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Elegoo Mars Pro Resin 3D Printer Review

9.2/10

The Elegoo Mars Pro is often the most recommended small form factor resin printer for beginners, and for a good reason. Boasting top-tier print quality that rivals injection moulded plastic and cast resin along with inexpensive and plentiful replacement parts, the Mars Pro is a top contender for hobbyists dipping into the resin 3D printing world. We recommend the Mars Pro over the Anycubic Photon S or EPAX X1 as it shares the same internal hardware but retails for a much lower price tag.

9.2/10

Manufacturer: Elegoo

The Pros
The Cons
Paul Chow
Paul Chow

Co-Founder & CTO

Amazon.com Disclosure: As Amazon Associates, we earn from qualifying purchases.

With Anycubic kicking off an era of affordable resin 3D printers back in 2016, it did not take long for other competitors to follow suit and produce their own affordable versions. The Elegoo Mars resin 3D printer quickly became a top competitor to the extremely popular Anycubic Photon.

In response, Anycubic later released the Photon S, an updated machine fitted with dual linear rails for the Z axis and an upgraded UV source to decrease print times. Not wanting to be left behind, Elegoo then released its Mars Pro to compete in a now very crowded space of affordable, small form-factor resin 3D printers. Released at $299, the Elegoo Mars Pro was cheaper than the Anycubic Photon S during the time of its release. However, price cuts and entries from Creality, EPAX and Phrozen have made the market an incredibly competitive space for Elegoo.

In this Elegoo Mars Pro resin 3D printer review, we will take a deep dive into the Mars Pro’s strengths and weaknesses to see if it is worthy of your consideration among a large number of resin printers on the market.

At the time of this writing, Elegoo has reduced the price of the Mars Pro to $250, which is slightly cheaper than the Anycubic Photon S at $259. Competitors such as the Creality LD-002R can be found for as little as $199, the Phrozen Sonic Mini at $269 and EPAX X1 at $429. However, it faces competition from the new generation of resin 3D printers fitted with monochromatic LCDs, such as Elegoo’s own Mars 2 Pro for as little as $329.

Table of Contents

Key Features To Look For In A Great 3D Printer

When shopping for a 3D printer, most people would assume that print quality is the end-all-be-all for what to look for. Obviously, print quality is important, but it’s not the only factor to consider. We might have the luxury of saying that for this printer since it scores a 9/10 due to its ability to print meticulous detail on both large and small objects. Everything from the Eiffel Tower to massive dragons, the Elegoo Mars Pro had no issues.

So if the print quality isn’t the only thing to consider, what should you look for next? If you’re new to 3D printing (which most are), you definitely want to ensure that ease of setup and maintenance won’t be intimidating. We scored the Elegoo Mars Pro a 9/10 for setup since it comes pre-built and all you need to do is level the bed, and you’re off to the printing races!

Speaking of speed … the Elegoo Mars Pro has a much more powerful UV LED array; it has a 25% speed increase in printing. However, after testing it ourselves, it only had an improvement of 5%, which was a bit of a letdown. However, if speed isn’t important to you, then any improvement is a good one!

So if it’s easy to set up, fast to print, and easy to maintain, the last thing you should look for is community support. 3D printing is an intimidating hobby with all the nuts, bolts, and software. That said, we decided to take our questions to forums and other enthusiasts to see what, if any, answers we would get back. Not to anyone’s surprise, the Elegoo Mars Pro has an enormous community following due to its popularity. Some might say it’s even of equal size to the Anycubic community. You can get instant information for troubleshooting, upgrades, mods, and everything in-between.

92

Overall Score

Ranked #6 of 10
SLA Printers

Learn more about our 3D printer review methodology.

How We Researched This Printer

The Elegoo Mars Pro belongs to the budget small-form-factor MSLA resin 3d printer family specializing in highly detailed prints. These types of printers are also known for their small size, ease of setting up, low cost and large community support.

That said, we put the Mars Pro through a series of test prints, travel to all the corners of the support groups to gauge the community, stress-tested this printer to the max to see how well it handles harsh environments, and more. To set the baseline, we compared this printer to competitors like the EPAX X1, Phrozen Sonic Mini and Anycubic Photon S to see how well the Mars Pro stacks up.

