Creality Ender 3 V2

When the Voxelab Aquila entered this list in July 2021, it relegated the Anycubic Mega Zero and super-popular Creality Ender 3 to the sidelines. Those two are no slouches, which goes to show just how much this little budget 3D printer impressed us.

To describe it as an underdog would be misleading, because Voxelab is really the budget sub-brand of 3D printing giant, Flashforge. A wolf in sheep’s clothing would be the idiom that springs to mind.

The Voxelab Aquila comes in at a comfortable sum under $200, the first main criteria for our top pick under $200. Actually, the Voxelab Aquila trounces this first, all-important checkbox and can easily be found for closer to $150 than $200, making it an exceedingly good value for money for the capabilities and experience it offers.

Working with the Aquila is a piece of cake thanks to a bright and easy-to-use UI. You get simple, large icons that leave little ambiguity about what they do. That theme continues in the VoxelMaker slicing software, a reskinned version of Flashforge’s Flashprint, that provides just enough functionality for beginners to get to grips with and produce fine prints. For power users, full compatibility with any G-code generating software gives room to grow with the printer.

In testing, we achieved fantastic print quality with little effort. The textured carborundum glass bed works particularly well with ABS and PLA, gripping when hot and releasing prints without trouble when cold. If printing with PETG, we recommend keeping a glue stick on hand for reliable adhesion.

Part cooling is particularly good on the Aquila, handling overhangs with surprising capability for the printer’s price. All in all, an easy recommendation and impressive performance from such an affordable machine – a clear step up on the past under-$200 recommendation, the Ender 3.

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