ELEGOO Mars 5 Ultra Resin 3D Printer with 7" 9K Mono LCD, 150mm/h High Speed Printing, Smart Automatic Leveling, Intelligent Detection, WiFi-Transfer, Printing Size of 6.04 × 3.06 × 6.49 inch

To start off, I’m a complete beginner to 3D printing. Back in high school, we did some basic 3D design and printing, but it wasn’t to the level that 3D printing is at now. The printers we had were older models that could only use certain filaments, and the technology wasn’t as advanced. I didn’t get into 3D printing seriously until recently, and I’m still learning along the way. So, you might be wondering: why am I talking about the Mars 5 Ultra when I’m a newbie? Well, I’ve been exploring 3D printing because I have a small business on eBay, and I wanted to add more product options to my listings. I started researching 3D printers online and quickly realized that there are so many options out there. I was particularly drawn to resin printing because it offers a level of detail that filament printers simply can’t match. If you’ve ever seen a resin print up close, you’ll know what I mean. The fine details are incredible. I also found that resin printers tend to have more predictable print times, which was a huge factor for me since I’m running a business and need consistency in my workflow. Of course, I’m not saying that resin printing is better than filament printing—it just has more of the features I was looking for. Another thing that’s worth mentioning is that I bought this printer with my own hard-earned money. I didn’t get it for free, and no one’s paying me to say nice things about it. So, everything I’m about to share in this video is my honest opinion, based on my own experience with this printer. So, why the Mars 5 Ultra? Let’s talk about the Mars 5 Ultra for a moment. I’m going to keep calling it the M5 Ultra because saying "Mars 5 Ultra" every time is just too much! M5 Ultra—much easier, right? Now, why did I pick the M5 Ultra? Well, to be completely transparent, marketing played a big role in my decision. I didn’t know much about 3D printers at the time, but I saw an ad that talked about all the amazing features, like the 8K screen, the tilting vat, and the laser-etched build plate. I thought, Wow, this looks like a high-tech printer that could handle everything I need and more. I also noticed it had a lot of positive reviews from other users, which definitely influenced my decision. One feature that really stood out to me was the self-zeroing build plate. If you’re new to 3D printing, one of the most annoying things can be manually leveling the print bed. It’s just a hassle, and if you don’t get it right, your prints can fail. The M5 Ultra takes care of that automatically, which is such a relief. Now let’s talk about the pros of the M5 Ultra First of all, this printer is FAST. The tilting vat really helps with that. Instead of having to pull the print off the FEP after each layer is cured, the vat tilts and essentially peels the print off by itself. This minimizes the time spent on each layer and speeds up the whole printing process without compromising quality. I was honestly amazed by how fast the prints came out while still maintaining excellent detail. Another great thing about this printer is the camera feature. It has a built-in camera that lets you monitor the print remotely. This is fantastic, especially if you have a busy schedule or need to leave your printer unattended. Imagine being away from your printer and being able to check on your print from your Laptop—that level of convenience is something I really appreciate. It even supports time-lapse recording, which is perfect if you want to show off your print process to others or simply keep a record of your prints. Just be understand that if you want to get the most out of the camera arrange prints so short this are in so it does block the view. The M5 Ultra also comes with a 3-month subscription to Chitubox Pro, which is a huge bonus. If you’re not familiar with Chitubox, it’s a slicer software that makes it easy to prepare your 3D models for printing. The Pro version gives you access to more advanced features, like better support generation, advanced model manipulation, and more control over the print orientation. It’s definitely a tool I’m still learning to use, but I can already tell that it’s making my printing process a lot smoother. Let’s talk about the sensors and diagnostics One thing that stood out to me is the printer’s ability to run self-diagnostics. If something’s wrong, the M5 Ultra will let you know. It also has resin sensors that detect when you have too much resin or too little resin in the Another thing I like is how easy it is to adjust exposure times. The resin I’m using right now is Elegoo’s 8K resin. It’s a little picky when it comes to UV exposure, which means it sometimes requires longer curing times to properly stick to the build plate. the M5 Ultra made it really easy to tweak the exposure settings. I think it’s great when companies make things like this simple and accessible, especially for beginners like me. Now, let’s talk about the cons. No printer is perfect, and the M5 Ultra has a few things that could be improved. First, I’m not a fan of the lid. While it does a great job keeping fumes inside the print chamber and blocking UV light, it doesn’t have any hinges. So, whenever I need to open it, I have to take the whole lid off, which can be a bit annoying. And if you’re working in a small space like I am, it just takes up more room than I’d like. Another small issue I have is with the resin spout. The spout for pouring the resin is rounded instead of having a sharp edge. This might seem like a minor thing, but when you’re working with resin, you want to avoid spills and messes. A sharper spout would make it easier to pour the resin neatly and avoid making a mess. Last issues it the camera don’t get me wrong it is a great feature to have, but easy to block it with a large print, or the low res screen makes it hard something get whats going on. Expectionlly when most of us us heavy curtain to block out any sun light that can potentially ruin prints. Final Thoughts So, those are the main pros and cons of the M5 Ultra, at least from my experience so far. Overall, I’m really impressed with the printer. The print quality is fantastic, and the features, like the tilting vat, self-leveling build plate, and remote monitoring, make it incredibly user-friendly. I’m excited to keep printing with it and will definitely update this review after a few months to see how it holds up over time. Right now, I’m still in that “honeymoon phase,” but I’m looking forward to seeing how it performs once I get into the regular, day-to-day printing routine. I am very excited to try Elegoo other products.