This is a read that you would not want to miss. Your hard-earned dollars should be put towards the right small form factor MSLA printer. Choosing the wrong one could lead to headaches with setup, poor quality resin prints and a long repair bill. With the ever-evolving field of 3D printing, we made sure to get you the right information for the right 3d printer choice.

Printer Setup

The Elegoo Mars Pro is shipped completely built and practically ready to print right out of the box. The resin printer has protective foam all around it, including the build plate and resin vat. When setting up, users should make sure the resin vat and construction plate are free of any foam particles. The resin vat also has a difficult-to-see protective covering that must be removed, or the prints would fail.

The only thing customers will need to do before printing is level the construction plate to the LCD. While all budget resin printers require that the build plate be levelled before use, the Elegoo Mars Pro features one of the simplest techniques for doing so. The construction plate is secured by two big hex screws that must be tightened during the levelling procedure. The two hex screws are a significant improvement over the one screw on the Anycubic Photon S, which has a propensity to tilt to one side when tightened. Phrozen employs four hex screws, resulting in a level that is even more exact. The printers from EPAX come completely balanced out of the box.

Resin printers can produce very intricate prints that FDM printers just cannot match. The resolution of the LCD screen utilized determines the maximum amount of detail a resin printer can resolve. The Elegoo Mars Pro’s 2K screen, for example, can distinguish features as small as 47um, allowing the resin printer to create almost any detail.

We put the Elegoo Mars Pro resin printer to the test in three areas: detail resolution, z height consistency, and UV exposure uniformity over the whole build plate.

We printed various highly detailed figures, both large and tiny, to test the Mars Pro’s capacity to produce detailed models. We had it print a tiny fantasy figure and a medium-sized robot model first. The printer had no trouble printing fine details and did an excellent job of recreating the model’s texture. The Elegoo Mars Pro was then used to print an Eiffel tower to evaluate its capacity to print large items and to exaggerate any faults with the z stepper motor. We found no difficulty with the resin printer resolving the Eiffel tower’s details or challenges with z-layer alignment thanks to the Mars Pro’s linear rail. We should point out that, despite the upgrade on the Mars Pro, the original Elegoo Mars resin 3D printer never had any z-layer alignment issues. We finally had it print a large dragon model, which accurately produced the beautiful details and texture of the model. 

Finally, we used the Elegoo Mars Pro to print a series of intricate tiles to see how evenly the UV light is distributed around the build plate. Details on edge will appear different than details in the middle of light dispersion is uneven. There was no difference between the tiles discovered on edge and those located in the centre, according to our findings.

Overall, we were very impressed with the print quality of the Elegoo Mars Pro, which we found to be on a level with the print quality of the other resin printers in its class.

The Elegoo Mars Pro produces excellent quality printers on par with every other resin 3D printer in its class.

Print Speed
Elegoo claims that the Mars Pro boasts a 25% speed increase due to the inclusion of a far more powerful UV LED array. In actuality, this could not be further from the truth. A normal layer on the original Mars takes about 9 seconds to cure, but the Mars Pro takes only 8 seconds. Because most of the time spent per layer is spent moving the build plate up and down to the next layer, the time saved due to reduced layer time is little at best. As a result, we saw a 5% print speed boost at best.

Slicer Compatibility
Elegoo has recommended and shipped Chitubox as its slicer of choice. We also highly recommend users to Chitubox due to its good presets and support from Elegoo and the 3D printer community. However, the Elegoo Mars Pro is compatible with Lychee slicer, which we also recommend. Lychee slicer also has preset profiles for the Elegoo Mars Pro.

Setting Up Prints
Elegoo includes the Chitubox slicer with their Mars Pro printer, which is a popular 3rd party resin slicer. Model hollowing, hole generation, and auto supports are all standard features in resin 3D printing, and Chitubox has them all. The user interface is straightforward and simple to use. Along with the Lychee slicer, the Chitubox is one of our favourite slicers for resin 3D printing.

For the Elegoo Mars Pro, Chitubox features predefined profiles that make getting prints ready quick and straightforward. Chitubox users may rest assured that their 3D models will be accurately sliced for resin 3D printing.

