Creality K1 MAX vs QIDI X-MAX 3: Tech Review and XXL Comparison!

Please support my work on PATREON:

Big and fast printing is the pinnacle for FDM printers!
QIDI and Creality are hunting Bambu Lab printers in order to regain market shares for the market of fastest printers.
I had a look on their new big and fast printers - the K1 Max and the X-Max 3 - and compared them in a detailled way.
My review shows: Both are not recommended from my point of view.
Wait another generation or get a Bambu Lab printer now!

247printing on social media:
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Recommended printers*:
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Links to the tested printers provided free of charge by ZBANX and Creality
Thanks a lot!
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Recommmended DIY PRINTERS*:
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Stuff used in the video*:
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Menu
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00:00 Intro and Sponsor
01:50 Package, Tech Check and Setup
06:52 Print Beds and Bed Meshing
09:41 Toolhead comparison
11:10 Flow Rate Tests
13:00 High Speed Filament
14:05 Speed Tests and the Slicers
16:59 Print Tests
22:44 Conclusion / Verdict

*Can be affiliate links at no extra cost for the customer.

#3Dprinting #Creality #QIDI #XMAX3 #K1MAX #Speedboatrace #247printing #JoinTheSpeed

[printing]

What do you think about Creality's and QIDI's new line-up - worth buying?

[cwm]

I bought a Qidi X-Max3 and, honestly, I don't have any of the problems you show. My bottom layers are flawless. The prints are fast and look beautiful. Your first layers look like the z-offset was set too high and there wasn't enough plastic being put down to fill the volume as a result. For $1, 000, I just don't see how this printer can be beat, especially if you want to print large, functional parts.

[JeffreyMiller-pg]

I'm very pleased with my X-Max 3 and yes I prefer it's appearance to the K1. I used ABS, PC and other engineering filaments way more than the average consumer, so for me the max temps, build volume and heated chamber are important decisions. I believe it is the best in "consumer price range" printer for my needs. The only improvement would be if it was IDEX and/or bigger build volume.

[HyperMakes]

Loving these absolute unbiased and true to nature reviews. No competition leads to monopoly and it's really a bruh moment for giants like these to enter competition with handicap printers...🗿

[parallelsandtangents]

I've got a Qidi Tech X-Max 3, it's a nice printer once you get the kinks ironed out.

Also, I have one of the new issued versions. Bed leveling is done with an inductive probe not a bl touch. The firmware update has fixed many issues encountered in the initial release model. And customer service and after sales help has been outstanding.

For the 899 dollars I spent on this printer, I am satisfied.

[ChrumkavySuchar]

I just ordered X-MAX3, so let's see how it will work out. Usually in all reviews the xmax had better quality then k1 max, just everyone "hate" the manual Z-offset, which I don't mind at all. I actually like to have ability to edit it manually. Also BL touch on the newer models is replaced by the inductive probe, so I hope they did such probe that doesn't care about heated enclosure ? Also its missing the camera, but they have now option to buy one. Well, lets see.

[oleurgast]

Actually I bought the X-Max 3. As it uses unrestricted Klipper, for me it's the compromise between a ready2use out-of-the-box printer and a printer build from scratch (like a vCore 3.1 or a Voron), I realy like the sturdy mechanics. There is a reason, the X-Max 3 is so heavy.

However, I already started to modify my X-Max 3:
- I modified the door hinges to easaly remove the door for PLA-printing
- I added a webcam
- I replaced the PTFE-tube by a longer, transperent one and set the spoolholder on the side
- I added a 3th MCU ( a creality silent board) to get an thermister input, modified the hotend to use a Revo Voron coldend and a RevoHF, Revo or RevoObXidian Nozzle.

One of the next steps might be to add an automatic z-offset calibration. As the nozzle can not reach outside the printbed area, I have to add a servo to place/remove a reference switch to the bed. However I see no reson why it shouldn't work. But I realy would like e3d making coldends with integrated loadcell, as this would make live much more easy.

One downside of the X-Max 3: Filament tip on unload is a mess. If you do not pull the filament on unload, it might get stuck in the printhead. Actually this is the reason I changed to a Revo hotend. While with RevoHF same problem occurs, with Revo Standard or ObXedian I get a very nice filament tip. Which certainly helps to add an ERCF.

[SimonCoates]

QIDI Tech's closest comparison printer to the Creality K1 Max is the QIDI X-Plus 3 which is considerably cheaper than both printers reviewed here.

[kernelpanic-x]

My K1Max is operating since August 2023 without any issues which weren't caused by myself.

[UnwrittenGamingftn]

I feel like the communities obsession with speed is unhelpful and just not interesting. People only care about "how fast" but are forgetting more and more about reliability, serviceability and most of all quality...

[efahrenholz]

After you put full fat klipper on the k1-max and fix a few of the g-code macros, the quality actually improves quite a bit. Its actually very reliable since they unlocked the root account.

[varaskal]

This is the kind of detailed, thorough, nonbiased review that we need more of on YouTube. Kudos to you 247.

[Liris]

Hi dear! I have been using the K1 max for about 1 week on regular software from Creality, thus I can not say that it is a perfect machine. Anyway, I am a Russian speaker user and we have already cracked this software to the clean and nice Klipper. After you install clean Klipper this machine becomes much better, I would say that it is 2 different machines! You have to try it before recommending or not recommending to buy it. Also, I have to note that 900 USD is not a fair price, since you may buy it for less than 800 bucks (coupons, etc.) I do not protect any of the companies, and I will not write either their names but P1S also may have a big problem with the plate, seems like P1S was created from out-sorted parts from X1C...

[jbergene]

I actually think the xmax3 makes sense for the price since you get the larger machine and heated chamber

[everlastingmedia]

Hey thanks for the review.

I recently picked up an X1C and it's been an interesting experience for me.
Getting spoiled to some of the out of the box features, like perfect first layers and no nonsense printing has me frustrated at my Prusa machines, but there's a 5-6 year tech gap there.... I need to remember.

Nevertheless it looks like these 2 printers would be moving away from current, not forward.
Thanks for taking the time to make this insightful review.

[mahmudulhasantanim]

I appreciate your focus on the bigger picture of the 3D printing industry. These reviews help us understand the trends and advancements.

[xsvforce]

I’d love to see a standard K1 video, especially if you try to get the most out of it. Like change the nozzle to a CHT, use a better slicer, calibrate the pressure advance, and tweak the settings. The smaller size of the K1 should let allow to go faster with less ringing as well. However, I do recommend you remove the compliance springs for the upper linear rod as they either cause binding or create vibration that messes with the input shaper calibration (I think binding is the problem).

[DJProPlusMax]

I agree. The X-Max3 looks like a cheap toy compared to the K1 Max, but If I were to chooses between the two, I would choose the QIDI since Creality's cloud seems sketchy at best. I would rather build a premium CoreXY as you would too.

[TimothyStovall]

Just got a K1 Max a couple of weeks ago from Microcenter. My 600mm/s 20k mm/s acceleration test on rapid PETG for 22 min speed boats look pretty good. Especially the 17 min one that came with the USB stick on the Hyper PLA. No stringing, and just a some artifacting and ripples on the edges from the extreme accelerations, but it stayed for the most part within the layer lines. Much better around the rear corner than yours, but was still the problem area. I'm certainly glad they have continued to make improvements on this machine. Especially the with the extruder pressure, and being able to keep up better with the higher speeds now. Good review, and shows Creality has been listening, and refining. Hope they continue to do so.

[JohnFTodd]

I've got a soft spot for 3D printers, and videos like this make me want to start a new project. The addiction is real!