) — advertised vs actually usable220 x 220 x 250 mm[7]220 x 220 x 220 mm advertised[2][11]
Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang)349 x 364 x 490 mm (Tom's Hardware measurement of the machine footprint)[7]380 x 400 x 453 mm excluding the spool holder[2][11]
Net weight (kg)7.12 kg[7]Not documented
Frame construction & materialNot documentedAll-metal CoreXY structure (FlashForge writes it "CoXY")[2]
Enclosure: open / enclosed; panel material; door/lidOpen frame, no enclosure[1]Enclosed. Dual-layer HEPA plus activated-carbon filtration on both internal and external circulation; FlashForge claims 99% capture of particles and VOCs[2][11]
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[2][12]
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 maximum travel speed (FlashForge's own table labels the 600 mm/s figure "Max Travel Speed", not print speed)[2][11]
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]20,000 mm/s2 maximum (manufacturer claim)[2][11]
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]Direct drive, one extruder[2][11]
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]Not documented
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]280 °C claimed[2][11]
Stock nozzle size & sizes included in boxNot documented0.4 mm standard; 0.25, 0.6 and 0.8 mm available[2]
Heated Bed & Surface
Max bed temp claimed AND firmware limitNot documentedConflicting manufacturer figures: FlashForge's own spec table says 100 °C platform temperature, 3DJake's table says 110 °C. Lower vendor figure used as the sortable value[2][11]
Bed surface (material, texture, coating), single/double-sidedPC-coated spring steel sheet, heated, removable[7]Flexible removable PEI-coated spring-steel plate[2][11]
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 levelling; FlashForge does not name the probe technology on the product page[2]
Filament Handling & Detection
Filament runout sensor (type, location)Filament run-out sensor fitted[7]Filament run-out reminder[2]
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]Not documented
Chamber/exhaust fan & filtration (activated carbon / HEPA)Not documentedInternal plus external circulation with a HEPA and activated-carbon filter[2][11]
Electronics & Power
Input voltage (110/220 V, switch or auto)Not documentedAC 100-120 V / 200-240 V, 50/60 Hz[2][11]
Total rated power drawNot documented350 W rated[2][11]
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]Not documented
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 screen[2][11]
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]Not documented
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, Ethernet, USB[2][11]
Camera: built-in / optional? Resolution & framerate (verify — marketing often omits real fps)Not documentedCamera monitoring listed; resolution and framerate not published[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
Power-Loss & Interruption Recovery
Power-loss recovery: mechanism (how is state saved? capacitor / eeprom / file on shutdown?)Not documentedPower-loss recovery, plus automatic shutdown[2]
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]PLA and PETG on the 0.4 mm nozzle; ABS/ASA; TPU, PLA-CF and PETG-CF on 0.6/0.8 mm nozzles[2]
Noise & Power Consumption
Noise: claimed dB and independently measured dB (distance/method)Not documentedManufacturer claim only, no independent measurement: 50 dB in low-noise mode, 55 dB in standard mode. Distance and method not stated[2]
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[15]FlashForge's Adventurer 5M page states a 12-month limited warranty for that model; the 5M Pro page does not restate it[9]
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]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. Creality Ender-3 V3 SE product page creality.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  2. Flashforge Adventurer 5M Pro product page flashforge.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  3. Flashforge store product feed (live prices and stock) flashforge.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  4. Creality US store - Ender-3 V3 SE 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. Flashforge Adventurer 5M product page flashforge.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. Flashforge AD5X multicolour 3D printer product page flashforge.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. FlashForge Adventurer 5M Pro technical data table 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. Flashforge printer buyer's guide, 5M to Creator 5 eolasprints.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. Creality US store - K1 3D Printer product page (live price, warranty and returns banner) store.creality.com · 2026-08 · vendor