I bought the older version of this unit over a year ago. It printed the benchy fine, right out of the box. I have used it weekly since then. It is somewhat bulletproof. I love mine.
I think these standards are really quite high for most people. That isn't to say that it's wrong or the points made were unfair, but that I think the framing for this review is basically for someone who is comparing it to some printers price tiers above it or who is actually using the 5 as the middle point (which nowadays has been inflated to 7 with many people feeling that 50% is basically failure) In essence, an ender 3, a printer many people consider an ok starting printer, would score a -1 in comparison to this printer in most areas. No comfort of life features like ABL, no volcano for high flow, mediocre build volume, old firmwares shipped on them, awkward motherboards with terrible support, and a more difficult start up experience. That's not just the ender 3 though, the majority of printers are like that outside of basically just Prusas for budget printers. To be clear, it's not like this video said this printer was junk. It is just that that the scores, I think, to most people would indicate this is a horrible buy, but in actuality, with its 32-bit motherboard, ABL (too many cheap printers don't include this), direct drive extruder and volcano allowing for higher print speeds (using volume and bigger nozzles not head speed), I'd say this is actually some of the best value you can get for a larger printer right now, and it is definitely mentioned in the video. The downsides listed are still fair too. The interface (though surprisingly better than many cheap printers believe it or not) is pretty bad. The bed being permanently glued is a recipe for disaster with how many people break their glass beds, and I think everyone agrees that the spring bed mount is a pretty mediocre system (I just have my printer that has them do ABL with every print to avoid that being an issue worth solving). If I had any real criticism of this review as opposed to the above which is mainly just commenting on the framing and how I think people will view it, I would say perhaps the trade-off of the volcano could have been talked about more. It does indeed definitely lead to more oozing/zits as noticed in the video but in return when used with large nozzles and layer heights, you can go a lot faster in terms of volumetric flow before hitting a melt rate limit (roughly double what the Prusa has since the Prusa comes with essentially a v6). Essentially, if you were making a large helmet for instance, with a 0.8mm nozzle at 0.4mm layer heights, you could go the same slow speed but finish prints multiple times faster for the trade-off in resolution which kind of doesn't matter on really big prints. That is obviously a somewhat specific use case that not everyone will have, but it is sort of the main reason someone would choose a volcano over a v6 especially on larger format printers (why I have a volcano on my different brand large format printer, so I thought it was worth pointing out that difference. If there is anything to garner from this comment that became a bit long and wasn't necessarily structured excellently, it would be 2 points, so consider this the *TL:DR* 1. I think the criticisms were pretty much all fair and the conclusion reasonable, but actually using the 0-10 scale the way it was intended with 5 being the middle, while it totally makes sense, and everyone should, I think will throw people off with regards to what they think about this printer, so perhaps it should be mentioned. 2. I think that while it would be a fair criticism to point out that many people would not use the advantages of a volcano hotend, that it is a trade-off that I think is a worthy talking point as its both partially responsible for some of the artifacts likely caused by oozing (which you can sort of software your way out of with fast travel speeds and better profiles btw) and could potentially offer a volumetric printing speed higher than what either of the other 2 machines up for comparison could offer, which is especially useful for large format printers. I know long comments are often just sort of scanned and can easily be read as being hypercritical, but hopefully I managed to get across my points in a way that came across as fair and reasonable as like I said, I don't actually think this was a bad review at all... despite the absolute manifesto of encyclopedic proportions that I've written about it.
I totally agree with this comment here - this whole review feels extremely harsh in general. I don't know what Robert's standard printer is but this printer is really good for $450 and I personally have the v1 and have barely any issues with it. Trashing on the interface makes no sense to me, sure, there are some things that are a bit odd, but how much does the interface really get used? I got used to it on the V1 after printing like two or three things. It has what you need but nothing else. It feels like the review is from someone who has never used a cheap printer before. I would never buy a printer at this price expecting it to perform or be as easy to use as the gold standard of FDM printers. Idk man the video is good but feels a bit unfair at points Also, after seeing the final score, it feels completely unjustified - 57/100 screams bad to me, maybe like you're talking about it's the inflation but only getting a 50% doesn't represent all of the strengths of this printer as well as it should. The reality is, this printer is a big improvement that addresses almost all of the weaknesses of the V1, has the ability to print most basic materials with zero issues, including TPU, and only costs $450.