The files are saved to a USB flash drive, which is then plugged into the USB port on the Mars Pro. The Elegoo Mars Pro has a very straightforward and easy-to-use menu for selecting and starting prints. Users who have used the original Mars or the EPAX X1 will notice that the navigation on the Mars Pro is identical.

Noise Levels
Resin printers, unlike FDM printers, only use one stepper motor that moves the z-axis. As a result, the Mars Pro is exceptionally quiet when in use. The cooling and vent fans, which are always on, are the loudest components of the Elegoo Mars Pro. While the Mars Pro was running, we recorded roughly 40 decibels of noise. This is about the same decibel level as a gentle hum in an office. This is the same as any other little resin 3D printer on the market.

Hardware

With overall dimensions of 200mm (l) x 200mm (w) x 410mm (h), a modest build volume of 115mm (l) x 65mm (w) x 155mm (h), and an overall weight of 7.5kg, the Elegoo Mars Pro is a compact desktop-sized machine. It is nearly identical in weight, size, and build volume to the original Elegoo Mars. It is nearly identical physically except for the modification to a linear rail for the z-axis, which is the only indicator that the Mars Pro is a different machine.

The Elegoo Mars Pro, like all of its competitors, has the same build volume, except for the Phrozen Sonic Mini, which has the same internal components. The affordability, construction, and quality attributes of these resin 3D printers set them apart.

The Mars Pro’s base is made of metal, and the construction plate is accessible through a red acrylic top. To access the construction plate, users would have to remove and store the acrylic top. In a tiny office, we found this to be somewhat inconvenient. Some users may prefer the gull-wing doors found on the Anycubic Photon S and EPAX X1 since they provide total 360o access to the build plate, while we prefer the gull-wing doors found on the Anycubic Photon S and EPAX X1.

Safety Highlights

Compared to filament-based FDM 3D printers, MSLA resin printers are electrically safe. To drive an LCD screen, resin printers require relatively little power. Rather than the high-power heaters used to melt filament and heated beds used in FDM printers, they have a UV light source and a single stepper motor. As a result, MSLA resin printers, such as the Elegoo Mars Pro, do not pose the same concerns as FDM 3D printers in terms of electricity and fire.

Resin Health Concerns
The UV resin with a wavelength of 405nm poses a lot of health hazards. To begin with, the 405nm UV resin is extremely poisonous when consumed and can cause allergic reactions when it comes into touch with the skin. When working with 405nm UV resin, there are a few things to keep in mind. To address these safety issues, the Mars Pro accomplishes a few things.

When working with resin, nitrile gloves should always be worn. Elegoo includes a few pairs of disposable gloves and a few face masks with their resin printers to help prevent fume exposure. When utilizing a resin 3D printer, users should always have a supply of spare nitrile gloves on hand.

The 50w UV light source is also potentially damaging to the eyes and should never be viewed without protective eyewear. The Elegoo Mars Pro’s acrylic top is coloured red to protect it from UV rays. This provides 2-way protection as it protects the UV-sensitive resin against UV rays from the environment. It should be noted that even if the acrylic top is removed, the Elegoo Mars Pro will continue to function.

Built-in Charcoal Filter
405nm UV resin is notorious for its strong odour and harmful emissions. Even when the printer is turned off, the resin emits fumes; thus, sufficient ventilation is critical to minimize dangerous fume buildup. The Elegoo Mars Pro has a charcoal filter to filter out the fumes produced by the resin. We disagree with Elegoo’s claim that this is an air purifier that provides a safer user experience because the filter does not have a HEPA certification. However, it does an excellent job of eradicating the resin odour.

Charcoal filters must be replaced regularly, and Elegoo does not sell replacement filters; instead, it sells full new units for its resin printers. We strongly advise users to use their resin 3D printers in well-ventilated places or to utilize a HEPA-certified filtering system with them.

