3D Printing InfoPrinter comparison
ELEGOO Centauri 2 vs FlashForge Creator 5
Compare hardware, build volume, printing specifications, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore ELEGOO Centauri 2 comparisonsMore FlashForge Creator 5 comparisons
| Property | ELEGOO Centauri 2COREXY | FlashForge Creator 5TOOLCHANGER |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Brand | ELEGOO | FlashForge |
| Class | COREXY | TOOLCHANGER |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Manufacturer & exact marketed model name (verify the exact product identity first) | ELEGOO Centauri 2 (page title "Elegoo Centauri 2 | High-Speed CoreXY 3D Printer")[1] | Flashforge Creator 5, sold as "Creator 5 4-Toolheads Multi-Color 3D Printer"[2][3] |
| Release date (announcement and actual shipping) | Listed on the ELEGOO US store from 24 June 2026 (Shopify publish date)[4] | Announced with a $10 deposit programme; shipping to deposit backers by 19 May 2026. One secondary source puts general release in early May 2026[5][6] |
| Launch MSRP (USD) | Not documented | $649 early-bird (deposit price, open until 20 June 2026); $799 standard MSRP[5][6] |
| Street price (USD; dated snapshot per entry) | $279.00 on us.elegoo.com, Aug 2026, against a compare-at price of $299.00[4] | $799.00 on flashforge.com, in stock, with $100 auto-applied in cart, checked Aug 2026[2][3] |
| Variants & sibling models — and how to tell them apart (spec-contamination risk) | Sold both bare and as a Centauri 2 Combo. The Combo is the one with multicolour: 4-colour CANVAS printing, RFID filament detection, auto refill and auto tangle detection are all listed Yes for the Combo and dash for the bare machine, and the Combo body measures 500 x 480 x 586 mm and 15.5 kg against 398 x 404 x 490 mm and 13.7 kg. Camera, LED lighting, air filter and the smart exhaust grille are optional expansions on both. Distinct from the Centauri Carbon line, which is enclosed and takes carbon-fibre filament[1][7] | Paired with the Creator 5 Pro at $949, which adds a sealed enclosure, 65 °C active chamber heating and HEPA13 + carbon filtration. Motion system, 256 mm build volume, four toolheads, 600 mm/s and 30,000 mm/s2 are the same on both, so enclosure and chamber are the only reliable discriminators[2][8][5][6][3] |
| Physical & Frame | ||
| Build volume X×Y×Z (mm) — advertised vs actually usable | 256 x 256 x 256 mm; printing platform 260 x 260 mm[1] | 256 x 256 x 256 mm[5][6][9] |
| Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang) | 398 x 404 x 490 mm for the bare Centauri 2 (the Combo is 500 x 480 x 586 mm)[1] | Not documented |
| Net weight (kg) | 13.7 kg net, 17.5 kg gross (bare machine; the Combo is 15.5 kg net, 19 kg gross)[1] | Not documented |
| Frame construction & material | Rigid aluminium frame[1] | CoreXY frame; FlashForge does not publish a frame-material breakdown and no dimensions or weight have been published for this model[5][6] |
| Enclosure: open / enclosed; panel material; door/lid | Not documented | Open frame. No enclosure, no chamber heating and no filtration[5][6][9] |
| Kinematics & Motion Hardware | ||
| Kinematics (bedslinger i3 / CoreXY / other) | CoreXY with dual 4260 stepper motors driving X and Y independently[1] | CoreXY with four independent toolheads on a FlashSwap changer. FlashForge claims a physical head swap in about 7 seconds[5][6][9] |
| Z-axis: leadscrew count & type, sync mechanism, anti-backlash | Three lead screws with three linear guide rods[1] | Not documented |
| Stepper drivers (exact model e.g. TMC2209; UART/SPI; sensorless homing?) | "Silent Drive (All Axes)"; no driver part number published[1] | Not documented |
| Speed & Acceleration | ||
| Max print speed (claimed, mm/s) | 500 mm/s or less, with 250 mm/s given as the recommended speed[1] | 600 mm/s maximum, reported by both secondary sources as a travel-speed figure (manufacturer claim)[5][6] |
| Recommended/typical print speed | 250 mm/s recommended printing speed (manufacturer figure)[1] | Not documented |
| Max acceleration (claimed, mm/s²) | 20000 mm/s2 maximum acceleration; default acceleration 10000 mm/s2[1] | 30,000 mm/s2 maximum (manufacturer claim)[5][6] |
| Extruder | ||
| Type (direct drive / bowden) & design name | Dual-gear direct extruder with one fan[1] | Not documented |
| Hotend & Nozzle | ||
| Hotend design (proprietary/standard; quick-swap mechanism?) | Brass-hardened steel nozzle, 0.4 mm, titanium-alloy heat break[1] | Not documented |
| Max nozzle temp claimed AND firmware max temp limit (both values) | 350 C claimed max nozzle temperature - higher than the enclosed Centauri Carbon's 320 C, even though ELEGOO lists ABS, ASA, PET, PETG-CF, PA and PC as not recommended on this machine[1][7] | Not documented |
