ELEGOO Mars 4 MSLA 3D Printer with 7" 9K Monochrome LCD, UV Resin Photocuring Printer, Multiple Print Modes, Printing Size of 6.04 x 3.06 x 6.89 inches

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 UltraFirst 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 diagnosticsOne 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 ThoughtsSo, 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 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.