About Elegoo

Elegoo builds consumer 3D printers at both ends of the technology divide, and the first decision a buyer makes has more effect on the experience than any price comparison.

Resin or filament, decided first

The Saturn, Jupiter and Mars machines are resin printers. They cure liquid photopolymer layer by layer with a masked light source and produce detail that filament simply cannot reach, which is why miniature and model makers use them. The Neptune and Centauri machines are filament printers, melting plastic through a moving nozzle. They are cheaper to feed, far less messy, better for functional parts and larger objects, and much more forgiving of a shared living space. Neither is a general upgrade on the other.

What a Combo package actually includes

The Combo versions of the filament machines add the multi-material system that lets one printer feed several colours or materials into a single object. It is the difference between a one-colour print and a finished-looking model, at the cost of longer print times and more waste material during colour changes. If multi-colour is not the reason you are buying, the base machine prints identically.

Working with liquid resin sensibly

Uncured resin should be treated as a chemical rather than a craft supply. Nitrile gloves, a ventilated room and eye protection are the baseline, prints are washed in alcohol before curing under ultraviolet light, and neither resin nor the used wash liquid goes down a household drain. Once fully cured the plastic is inert. This is the main practical reason to choose filament for a bedroom or a family space.

Filament, resin and storage

Filament absorbs moisture from the air, and damp filament prints badly with stringing, popping and weak layers, which is what the dryers in the range are for. Store spools sealed with desiccant between projects. Consumables are ordered alongside machines on the same site, and a discount code applied to a printer order is worth extending to a first batch of material at the same time.