I rarely leave reviews unless a product is either a complete disappointment or completely blows me away. This printer absolutely falls into the second category. I’ve been printing miniatures and models nonstop since unboxing it. The setup was ridiculously simple. I leveled the unit with the adjustable feet, connected to WiFi, updated the firmware, ran the self-calibration, poured in the resin, and started the test print. No tweaking exposure times. No dialing in layer thickness. No endless troubleshooting. It just worked — and the results were impressive right out of the gate. The 9K resolution is on another level. Standard FDM printers simply aren’t in the same league when it comes to detail. FDM definitely has its place, but for printing and painting highly detailed miniatures, I don’t see myself going back. This is my first resin printer, and it has completely earned my trust in the brand. The only issues I’ve had were user error — mostly related to slicing and adding supports before exporting files. That’s just part of the learning curve with any hobby, and honestly, it’s been pretty painless. “Oh, that failed? Add a little more support here and there.” Problem solved. The included three-month subscription to Chitubox Pro has been great. The auto-orient and magic support tools make prepping models quick and easy. I can splice and support a model in minutes. And if a print does fail? Cleanup is straightforward. Remove the build plate and scrape it clean, run the tank clean cycle, drain the vat, peel off the cured layer from the screen, refill, and you’re back in business. Overall, this printer exceeded my expectations in every way.

I bought this printer back in August and wanted to really run it through its paces to make sure that I was happy with it before writing a review. I'm not someone who prints miniatures, I'm someone who makes 3D printed dice masters. I'm still learning, so please take my review with a grain of salt. I typically use a fast brand of resin, since my prints need to be extremely precise. This printer is honestly, largely stress-free. I'm graduating from a Mars 2 Pro, which served me well, but was beginning to show its age. The good: - No adjustment screws for the print head / bed. None. It's a latch that clips into a metal arm, and it's very solid. I don't know why we didn't do this earlier - no more messing around with hex wrenches. If you're someone who liked that, you will not like this. Personally, my RSI-ridden hands are grateful. - Build quality is excellent, anything that matters is made of metal. The outer shell is plastic, which is fine. - Slightly larger touch-screen that works well with gloves on. - Temperature gauge! Nice! (My office runs cold, so this is good to know for me.) It is in Celcius though, so those of you used to using Freedom Units may struggle. - Wifi - actually kinda great? No juggling USB keys either, you can send prints from the slicer. Nice! - ChituBoxPro, surprisingly, is okay to work with! It has some quirks, and I always run my prints through UVTools to make sure they're solid before I print. - Record your prints, see where they fail (this is particularly helpful to me, so I can go back and review exactly when and why a print might not have gone well.) - Resin vat is held on with two long screws that go all the way through the frame of the resin vat and down into the body of the printer. - Tilty vat, supposedly nicer on the FEP? - Came with a resin catch to put on the printer while you unload prints. Very nice. Surprisingly useful, and your printer doesn't get covered in resin drips. - Textured bed. :) This isn't necessary, but it's a nice upgrade over the Mars 2 Pro's smooth bed. - You probably won't need a magnetic build plate. It's a nice to have, but I haven't had issues with the bed. The Neutral: - The hood / lid is not hinged like the Jupiter, which would have been nice, but I guess it's saving a bit of space, so that's okay. - Chitubox sometimes drops information from models and the supports aren't always where you think they are. It's workable, I just wish it were friendlier to other slicers. - The vat has a billion screws on the bottom, just like the Mars 2 does. I haven't had to replace the FEP yet, but I'm dreading that a little. - Replacement parts, including the screen and FEP are a bit on the price-y end. I don't mind, the rest of the printer is hassle-free, so it's a compromise I'm willing to make. - Not sure about the fast vs normal printing speed. I use normal, because I need my models to be perfect. The not so great: - If you're looking for a printer where you can adjust every single setting to an obsessive degree, this may not be your printer. Chitubox Pro allows for a decent amount of customization in how your settings go, but you will have to hunt and peck through the settings to find them because they're not readily apparent. - Doesn't want to talk to other slicers easily. YMMV, I'm still new at all of this. - Camera is uh, below the vat. So... if you're like me and you print models that are no larger than about 2 inches high, you won't really be able to see most of it. I think you can extend the camera upwards but then you're looking at the top of the build plate, so ...? - ChituBoxPro only takes encrypted CTB files, which you can work around using UVTools, but keep in mind if you're an open source advocate that this file