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Voxelab Aquila 3D Printer (Ender 3 v2 "Clone") - ~$224CAD no tax

  • Last Updated:
  • Apr 29th, 2022 3:34 pm
Sr. Member
Sep 25, 2007
558 posts
190 upvotes
Deal dead, I take it? Code only reduces by $5 to 174
Sr. Member
Jul 16, 2021
625 posts
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rdrexman wrote: Deal dead, I take it? Code only reduces by $5 to 174
it might be dead but i think on voxelab site you can sign up for 10.00 i think i just tried waiting for the coupon myself.
Newbie
Mar 2, 2013
64 posts
16 upvotes
East York
Hey guys, hopefully not too off topic, but I'm looking for new screws to replace the fans and the shroud, Any recommendations on where to get some?
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Dec 11, 2009
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Thomas Sanladerer from youtube did a review on this printer and it was pretty negative ("This thing shouldn't exist") and he mentioned a lot of safety concerns:

Sr. Member
Jul 16, 2021
625 posts
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is there a printer that can print pla and resin?
Member
Jan 31, 2004
444 posts
381 upvotes
AlexisFR wrote: Thank you for helping me save money on something I had not plan to buy lol.

Then again I thought about 3D printing for years, I'm eager to try to take on this challenge.
I got the printer with 1kg of PLA, any feedback on the quality of it?
bob12344 wrote: is the 1kg of pla a good deal with this machine?
Flashforge PLA is good. The deal seems pretty nice. But I've yet to run across a pla that doesn't print well.
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Feb 10, 2007
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bob12344 wrote: is there a printer that can print pla and resin?
Not that I know of, but you wouldn't want the two mixing together anyways. They are completely different technologies. You can get an Elegoo Mars 2 for cheap, and then bundle it with this dirt cheap Ender 3 clone. This way you have the best of both worlds. Just a heads up that resin is messier and smells much more.
bob12344 wrote: after watching that review i dont want it. i dont really want a 5 year old technology.
i would rather pay 200 more to have something from today. is there any suggestion?
this one caught my eye.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ma ... y_category

As 3D printers are still in the "hobbyist/tinkerer" timeline, sometimes the newest isn't the best. Especially random Kickstarter projects - those are known to be traps of the 3D printing world. for 3D printing, having strong community support is vital imo. But if I were to spend more money I would probably look into building a Core XY or if I am a noob I would just go for a Prusa. These things aren't inkjet printers, you just don't press print and have a great time (well, Prusa is as close as it gets).
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bob12344 wrote: after watching that review i dont want it. i dont really want a 5 year old technology.
i would rather pay 200 more to have something from today. is there any suggestion?
this one caught my eye.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ma ... y_category
My suggestion would be to buy the best Prusa Mini Clone from Ali Express

The caveat is that you would have to get someone to print the parts for you and it's more work to put it together since it comes as a kit.

Could be a fun project for people that are into that.
Sr. Member
Jul 16, 2021
625 posts
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MoreDealsPlease wrote: My suggestion would be to buy the best Prusa Mini Clone from Ali Express

The caveat is that you would have to get someone to print the parts for you and it's more work to put it together since it comes as a kit.

Could be a fun project for people that are into that.
Ok thank you. i guess the bottom line is there isnt really anything else than ender 3 v2 clones right now.. or just buy the ender 3 v2
Sr. Member
Jul 16, 2021
625 posts
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asd913 wrote: The next step up is a Creality CR6 SE. Anycubic just released a better copy (imho) of the CR6 SE called the Vyper. At the moment, it's on sale for the first 3000 units for USD300. Then the price jumps to USD360.

https://www.anycubic.com/products/anycubic-vyper

It has built in auto bed leveling, dual z screws, dual gear extruder, a spring steel PEI plate, and a slightly bigger bed.