Great points and I anticipated this. I don't think 50% is bad, it just means it's average. Is an ender 3 a 10/10? Well, not really. It's an insane value, but it's not the 'best' printer out there, it lacks a lot of features. This is a bigger printer than gives you great print quality, but lacks a LOT of features and such. Very few printers are good at everything. A Markforged would get excellent ratings in print quality, ease of use, etc., but would score horribly in value and flexibility. A lot of the stuff you brought up is true too! But I didn't want to do a 2 hour deep dive, it gets overwhelming. Ultimately, the printer could use much better printer profiles. It's far too flow (the profiles) and that doesn't take advantage of the hotend. BUT, would a new user know to make these tweaks? That's why is gets low beginner scores, but good print quality scores. It's hard to really take a fair snapshot of what a printer is, when they all have such varied features and settings.
See my other comment on this thread. I think people are hung up on the concept that ~57 is bad. It's not! It just means it's slightly better than average. There are printers at $150 that do reasonably well, but they're not the best, they're just a great value and 'good for what they are'. The X2 is great in some areas, but suffers from others. In the end, it comes up about average. If you NEED the larger print volume and can deal with the fiddly-ness of it, it's great! It's up to you to decide what's important and what's not. But this is not at all a good 'general purpose' printer IMO. It's a good auxillary printer. The non-removable bed, poor interface, lack of advanced features, etc, make it not well-suited as a 'daily driver', IMO. I was going to do a video explaining my rating system, I gave it a lot of thought. But people have to get the idea out of their head that a ~50 or whatever is a 'bad' score, it just means it's probably not strong in all areas. I modeled my scoring after Doug Demuro's 'Doug Score'. If I reviewed EVERY printer, it would make more sense and you could look at all large format printers of a certain size to see how they compare. For the record, this is MUCH better than my previous Formbot XL, I think it's overall better than my CR-10, but lacks a lot compared to my Prusa MK3s or even Mini. I have used cheap printers, but I'm admittedly someone who appreciates higher end tools. The scale I'm using will be weighted more towards a higher end product, therefore it will be harder for a lower end printer to get a 10/10 unless it's just ground-breaking. BUT, why should a $450 printer be better than one for $2K? It will be a better value for sure, but it can't be expected to actually be better in terms of features and such. You get what you pay for, and with the X2, it's great for what it is, but it can't compete with the best that can be bought right now for 3d printers. Does that make sense?
@@RobertCowanDIY Thanks for the response. I get what you mean about the scoring. I too, on my YT channel, RB E-Motion, have a similar strategy when it comes to scoring, I got my ideas from the Dougscore as well. I think it does lose perspective when you don't have a whole bunch of stuff to compare to - shame to see the first one with such a low score to start haha For me, the Sidewinder X1 is my daily driver, and I barely have to fiddle with it at all, and don't have issues with the interface, which is the main reason that I'm biased towards a higher score for the machine. As a recent college grad I will admit that I lean more towards value devices, like the Sidewinder printers and the Creality. I don't think an Ender 3 is a 10/10 either - I have one of those as a daily as well, and it's great. However, I did modify it a bit and plan to modify it further, so I guess that does come into consideration. As for the X2, I still think your score is a bit low, but I get where you're coming from. I respect your opinion and can't wait to see Copperhead in this season of battlebots!
As far as flexibility and materials, with the direct drive it should be much easier to print flexibles that a boden style. I've had great success with my X1, and it was my first printer.
Good Review! So, I purchased the SWX2 and generally agree with many of your conclusions. I would comment that the slicer will make a large difference to the print quality. I'm not sure what settings you used (Cura?) but I pulled an X1 profile off the Prusa web site and I'm using PrusaSlicer. The banding and zits are non-existent on my models but the stringing is a problem. The difference that I would have with your review is that when I bought this printer I was comparing it to other printers at or near the same price point - as you said this ran me about $450 (US). My comparison was to the Ender(s) and Creality. There were some other printers with names I was not familiar with that I set aside and did not consider. At the end of the day I wanted a 'large format' printer with Autolevel and a direct drive extruder. I could not find another printer that fit those features at/near $450. One major issue I have with the menu system that I hope is corrected with firmware update is that there is no stop print function on the menu. I'm using Octoprint and had a print fail (my fault) and tried to shut it down on the machine. I finally turned it off and then restarted it only to find Octoprint was still feeding the thing. However, it would be nice to have a stop (and) pause print on the menu. Thanks for the review.
@@wskwong2000 Thanks! I did not see that at all. I guess it makes sense to put this where it is but it is kind of hidden. It would be nice to have this on a main menu. But it is there!
@@petemenuez looks like my post was removed. If you Google "Artillery sidewinder X2 upgrades" 3dprintbeginners has a good list of upgrades. Under "free upgrades" there is a link to the custom screen firmware along with a guide on how to set it up. Should work for the x1 and x2. Hope it helps.
I have v1... I'm super satisfied with it... Never had a jam... The only mod I've made (mandatory I think) is adding a flexible magnetic PEI removable bed... I've leveled the bed ONCE, and never had to do it again in two years. (and the v1 don't even have an autolevel sensor). I'm adding that I've also successfully printed a lot of (small) ABS parts (235°C), and it prints very flexible materials flawlessly. Overall a very good printer. Ah yes, about the original profiles, I didn't spent too much time on those, I have Simplify 3D, using their dedicated profiles, quality is pretty good.
@@yotam6x7 I just added a magnetic one, the magnet part is taped to the stock bed with 3M adhesive, I just cleaned the glass bed well with isopropyl alcohol, applied carefully the magnetic part onto the bed, the PEI sheet comes already taped to a flexible metal sheet, it's the removable part. Never had to level the bed again, never had a failed print with PLA, PLA+, PETG and ABS. With flexible filament I print on the other side (bare metal) using some blue painters tape (depending on the area of contact surface, sometimes it's unreliable with PEI side, never had a complete removal but some sides lift a bit). One thing, I always let the parts cool off completely before removing them, especially with PETG which has quite a strong bond with PEI and could damage the PEI layer.
@@trollenz I bought a PEI magnetic bed as well and didn't realize i have to tape the magnetic part to the base. Is it possible to just clip the PEI sheet on top of the glass?
Just got this printer, and will suit my needs for printing PTEG gadgets for RC planes and quadcopters. I agree with much of your review. The documentation would get a 1 from me because the manual they shipped had the incorrect instructions for the spool holder. I guess they improved it, but the assembly is different enough that it looks like you're missing parts on the manual. The interface may be worse than others, but since I have no frame of reference, it seemed OK to me. Here's what really messes up your review for me. In the print quality torture test section, it appears you avoided talking about the front of the overhang test. The Sidewinder did better than the Mini with the top numerals and it seemed like you talked about everything but that, even saying the others did better when you can see the center one did worse... That would be the most important thing, because it was the front of the print.
He says at 2:50 it’s not what he would consider a beginner printer but from my 3D printing experience, the Prusa i3 has been very reliable but a bit pricey. If you want something around the price of the Sidewinder, Creality Cr10 just because it’s common and for its bed printing size. I say it’s at least worth researching before buying your first. Hope this helps 👍
Difference in print quality might change with better settings, you even briefly admit this yourself. So, is it worth it to pay $600 extra for a printer that has veeeery slightly better results which might even be paired or even surpased by the sidewinder with better settings?
You aren't wrong. This is simply MY opinion. For ME, the amount of time and effort it takes to fiddle with the thing to get it to print well in addition to the frustrating user interface and the lower quality components isn't worth it. People seem to REALLY like the Sidewinder X2, but I am not one of those people. I would much rather have an Ender-3 S1 series instead. But that's just me and my personal opinion. Plenty of people are happy with the Sidewinder and that's fine!
hello robert, would you mind to take another review for creality ender 5 plus and creality cr-10s pro v2? i have seen another video on youtube, but i still don't have any ideas how good the quality it is, unlike this video you're very detailed for reviewing this printer in every aspects, especially print quality.
It seems the only thing going for this compared to eg. the Anycubic Chiron is this has a direct drive hotend from the factory. EDIT: If you need a large printer, that is.
I think any budget printer, with an all-metal hotend upgrade would work. There are very few budget printers that can support nylon, so it's probably better to just upgrade one that you like.
Brilliant printer. Menu does suck. OctoPrint makes it very good to work with. Have run into an issue after a power outage that the bed isn’t heating. Have emailed them. We’ll see how that goes.
@@RobertCowanDIY Quite unhappy actually , I've owned it for over a month and not one single print has been made , have a video showing what it does . I'll likely start tearing into it shortly to see what I can do to make it function . I do have three other printers that have kept me from tinkering with the X2 much . I'm certain when I'm able to get it working that I'll warm up to it . My video was sent to Artillery and their response was "our techs see nothing wrong with your printer" so , I'm left on my own . Thank you for taking the time to respond to me
@@Xanthira222 Was able to convince Artillery to replace it . My new one works very well with the exception of the bed level pin that broke on a print . Was able to print a new pin and I'm back up and running .
I still think I'll be building my own 3D printer, t least I can then have what I want on it without compromise. Also if it can have a milling function then it will be almost perfect for me.
NO. Milling machines and 3d printers have VERY different needs. With a milling machine, you want it as heavy and rigid as possible, plus a good place to clamp your workpieces. With a 3d printer, you want the opposite. Combo machines have significant sacrifices on both tasks.
Comparing the X2 to a prusa is unfair in my opinion. If you want better prints for comparison you should use Cura with the x1 profile. It's menu is crap.
Wow. Hope this guys is never my professor. “The print quality is very very good!” *give it a 7/10 Can’t wait to turn in a very very good paper to my teacher and get a C- Edit: Wow! 😂 - Great print quality - Great value - Poor documentation - Poor interface Gives it a 57/100 You failed this printer. That you say has great quality and value. Dude you gotta figure how to rate things.
Seems like the screen interface was a major gripe of his. You can pretty easily use a custom screen firmware that solves a lot of the interface issues.
I totally agree with you. Seems like he hates it. It basically failed all his expectations. Ive seen a lot of reviews and this one you can tell that hes got something against the machine lol
@@tageandersson3043 looks like my post was removed. If you Google "Artillery sidewinder X2 upgrades" 3dprintbeginners has a good list of upgrades. Under "free upgrades" there is a link to the custom screen firmware along with a guide on how to set it up. Should work for the x1 and x2. Hope it helps.
You couldn't be more wrong. I get money from Amazon referral links, RUclips ads, and the printers are given to me for the printer review. Prusa does not have an affiliate program and I've never made a video on them. I've made exactly $0 from them and I bought 3 of their printers outright with my own money, not even discounted. I only review products honestly and do not allow companies to review my videos ahead of time. The Sidewinder isn't a bad printer, but it's about average when you compare it to others available on the market. It works just fine, the 'average' printer nowadays is actually quite good. But if you've actually owned a Prusa and put thousands of hours over the past few years on one, you'd know that they're quite good and worth the extra cost. They aren't paying me, or anyone else that I'm aware of. They just make a good product, which is unfortunately very rare anymore.
Sure, there are modifications for most printers now. But all those little upgrades drive up the price quite a bit. You're close to Prusa mk3s kit territory at that point.
What don't you like about the test? I think people are having a really hard time with the fact that not every printer gets a perfect 10/10 for each category. Are we that conditioned to see RUclipsrs absolutely love everything they get for free? There are better printers out there, but it's good for what it is.
@@RobertCowanDIY Read the other comments, it’s more like comparing wrong and things like that. To give a constructive feedback I would need to review everything. Hope you get the point, definitely not your guess was true.
@@lazyman1011 Honestly, I think it's more that people have entry level printers, haven't experienced anything better and don't understand what I'm criticizing. Just because something prints well, doesn't mean it's a 10/10. I can't say this enough. There are many aspects of printers and just being able to print a benchy isn't really all there is to it.
I bought the older version of this unit over a year ago. It printed the benchy fine, right out of the box. I have used it weekly since then. It is somewhat bulletproof. I love mine.
I think these standards are really quite high for most people. That isn't to say that it's wrong or the points made were unfair, but that I think the framing for this review is basically for someone who is comparing it to some printers price tiers above it or who is actually using the 5 as the middle point (which nowadays has been inflated to 7 with many people feeling that 50% is basically failure)
In essence, an ender 3, a printer many people consider an ok starting printer, would score a -1 in comparison to this printer in most areas. No comfort of life features like ABL, no volcano for high flow, mediocre build volume, old firmwares shipped on them, awkward motherboards with terrible support, and a more difficult start up experience. That's not just the ender 3 though, the majority of printers are like that outside of basically just Prusas for budget printers.
To be clear, it's not like this video said this printer was junk. It is just that that the scores, I think, to most people would indicate this is a horrible buy, but in actuality, with its 32-bit motherboard, ABL (too many cheap printers don't include this), direct drive extruder and volcano allowing for higher print speeds (using volume and bigger nozzles not head speed), I'd say this is actually some of the best value you can get for a larger printer right now, and it is definitely mentioned in the video.
The downsides listed are still fair too. The interface (though surprisingly better than many cheap printers believe it or not) is pretty bad. The bed being permanently glued is a recipe for disaster with how many people break their glass beds, and I think everyone agrees that the spring bed mount is a pretty mediocre system (I just have my printer that has them do ABL with every print to avoid that being an issue worth solving).
If I had any real criticism of this review as opposed to the above which is mainly just commenting on the framing and how I think people will view it, I would say perhaps the trade-off of the volcano could have been talked about more.
It does indeed definitely lead to more oozing/zits as noticed in the video but in return when used with large nozzles and layer heights, you can go a lot faster in terms of volumetric flow before hitting a melt rate limit (roughly double what the Prusa has since the Prusa comes with essentially a v6). Essentially, if you were making a large helmet for instance, with a 0.8mm nozzle at 0.4mm layer heights, you could go the same slow speed but finish prints multiple times faster for the trade-off in resolution which kind of doesn't matter on really big prints.
That is obviously a somewhat specific use case that not everyone will have, but it is sort of the main reason someone would choose a volcano over a v6 especially on larger format printers (why I have a volcano on my different brand large format printer, so I thought it was worth pointing out that difference.
If there is anything to garner from this comment that became a bit long and wasn't necessarily structured excellently, it would be 2 points, so consider this the *TL:DR*
1. I think the criticisms were pretty much all fair and the conclusion reasonable, but actually using the 0-10 scale the way it was intended with 5 being the middle, while it totally makes sense, and everyone should, I think will throw people off with regards to what they think about this printer, so perhaps it should be mentioned.
2. I think that while it would be a fair criticism to point out that many people would not use the advantages of a volcano hotend, that it is a trade-off that I think is a worthy talking point as its both partially responsible for some of the artifacts likely caused by oozing (which you can sort of software your way out of with fast travel speeds and better profiles btw) and could potentially offer a volumetric printing speed higher than what either of the other 2 machines up for comparison could offer, which is especially useful for large format printers.
I know long comments are often just sort of scanned and can easily be read as being hypercritical, but hopefully I managed to get across my points in a way that came across as fair and reasonable as like I said, I don't actually think this was a bad review at all... despite the absolute manifesto of encyclopedic proportions that I've written about it.
I totally agree with this comment here - this whole review feels extremely harsh in general. I don't know what Robert's standard printer is but this printer is really good for $450 and I personally have the v1 and have barely any issues with it. Trashing on the interface makes no sense to me, sure, there are some things that are a bit odd, but how much does the interface really get used? I got used to it on the V1 after printing like two or three things. It has what you need but nothing else.
It feels like the review is from someone who has never used a cheap printer before. I would never buy a printer at this price expecting it to perform or be as easy to use as the gold standard of FDM printers. Idk man the video is good but feels a bit unfair at points
Also, after seeing the final score, it feels completely unjustified - 57/100 screams bad to me, maybe like you're talking about it's the inflation but only getting a 50% doesn't represent all of the strengths of this printer as well as it should.
The reality is, this printer is a big improvement that addresses almost all of the weaknesses of the V1, has the ability to print most basic materials with zero issues, including TPU, and only costs $450.
Great points and I anticipated this. I don't think 50% is bad, it just means it's average. Is an ender 3 a 10/10? Well, not really. It's an insane value, but it's not the 'best' printer out there, it lacks a lot of features. This is a bigger printer than gives you great print quality, but lacks a LOT of features and such. Very few printers are good at everything. A Markforged would get excellent ratings in print quality, ease of use, etc., but would score horribly in value and flexibility. A lot of the stuff you brought up is true too! But I didn't want to do a 2 hour deep dive, it gets overwhelming. Ultimately, the printer could use much better printer profiles. It's far too flow (the profiles) and that doesn't take advantage of the hotend. BUT, would a new user know to make these tweaks? That's why is gets low beginner scores, but good print quality scores. It's hard to really take a fair snapshot of what a printer is, when they all have such varied features and settings.
See my other comment on this thread. I think people are hung up on the concept that ~57 is bad. It's not! It just means it's slightly better than average. There are printers at $150 that do reasonably well, but they're not the best, they're just a great value and 'good for what they are'. The X2 is great in some areas, but suffers from others. In the end, it comes up about average. If you NEED the larger print volume and can deal with the fiddly-ness of it, it's great! It's up to you to decide what's important and what's not. But this is not at all a good 'general purpose' printer IMO. It's a good auxillary printer. The non-removable bed, poor interface, lack of advanced features, etc, make it not well-suited as a 'daily driver', IMO.
I was going to do a video explaining my rating system, I gave it a lot of thought. But people have to get the idea out of their head that a ~50 or whatever is a 'bad' score, it just means it's probably not strong in all areas. I modeled my scoring after Doug Demuro's 'Doug Score'. If I reviewed EVERY printer, it would make more sense and you could look at all large format printers of a certain size to see how they compare. For the record, this is MUCH better than my previous Formbot XL, I think it's overall better than my CR-10, but lacks a lot compared to my Prusa MK3s or even Mini.
I have used cheap printers, but I'm admittedly someone who appreciates higher end tools. The scale I'm using will be weighted more towards a higher end product, therefore it will be harder for a lower end printer to get a 10/10 unless it's just ground-breaking. BUT, why should a $450 printer be better than one for $2K? It will be a better value for sure, but it can't be expected to actually be better in terms of features and such. You get what you pay for, and with the X2, it's great for what it is, but it can't compete with the best that can be bought right now for 3d printers. Does that make sense?
@@RobertCowanDIY Thanks for the response. I get what you mean about the scoring. I too, on my YT channel, RB E-Motion, have a similar strategy when it comes to scoring, I got my ideas from the Dougscore as well. I think it does lose perspective when you don't have a whole bunch of stuff to compare to - shame to see the first one with such a low score to start haha
For me, the Sidewinder X1 is my daily driver, and I barely have to fiddle with it at all, and don't have issues with the interface, which is the main reason that I'm biased towards a higher score for the machine. As a recent college grad I will admit that I lean more towards value devices, like the Sidewinder printers and the Creality. I don't think an Ender 3 is a 10/10 either - I have one of those as a daily as well, and it's great. However, I did modify it a bit and plan to modify it further, so I guess that does come into consideration.
As for the X2, I still think your score is a bit low, but I get where you're coming from. I respect your opinion and can't wait to see Copperhead in this season of battlebots!
I read it all, and totally agree with you. The rating system needs improvement.
As far as flexibility and materials, with the direct drive it should be much easier to print flexibles that a boden style. I've had great success with my X1, and it was my first printer.
Most of your time was spent comparing the results of the prusa's refined profile vs. the X2's unrefined profile. Reeks of experimenter bias as well.
Good Review! So, I purchased the SWX2 and generally agree with many of your conclusions. I would comment that the slicer will make a large difference to the print quality. I'm not sure what settings you used (Cura?) but I pulled an X1 profile off the Prusa web site and I'm using PrusaSlicer. The banding and zits are non-existent on my models but the stringing is a problem. The difference that I would have with your review is that when I bought this printer I was comparing it to other printers at or near the same price point - as you said this ran me about $450 (US). My comparison was to the Ender(s) and Creality. There were some other printers with names I was not familiar with that I set aside and did not consider. At the end of the day I wanted a 'large format' printer with Autolevel and a direct drive extruder. I could not find another printer that fit those features at/near $450.
One major issue I have with the menu system that I hope is corrected with firmware update is that there is no stop print function on the menu. I'm using Octoprint and had a print fail (my fault) and tried to shut it down on the machine. I finally turned it off and then restarted it only to find Octoprint was still feeding the thing. However, it would be nice to have a stop (and) pause print on the menu.
Thanks for the review.
while printing, there is an Option button and in there, therer's pause and stop for me.
@@wskwong2000 Thanks! I did not see that at all. I guess it makes sense to put this where it is but it is kind of hidden. It would be nice to have this on a main menu. But it is there!
@@petemenuez have you tried using custom screen firmware?
It is a game changer for the x1 and x2
@@Xanthira222 I have not tried any custom firmware - just checked Github and do not see it listed. Where would i find this?
@@petemenuez looks like my post was removed.
If you Google "Artillery sidewinder X2 upgrades"
3dprintbeginners has a good list of upgrades. Under "free upgrades" there is a link to the custom screen firmware along with a guide on how to set it up.
Should work for the x1 and x2.
Hope it helps.
are the basic parts of the X-2 such as HOT END, STEPPER MOTORS and CABLES all swappable with the X-1
I have v1... I'm super satisfied with it... Never had a jam... The only mod I've made (mandatory I think) is adding a flexible magnetic PEI removable bed... I've leveled the bed ONCE, and never had to do it again in two years. (and the v1 don't even have an autolevel sensor).
I'm adding that I've also successfully printed a lot of (small) ABS parts (235°C), and it prints very flexible materials flawlessly.
Overall a very good printer.
Ah yes, about the original profiles, I didn't spent too much time on those, I have Simplify 3D, using their dedicated profiles, quality is pretty good.
Good to know.
How did you add the PEI bed? The stock one isn't removable
@@yotam6x7 What you see is how it came stock. The build surface was already on there.
@@yotam6x7 I just added a magnetic one, the magnet part is taped to the stock bed with 3M adhesive, I just cleaned the glass bed well with isopropyl alcohol, applied carefully the magnetic part onto the bed, the PEI sheet comes already taped to a flexible metal sheet, it's the removable part.
Never had to level the bed again, never had a failed print with PLA, PLA+, PETG and ABS.
With flexible filament I print on the other side (bare metal) using some blue painters tape (depending on the area of contact surface, sometimes it's unreliable with PEI side, never had a complete removal but some sides lift a bit).