| Stock nozzle material (brass / hardened steel / plated copper / composite tip) | Not documented | Hardened steel nozzles as standard[5][6] |
| Heated Bed & Surface | ||
| Max bed temp claimed AND firmware limit | 110 C max heated bed temperature at 25 C ambient[1] | 120 °C maximum (manufacturer claim)[5][6] |
| Bed surface (material, texture, coating), single/double-sided | Dual-sided spring steel sheet, textured PEI plus a PLA-specific surface[1] | Not documented |
| Leveling & Z-Offset | ||
| Auto bed leveling: probe technology (inductive / strain gauge / load cell / touch probe) | 121-point auto-levelling plus partial bed levelling, with full-auto calibration[1] | Fully automatic calibration and levelling; FlashForge does not name the probe technology[2] |
| Filament Handling & Detection | ||
| Filament runout sensor (type, location) | Filament run-out sensor, clog detection, auto filament unloading, fan self-check, part-cooling-fan drop detection and power-loss recovery[1] | Not documented |
| Multi-material/multi-color capability or official upgrade path | Not documented | Four independent toolheads swapped physically rather than shared through one nozzle, which FlashForge markets as zero purge waste and up to 500% faster multi-colour printing[2][5] |
| Electronics & Power | ||
| Mainboard model & MCU (exact chip markings if teardowns exist) | "Powerful Self-Developed Motherboard" is all ELEGOO publishes[1] | Not documented |
| Total rated power draw | 1100 W at 220 V, 350 W at 110 V rated; 24 V output; 100-240 VAC input[1] | Not documented |
| Firmware & Openness | ||
| Firmware base & current version (Klipper fork / Marlin fork / proprietary) | ELEGOO OS; ElegooSlicer recommended, Orca and Cura supported[1] | Not named by FlashForge. Supported slicers are Flash Studio, Orca-Flashforge and OrcaSlicer[6] |
| Connectivity, UI & Camera | ||
| Display: size, type, touch? | 5-inch colour capacitive touch screen - larger than the 4.3-inch panel on the Centauri Carbon[1][7] | Not documented |
| On-device UI capabilities (model preview, per-object controls, etc.) | Colour touch UI; input formats STL, OBJ, 3MF and STEP[1] | Not documented |
| WiFi (band/standard), Ethernet, USB ports, SD/flash-drive | USB and Wi-Fi[1] | Dual-band Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz + 5 GHz, LAN, USB[5][6] |
| Camera: built-in / optional? Resolution & framerate (verify — marketing often omits real fps) | No camera as standard - listed as an optional expansion, as are LED lighting and the air filter[1] | 1080p camera at 30 fps. A camera module is also sold separately at $29.90, so verify whether a given SKU ships with it[5][6][3] |
| Materials Support | ||
| Officially supported filament list | Ideal: PLA, PETG, PLA-CF, TPU. Explicitly not recommended: ABS/ABS-CF, ASA/ASA-CF, PET/PET-CF, PETG-CF, PA/PA-CF, PC[1] | Not documented |
| Reliability, Support & Ecosystem | ||
| Warranty length & support reputation (evidence, not vibes) | 12 months on brand-new machines and parts, but ELEGOO's own table excludes a long list of parts from that: PEI plate / build plate / nozzle kit / PTFE tube / heater / thermistor / hot end / packaging / manual / tools carry no warranty at all, and the extruder, extruder kit and printhead kit get 6 months. Certified pre-owned machines carry no warranty[10] | 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
- ELEGOO Centauri 2 product page (Centauri 2 Combo vs Centauri 2 side-by-side specification table) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Flashforge Creator 5 4-Toolheads product page flashforge.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Flashforge store search results for Creator 5 (live prices) flashforge.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- ELEGOO Centauri 2 Shopify product JSON (price and store publish date) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Flashforge Creator 5 and Creator 5 Pro launch report 3dprinting.com · 2026-08 · review
- Flashforge Creator 5 and 5 Pro breakdown antonmansson.com · 2026-08 · review
- ELEGOO Centauri Carbon product page (full specification table) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Flashforge Creator 5 Pro 4-Toolheads product page flashforge.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Flashforge printer buyer's guide, 5M to Creator 5 eolasprints.com · 2026-08 · review
- ELEGOO Refund & Warranty policy (warranty period table) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor