00:00:00
So, this is the printer you've all been
00:00:01
waiting for. I have no idea why. Oh,
00:00:04
yeah. The price tag, of course. This
00:00:06
printer is £699 and on offer. This one
00:00:10
is
00:00:11
£375 and on offer. What's the
00:00:14
difference? Well, about £300. Let's go.
00:00:18
I think we all have to agree that Elgo
00:00:20
shocked us with this one. There's always
00:00:21
a price expectation for a tier of a
00:00:23
machine, and that had been set maybe 3
00:00:26
years ago. £200 to400 for a beds slinger
00:00:29
was considered reasonable. 500 to £1,000
00:00:32
for an enclosed printer. Add a couple
00:00:34
hundred for an AMS or so. Creity was
00:00:38
actually playing the same game. They
00:00:40
were following suit, although their
00:00:41
machines are probably not making as much
00:00:42
margin based on the weight difference
00:00:44
and the component count, but those were
00:00:48
the rules. And then at some point last
00:00:50
year, Eligu announced a printer that
00:00:52
seemed like an unspectacular entry into
00:00:55
that market. until they released the
00:00:57
price and then people started taking
00:01:00
notice. So, I think this is a clever
00:01:02
move on Eligu's part, but there's some
00:01:05
mystery as to how they're doing this.
00:01:08
And I think maybe we can solve some of
00:01:10
that mystery here. Anyway, the models
00:01:12
range from unenclosed up to enclosed
00:01:15
with filament. There's only two models
00:01:17
in the range, in fact, as far as I can
00:01:18
tell. The rest are just bundle
00:01:19
variations on the two models. You either
00:01:22
go with an enclosure or you don't. And I
00:01:25
think most people want the enclosure and
00:01:26
the price differential isn't high
00:01:28
enough. And do comment below if you did
00:01:30
go with the unenclosed one. I will be
00:01:31
interested to find out what made you do
00:01:33
that. Other differences between models
00:01:35
seem to be the max bed temperature and
00:01:37
extra fans and the air filter and a
00:01:40
camera which works fine, but I think you
00:01:42
can only see it in the slicer or web
00:01:44
interface. I'm not sure if there's
00:01:45
actually an app for this. I haven't seen
00:01:47
one. I haven't looked. The machine is
00:01:49
the same size as a P1S and the same
00:01:53
build plate as a P1S, give or take. In
00:01:55
fact, you can actually fit a bamboo
00:01:57
build plate in there pretty much. When I
00:01:59
tried using it though, the print did
00:02:01
fail. And I don't know why. That may
00:02:02
have just been complete coincidence, but
00:02:04
prints haven't been failing generally,
00:02:06
in fact, at all, apart from when I did
00:02:08
that. So, it's either a huge coincidence
00:02:10
or there's a reason why you can't use
00:02:12
bamboo build plates. That remains to be
00:02:14
seen. I'll probably do some further
00:02:15
testing unless someone knows and can
00:02:17
comment and save me the time. Besides,
00:02:19
Elgu's own beds are as cheap as they
00:02:21
come. The only real time you would be
00:02:23
asking about compatibility with bamboo
00:02:25
beds is because obviously the those
00:02:27
printers are much more popular and
00:02:29
there's a lot more of them in the wild.
00:02:30
And so when you get these bespoke build
00:02:32
plates like this, you find that they are
00:02:34
made for the bamboo form factor. But of
00:02:36
course, if this machine, if Elgo
00:02:38
actually make any of this machine
00:02:40
available, if they make enough of them,
00:02:42
that's been a problem in the past that
00:02:44
people have trouble getting hold of the
00:02:45
printers. It was a kind of like a
00:02:47
running joke with the Neptunes that they
00:02:49
were great printers at great prices, but
00:02:52
only if you could get one. Anyway, the
00:02:55
point I'm trying to make is if they do
00:02:56
sell enough, then the build plates will
00:02:58
be just as available because capitalism,
00:03:01
basically. So, it's very cheap and it
00:03:05
looks fine. What is going on with this
00:03:07
thing? It can't possibly be any good at
00:03:08
that price. You would think that there
00:03:10
will be compromises that make it well
00:03:14
flawed. However, this is the thing. I
00:03:18
can't really fault it at the moment.
00:03:20
Unfortunately, one of the things I don't
00:03:22
have on this printer is a total print
00:03:25
timer. At least I haven't found one. So,
00:03:27
I can't show you how many hours I've
00:03:28
been testing this printer for. It is a
00:03:30
lot more than usual because first of
00:03:32
all, I'm highly suspicious of anything
00:03:33
this cheap, but second of all, I've been
00:03:35
using it as a nononsense workhorse for
00:03:37
the demonstration pieces I've used in
00:03:39
the last couple of
00:03:41
[Music]
00:03:55
non-res. Hey, hey,
00:03:59
[Music]
00:04:24
hey.
00:04:31
[Music]
00:04:46
Of course, the other thing it doesn't
00:04:49
have um apart from a print timer is
00:04:52
well, this is the worst spot the
00:04:53
difference game ever. There's no AMS.
00:04:56
But apparently that is a yet. I will
00:05:00
caution that making working AMS's is
00:05:02
hard. Making them work well is even
00:05:04
harder. And it's entirely possible that
00:05:05
there won't be an AMS or it might be
00:05:08
delayed. It certainly wouldn't be the
00:05:09
first machine by a long way to promise
00:05:13
an AMS and then not deliver one or
00:05:15
promise a multimaterial solution and not
00:05:16
deliver one. But Elegu have promised it
00:05:19
in Q3 this year. I think multiolor AMS's
00:05:22
are overrated personally and I think
00:05:25
that actually the overwhelming majority
00:05:27
of people do buy an AMS thinking they'll
00:05:29
use it more than they do. They try it
00:05:30
for a while and then they get fed up of
00:05:31
the waste. But everyone's different.
