3D Printing Again with an Anycubic Kobra 3 v.2

I just got an Anycubic Kobra 3 v.2 combo. But 3D printing isn’t a new pastime for me. I started it back in 2018 and had 3 printers before they were all stolen, along with my ability to produce and investing in and after a lot of intense modding. I guarantee you the thieves had no idea what all they took. It was tragic.

“Back then,” (you whippersnappers), you had to set up everything from scratch. There had been copious hard work on the Open Source side of things, and technologically, things were flying along. It was like coding, and a chore just to keep up with the changes. Because a lot of it WAS coding.

Technologically, though, I have a theory about some things, being a marketer. Creality, for example, now has more models of 3D printers available than anyone knows what to do with. And most manufacturers have amassed a giant collection. I heard a person ask, “Why is that?” on YouTube, which was what got me thinking about it.

Here’s a partial list of Creality’s printers:

Ender Series:

K Series:

  • K1 and K1 Max: High-speed printers for faster printing.
  • K1C: A carbon fiber-compatible K series printer.
  • K2 Plus Combo: A high-end, flagship model, according to Creality. 

CR Series:

  • CR-10 SE: Features X and Y-axis linear rails for precision, according to Creality.
  • CR-10 Smart Pro: A smart printer with advanced features. 

Other Notable Models:

It reminds me of the auto industry. Prices never come down. Only go up. Promotions are held, with some manufacturers (some like Prusa use premium pricing, and never have sales, while Anycubic, which is considered “budget,” seems to always be holding promotions. It’s all marketing strategy. Which isn’t advertising. There’s a difference.)

But since you can’t reduce prices on the same products as margins erode, it’s better business to introduce a NEW model with minor iterative changes (not always for the better) and a new, higher price tag. With car companies, it’s every year, on schedule. With 3D printers, it’s getting new tech out the door ASAP. And so it goes.

Creality appears to operate similarly, but they are in an industry with significant differences. It’s in its infancy, relatively, so there are massive, rapid changes, as companies jockey for position. The people who luckily adopted the technology early, like Josef Prusa, are multi-millionaires. It reminds me of any tech, really, like Matt Mullenweg and WordPress or Steve Jobs at Apple and the iPhone. Was it really the person, or the timing and luck? Some of both, but I think more people attribute success to the former. A point I’d like to make with all this is that Anycubic has done an admirable job controlling inventory. It’s just what’s needed. Just like their printers.

Creality just has churned them out, instead of deprecating models, which is impossible to a point like legacy software and hardware, and with 3D printing, it’s both. So they need to add features, and they quickly tape them onto a new model. And now there is a long line of them, all to be supported and have to be dealt with. From a company standpoint, that’s a mess.

Another point worth mentioning is that although Anycubic advertises the Kobra as being able to print at Ludicrous Speed, it doesn’t really matter after a certain point, because of the filament’s criteria to print correctly. You can’t just throw it down 1,000,000 miles an hour. Not without a turbojet fan. They do make High-speed filament, but even then, I would think that’s more for commercial purposes. I only mention that because Creality sells entire printer systems that revolve around “fast printing.” Just something to ponder.

So, back to the point: this Kobra 3 v2 combo.

I’m on my 3rd print with it. I took some great videos on my phone of it, and the cooling fans were so loud (I wasn’t using a mike either; lesson learned) that they rendered the audio unusable. People will watch a video with a bad picture and good audio, but not the other way around.

So, I decided to write all this down. With photos and a quick chop from one video added at the end, just to see how it works.

Here’s my first video, with major audio issues. I had no idea my phone would pick up that noise like that, plus it’s sitting by a window, so the sound bounces off of it, as it sits in a cove. And the sound stinks. But there’s some good info if you can bear it. (The video suddenly cut off because my phone rang and I needed to answer it.) Point is: I’m learning.

