Creality Ender 2 Pro 3D Printer

There is a certain cute charm to mini 3D Printers that we Makers cannot resist. After the DIYElectronics team adopted a Creality Ender 2 Pro 3D Printer as our own and adorned it with appropriately dopey googly eyes, we knew we had to share this fantastic desktop companion with you, our awesome customers. We are pleased to see Creality 3D continue to improve on and expand their Ender Series of 3D Printers with a variety of sizes to suit everyone while providing the high-quality machines we’ve come to expect. The Ender 2 Pro 3D Printer has taken the spot for the smallest Creality 3D Printer and by extension the most affordable. However, what really makes this printer the perfect desktop companion is the focus on easy portability, user-friendliness, and silent drivers.

The Creality Ender 2 Pro 3D Printer takes up as little desk space as possible with a print volume of 165 x 165 x 180mm. Sporting a standard Creality hotend, Bowden-style extruder and convenient removable Flexplate, the Ender 2 Pro is well-suited for beginners who want to explore the hobby of 3D Printing. Mini 3D Printers are also commonly sought-after for printing tabletop miniatures and small functional parts, as well as even taking along on travel trips to technology conventions or sitting inside a classroom for crafting educational prints. In fact, the Creality Ender 2 Pro leans into its portable features by including a handle to easily pick up and carry this lightweight machine.

What Makes the Ender 2 Pro 3D Printer Special?

• Built-In Power Supply – The Ender 2 Pro has a built-in Creality power supply that noticeably makes the printer far easier to move around than if it were a clanky separate unit as with older models. Creality gave good thought to the use of space under the build plate, managing to also slip in a handy toolbox draw. In addition to convenience, the built-in power supply adds weight to the bottom of the Ender 2 Pro and increases its stability further, a much-needed consideration with its unique build structure.
• Cantilever Portable Structure – No doubt the first thing any experienced Maker will notice about the Ender 2 Pro is the fact it is missing one of the usual two Z-Axis rails! This cantilever design consists of one Z-axis for the gantry to mount onto which makes its small form factor possible. Although the printer is wonderfully lightweight and portable because of this structure, some may be rightly concerned about wobble and an uneven gantry messing up their 3D prints. However, Creality takes all this into account and has cleverly reinforced the axis with a Z-brace holding that Z-axis firmly to the base of the machine. They have also moved the spool holder from its wobbly position at the top of the axis in previous designs and placed it instead in a comfortable side position, able to swing inwards for easy carrying. These considerate features result in the sturdy and reliable Ender 2 Pro 3D Printer.
• Dual Part Fans – On either side of the hotend, two part fans are mounted to help with extra cooling power during prints with difficult overhangs and finer details. The Ender 2 Pro has a leg up, in our opinion, against other mini printers in the market for the fact that many of them do away with part cooling altogether. Dual part fans are an excellent advantage that ensures higher quality and an easier 3D Printing experience.
• Magnetic removable Flexplate – Speaking of an easy 3D Printing experience, the Ender 2 Pro also arrives with a magnetic flexible sheet. Once your print is done, simply pick up the removable sheet and flex it to pop prints easily off the bed. Flexible build plates bring a new level of convenience to your 3D Printing experience, eliminating any need to shovel your 3D Prints off the bed as it often feels like using a scraper.

We can’t end this description without mentioning that the Ender 2 Pro is such a cute little machine with red nobs, branded build plate and handle. This printer sits faithfully on your desk, ready for the next print challenge you throw at it. The Ender 2 Pro gives us a 32-bit silent motherboard with silent drivers, a convenient toolbox drawer, and print resume functionality in case of power failures. These small thoughtful additions on top of the fantastic features discussed above are exactly why the Ender 2 Pro is a gem for any Maker looking for a good portable mini 3D printer.

Our Verdict on the Creality Ender 2 Pro 3D Printer:

With an Ender 2 Pro adopted by the DIYElectronics team as one of our own desktop companions, we can confirm its cute-form factor is not overexaggerated. Funny additions of googly eyes to the hotend aside, we are pleased to say the Ender 2 Pro does a fantastic job as a daily use printer for small prints and is so incredibly portable with a foldable spool holder, clip off screen and simple power cable. We were impressed with the print quality on such a small machine. Many of its features are what you would expect to see on Creality’s bigger beginner-friendly printers such as the Ender 3. This means the Ender 2 Pro is an incredibly exciting opportunity for beginner Makers who don’t mind the smaller build size and simply want to try out 3D printing for themselves. It is even easier than the Ender 3v2 3D Printer to set up and get started! All you need is a little under 10 minutes to screw together the mostly preassembled parts and begin your journey into the world of 3D Printing.

Great mini 3D printers like the Creality Ender 2 Pro are also a well-known choice for Makers printing miniatures for tabletop games such as Dungeons and Dragons. Without the need for a big build area, you can save on expenses while fuelling your games with mind-blowing miniatures and terrain. If you are wondering how to print small minis with terrific quality, check out our DIYElectronics blog post: A DM’s Guide to FDM Printing Terrific D&D Minis!

If you are interested in having a deeper view of the Ender 2 Pro technology and seeing it in action with some awesome test prints, take a look at this review video by CHEP on YouTube:

Although Creality 3D have been working within the industry since 2014, their addition of the Creality CR-10 series is what really catapulted them to the front line of competition, as it offered substantially better quality compared to other 3D printers – while simultaneously reducing the cost and complexities of the machines.

The quality of Creality’s 3D Printers and accessories shows through in their market history, with the brand selling around 3000 printers in their first year on the market, followed by about 10,000 sales over the next year. Now, Creality easily sells around 30,000 or more 3D printers each year, with sales continuously rising as they bring out more models. These are impressive numbers when considering the fact that they entered the industry as unknown competitors, quickly rising through the ranks and now even competing with Wanhao and similar top brands.

If you are looking for excellent 3D Printers that offer affordability without compromising on quality, Creality 3D is certainly a brand that you should take note of. From the basic Creality Ender 2 all the way up to the large build volume Creality CR-10 S5, there are few other brands who are capable of offering such a refined package while still maintaining some of the most enticing prices in the industry.