3D Printing Info

Printer comparison

Creality Ender-3 V3 vs Creality K1

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

Creality Ender-3 V3 guideCreality K1 guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore Creality Ender-3 V3 comparisonsMore Creality K1 comparisons
Creality Ender-3 V3 vs Creality K1 — documented properties and sources
PropertyCreality Ender-3 V3BEDSLINGERCreality K1COREXY
Identity
BrandCrealityCreality
ClassBEDSLINGERCOREXY
Identity & Market
Manufacturer & exact marketed model name (verify the exact product identity first)Creality Ender-3 V3, marketed as a CoreXZ machine[1]Creality K1 (store title "Creality K1 Speedy 3D Printer")[2][3]
Street price (USD; dated snapshot per entry)$239.00 on store.creality.com, Aug 2026 (listed as "Ender-3 V3 CoreXZ 3D Printer")[4]$299.00 on store.creality.com, Aug 2026. Creality's own K1-series comparison page shows $389 against a struck-through $599 on the same day[3][2]
Variants & sibling models — and how to tell them apart (spec-contamination risk)Do not confuse with the Ender-3 V3 SE or KE, which are cheaper and slower and use a conventional bed-slinger gantry - only the V3 and V3 Plus use CoreXZ. The V3 Plus is the same idea scaled to 300 x 300 x 330 mm. Creality's own spec table gives the V3 a 110 C bed, where the SE, KE, V4 and K1 series stop at 100 C[1][5][6]Base model of the K1 family. The differences that matter are in the hotend: the K1 uses a metal + PTFE-tube hotend with a copper nozzle, while the K1C is all-metal with a steel-tipped nozzle integrated with the heatbreak and adds an air filter and a 1080p AI camera. Creality's own comparison table annotates the K1 hotend "Changing to All-metal Soon", so the hotend on a given unit depends on when it was built - check before buying. The K1 Max is the 300 mm version with 1000 W rated power and Ethernet; the K1 SE has a PA+30%GF hotend and an epoxy plate[2][7]
Physical & Frame
Build volume X×Y×Z (mm) — advertised vs actually usable220 x 220 x 250 mm[1]220 x 220 x 250 mm[2]
Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang)358 x 374 x 498 mm[1]355 x 355 x 480 mm[2]
Net weight (kg)7.83 kg net (Creality); Tom's Hardware rounds it to 7.8 kg[1][8]12.5 kg (Tom's Hardware measurement)[9]
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)CoreXZ kinematics - the X and Z axes are coupled and driven together, with the bed still moving in Y[1]CoreXY (Creality's own K1-series comparison table)[2]
Speed & Acceleration
Max print speed (claimed, mm/s)600 mm/s max printing speed (manufacturer claim; Creality Lab states the typical speed is 300 mm/s)[1][5]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][7]
Recommended/typical print speed300 mm/s typical printing speed (Creality Lab figure quoted on the sibling V3 Plus page for the same CoreXZ platform)[5]300 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)20000 mm/s2 max acceleration (manufacturer claim)[1]20000 mm/s2 max acceleration (manufacturer claim)[2]
Extruder
Type (direct drive / bowden) & design nameNew high-speed direct-drive extruder[1]Dual-gear direct-drive extruder[2]
Hotend & Nozzle
Hotend design (proprietary/standard; quick-swap mechanism?)Quick-swap nozzle with a hardened steel tip integrated with the heatbreak (Creality's "unicorn" nozzle), replaced as a unit[1][8]Metal hotend with a PTFE (Teflon) tube in the filament path and a copper nozzle. Creality's own comparison table adds "(Changing to All-metal Soon)", so this is a moving target across production runs[2]
Max nozzle temp claimed AND firmware max temp limit (both values)300 C claimed max nozzle temperature[1]300 C claimed max nozzle temperature[2]
Heated Bed & Surface
Max bed temp claimed AND firmware limit110 C max heatbed temperature - higher than the rest of the Ender-3 V3 family[1]100 C max heatbed temperature[2]
Bed surface (material, texture, coating), single/double-sidedPEI flexible build plate, removable spring steel[1]Coated steel flex plate, heated, removable[9]
Leveling & Z-Offset
Auto bed leveling: probe technology (inductive / strain gauge / load cell / touch probe)Auto levelling with automatic Z offset (Creality states auto levelling; Tom's Hardware records "Automatic + Z")[1][8]Automatic bed levelling (Tom's Hardware); unlike the K1 Max there is no lidar[9][10]