My thoughts, so far: there are too many supports coming out of the gate, because between that and the purged filament, I’m going through the filament twice as fast. That’s unsustainable. Just look at this basket I printed(print #2), and the wasted filament:

Ridiculous! And that’s a single color print. If it were 4 colors, I would have used 4 times as much because of all the purging, and Lord knows how long it would have taken. That needs to be addressed by me and the manufacturers. I have faith it will be solved, in time, just like everything else has been with time.

The other thing is that with all these supports, and particularly this printer and software, you get a REALLY nice print. It turned out to be probably the nicest print I’ve ever printed, out of thousands. That’s not totally due to supports, of course. This basket turned out rigid, smooth, and tight. You can barely make out the layer lines. Check out the bottom of the basket and see what you think:

That’s pretty tight. And I still haven’t adjusted the slicer settings. I tend to think the ACE Pro makes a difference by providing optimized filament, too. Normally, I just had it sitting around until I used it. I still have some years-old glow in the dark and “wood”(by Hatchbox – cool stuff!) and rainbow silk filament I’m going to see how it does, one day.

I’m using AnycubicSlicerNext. I come from the Prusa Slicer. And Cura. They’re all basically the same operationally, but learning where everything is is the hard part. With so many controls, settings, and interdependent settings within that, it’s a lot of tweaks and takes a lot of practice. But I’ve looked at the default settings and they’re pretty good. I want to adjust the supports, though. It adds to the printing time massively and filament waste. There are also new slicing technologies to harness that didn’t exist a few years ago.

The first thing I printed was the camera case.

The VERY first contact with the bed is evident, which was the back of the case, and you can see bed heating issues or nozzle break-in, or something. The first layer looks awful. But NBD. I can print another if I want. That’s something I have to remember: I can just print what I need. I was initially surprised at Anycubic not including a “poop bucket” (I’m already tired of the infantile “poop” comments, but considering the majority of what’s 3D printed, which are fantasy figurines, half-naked girls, and cosplay gear, it makes sense), but why would I not just print a custom one? That’s exactly what the product is for. My expectations are wrong, expecting one to be provided for me. Just like the camera case. It’s fine with me, because it makes it that much cheaper. And this combo is insanely affordable. I don’t know how Anycubic makes a profit.

Incidentally, when I went to print the first time, it purged some white filament out, which must have been from QA testing in China.

Anycubic Kobra 3 camera

Here’s the very first print above, the very first time the nozzle went to work, and as you can see, it’s rough. It immediately improved, however. So don’t get freaked out.

Something I was thinking about is that I watched every video possible on this 3D printer I could before it arrived at my door. I was very excited. And still am.

Most of the “reviews” I saw were from social media influencers who were given free printers to use and make videos on. They say they are unbiased, but they aren’t because they didn’t have to pay a penny for the product. People dont value what they’re given for free. And the “reviews” often are overly critical because they didn’t have to pay for anything. I know they “think” they’re unbiased, but that’s impossible, which is just a fact. They aren’t robots.

I don’t think everyone considers this, and they should. For example, one such influencer was complaining about the size of the latch on the ACE Pro being too small, or hard to grab or something. I find it to be designed fine. I think that’s because I had to pay for it, and he didn’t, so he’s free to complain about nothing. Just a thought. If you watch Project Farm on YouTube, for comparison, you’ll see that he buys every single thing himself. That’s for a good reason, and it’s not just for perception.

I owned a Prusa, and I must say, I see no differences in quality between that and this. In fact, in 2025, this Kobra 3 v2 blows my Prusa Mini+ away. The Anycubic comes with a camera, for example, it has a ton of automatic setup that performs itself, really well. It has a heated bed. It checks for vibration and levelling and works out of the box easily. It’s mostly metal instead of mostly 3D printed parts like Prusas.

The mini had such a small footprint that it was susceptible to vibrations. It also had a small print volume, and I’d often have to split up prints into several pieces to use it. It was the worst when a project poked over the print bed by a few millimeters.