One thing, I always let the parts cool off completely before removing them, especially with PETG which has quite a strong bond with PEI and could damage the PEI layer.
@@trollenz I bought a PEI magnetic bed as well and didn't realize i have to tape the magnetic part to the base. Is it possible to just clip the PEI sheet on top of the glass?
Please compare Artillery Sidewinder X2 and Creality Ender-3 S1.
Just got this printer, and will suit my needs for printing PTEG gadgets for RC planes and quadcopters. I agree with much of your review. The documentation would get a 1 from me because the manual they shipped had the incorrect instructions for the spool holder. I guess they improved it, but the assembly is different enough that it looks like you're missing parts on the manual. The interface may be worse than others, but since I have no frame of reference, it seemed OK to me.
Here's what really messes up your review for me. In the print quality torture test section, it appears you avoided talking about the front of the overhang test. The Sidewinder did better than the Mini with the top numerals and it seemed like you talked about everything but that, even saying the others did better when you can see the center one did worse... That would be the most important thing, because it was the front of the print.
Cool, pretty interesting to compare cuz I have X1 version
So would you reccommend this as someones first printer? I see a lot of people reccomend the genius for a first good value printer.
He says at 2:50 it’s not what he would consider a beginner printer but from my 3D printing experience, the Prusa i3 has been very reliable but a bit pricey. If you want something around the price of the Sidewinder, Creality Cr10 just because it’s common and for its bed printing size. I say it’s at least worth researching before buying your first. Hope this helps 👍
Difference in print quality might change with better settings, you even briefly admit this yourself. So, is it worth it to pay $600 extra for a printer that has veeeery slightly better results which might even be paired or even surpased by the sidewinder with better settings?
You aren't wrong. This is simply MY opinion. For ME, the amount of time and effort it takes to fiddle with the thing to get it to print well in addition to the frustrating user interface and the lower quality components isn't worth it. People seem to REALLY like the Sidewinder X2, but I am not one of those people. I would much rather have an Ender-3 S1 series instead. But that's just me and my personal opinion. Plenty of people are happy with the Sidewinder and that's fine!
hello robert, would you mind to take another review for creality ender 5 plus and creality cr-10s pro v2? i have seen another video on youtube, but i still don't have any ideas how good the quality it is, unlike this video you're very detailed for reviewing this printer in every aspects, especially print quality.
I was thinking of possibly getting one just to see how they are. I'm curious what Ender is up to these days!
@@RobertCowanDIY ok, can't wait for your next video.
the spring mechanism is correct. it's about thermal expansion, if it were solid the glass plate would buckle.😉
Fair point, but using a solid glass plate might not be the best overall option then. IMO, it's just sloppy.
It seems the only thing going for this compared to eg. the Anycubic Chiron is this has a direct drive hotend from the factory. EDIT: If you need a large printer, that is.
Great review Robert 👍
What is a good budget printer for nylon x ? I have a ender3 now that I bought in 2018
I think any budget printer, with an all-metal hotend upgrade would work. There are very few budget printers that can support nylon, so it's probably better to just upgrade one that you like.
@@RobertCowanDIY Great Thanks what all metal hot end would you suggest for the ender 3
@@TeamJunkYardDog I'm not that familiar with the printer, but I think microswiss makes one.
Love all my Prusas!
I’m still thinking Tonbildschau a Prusa XL instead of this one.
Brilliant printer. Menu does suck. OctoPrint makes it very good to work with. Have run into an issue after a power outage that the bed isn’t heating. Have emailed them. We’ll see how that goes.
How did that go?
Prusa mini or artillery for the price if size does not matter?
If you don't need to print larger objects, I'd do the mini in a hearbeat.
Wish this review was available two months ago before I purchased my X2 .
Are you unhappy with it? I think it's still a great printer, just has some downsides, like everything.
@@RobertCowanDIY Quite unhappy actually , I've owned it for over a month and not one single print has been made , have a video showing what it does . I'll likely start tearing into it shortly to see what I can do to make it function . I do have three other printers that have kept me from tinkering with the X2 much . I'm certain when I'm able to get it working that I'll warm up to it . My video was sent to Artillery and their response was "our techs see nothing wrong with your printer" so , I'm left on my own . Thank you for taking the time to respond to me
@@alsson3137 did you figure out your issue?
@@Xanthira222 Was able to convince Artillery to replace it . My new one works very well with the exception of the bed level pin that broke on a print . Was able to print a new pin and I'm back up and running .
@@alsson3137 good to hear.