It's still a bowden style printer though. The only good direct drive printer I'm aware of is the Prusa (which is a big step up in price). Maybe someone else can chime in if there are other options. Bowden style and direct-drive systems both have benefits and drawbacks. I'm sticking to bowden because I predominantly print PLA and PETG.
thank you for this is a good price?.. https://www.amazon.ca/Creality-Leveling ... 17&sr=8-14
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Dec 11, 2009
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bob12344 wrote: Ok thank you. i guess the bottom line is there isnt really anything else than ender 3 v2 clones right now.. or just buy the ender 3 v2
For the under $400 category it's hard to beat Ender 3 V2, unless you do what I said (buying the prusa mini kit from Ali express) but it involves more work.
If you are willing to go to the ~$600 range than you could get the Prusa Mini from the official site or even from a Toronto distributor: https://voxelprints.com/products/origin ... hin-canada
Another option that opens up near that price range would be this: https://www.amazon.ca/Creality-CR-10S-M ... B07DSB1PL3

With the Prusa mini you might spend more money upfront, but it's worth it on the long run from a "time spent troubleshooting" perspective. With Prusa you get a slicer that is married and optimized to the printer (PrusaSlicer) and their official support. It's very likely you will spent less time dealing with issues.
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Jul 16, 2021
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MoreDealsPlease wrote: For the under $400 category it's hard to beat Ender 3 V2, unless you do what I said (buying the prusa mini kit from Ali express) but it involves more work.
If you are willing to go to the ~$600 range than you could get the Prusa Mini from the official site or even from a Toronto distributor: https://voxelprints.com/products/origin ... hin-canada
Another option that opens up near that price range would be this: https://www.amazon.ca/Creality-CR-10S-M ... B07DSB1PL3

With the Prusa mini you might spend more money upfront, but it's worth it on the long run from a "time spent troubleshooting" perspective. With Prusa you get a slicer that is married and optimized to the printer (PrusaSlicer) and their official support. It's very likely you will spent less time dealing with issues.
ok what about the cr 6 i linked? i think thats right in my price range.
shows up 450 with prime
https://www.amazon.ca/Creality-Leveling ... 17&sr=8-14
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Dec 11, 2009
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bob12344 wrote: ok what about the cr 6 i linked? i think thats right in my price range.
shows up 450 with prime
https://www.amazon.ca/Creality-Leveling ... 17&sr=8-14
Hard to say, I'm into DIY high end 3d printers. If it were me I would get the Voxelab Aquila from this thread for CAD 224 tax in (which is a ender 3 v2 like printer) and throw in $150 to $200 in upgrades (PEI flex magnetic bed, all metal hotend / direct drive extruder conversion, ABL sensor, quiet fans, maybe even linear rails) and It would make it better than the CR6 SE for less money.

There is value in having a ender 3 v2 based printer because the community is so large and you might benefit from it being similar in terms of upgrades and issues you will encounter.
Member
Jan 31, 2004
444 posts
381 upvotes
MoreDealsPlease wrote: Thomas Sanladerer from youtube did a review on this printer and it was pretty negative ("This thing shouldn't exist") and he mentioned a lot of safety concerns:

Not to diminish the glaring issues, but I feel that Tom's review was unnecessarily cynical.

He brought up three safety concerns:
1.) Clips holding the bed. I have an Ender 3 v2, which has the same "issue" (because it has the same bed, heater plate, and clips). I looked at the scratches created by the clips, and they don't extend to the bed traces on the ender. I think it's because of how the clips are designed.

2.) Tinning the wiring ends. This practice is pretty standard across the industry. Millions of Enders, Neptunes, and Aquilas (and many others) are shipped this way. That doesn't make it ok though. They all need to stop doing this. For those that have bought the printer or are looking to buy one, you have two options. You can buy a ferrule kit from amazon for about $40 (cut and strip the wires and crimp on the ferrules, https://youtu.be/8F4zQVzDRww). Or you can cut and strip the wires and carefully reinsert them bare yourself (ensure no strands are exposed and tighten well).

3.) Tom's comments about firmware issues with Thermal Runaway Protections (TRP) seem to be valid. If that is the case, I hope Voxelab releases an update ASAP. This is not ok. But what I don't like is that Tom makes it sounds like updating the firmware should be automatic on a CAD200 printer. And that people would be unwilling to do it. For older printers like the ender 3 and 3 pro, you need to program them with a programmer. That is difficult to do for the average user. But updating firmware on the Aquila (an ender 3 v2) is a 10-second operation: drop an updated .bin file on the sd card, insert said card in the printer, and turn it on, enjoy.

