If you are swaying between the stock Ender 3, the improved Ender 3 Pro or Ender 3 V2, and the Original Prusa Mini, the best choice will primarily depend on your 3D printing needs.

Let’s start by facing off the three brothers and then compare them to the smallest but most expensive of the trio, the Original Prusa Mini.

Ender vs. Ender vs. Ender

We’ve already broken down the differences between the Creality Ender 3 and Ender 3 Pro and took a glimpse at what the Ender 3 V2 might have in store for us, but now comes the pertinent question: is it worth spending more on the Pro version or even wait for the V2 to be released?

The answer to this question ultimately depends on what the user is looking for, but we’d say in most cases, the original Creality Ender 3 offers the best bang for your buck.

Why, do you ask? First of all, all three machines are capable of printing the same materials, where they differ is the ease of printing with them. And, if you already have an Ender 3, you can always upgrade your existing machine to have these same features as the Ender 3 Pro or even the V2 version.

Granted, not everyone wants to or can tinker away at their printer and might prefer the out-of-the-box upgraded Ender 3 V2 over the stock version. Still, since the machine has yet to be released and – most importantly – put through a real-life stress test, it is hard to classify.

But at least for the Ender 3 and Ender 3 Pro, the print quality was identical since both printers share the same motherboard, stepper drivers and motors, frame, and other components.

Usability

When it comes to usability, the Ender 3 Pro does have a few refinements over its little brother, such as flipping the motherboard upside down for more convenient access to the SD card slot or moving the control box fan to the bottom to reduce the risk of bits and pieces falling in. Plus, the upgraded firmware unlocks extra calibration menus such as Z-offset, acceleration, and velocity allowing the user to tune the printer much more easily than on the stock version.

The upgrades on the Ender 3 V2, like the color screen and toolbox, are not to be scorned at, but not a game-changer in terms of print quality, nor its scope of application. The same goes for the tensioners and rotary knob to manually load filament, these are handy features, but since the machine isn’t available yet, it’s tough to say whether they will work as advertised or whether they are even that useful.

That being said, the MeanWell brand power supply and Creality’s 32-bit motherboard on the Ender 3 V2 should give you a quieter and zippier (at least when it comes to waiting for the extruder and print bed to heat up) printing experience.

The Print Surface

Where the three Ender printers differ the most – apart from the buffed up Y-axis on the Pro and by the looks of it also on the V2, which undoubtedly makes the printer more robust and leads to less wobbling during operation – is the print beds.

The magnetic removable print bed on the Ender 3 Pro does a decent job (and yes, you can even heat it above 80 °C for printing with ABS or PETG, contrary to a common myth that the plate will lose its magnetic properties when overheated), though it does have the tendency to not align properly to the metal plate.

While this can be considered as an upgrade over the stock print surface of the Ender 3, the best way to upgrade the print bed of both the Ender 3 and Ender 3 Pro is – in our experience – to add a tempered glass plate – like the one the Ender 3 V2 features.

Ender Conclusion

So, while the Ender 3 Pro is an excellent printer for its price and does offer certain advantages over the original, the standard Ender 3, cost-wise, is tough to beat. The same goes for the Ender 3 V2. While we welcome an overhauled version and, from the information we can gather from the specs sheet, it looks like Creality did implement some – in our humble opinion – necessary upgrades. However, as the Ender 3 V2 has yet to prove itself in battle, we think, in most cases, you will probably be better off buying a Creality Ender 3 and spending the extra money on your own upgrades if you are willing to tinker with the machine yourself.

Add the Prusa Mini to the Mix

That being said, how does the Ender line hold up against the Original Prusa Mini? Since the Original Prusa Mini is almost twice as expensive as the Creality Ender 3, does that make it better by default? Let’s break it down.

Well, first and foremost, for the $349, you will get that much-heralded Prusa quality. Prusa printers typically pride themselves with being complete machines, and rightly so. While you can upgrade the Mini, there is really no need for it. It has all the bells and whistles and requires minimal tinkering.

Quality Parts

Take the automatic bed leveling for one thing. While all three Enders rely on manual leveling, this tedious task becomes a stroll in the park on the Prusa Mini. Plus, the removable metal build plate on the Mini is implemented better, as it snap-fits on the bed and makes popping prints off a cinch. At least compared to the Ender 3 and Ender 3 Pro version, this is a considerable perk, and in our opinion, not even the tempered glass print bed on the Ender 3 V2 could give it a run for its money.

To juxtapose the control panels, the older Ender versions do come off a bit long in the tooth compared to the neat 2-8-inch color LCD screen on the Original Prusa Mini or the newly developed color screen and interface of the Ender 3 V2. The Prusa Mini does feature a print preview function, which is neat to have when you lose oversight of some of those pesky file names. The Ender 3 V2’s firmware does not seem to allow such a function. Both printers lack a touch interface, though, and are controlled by a click-wheel.

All alike, the Ender series and the Mini, have sturdy builds, even though the Mini might not look like it at first glance with its freely suspended X-axis. But it’s the Ender 3 series that – historically – needs tightening of nuts and bolts, rollers, or the PTFE tube every now and then to achieve the best printing results.

Print Volumes

That’s all very well, but how do the print volumes compare? The Enders share the same generously sized 220 x 220 x 250 mm volume, putting it more in league with the Mini’s bigger brother the Prusa i3 MK3S (250 x 210 200 mm). In comparison, the 180 x 180 x 180 mm on the Prusa Mini comes off a bit measly. While there are smaller print volume sized printers on the market, the 220 x 220 x 250 mm volume has become somewhat the minimum standard on many printers across the product range.

But surprisingly, most of the day-in-day-out prints fit perfectly on the small build plate, and if something is too big, you can always cut the model up into different parts. But it’s undeniable that having 40 mm extra space on the X- and Y-axis and even 70 mm plus on the Z-axis opens up the printing possibilities by a lot.

The Verdict

To reach an ultimate conclusion between the Original Prusa Mini and the Creality Ender series, it really comes down to your personal liking.

If you want a printer that works with a high success rate and doesn’t require all kinds off tinkering and upgrading, the Prusa Mini might be the printer for you. This printer is a solid first entry to the world of Prusa if you’re not quite ready to pay the cash for an MK3S. (If you have the budget though, we’d still recommend the MK3S over the Mini).

On the other hand, it’s always good for beginners to get a solid understanding of the process, mechanics, and tuning of a 3D printer, which the Ender 3 (series) is great for. Yes, there is more tinkering involved, but you can really mod the printer to your liking. Plus, the price is just unbeatable. The Original Prusa Mini is advertised as the ideal print farm printer, but for its price tag, you could get two stock Ender 3’s, giving you a headstart on the printing fam fleet if you so desire.

When you weigh up the price, performance, reliability, and overall product for both contestants, they each make an excellent choice.