Anet A8 – Unboxing and First Impressions

The Anet A8 is a super-budget 3D printer. Recommended price is $200 US dollars, but you can often find it for less than that!

I am no stranger to 3D printer kits, or budget 3D printer kits for that matter – I have a few in my 3D printer collection.

A 3D printer that retails at less than $200, but still has the favour of the 3D printing community, however … that is new to me.

How good could it possibly be? Let’s unbox it and take a look!

I have been looking forward to trying this Prusa style machine – lots of people are reporting good things about it, and it’s a great price for people to enter 3D printing.

Breaking! Use the US PLUG coupon: AADPR to get the A8 for the discount price of $159.99, EU use coupon：3DPrinterS at Gearbest for a limited time!

Gearbestsent me this unit to review direct from HQ, and I have to say I was a little worried about how it would manage the trip, seeing as I am in Canada – a big place far away from China. Immediately I am impressed by the packaging.

Keep in mind that my “Australian” printer that cost over $1,100 shipped arrived badly broken, this printer at almost 10% of the price arrived pristinely packaged.

I’m also happy to say it comes with a whole bunch of accessories that show a care and attention to detail on behalf of newbie kit builders!

There’s a wrench, allen keys, screwdrivers (a clever two headed number) and snips. Again, way more than I got with more expensive printers!

The printer itself is obviously in parts, and the parts are all laid out in layers. While the frame itself is acrylic, it seems to be quite robust. I will just have to be careful with the screws so I do not over-tighten.

It has a 220x220mm heated, aluminium build plate, graphical display, and what appears to be an Anet branded main board. The hot end appears to be a Mk8 style, which is completely ok with me after having positive experiences with the CR-10 and my Aussie machine (after some effort, heh).

Interestingly there is no glass, but that is a simple and cheap addition.

The spool holder is external, stand-alone style – this is a nice touch, it means no additional weight on the frame, and means you can position it where you want it, and using a metal rod instead of plastic lowers the friction hopefully.

I have a lot of protective plastic to remove from the acrylic pieces, so while I do that and report back in part 2, check out the product yourself over at Gearbest!

Breaking! Use the US PLUG coupon: AADPR to get the A8 for the discount price of $159.99, EU use coupon：3DPrinterS at Gearbest for a limited time!