format is ... mmm. Sub-optimal. Important stuff: - Remember to take the lens cap off on the camera. My silly self did not, and was confused as to why there were no pictures on my camera. Oops. -You will need to use the BETA version of ChituBoxPro, not the regular one. The regular one doesn't include the Mars 5 Ultra yet. I imagine it will within the year. - If your prints are failing, check your resin settings and check to make sure your environment isn't too cold. I had bed-adhesion issues below about 15C. My office gets super cold, so I had to close some vents to get comfortably into the range that my resin preferred. VERDICT: If you're someone who's making dice masters - which is all I can speak to - this is a great printer for the price and it's treated me very well. Any time I've had issues with my prints, it's because my model was actually broken, or I didn't support the model well enough, so basically user error, not printer issue. SCORE: 4.5/5 - Great printer, somewhat unfriendly to anything outside of the CHITU ecosystem, great for beginners with its simple setup and assembly.

Works fine when it wants to work however after a few weeks of operation it learned this fun new trick where it likes to repeatedly reset itself after the first layer. Once in awhile after the reboot it will behave itself and start printing But as time goes by even that is increasingly rare . I have tried multiple outlets and actually moved houses in the midst of this ordeal so it's even operating on a different power system than it was before and still repeats the same thing over and over again. I have tried plugging it directly into the wall and into a surge protector with the same results my Saturn 4 operating right next to it is showing none of these problems . I have not been able to find any kind of current firmware update on the Elegoo website. I have switched out for multiple USB drives I have contacted customer support and after multiple emails and troubleshooting steps suggested by them including voltage testing the power supply and even opening up the back panel to check the internal connections nothing has helped. I hate to say it, I have a long relationship with Elegoo to the point where this is the 7th product of theirs I have purchased and I have never had such a bad experience with one of their pieces of equipment. At this point I'm not sure I would even consider buying another piece of their equipment.

I spent a lot of time researching 3D printers a few years ago and settled on the Elegoo Mars 2 and have not been disappointed. it has performed flawlessly. I design and produce products for the scuba industry and are available in 90% of the dive shops, Aquariums, Water, resorts and Theme Parks, in the US and World Wide. Occasionally I have to produce a limited run of a design or a prototype and the Mars 2 has been perfect. I decided I needed a bit more capacity with a slightly larger build plate and the Mars 3 seemed perfect for the task. Most of my manufacturing is sub contracted here in the US but the 3D printing is my personal project and is based in AZ. The printer arrived exceptionally well packed but there was a minor flaw in the touch screen. I stated using the printer and was not disappointed. From the very first print to this day, I have not experienced a single fail! For me a fail is lost time and money and I am often on a deadline with these small runs. The small flaw in the screen became bothersome and at the angle the printers are installed it became a problem for me, so I ordered a replacement and exactly the same problem.. I discovered it was an issue with the way they were packing the printer at the factory. The packaging applied pressure to the touch screen and it eventually created a bubble and moire pattern on the screen. Not a problem at some viewing angles but it was an issue for my setup. For me, the measure of a company is not based solely on the quality of their manufacturing nor their QC but the ability to respond to a customer service issues and resolve it effectively and in a timely manner. In this respect, Elegoo is EXCEPTIONAL! Rather than return the product, they immediately sent me a replacement screen, which is easily installed, and followed up to make sure all was OK. I have been absolutely impressed with Elegoo’s response and follow up, and they now have a customer for life. I also purchase their resins exclusively and I ascribe the combination of World Class resins in a World Class printer for the excellent results I consistently achieve with their products. When I need to print, I select the file and push print and I know that in a few hours those items will be ready to ship. I use Elegoo ABS Like exclusively in the Mars 3 and Elegoo Water Washable in the Mars 2 for prototyping. One final point, I installed a flex build plate prior to firing up the printer for the first time. I use both magnetic sheets (current sheets are 1/3 thinner than the one on my Mars 2 purchased a few years ago) one on top of the other for maximum adhesion, and have never had to touch the plate with a scraper. They remain pristine and produce a factory finish when a model is directly on the build plate. In summary, I give the Mars 3 a 5 star rating and Elgoo a 5 star +++. If you are looking for your first 3D printer or additional printers for commercial applications, look no further than Elegoo!

I really like this printer and it actually has great quality for the price. However... The vat screws suck and stripped the plastic cap making the printer inoperable until i get the replacement part. I was able to fix this problem but it's an engineering oversight from Elegoo and sort of indicative of the machine's quality itself. It's made using cheap parts. That being said, the auto leveling and the simplicity of the printer makes it nice. It prints correctly when I am not making user errors and is a great starter printer. Edit: I managed to get the screw out but only because i broke it off inside the handle block *while following customer support instructions*, however this ended up being beneficial as the part can be easily replaced through customer service. Don't be like me, if the screw is getting harder to tighten in the vat DO NOT force it in, take your time and make sure to clean the threads thoroughly with IPA or you will be dealing with a whole lot of annoyance and time spent to try and fix it.

Update - 8/29/23 - I ended up not having a chance to really troubleshoot my issues with the printer after getting it. I got frustrated with the failure of the FEP, then our family moved and it was packed away for nearly a year, and I just didn't have time to mess around with it to get it figured out. I was just about to give up and give it to someone who had more time to getting it working, but decided to try one last time to get it to work. I'm glad I did! It turns out that the resin I had started using initially was a resin that, while it sort of worked in this printer, it was made for a specific brand of printer that operated a little bit differently than the Mars 3. The information on the resin was lacking, and I hadn't realized it, and it caused the resin that was partially cured to overheat while printing, which is what caused the FEP failure. Once I realized it might have been the resin, I switched back to some Sunlu resin I had still, and not only did it succeed with a print, I've had about 15 successful prints since, with the only failure being a pre-supported model that had an issue with the base (so it was the stl file and not the printer that caused the issue). With the speed and quality of the prints I've gotten since I was able to figure out my issue, I've bumped this back up to a 5 star! I am not new to 3D printing. Previous to the Mars 3, I had an Anycubic Photon Mono and an Ender 5 Pro FDM. Love the Ender, and really liked the Photon - EXCEPT the maintenance nightmare that it was. It seemed that after every third print, the FEP would get holes, or the build plate wouldn't be level and cause a failure, or the LCD would go out. The last straw was the current LCD was starting to go (just replaced it 2 months before it developed a bad spot) and the FEP leaked and damaged the rest of the screen. Suffice it to say, I was NOT pleased with how often I was having to replace the FEP film, nor the fact that I was going to be on my third LCD in less than a year of printing. That brings me to the Mars 3! I did a lot of research for printers in the Mars 3 price range, and decided that the Mars 3 sounded attractive enough to fit my needs and sounded like it was a little more friendly in terms of maintenance. One of the first things that made me want to get it is that it comes with a factory installed film on the LCD, and it ended up being something that I would need rather early on. This is where the -1 star comes in, within 7 attempted prints (2 failures due to using new resin I didn't know the settings on), one of the prints had a piece that stuck to the FEP. Usually, that's not a huge issue, but for some reason, the print as it kept going developed a sharp point and ruptured the FEP. Of course, this means that resin leaked onto the screen during printing and cured. The film on the screen worked! I just had to basically peel off the protector and carefully get the resin off the screen. Far easier than what I had to do with the Mono out of the box, and that film saved me from having to get a new screen... AGAIN. But, unfortunately, there are no direct replacements for the screen film that Elegoo produces, which is where that one star comes in. It's FANTASTIC that the screen was protected in this case, but it also sucks that there isn't a way to get a factory authorized screen protector to replace it once the inevitable happens. Good thing is I know about screen protector films now, and that I would eventually need one, so I already have one that I bought just in case this happens (Mach5ive). I haven't had a chance to install it and get back to printing, but once I get the new FEP installed as well as that I should be good to go again. Pros: LCD screen protector out of the box 4k resolution - I printed some TINY things with one of the first prints, one being a pirate girl that has a tiny pirate teddy bear on her back, and the details it brought out blow the Mono away. Looks nice Factory screen protector for the push button screen - this is a weird Pro, I will admit, but I didn't take the film off of the touch screen for the buttons. I can still push the buttons through it, and this will keep the screen from getting mucky if there's ever a drip of resin that gets on it! I love that the screws for the vat come out, instead of being embedded in the base of the printer like the Anycubic. Means it will be easier to clean them if/when they get resin on them Metal area around the LCD - will make clean up easy if some spills, even if it cures, can just be scraped off and cleaned. Cons: Plastic base - I don't know how I managed it, but a few drips of resin went down one of the sides of the printer already and cured there before I even noticed it. With having a plastic base, this will never come off. FEP - I know this is one of the things that come with printing with resin, but having an FEP fail after less than 10 prints is disappointing. I know people who say they've been using the same FEP for a year, and I can't for the life of me understand how that's possible Overall, though, I am extremely please with this purchase. Out of the box, it was FAR easier to get things set up and going than the Mono, with only needing 2 test prints to get the settings for the resin I was using tuned in. The detail on small items is amazing as well. Print times are pretty much the same as the Mono, for the most part, so there's no speed improvement from 2k to 4k (not that I was expecting any).

[Original two-star review, published 11/30/23:] Coming from a Longer Orange10 printer with the resolution of a potato (115μm), the Elegoo Mars 4 Ultra I received was still technically an improvement, but I have to fault the quality control at the factory for ever sending this thing out, and some questionable design choices for making the problem severe enough that I simply had to return the entire unit. First things first, the deal-breaker: the leadscrew came bent. Not just a little bent, but bent right at the bottom by the motor such that the opposite end wiggled about an inch side-to-side as it rotated (shown in the video clip). This caused wobbly artifacts in the test print I did, which you can see in one of the photos. The linear rail is remarkably stable and consistent, so the print still succeeded, but it still couldn't totally compensate for how bent the leadscrew was. Straight vertical lines on the print came out wavy, with the period of the waves corresponding to the pitch of the leadscrew. The second problem, which I could've coped with on its own, was that the entire cast aluminum plate that the resin vat, z-axis assembly, and lower chassis bolt onto was somehow also bent, creating a gap (pictured) at the back of the printer. The gap was only about an eighth of an inch wide, but the problem was that it let a lot of un-shielded UV light out, which of course is an eye-safety hazard. I could have just put electrical tape over the gap, but I still don't know how anyone could have missed that if they actually tested it before shipping as they claim. Finally, the "questionable design choices" I mentioned above are threefold, and they all pertain to the z-axis. First, there's no support bearing or other structure to receive the end of the leadscrew opposite the motor, so it's just free at that end, which is what allowed my bent one to wiggle so much (and perhaps allowed it to become bent in the first place). The second odd design choice was that the leadscrew isn't attached to the motor shaft with a coupler, it *is* the motor shaft, meaning the entire stepper motor/leadscrew assembly must be replaced if the leadscrew becomes damaged. The final choice I can't understand involves the sensor for zeroing the build plate arm. It's located at the bottom of the z-axis instead of the top, which renders the "set z=0" function effectively useless, since it still has to pass the sensor at the bottom to know where 0 is supposed to be. In the end, I might still re-buy this printer model (if Amazon ever issues me my refund now that I've returned it to them), since on paper it's still the best 3D printer for me, but this whole experience has been awful for me and meant that I'm not going to be able to make people ornaments in time for the holidays like I'd planned, so I wanted to go ahead and let people know that this stuff can and does happen and to be wary of it. [Update as of 12/12/23:] A few days after I wrote my original review, Elegoo customer service reached out to me (the first time a seller/manufacturer has ever done that in response to my review) to extend their apologies for my trouble, offer me a full refund, and ask me to give them another chance. I'd heard that Elegoo has the best customer service, and it seems I heard correctly. Their message gave me the confidence to order a new Mars 4 Ultra, and I'm glad I did, as the new printer works flawlessly. (I can still see a little UV light if I look at it at just the right angle during printing, but it's minor, and nothing is bent this time. I may eventually add a strip of thin, adhesive-backed foam between the chassis components to create a better light-blocking seal, but I doubt it's necessary.) It was a mistake to contact to Amazon's customer service before Elegoo's, as the latter has been wonderful to work with, even reaching out to make sure that I was happy with the replacement printer I ordered and reminding me that I can always contact them with any questions/issues. In light of my customer service experience, and the quality of the printer I got to replace the first one, I'm upgrading my review to five stars. I can now say that I wholeheartedly recommend this printer, even knowing that significant problems can occur, because I know that Elegoo has my back if and when those problems occur. Seriously, if something is wrong, contact them first. You'll be glad you did.