3D Printing InfoPrinter comparison
Creality K2 Plus vs ELEGOO Mars 5 Ultra
Compare hardware, build volume, printing specifications, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore Creality K2 Plus comparisonsMore ELEGOO Mars 5 Ultra comparisons
| Property | Creality K2 PlusCOREXY | ELEGOO Mars 5 UltraRESIN |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Brand | Creality | ELEGOO |
| Class | COREXY | RESIN |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Manufacturer & exact marketed model name (verify the exact product identity first) | Creality K2 Plus[1] | ELEGOO Mars 5 Ultra. Elegoo's product handle is mars-5-ultra-9k-7inch-monochrome-lcd-resin-3d-printer[2][3][4] |
| Street price (USD; dated snapshot per entry) | $999.00 on store.creality.com, Aug 2026[5] | $269.00 in Elegoo's live US product feed, in stock, checked Aug 2026. The Mars 5 Series collection page rendered $259.00 against a $338.00 compare-at price on the same day, so the two Elegoo surfaces disagree by $10[4][3] |
| Variants & sibling models — and how to tell them apart (spec-contamination risk) | Largest and only fully specified K2. It is the only one with a 350 C nozzle, a 120 C bed, 30000 mm/s2 acceleration, step-servo motors on Z as well as X/Y, automatically adjusted belt tension, two auxiliary cooling fans, two air filters, a 1080p chamber camera, dual-band Wi-Fi and a 4.3-inch screen. Its "smart auto levelling" is listed as arriving via firmware update rather than shipping enabled, unlike the K2 and K2 Pro. A separate K2 SE model also exists[1] | Not a trim of the Mars 5 — a different imaging stack and a different release mechanism: 7-inch 9K LCD and 18 um pixels vs 6.6-inch 4K and 35 um, 150 vs 70 mm/h, tilt-release vs straight lift, an AI camera, and Wi-Fi added. Seven bundle SKUs pair it with Mercury Plus V2.0/V3.0 or Mercury XS at $363-$432[6][2][3][4] |
| Physical & Frame | ||
| Build volume X×Y×Z (mm) — advertised vs actually usable | 350 x 350 x 350 mm[1] | 153.36 x 77.76 x 165 mm[2] |
| Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang) | 495 x 515 x 640 mm[1] | 260 x 268 x 451.5 mm[2] |
| Net weight (kg) | 35 kg[1] | Approximately 8.8 kg[2] |
| Enclosure: open / enclosed; panel material; door/lid | Enclosed with chamber temperature control up to 60 C and two air filters[1] | Open-frame MSLA with a removable UV-blocking cover[2] |
| Passive chamber temperature reached (if enclosed; measured values preferred) | 60 C max chamber temperature (manufacturer figure)[1] | Not documented |
| Kinematics & Motion Hardware | ||
| Kinematics (bedslinger i3 / CoreXY / other) | CoreXY - Creality groups the K2 series with its CoreXY flagships and quotes 600 mm/s with step-servo motors on the X and Y axes[1] | MSLA with tilt-release: the resin tank tilts after each layer to peel the part rather than pulling straight up. Single Z axis[2] |
| Belts (type, width, e.g. Gates?) | Automatically adjusted belt tension - the K2 and K2 Pro are tensioned by hand[1] | Not documented |
| Stepper motors (frame size, step angle, brand if known) | Step-servo motors on the X, Y and Z axes and the extruder[1] | Not documented |
| Speed & Acceleration | ||
| Max print speed (claimed, mm/s) | 600 mm/s max printing speed (manufacturer claim)[1] | Not documented |
| Max acceleration (claimed, mm/s²) | 30000 mm/s2 max acceleration (manufacturer claim) - 50% above the rest of the K2 family[1] | Not documented |
| Extruder | ||
| Type (direct drive / bowden) & design name | Direct drive with a 0.4 mm hardened "unicorn" quick-swap nozzle[7] | Not documented |
| Hotend & Nozzle | ||
| Max nozzle temp claimed AND firmware max temp limit (both values) | 350 C claimed max nozzle temperature[1] | Not documented |
| Heater cartridge power (W) | 100 W rated hotend power[1] | Not documented |
| Heated Bed & Surface | ||
| Max bed temp claimed AND firmware limit | 120 C max heatbed temperature[1] | Not documented |
| Bed surface (material, texture, coating), single/double-sided | Coated steel flex plate, heated, removable[7] | Not documented |
| Leveling & Z-Offset | ||
| Auto bed leveling: probe technology (inductive / strain gauge / load cell / touch probe) | Smart auto levelling listed as "Available via Firmware Update" rather than shipping enabled; automatic flow-rate calibration via the nozzle AI camera[1] | Automatic levelling, one click, via an intelligent mechanical sensor. One-Click Self-Check routine. Alarms for resin shortage, residue detection and levelling failure[2] |
| Filament Handling & Detection | ||
| Filament runout sensor (type, location) | Filament run-out sensor fitted[7] | Not documented |
| Cooling & Air Handling | ||
| Part-cooling fan(s): count, size, ducting design | Two auxiliary cooling fans and two air filters[1] | Not documented |
| Electronics & Power | ||
| Input voltage (110/220 V, switch or auto) | Not documented | 100-240 V, 50/60 Hz, 24 V 3 A[2] |
| Firmware & Openness | ||