00:05:33
We'll see if the AMS happens or not. But
00:05:35
if it's important to you, especially
00:05:38
given the operating system of the
00:05:40
machine being non-standard, we'll get on
00:05:42
to that. Um, I would wait until the AMS
00:05:45
is out if the purchase of the machine
00:05:47
literally depends on it. And that is a
00:05:50
segue into talking about that because
00:05:53
what the heck operating system is this
00:05:55
printer even running? It looks like
00:05:57
Clipper on the face of it. And it's hard
00:05:59
to believe that Elgu would spend time
00:06:01
rewriting a G-code interpreter and a web
00:06:03
host and an API for the slicer. This is
00:06:04
a lot of work. And that's probably why a
00:06:07
lot of us reviewers and people in the
00:06:09
community, we jump to the conclusion
00:06:11
that it must be some kind of Clipper
00:06:13
because we've seen this before with
00:06:14
companies sort of not talking about
00:06:16
Clipper but actually being Clipper. But
00:06:18
in this case, I I don't think it is. In
00:06:21
fact, I'll go further and say I don't
00:06:22
see how it can
00:06:35
be. It looks like Clipper on the face of
00:06:38
it and it it kind of feels like Clipper,
00:06:41
but you can see what we call value
00:06:43
engineering inside here. And that is not
00:06:46
a bad thing if it's done correctly
00:06:48
because it keeps the price down.
00:06:49
However, if it's done incorrectly, it
00:06:51
introduces problems. The main board is
00:06:54
well sparse. Uh they've also kept the
00:06:57
price down with a mains bed, meaning 24
00:06:59
volts um doesn't require as much
00:07:01
current, so you don't need as big a
00:07:02
power supply, so that's cheaper. The
00:07:05
simple fact is that until someone proves
00:07:07
this machine runs Clipper, the chances
00:07:09
are it doesn't. And that is evident from
00:07:12
the board. Eligu have said that it
00:07:14
doesn't run Clipper. I don't see where
00:07:16
you would hide it. To run Clipper, you
00:07:19
would need more on the board than this.
00:07:21
It's all very curious. I guess we'll get
00:07:24
answers in the end, but for the moment,
00:07:26
I just don't think it's running Clipper.
00:07:28
And I don't know what it is running.
00:07:30
[Music]
00:07:44
[Applause]
00:07:44
[Music]
00:09:07
I've got no problems with the print
00:09:08
quality on the Centuri at all. And it's
00:09:11
printed everything I've thrown at it so
00:09:13
far. And that is actually quite a lot of
00:09:14
different materials. PETG,
00:09:17
polycarbonate, which is an unusual one
00:09:19
for me, but I've been testing compliant
00:09:21
mechanisms as you know, TPU,
00:09:24
ABS. I will say that the first layer is
00:09:27
sometimes on the edge of what I'd
00:09:28
consider okay, especially for the higher
00:09:30
temperature materials like the
00:09:31
polycarbonate, but I think part of the
00:09:33
reason for this is because there's a
00:09:34
just print without messing about for
00:09:36
ages first option that doesn't level the
00:09:38
bed, but presumably uses the last
00:09:41
version of the bed leveling. Of course,
00:09:43
if you're doing this from cold, then
00:09:44
you're going to be running a cold bed
00:09:45
with leveling from a warm bed that
00:09:47
hasn't expanded yet. And I think it's
00:09:50
reasonable to say that a lot of what
00:09:52
makes people think that printers these
00:09:54
days that spend ages leveling first are
00:09:56
more reliable is because that time is
00:09:59
also functioning as a heat soak which
00:10:00
stabilizes everything inside the printer
00:10:03
to do all of its expanding and moving
00:10:05
around. And I think that's probably a
00:10:07
lot of the reason why in the past
00:10:10
leveling was such an issue compared to
00:10:11
how it is now. Another interesting thing
00:10:14
about the Centuri is that they've
00:10:15
actually designed it to poop purge right
00:10:17
from the start out of the back. Whereas
00:10:20
Creality made the K1 series without any
00:10:22
purge functionality or any way to do it.
00:10:24
And so the upgrade kit that they
00:10:26
released later has to add that and it
00:10:28
poops in its own trousers essentially.
00:10:31
The fact the Elgo poops or wipes and so
00:10:33
on right from the start does make me
00:10:35
think and believe that they are serious
00:10:37
about the AMS and that it will happen
00:10:39
sooner rather than later or or never.
00:10:52
[Music]
00:10:56
So, I think that's probably all there is
00:10:58
to say about the Elgos Centuri. If
00:11:00
you've bought one, then let me know in
00:11:02
the comments. I don't think they are out
00:11:04
in the wild yet, but if you have one,
00:11:06
let me know. Also, if you're buying one,
00:11:08
I'd appreciate if you could use the
00:11:10
affiliate links in the description that
00:11:11
do pay commission to help support what I
00:11:13
do here. Also, make sure that you're
00:11:15
subscribed so that you don't miss some
00:11:16
of the cool stuff I have coming up
00:11:18
because I I really do have some cool
00:11:19
stuff coming up. And with that, thank
00:11:22
you for watching.
00:11:26
[Music]
