Printer comparison
ELEGOO Centauri Carbon vs Original Prusa XL+ Five-Head
Compare hardware, build volume, printing specifications, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore ELEGOO Centauri Carbon comparisonsMore Original Prusa XL+ Five-Head comparisons
| Property | ELEGOO Centauri CarbonCOREXY | Original Prusa XL+ Five-HeadTOOLCHANGER |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Brand | ELEGOO | Prusa Research |
| Class | COREXY | TOOLCHANGER |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Manufacturer & exact marketed model name (verify the exact product identity first) | ELEGOO Centauri Carbon[1] | Original Prusa XL+, Five-Head variant ("Prusa XL+ Five-Head" in the e-shop variant data)[2] |
| Release date (announcement and actual shipping) | Listed on the ELEGOO US store from 17 February 2025 (Shopify publish date)[3] | The XL+ refresh was announced on 13 August 2026, on sale immediately in all toolhead configurations, with assembled printers shipping later in August 2026 and upgrade kits for existing XL owners from around the end of August. The original Original Prusa XL predates it[4] |
| Street price (USD; dated snapshot per entry) | $419.99 on us.elegoo.com, Aug 2026, with the compare-at price also $419.99 (no discount running)[3] | $3,610.18 on prusa3d.com, Aug 2026 (lowest listed price for the Five-Head variant; the 5-toolhead Enclosure bundle starts at $3,925.00)[2] |
| Variants & sibling models — and how to tell them apart (spec-contamination risk) | Superseded by the Centauri Carbon 2, which raises the nozzle ceiling to 350 C and swaps the nano mineral crystal filter for a HEPA plus coconut-shell carbon stack, adds clog detection, a smart exhaust grille and part-cooling-fan drop detection. The non-carbon Centauri and Centauri 2 are open-frame-oriented machines with a different filament list. Machine size 398 x 404 x 490 mm is shared with the Centauri 2, so body dimensions alone will not identify the model[5][6][1] | Top XL+ configuration. Single-Tool $2,128.70, Dual-Head $2,768.52, Five-Head $3,610.18 (Aug 2026); same frame, bed, electronics and build volume in all three. Prusa markets it as the largest active toolchanger on the market and states a silicone-printing toolhead is due in Q4 2026[2][7] |
| Market position: superseded? successor announced? | Superseded within ELEGOO's own line-up: the US store's Centauri section in Aug 2026 lists the Centauri Carbon 2 Combo, Centauri 2 Combo, Centauri Carbon 2 and an emoji collaboration edition[8] | Not documented |
| 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] | 360 x 360 x 360 mm, which Prusa states as 46.7 litres[2] |
| Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang) | 398 x 404 x 490 mm[1] | About 700 x 900 x 720 mm (Prusa's own figure is approximate)[2] |
| Net weight (kg) | 17.5 kg net, 21 kg gross[1] | About 30 kg[2] |
| Frame construction & material | Integrated die-cast aluminium construction, which ELEGOO credits for reduced vibration at speed[1] | Aluminium extrusions and steel sheets (Prusa's comparison table for the XL)[9] |
| Enclosure: open / enclosed; panel material; door/lid | Fully enclosed with a tempered glass door and top cover; a nano mineral crystal air filter, an auxiliary part-cooling fan and a chamber temperature regulator fan are fitted[1] | Open frame. The Enclosure for Prusa XL+ is an optional add-on; Prusa says the printer is ready for chamber temperatures up to 60 C, that the new better-sealed enclosure reaches around 50 C on the printer's own waste heat, and that 60 C needs an upcoming chamber heater for which no shipping date has been given[2][4] |
| Kinematics & Motion Hardware | ||
| Kinematics (bedslinger i3 / CoreXY / other) | CoreXY[1] | CoreXY with 1.5 mm GT belts, Input Shaper and Phase Stepping[2] |
| Z-axis: leadscrew count & type, sync mechanism, anti-backlash | Three lead screws with three linear guide rods[1] | Not documented |
| Belts (type, width, e.g. Gates?) | Semi-automatic belt tensioner[1] | 1.5 mm GT belts[2] |
| Stepper drivers (exact model e.g. TMC2209; UART/SPI; sensorless homing?) | "Silent Drive (All Axes)" is all that is published; no driver part number is given[1] | Not documented |