Maintenance

Finding Replacement Parts
The LCD screen in the resin vat, as well as the FEP film in the resin vat, are consumables that need to be replaced every 400 hours. This necessitates that these parts be both inexpensive and simple to replace. Replacement LCDs and FEP film sheets for the Elegoo Mars Pro and many of its competitors are rather easy to come by. Between $20 and $40, replacement LCDs may be acquired at both 3D printing companies like Matterhackers and large merchants like Amazon. Replacements for the latest generation resin printers with a monochrome LCD are substantially more expensive, ranging from $80-$100 or more.

The user must pry off the old LCD and wriggle the connector through a small slot to connect with the control board while replacing the LCD, which might be scary. Elegoo, on the other hand, provides video instructions on its website to assist visitors.

Accessing the Control Board
Since there are very few moving parts on the Elegoo Mars Pro, opening up the resin printer should be a rare occurrence. However, if the user needs to access the control board or any other internal components, it can be done by removing a few screws on the base and side of the machine, which completely removes the bottom and sides of the printer. This completely exposes the control board and other electronics, which provides users with a huge amount of room to navigate around the board.

Features & Upgrades

Upgraded UV Light Source
Elegoo has upgraded the UV light source of the Mars Pro to a 28 50W UV LED light array. The large number of LEDs combined with the more powerful 50W UV light is significantly stronger than the original Mars’ 40W UV LED. Elegoo has claimed that the Mars Pro can print 25% faster than the original Mars; however, we found in testing that the Photon S prints less than 5% faster. The original Mars had its UV lights concentrated around the center of the resin printer, giving prints near the center of the printer more UV light compared to the edges. The result was an uneven light distribution with the potential of less detailed prints near the edge of the resin printer. The Mars Pro LED array distributes the UV light more evenly to reduce the chance of details being lost near the edge of the resin printer.

Linear Rail Z Axis
The original Elegoo Mars uses derlin v-slot wheels to move the z-axis up and down, whereas the Elegoo Mars Pro has changed this feature to a single linear rail to significantly improve print stability. Linear rails constrain motion in one direction (up and down) to reduce motion in any other direction (left to right). This eliminates the chance for the build plate to wobble while the printer is in motion (which may result in layers slightly shifting to the left or right).

Community Support

Due to its popularity, the Elegoo Mars Pro has a sizable fan base. It has a community that rivals that of Anycubic. Users can get information on issues, upgrades, and mods on forums, Facebook groups, and subreddits, among other places. Among them are the following:

Final Verdict

The Elegoo Mars Pro is an excellent workhorse 3D printer. It does not have all the bells and whistles that the Prusa SL1 has or the new monochromatic screens that printers from 2020 feature. However, it prints excellent quality resin prints and is inexpensive to maintain. Users looking for their first resin 3D printer will be very well served by the Elegoo Mars Pro, Anycubic Photon S, EPAX X1 or Phrozen Sonic Mini; all perform nearly identically. We recommend users to take a look at which of those are on sale due to their identical high performance. Users looking for a faster 3D printer may be better served with the more expensive Mars Pro 2, which features a monochromatic LCD.

Technical Specifications

  • Build volume: 115mm (l) x 65mm (w) x 155mm (h)
  • Printer size: 200mm (l) x 200mm (w) x 410mm (h)
  • Weight: 7.5kg
  • Enclosed print area: Yes
  • Display: Color touchscreen
  • Drive type: Resin (MSLA)
  • Resin capability: 405nm resin
  • Connectivity: USB type A
  • Build Surface: Aluminum
  • Bed Leveling: Manual
  • Maximum movement speed: 150mm per second
  • Maximum XY accuracy: 0.0047mm
  • Minimum Z height: 0.00125mm
  • 3rd party resin support: Yes
  • Operating System: Windows, macOS, Linux
  • Supported Slicers: Chitubox, Lychee Slicer
  • Supported File Types: STL, OBJ, M3F

Disclaimer
3DGearZone.com is a professional review site that receives compensation from the companies whose products we review. We test each product thoroughly and give high marks to only the very best. We don’t guarantee, however, that our suggestions will work best for each individual or business, so consider your unique needs when choosing products and services. 3DGearZone.com is independently owned and the opinions expressed here are our own. 

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

Sources
1. Elegoo.com, “Elegoo, INC.” Accessed July 26, 2022.

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