Creality Ender-5 S1 review: "An impressive monster of a machine"

The Creality Ender-5 S1 knows that time is of the essence. After all, it's no good being able to print whatever you can imagine if the process takes dozens of hours (especially with electricity bills rocketing skyward). That's why its promise of creating builds in a fraction of the time is so attention-grabbing.

Frankly, it sounds like an impossible task. Even in the best 3D printers, upping the speed results in lower resolution and more indistinct prints as a result. So why should Creality's latest effort be any different? I can only assume the answer is 'sorcery'. You see, the Creality Ender-5 S1 is an impressive monster of a machine that makes good on its pledge. 

Features & design

As you'd expect, the Creality Ender-5 S1's selling point is speed. In sharp contrast to rival machines like the Anycubic Vyper (which manages between 80mm and 100mm per second), it's able to max out at 250mm/s. That's blindingly quick.

The printer's other features aren't as show-stopping, but they still impress. It provides CR Touch auto-leveling for easier setup, a direct extruder capable of handling up to 300℃, a bendable magnetic plate for easier build removal, and a 4.3-inch touch screen. 'Urus' air ducts are also included around the nozzle to cool your print so it hardens faster and avoids drooping.

For added stability (and to stop the printer from shaking itself apart when running at full pelt, I'd imagine), it has an all-metal cube frame too. While this gives the Ender-5 an intimidating, industrial edge, putting it together isn't nearly so bad as you'd think. Clear, easy-to-follow instructions make the process a breeze. Just leave aside plenty of time; it took me around an hour and a half to construct.

Don't forget to clear enough space, either. Despite only having a build volume of 220mm x 220mm x 280mm (which isn't far off the dinky Anycubic Kobra Go), this is a bulky contraption thanks to that thick metal skeleton. 

Fortunately, Creality has tried to make the Ender-5 S1 as streamlined as possible wherever it can. The filament arm is tucked tight into the right-hand side, for example, and as someone without a huge amount of desk real-estate, I appreciated this.

Anyway. Once it's built, you're left with something that would probably look more at home on a Star Trek set than in a home office. It's the kind of thing sci-fi characters would use to print out a McGuffin they need to save the day, and I don't hate that. It is, in a word, cool.

Performance

The Creality Ender-5 S1 isn't short on selling points, but speed tops the list. And having spent a few weeks putting the machine through its paces, I can safely say that it delivers on that promise. This thing is fast. After booting it up for the first time, I was taken aback by how quickly the nozzle flew across the build plate. It's like someone had set the damn thing on fast-forward… and that was before I upped things to 250mm/s. 

As you'd expect, this slashes production time by a significant amount. It smashed through projects like terrain for the best tabletop RPGs twice as quickly as my Anycubic Vyper, and the Creality slicing software couldn't keep up; it never accurately predicted how long my builds would take, and they were always finished sooner than expected. Although you shouldn't expect the Ender-5 S1 to leave its competition completely in the dust, it is impressive. 

The quality is pretty great too. You'd expect resolution to suffer because of that increased speed, but it doesn't - not to any great degree, anyway. I printed a Korok from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild as my first test of its 250mm/s party trick, and once I'd reduced the extruder's temperature to avoid stringing or bubbling, it looked very respectable.

That's a good case-study for the Creality Ender-5 S1 in general, to be honest - you'll get the best results after fiddling about with its settings. Leveling is the perfect example. I found getting it to the right point tricky, and reaching the Goldilocks zone of 'just right' was the biggest headache of this entire process.

It's a reminder that the Ender-5 S1 isn't completely idiot-proof; if you're a total novice, you can still expect a learning curve. But with some patience, a bit of tweaking, and the help of Mr. Google Search, you can have it singing. 

Fortunately, the touchscreen makes all this messing about painless. The interface here is top-notch, and beyond a couple of advanced settings that could be a little clearer, it's one of the best in the business.

Should you buy the Creality Ender-5 S1?

Creality's Ender series has a solid track-record when it comes to quality printers, and that streak continues with the Ender-5 S1. This is a powerful yet reliable machine that rarely fails to impress, and it'll convert you to the Creality cause as quickly as it prints models. It comes highly recommended no matter whether you're a relative newcomer or an expert in all things 3D printing. 

How we tested the Creality Ender-5 S1

I spent a couple of weeks testing the Creality Ender-5 S1 with prints of varying size and complexity, ranging from small figures to larger terrain pieces from developers like Cast n Play. I was also sure to print at different resolutions and speeds, enabling me to compare the difference in quality.

This review unit was provided by Creality.

For inspiration on what to build with your 3D printer, check out the best Dungeons and Dragons books, the best board games, and these essential board games for adults.