I said that the TRP issues "seem" to be valid because I can not verify his results. I switched to the community firmware a day after getting the Aquila. The community firmware for both the enders and the Aquila adds a lot of functionality for free. And TRP works well on the community firmware. To update the firmware to the community version is a 5-min process instead the 10-seconds effort for the stock version (because you have to use an sd card to update the screen firmware on the community version). But it is very straightforward to do. Here is a video I found showing how to do it with the firmware I use.

https://youtu.be/urs4yBTY1vE

Everyone should update their Aquila to the community Marlin firmware. There really isn't a downside beyond having to print a new mount to make the screen vertical.

https://www.thingiverse.com/search?q=aq ... t=relevant
Last edited by asd913 on Aug 16th, 2021 3:13 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Sr. Member
Jul 16, 2021
625 posts
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MoreDealsPlease wrote: Hard to say, I'm into DIY high end 3d printers. If it were me I would get the Voxelab Aquila from this thread for CAD 224 tax in (which is a ender 3 v2 like printer) and throw in $150 to $200 in upgrades (PEI flex magnetic bed, all metal hotend / direct drive extruder conversion, ABL sensor, quiet fans, maybe even linear rails) and It would make it better than the CR6 SE for less money.

There is value in having a ender 3 v2 based printer because the community is so large and you might benefit from it being similar in terms of upgrades and issues you will encounter.
alright alright alright you convinced me
Sr. Member
Mar 5, 2012
502 posts
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Montréal
asd913 wrote:
3.) Tom's comments about firmware issues with Thermal Runaway Protections (TRP) seem to be valid. If that is the case, I hope Voxelab releases an update ASAP. This is not ok. But what I don't like is that Tom makes it sounds like updating the firmware should be automatic on a CAD200 printer. And that people would be unwilling to do it. For older printers like the ender 3 and 3 pro, you need to program them with a programmer. That is difficult to do for the average user. But updating firmware on the Aquila (an ender 3 v2) is a 10-second operation: drop an updated .bin file on the sd card, insert said card in the printer, and turn it on, enjoy.

I said that the TRP issues "seem" to be valid because I can not verify his results. I switched to the community firmware a day after getting the Aquila. The community firmware for both the enders and the Aquila adds a lot of functionality for free. And TRP works well on the community firmware. To update the firmware to the community version is a 5-min process instead the 10-seconds effort for the stock version (because you have to update the screen on the community version). But it is very straightforward to do. Here is a video I found showing how to do it with the firmware I use.

https://youtu.be/urs4yBTY1vE

Everyone should update their Aquila to the community Marlin firmware. There really isn't a downside beyond having to print a new mount to make the screen vertical.

https://www.thingiverse.com/search?q=aq ... t=relevant

Yeah I found out about that shortly after ordering but it was too late to cancelling. That seems like a pretty catastrophic error.

Regarding firmware updates, according o a reddit message by the guy doing the Aquila Marlin fork himself, there are 3 motherboards type so far. And his fork only supports 2, with no immediate plans for the latest motherboard. Fingers crossed I get one of the right ones that can be updated...
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What's the best way to buy this in terms of coupons and lowest cost?

I see flashforge and Voxelab are the 2 options. Is one better than the other in terms of shipping?
Member
Jan 31, 2004
444 posts
381 upvotes
AlexisFR wrote: Yeah I found out about that shortly after ordering but it was too late to cancelling. That seems like a pretty catastrophic error.

Regarding firmware updates, according o a reddit message by the guy doing the Aquila Marlin fork himself, there are 3 motherboards type so far. And his fork only supports 2, with no immediate plans for the latest motherboard. Fingers crossed I get one of the right ones that can be updated...
As far as I'm aware, the original Aquilas only come in G32 variants. The Aquila X2 can have either an N32 or H32. There will be a label on the top of the printer if you end up with an n32 or h32.
Sr. Member
Mar 5, 2012
502 posts
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asd913 wrote: As far as I'm aware, the original Aquilas only come in G32 variants. The Aquila X2 can have either an N32 or H32. There will be a label on the top of the printer if you end up with an n32 or h32.
Thanks For clarifying that. It's true the fork is for both Aquila and Aquila X2, I have still plenty of reading and learning to do. It' not a tool it's a hobby ;) . I will report back once I receive and update my printer to the Marlin firmware.

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