I still think I'll be building my own 3D printer, t least I can then have what I want on it without compromise.
Also if it can have a milling function then it will be almost perfect for me.
NO. Milling machines and 3d printers have VERY different needs. With a milling machine, you want it as heavy and rigid as possible, plus a good place to clamp your workpieces. With a 3d printer, you want the opposite. Combo machines have significant sacrifices on both tasks.
@@RobertCowanDIY
What about building a milling machine that can also print, would that be better?
@@Slikx666 Literally the same problems he listed.
@@Slikx666 That would be horrendously slow.
Looks like I'm going to have to do some research. 🤔👍
Your supposed to use a spatula when pulling the print off the bed...
Comparing the X2 to a prusa is unfair in my opinion. If you want better prints for comparison you should use Cura with the x1 profile. It's menu is crap.
Wow. Hope this guys is never my professor.
“The print quality is very very good!”
*give it a 7/10
Can’t wait to turn in a very very good paper to my teacher and get a C-
Edit:
Wow! 😂
- Great print quality
- Great value
- Poor documentation
- Poor interface
Gives it a 57/100
You failed this printer. That you say has great quality and value.
Dude you gotta figure how to rate things.
Seems like the screen interface was a major gripe of his. You can pretty easily use a custom screen firmware that solves a lot of the interface issues.
@@Xanthira222 Explain to me, please....
I totally agree with you. Seems like he hates it. It basically failed all his expectations. Ive seen a lot of reviews and this one you can tell that hes got something against the machine lol
@@Jarel8787 seems like a case of having his mind made up before even turning the machine on.
@@tageandersson3043 looks like my post was removed.
If you Google "Artillery sidewinder X2 upgrades"
3dprintbeginners has a good list of upgrades. Under "free upgrades" there is a link to the custom screen firmware along with a guide on how to set it up.
Should work for the x1 and x2.
Hope it helps.
Prusa seems to pay the most
You couldn't be more wrong. I get money from Amazon referral links, RUclips ads, and the printers are given to me for the printer review. Prusa does not have an affiliate program and I've never made a video on them. I've made exactly $0 from them and I bought 3 of their printers outright with my own money, not even discounted. I only review products honestly and do not allow companies to review my videos ahead of time. The Sidewinder isn't a bad printer, but it's about average when you compare it to others available on the market. It works just fine, the 'average' printer nowadays is actually quite good. But if you've actually owned a Prusa and put thousands of hours over the past few years on one, you'd know that they're quite good and worth the extra cost. They aren't paying me, or anyone else that I'm aware of. They just make a good product, which is unfortunately very rare anymore.
You could have zoomed in on the test prints or moved them closer to the camera as you were showing them…
Fair point.
Ah they have a PEI magnetic stick on Bed for like 50aud they have all metal extruders for like $100 aud
Sure, there are modifications for most printers now. But all those little upgrades drive up the price quite a bit. You're close to Prusa mk3s kit territory at that point.
Tick Tok, where is it Robert?
There it is, thank you:)
best to avoid a bed slinger printer if you can.
Yeah, but at the price of this printer, you don't have much of a choice.
@@RobertCowanDIY Ender 5 Pro/Plus is a decent substitute
@@adamfilipowicz9260 But if you need Plus for the size, it's significantly more expensive.
@@adamfilipowicz9260 You're still slinging the x axis and the motor.
@@derektran9404 yes well something needs to move. but most importantly the print only moves Z
Didn’t like the test but the comments here, especially the longer ones.
What don't you like about the test? I think people are having a really hard time with the fact that not every printer gets a perfect 10/10 for each category. Are we that conditioned to see RUclipsrs absolutely love everything they get for free? There are better printers out there, but it's good for what it is.
@@RobertCowanDIY Read the other comments, it’s more like comparing wrong and things like that. To give a constructive feedback I would need to review everything.
Hope you get the point, definitely not your guess was true.
@@lazyman1011 Honestly, I think it's more that people have entry level printers, haven't experienced anything better and don't understand what I'm criticizing. Just because something prints well, doesn't mean it's a 10/10. I can't say this enough. There are many aspects of printers and just being able to print a benchy isn't really all there is to it.
I rate this review a 1/10!
Haha, show your work. What's wrong with it? It's a perfectly average printer with terrible software. It prints really nicely but is annoying to use.
They are like 260 dollars now.
Where exactly? From any credible source they still seem to be just over $400.
@@RobertCowanDIY search for a channel called 3d printed props. he has a coupon. you have to go all the way to buy it and then enter the coupon code.
@@RobertCowanDIY I also just learned that it is 249 on Hekka...