| Speed & Acceleration | ||
| Max print speed (claimed, mm/s) | 500 mm/s or less, with 250 mm/s given by ELEGOO as the recommended speed[1] | Not documented |
| 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] | Not documented |
| Max volumetric flow claimed (mm³/s) | 32 mm3/s claimed flow rate (manufacturer figure; no test conditions published)[1] | Not documented |
| Vibration Compensation / Input Shaping | ||
| Input shaping supported? Implementation (Klipper IS / Marlin ZV / proprietary) | Not documented | Input Shaper and Phase Stepping[2] |
| Extruder | ||
| Type (direct drive / bowden) & design name | Dual-gear direct extruder with one fan[1] | Nextruder direct drive; each toolhead carries its own extruder, hotend, nozzle and filament[2] |
| Hotend & Nozzle | ||
| Hotend design (proprietary/standard; quick-swap mechanism?) | Brass-hardened steel nozzle, 0.4 mm, with a titanium-alloy heat break; a heatbed nozzle wiper cleans it before each print[1] | Quick-swap nozzles - 0.25 mm for detail, 0.6/0.8 mm for speed, hardened steel for abrasives, high-flow CHT for throughput; toolheads ship with high-flow nozzles[2] |
| Max nozzle temp claimed AND firmware max temp limit (both values) | 320 C claimed max nozzle temperature (the Centauri Carbon 2 raises this to 350 C)[1][5] | 290 C claimed max nozzle temperature[2] |
| Heated Bed & Surface | ||
| Max bed temp claimed AND firmware limit | 110 C max heated bed temperature at 25 C ambient[1] | 120 C max heatbed temperature[2] |
| Bed surface (material, texture, coating), single/double-sided | Dual-sided spring steel sheet - textured PEI on one face, a PLA-specific surface on the other[1] | Segmented heatbed of 16 individually controlled tiles across the 360 x 360 mm surface, so only the tiles under the part are powered; removable double-sided satin print sheet supplied[2] |
| Leveling & Z-Offset | ||
| Auto bed leveling: probe technology (inductive / strain gauge / load cell / touch probe) | 121-point auto-levelling with full-auto calibration[1] | Load-cell sensor - the nozzle is the probe, which Prusa says automatically accounts for nozzle changes, surface textures and thermal expansion and removes manual Z-offsets. Toolhead-to-toolhead alignment on the XL+ uses a separate permanently mounted eddy-current Tool Offset Sensor, replacing the removable mechanical pin used on the original XL[2][4] |
| Filament Handling & Detection | ||
| Filament runout sensor (type, location) | Filament run-out sensor, auto filament unloading, power-loss recovery and fan self-check; no clog detection on this model (the Centauri Carbon 2 adds it)[1][5] | Filament sensors fitted; Prusa's comparison table lists two filament sensors for the XL[9] |
| Multi-material/multi-color capability or official upgrade path | Not documented | Up to five independent toolheads with automatic tool changing; five materials or five nozzle sizes loaded at once, fed from up to five 2 kg spools for multi-day unattended runs. Parked heads stay preheated and power down when unused[2] |
| Cooling & Air Handling | ||
| Part-cooling fan(s): count, size, ducting design | Part cooling plus an auxiliary part-cooling fan and a chamber temperature regulator fan, with real-time fan self-checks[1] | 360-degree part cooling on each toolhead, new on the XL+ and matching the MK4S and CORE One arrangement; Prusa states it delivers more airflow and distributes it more evenly around the nozzle. Additional fans and heatsinks cool the electronics. Fan sizes are not published[2][4] |
| Electronics & Power | ||
| Mainboard model & MCU (exact chip markings if teardowns exist) | ELEGOO describes it only as a "Powerful Self-Developed Motherboard"; no board model or MCU is published[1] | Custom 32-bit xBuddy electronics with STM32 (Prusa's comparison table for the XL)[9] |
| 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 with OTA updates; 8 GB of on-board storage. ElegooSlicer recommended, with Orca and Cura supported[1] | Open-source firmware - Prusa states "Firmware: Open-source; ships with the full current Prusa feature set", and the XL is covered by the prusa3d/Prusa-Firmware-Buddy source tree[2][10] |