I had to assemble practically nothing with the Kobra 3. You can see the difference between the box this came in and my Anycubic Mega S back in 2018 (I managed to save the box, and lost the printer. Typical.):

One thing I must mention is that screwing the camera onto the thing was a pain. The hole to screw it into, which was printed, wasn’t exactly round, and the head of the screw is a Phillips, which I discovered after failing multiple times with an Allen key. I had to drill out the hole so it is clean and put some oil in it, and used a better screw. I eventually got it in correctly. Very minor battle, but worth mentioning. (Yes, my eyes are poor, but it’s in a dark, hidden place on the printer, so I’m not a total moron.)

I made some points about a lot of this in a video I made when I first set this up. But the audio stinks, so I’m repeating it here in writing, which I do better than performing on camera anyway. Such as FedEx delivering it late, and dropping it so hard it messed it up and caused me some stress.

FedEx dropped the box so that the z-axis, where the purge component screws in, was bent out of the way so the screw wouldn’t fit into the hole, nor would the piece itself fit where it should. I noticed the handle on the box when it was dropped off was torn, like it had been lifted there by a crane. But these things are packed well for that very reason.

The knob was messed up cosmetically. I was not impressed. That wasn’t Anycubic’s fault whatsoever(other than using FedEx, but they all stink); it was FedEx’s. But Anycubic would have to pay for it, even if I could imagine trying to return it to China. Which increases prices for you and me. Luckily, I was able to fix it, and you can’t see the damage, but I’ll always be reminded.

That brings me to “Why did you buy this 3D printer?” There are tons out there, which are nearly all great in their own ways.

Because I have had 2 other Anycubic printers, a Mega S and a Vyper. I loved that Vyper. I learned a TON on that Mega S. It was printer #1, and requiring the customer to set every single thing up back then caused problems, but it allowed me to learn everything I ever wanted to know about 3D printing and more.

And Anycubic handled my issues like true professionals, not some telephone, voice-prompt Hell and/or people who speak no English, where you’re passed from person to person to escalate the problem, having to tell each person the same thing and send photos, etc…

Anycubic customer service, considering the price point, is terrific. That’s why I bought another. Plus, after having that Vyper, I was blown away by how plug-and-play they made it. That printer was rock-solid. I was over tinkering around on them by then. There comes a point where knowing how every single thing in your car works is great, but all you want to do is get from point A to point B easily and in style. That’s what Anycubic now does. Leave your brain at home.

One other thing to mention is that when it runs its vibration tests, it makes a noise like it’s getting ready to blast off into space. If you aren’t used to that, like I wasn’t, it will freak you out. Luckily, I was prepared for it, which is why I mention it here. Hopefully, I can warn someone too. It’s abnormal and unfamiliar, otherwise and sounds like the printer is about to up and die.

I was going to print a popular support rack so I can put the ACE Pro up on top of the printer. If that sounds crazy, it is, I decided. I don’t think it’ll look as good as I originally did before it arrived, plus it’s so dangerous. If it fell off due to vibration or any number of things, it would create a disaster. It’s not worth it, plus where I have it is nearly custom-made for the setup. The window behind it provides a lot of natural light I’d rather not block, too. And although the printer sits pretty solidly, it constantly vibrates and is jiggling and moving, and before long, anything precariously perched on top: CRASH.

I may still install an LED light strip I have on top of the Z-axis gantry. Just because I need to do something with an extra LED strip is the only reason why and I think I could add some wood and make it look cool. The print head and camera both have lights, but they are aimed weirdly. The one on the print head is so close to the bed that it causes quick-moving, weird-shaped shadows, and they look like pieces of the print coming off the bed.

The camera is “pretty good” quality for 2025, and great for monitoring, but not 4k widescreen. Not perfect for time-lapse because of its mounting location, although I’m going to give some modifications a try, either with the provided camera and extensions and/or a Raspberry Pi.