| Firmware base & current version (Klipper fork / Marlin fork / proprietary) | Creality OS, a Klipper derivative. Creality publishes the K2 firmware source as CrealityOfficial/K2_Series_Klipper on GitHub under GPL-3.0, last pushed March 2026[8][9][1] | Not named by Elegoo. Supported slicer is CHITUBOX[2] |
| Connectivity, UI & Camera | ||
| Display: size, type, touch? | 4.3-inch touchscreen[1] | 4.0-inch capacitive touchscreen (control panel — not the masking LCD, see W1)[2] |
| On-device UI capabilities (model preview, per-object controls, etc.) | Touch UI with a built-in RFID reader; Creality notes the K2 Plus has no alarm sounds, which the K2 and K2 Pro do have[1] | Not documented |
| WiFi (band/standard), Ethernet, USB ports, SD/flash-drive | Dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4 and 5 GHz), RJ45 Ethernet, USB drive and a Creality 485 port; 32 GB eMMC[1] | USB and Wi-Fi[2] |
| Camera: built-in / optional? Resolution & framerate (verify — marketing often omits real fps) | One chamber camera at 1080p 30 fps plus the nozzle AI camera[1] | AI camera fitted; Elegoo does not publish its resolution for this model[2] |
| Camera features: live monitor, timelapse, AI failure detection (spaghetti detection) — how real is it? | Not documented | AI camera detects empty build plates and print errors[2] |
| Materials Support | ||
| Officially supported filament list | PLA, PETG, PET, ABS, ASA, PLA-CF, PA-CF, PPA-CF[1] | 405 nm photopolymer resin. No compatibility list published on this listing[2] |
| Safety | ||
| Thermal runaway protection (verify in firmware source if at all possible) | Not verified directly. Creality publishes the K2-series firmware as CrealityOfficial/K2_Series_Klipper (GPL-3.0); upstream Klipper ships the verify_heater thermal-runaway check, but whether the stock configuration enables it was not checked here[8][9] | Not documented |
| Firmware safety limits (max temp cutoffs — exact values) | Not documented | Overheating protection activates above 80 °C[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[10] | Not documented |
| Independently Measured Performance | ||
| Benchmark print times (source + settings) | Benchy in 15 minutes 56 seconds - independently measured by Tom's Hardware, which noted visible layer lines and slightly droopy overhangs at that speed[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 |
| Resin & MSLA | ||
| Masking LCD | Not documented | 7-inch 9K monochrome masking LCD, 8520 x 4320 px, XY pixel pitch 18 x 18 um (manufacturer specification)[2][4] |
| Light source | Not documented | 25-LED COB light source emitting a 405 nm UV beam (manufacturer specification)[2] |
| Light uniformity & intensity | Not documented | 92% light uniformity claimed by Elegoo. No intensity figure published, and no independent measurement[2] |
| Vertical print speedmm/h | Not documented | 150 mm/h maximum, which Elegoo attributes to the tilt-release mechanism (manufacturer claim). Elegoo also offers switchable slow and fast print modes but does not state the layer height the figure assumes[2] |
| Layer exposure times | Not documented | 1.5-3 s layer cure time (manufacturer figure; layer height not stated). Sortable value is the midpoint[2] |
| LCD life & replaceability | Not documented | Masking LCD protected by a scratch-resistant tempered 9H glass cover that also guards against resin leakage. Elegoo publishes no rated screen life in hours and does not state whether the user can replace the LCD[2] |
| Resin vat & feeding | Not documented | Resin tank supplied with the machine; resin-shortage and residue-detection alarms fitted. Capacity not published; no auto-refill[2] |
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
- Creality K2 series product page, including the Compare K2 Series table (K2 / K2 Pro / K2 Plus) creality.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Elegoo Mars 5 Ultra product page (technical data and description) 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- ELEGOO Mars 5 Series collection (live US prices) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- ELEGOO Mars 5 Series live product feed us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Creality US store - K2 Plus 3D Printer product page (live price) store.creality.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Elegoo Mars 5 product page (technical data and description) 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Tom's Hardware - Creality K2 Plus Review (spec box and measured Benchy time) tomshardware.com · 2026-08 · review
- GitHub API - CrealityOfficial/K2_Series_Klipper repository metadata (GPL-3.0, last push Mar 2026) api.github.com · 2026-08 · doc
- GitHub - CrealityOfficial organisation repositories (per-model firmware sources) github.com · 2026-08 · doc
- Creality US store - K1 3D Printer product page (live price, warranty and returns banner) store.creality.com · 2026-08 · vendor