Filament Handling & Detection
Filament runout sensor (type, location)Filament run-out sensor fitted[1]Filament run-out sensor fitted[9]
Cooling & Air Handling
Part-cooling fan(s): count, size, ducting designNot documentedClosed-loop part-cooling fan; PWM hotend cooling fan[2]
Electronics & Power
Mainboard model & MCU (exact chip markings if teardowns exist)32-bit mainboard (Creality does not name the board or MCU)[1]Not documented
Total rated power drawRated power 350 W; input 100-120 V / 200-240 V, 50/60 Hz[1]350 W rated power[2]
Firmware & Openness
Firmware base & current version (Klipper fork / Marlin fork / proprietary)Creality Print slicing ecosystem; input shaping with an included G-sensor accelerometer. Creality does not name the firmware base on the V3 page (the sibling KE page states Creality OS is Klipper-based)[1][11]Creality OS, a Klipper derivative. Creality publishes the source as CrealityOfficial/K1_Series_Klipper on GitHub, whose own description is "clone from https://github.com/Klipper3d/klipper/", GPL-3.0, last pushed December 2025[12][13][2]
Connectivity, UI & Camera
Display: size, type, touch?4.3-inch HD colour touchscreen[1]4.3-inch 800x480 colour touchscreen[2]
On-device UI capabilities (model preview, per-object controls, etc.)Colour touch UI; power-loss recovery; file transfer from USB drive, WLAN or Creality Cloud[1]Colour touch UI; remote monitoring, time-lapse, failure detection and build-surface detection are all optional on the K1 because they depend on the optional AI camera[2]
WiFi (band/standard), Ethernet, USB ports, SD/flash-driveWi-Fi; USB drive, WLAN and Creality Cloud file transfer[1]Wi-Fi only - no Ethernet (the K1 Max adds RJ45); 8 GB of on-board storage[2]
Camera: built-in / optional? Resolution & framerate (verify — marketing often omits real fps)AI camera optional, not fitted as standard[1]AI camera optional, not fitted as standard - unlike the K1C and K1 Max, which include a 1080p camera[2]
Materials Support
Officially supported filament listPLA, TPU, PETG, ABS, PLA-CF, PETG-CF and Creality CR-carbon[1]Hyper PLA, PLA, PETG, TPU, ABS - a notably shorter list than the K1C, because of the PTFE-lined hotend[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[12][13]
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[3]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[3]
Independently Measured Performance
Benchmark print times (source + settings)Benchy in 14 minutes 54 seconds under Speed Boat Rules in ordinary grey PLA - independently measured by Tom's Hardware[8]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[8]Tom's Hardware rating 4 out of 5 in the page's structured data - the lowest of the K1 family, where the K1C and K1 Max both score 4.5[9][10][14]

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 product page (full specification table) 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 - K1 3D Printer product page (live price, warranty and returns banner) store.creality.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  4. Creality US store - Ender-3 V3 CoreXZ 3D Printer product page (live price) store.creality.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. Creality Ender-3 V3 Plus product page creality.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. Creality Ender-3 V4 product page (full specification table) creality.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Creality K1C product page (full specification table) creality.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Tom's Hardware - Creality Ender 3 V3 Review (spec box and Speed Boat Rules Benchy time) tomshardware.com · 2026-08 · review
  9. Tom's Hardware - Creality K1 Review (spec box) tomshardware.com · 2026-08 · review
  10. Tom's Hardware - Creality K1 Max Review (spec box) tomshardware.com · 2026-08 · review
  11. Creality Ender-3 V3 KE product page creality.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. 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
  13. GitHub - CrealityOfficial organisation repositories (per-model firmware sources) github.com · 2026-08 · doc
  14. Tom's Hardware - Creality K1C Review (spec box and measured print time) tomshardware.com · 2026-08 · review