I have a goose-neck lamp aimed at the printing bed, like welders use, which is great. I worry about the cord length of the LEDs and having cords and tubes all over the place with LEDs, too. Having the USB plugs and the ACE Pro plug into the front was a gigantic design failure. Or compromise, at least. I’m sure there were reasons. But it’s my biggest complaint. They don’t need to be accessed so much that they have to have them front and center. That’s what the GUI and App are for. And I mess with electronics enough that I can’t imagine redirecting them out the back or even side would be such an issue or expense. I’ve opened up plenty of printers and there’s not much down below other than circuitry and fans and wires.

With that in mind, I did add a corrugated plastic wiring harness cover on the tubes and wires running to the print head, which I think looks a lot better. More finished, at least.

About the ACE Pro filament dryer/spool holder/heater/etc…

The v.1 “Combo” came with a basic ACE, not an “ACE Pro.” But the only difference is that the original Pro model had a digital readout on the case. This one (Version 2) uses the app, which is fine with me. Better, even.

Everything else is the same. Using the app frees you up, big-time. I can print anything with the Kobra 3 anywhere, and have it sitting in a closet if I want. You don’t need to tend to it while it’s printing, which is a big change. Previously, I used a Raspberry Pi, OctoPrint, Spaghetti Detective, and some other tricks and plugins to tend to everything. Now it’s all included and works well.

Something I noticed is the temperature within the ACE. There are hot spots aplenty.

I checked the temps within using the infrared thermometer, and the center where I placed a thermometer/hygrometer is the hottest, nearing 100 degrees. That seems hot, but I trust Anycubic. And you can change what you want with the App. Even set timers.

I may affix the digital temp/humidity device I have to the inside of the clear cover just because I have it. It’s not necessary by a mile. But it’s interesting to watch.

My third print in action, with awful audio I just muted. The fans are LOUD.

One last thing I’ll mention is a word of warning when using ChapGPT or other AI models like Grok, Gemini, etc…

I use AI a lot. I’ve gotten pretty good at writing effective prompts. And AI will often give me wrong information.

I’ve aske dit about the replacement parts for things ranging from my SUV to this printer, and everything in between. And it given me wrong info. I’ll call it out, and it will apologize and try again, and even getting it wrong 5 or more times before getting it right, with my help. At first I didn;t know, so I went out and bought a bunch of stuff that didn’t work or fit because I was old the wrong thing. And it happened again here with the nozzle and “print volume” of the Kobra 3.

The nozzle size of the Anycubic Kobra 3 V2 is a volcano-type. .4mm is standard, but you may want to get a .2 and. 6 mm for different scenarios, plus hardened steel for tougher filaments. Which is what I wanted to do, and ChatGPT told me it was the V6 style, which I have a ton of and bought more. Unfortunately, because they won’t work. So, get a longer volcano-style nozzle for the Kobra.

The other misstep was asking what the build volume of the Kobra is. I read it was 250mmx250mmx260mm but wanted to verify before I bought a new PEI plate, while waiting for the printer to be delivered. Those plates aren’t cheap. Chat GPT assured me it was that size. I asked another model, and it said the same. So I bought one. And then got the printer. And it’s too small.

The “print volume” is different from the “build volume,” which is different from “build size,”… is the purported reason. I don’t buy it.

But the Kobra has a “Build Size” of 255x255mm, which is labelled on the machine itself, despite what the website and searches say. That’s really all you need to know unless you want to print something 251mm X or Y. Which is rare for personal use.

I’m learning how to use Onshape for modelling which is the key to 3D printing. Printing other people’s files is fun, but being able to make ANYTHING in your head is the goal. I’ll post about that experience later. Spoiler: I ditched Fusion 360 for Onshape, and I’ll tell you why.

By musgrove

Storytelling content strategist who likes to code, design, and write. And dogs and tech. And pizza. And 3-D printing. And woodworking. And... http://linkedin.com/in/wdpop

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