3D Printing InfoPrinter comparison
Creality K2 Plus vs ELEGOO Mars 5
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 comparisons
| Property | Creality K2 PlusCOREXY | ELEGOO Mars 5RESIN |
|---|---|---|
| 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. Elegoo's own product handle spells the configuration out: mars-5-4k-6-6inch-monochrome-lcd-resin-3d-printer[2][3][4] |
| Street price (USD; dated snapshot per entry) | $999.00 on store.creality.com, Aug 2026[5] | $179.00 on us.elegoo.com against a $225.00 compare-at price (20% off), in stock, checked Aug 2026. The live product feed shows the same $179.00[3][4] |
| 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] | Sold beside the Mars 5 Ultra, which is a materially different machine: 7-inch 9K masking LCD vs 6.6-inch 4K, 18 um vs 35 um pixels, 150 vs 70 mm/h, a 4.0-inch capacitive control screen vs 3.5-inch resistive, and Wi-Fi (the plain Mars 5 is USB only). Elegoo lists ten further Mars 5 / Mars 5 Ultra bundle SKUs pairing the printers with Mercury wash-and-cure stations at $302-$432; those are not printer prices[2][6][3][4] |
| Physical & Frame | ||
| Build volume X×Y×Z (mm) — advertised vs actually usable | 350 x 350 x 350 mm[1] | 143.43 x 89.6 x 150 mm[2] |
| Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang) | 495 x 515 x 640 mm[1] | 230 x 230 x 433.5 mm[2] |
| Net weight (kg) | 35 kg[1] | Approximately 6.6 kg[2] |
| Frame construction & material | Not documented | Metal frame with adjustable foot pads[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 — UV LCD masked stereolithography. Single Z axis, build plate lifting straight out of the vat (no tilt-release on this model, unlike the Mars 5 Ultra)[2][6] |
| 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] | Laser-engraved build plate with a quick-release design[2] |
| 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. An intelligent mechanical sensor detects resin residue to prevent LCD damage[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 slicers are Voxeldance Tango and CHITUBOX; STL and OBJ accepted[2] |
| Connectivity, UI & Camera | ||
| Display: size, type, touch? | 4.3-inch touchscreen[1] | 3.5-inch resistive 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 only — no Wi-Fi on this model[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] | Not documented |
| Materials Support | ||
| Officially supported filament list | PLA, PETG, PET, ABS, ASA, PLA-CF, PA-CF, PPA-CF[1] | 405 nm photopolymer resin. Elegoo does not publish a resin compatibility list 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 | Intelligent overheating protection stops printing 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 | 6.6-inch 4K monochrome masking LCD, 4098 x 2560 px, XY pixel pitch 35 x 35 um (manufacturer specification)[2][4] |
| Light source | Not documented | COB LED at 405 nm. Elegoo does not publish an LED count or collimating optics for this model[2] |
| Vertical print speedmm/h | Not documented | 70 mm/h maximum (manufacturer claim). Elegoo does not state the layer height or resin type the figure assumes[2] |
| Release film | Not documented | PFA film with a non-stick surface. No rated life published[2] |
| Resin vat & feeding | Not documented | Replaceable resin tank with two pouring openings and screw caps. An intelligent mechanical sensor detects resin residue in the vat. Capacity not published; no auto-refill[2] |
| Fume extraction | Not documented | None fitted. Elegoo states compatibility with the separately sold MARS MATE air purifier for odour reduction[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 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 Ultra 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