| Connectivity, UI & Camera | ||
| Display: size, type, touch? | 4.3-inch colour capacitive touch screen[1] | 3.5-inch 65k-colour screen with touch control (Prusa's comparison table for the XL)[9] |
| On-device UI capabilities (model preview, per-object controls, etc.) | Colour touch UI; LED chamber lighting fitted; OTA firmware updates[1] | On-device touch UI; Prusa Connect and the Prusa mobile app are optional - Prusa states the machine is fully offline capable[9][2] |
| WiFi (band/standard), Ethernet, USB ports, SD/flash-drive | USB and dual-band Wi-Fi for LAN transfers[1] | Ethernet, optional Wi-Fi; USB drive for print files. Prusa Connect optional and fully offline operation supported[2][9] |
| Camera: built-in / optional? Resolution & framerate (verify — marketing often omits real fps) | Chamber camera fitted, with real-time monitoring and time-lapse; dual built-in LED strips[1] | Not documented |
| Materials Support | ||
| Officially supported filament list | Carbon/glass fibre reinforced filaments, PLA, PETG, ABS, ASA, TPU, PET, PC, PA[1] | PLA, PETG, ASA, ABS, PC, PA (nylon), TPU, PVA, HIPS, PP, CPE, PVB and carbon-fibre composites. Prusa states an open material policy - any brand of 1.75 mm filament, no chips and no subscriptions[2] |
| Safety | ||
| Thermal runaway protection (verify in firmware source if at all possible) | Not documented | Open-source firmware on the xBuddy platform, which carries hardware overcurrent protection cutting heater and heatbed power above 15 A[11][10] |
| Noise & Power Consumption | ||
| Noise: claimed dB and independently measured dB (distance/method) | Operating sound published as 55 dB or less - a manufacturer figure with no distance or method stated, so not comparable with an independently measured dB reading[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[12] | 2-year warranty for consumers in the EU, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Norway and Iceland; 1 year for EU enterprises and 1 year for the rest of the world, which includes the United States. A printer bought from a reseller or privately carries 1 year from the original delivery date and is handled by the reseller. Prusa advertises 24/7 chat and e-mail support in seven languages[13][9] |
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 Carbon product page (full specification table) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Original Prusa XL+ product page (spec block and variant price data) prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- ELEGOO Centauri Carbon Shopify product JSON (price and store publish date) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Prusa blog - Better Prints, Easier Use: Prusa XL+, CORE One L+ and CORE One+ (Gen 2), Our Big Product Update (published 13 August 2026) blog.prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · doc
- ELEGOO Centauri Carbon 2 product page (Centauri Carbon 2 vs Centauri Carbon side-by-side table) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- ELEGOO Centauri 2 product page (Centauri 2 Combo vs Centauri 2 side-by-side specification table) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Prusa 3D printers category listing with live e-shop prices, Aug 2026 prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- ELEGOO US store 3D printers collection (current line-up, Aug 2026) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Original Prusa MK4S 3D Printer product page (Technical Parameters + CORE One+/MK4S/XL comparison table) prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- GitHub - prusa3d/Prusa-Firmware-Buddy (firmware for MINI, MK4, XL and CORE One) github.com · 2026-08 · doc
- Prusa blog - Original Prusa MK4 is here (published 29 March 2023), including the MK4 specification table and launch prices blog.prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · doc
- ELEGOO Refund & Warranty policy (warranty period table) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Prusa Knowledge Base - Warranty help.prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · doc