When ELEGOO released the original Centauri Carbon, it was a true market disruptor. A modern, CoreXY 3D printer that stood toe-to-toe with models at twice the price. The Centauri Carbon 2 is effectively a more refined version of that printer.

Building on the foundation of that first model, it’s quieter, more advanced, and can handle a wider variety of filaments. The software experience is more refined as well, out of the box, but the real star of the show is the Canvas multi-material system, which takes us from the monochrome Carbon to the four-color world of the Carbon 2. I must say, it’s a great place to be.

9/10

Build Volume

256 × 256 × 256 mm

The ELEGOO Centauri Carbon 2 builds on the solid foundation of its predecessor and adds an affordable, effective multicolor system to the mix.

Pros & Cons

• Unbeatable price
• Effective and simple multicolor system
• A solid quality of life improvement over the previous model

• Adding the Canvas system was mildly tricky
• Some minor software bugs
• Some minor purge chute issues

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Price, availability, and specs

The ELEGOO Centauri Carbon 2 Combo is available right now for $419 from ELEGOO and $500 from Amazon. As of this writing, the printer is not available without the Canvas multicolor system.

If you want an excellent budget CoreXY printer without multicolor, the original ELEGOO Centauri Carbon is still an excellent choice at a lower price.

Setup and design

Taking the ELEGOO Centauri Carbon 2 Combo out of its box, the entire multicolor system (named “Canvas” by ELEGOO) is packed into the build volume of the printer. Even with instructions, and the handy instruction video provided by ELEGOO I found some steps tricky to pull off by myself. So I do recommend having a second pair of hands to make it easier, although you’ll manage just fine alone too.

I had a particularly hard time getting the top thermal hood put together correctly so that it fits snugly on top. Take extra care with that, because if it’s not fitted correctly, it can rock back and forth in operation. Speaking of which, unlike some other multi-material printers, the Carbon 2 Combo mounts its spools on the side of the printer, the hood is there to cover the filament tubes, and keep the heat inside.

Loading filament into the Canvas is dead easy, and if you use ELEGOO filament with RFID tags, you can scan each one before loading it, and the printer will know all it needs to know about that filament. However, I loaded a mix of different generic and branded filaments after working through all 9lbs of filament ELEGOO sent along for the review, and it only takes a second or two to enter that information manually.

Either way, Canvas really is simple to operate and comes from a mono-color printer. It will take you at most five minutes to learn all you need to know about working this multi-filament system.

As for the rest of the printer, it’s pretty much the same as the previous Centauri, which you can read about in my original review. It’s sturdy, prints fast and accurately, and still compares favorably with much more expensive CoreXY printers.

What was most noticeable to me during my time with the printer so far is how much quieter it is. ELEGOO has improved the sound insulation and is using quieter motors. The original Centauri wasn’t exactly loud, but I’ve been running this in my living room for more than a week, and its about as loud as my dishwasher. You could easily tolerate this printer in an apartment or other small living space.

Multicolor printing performance

What we’re all wondering about is how well this printer handles multicolor printing. After all, it’s the main reason to buy the Carbon 2 Combo! I printed a wide variety of models in multiple colors, slotting the Carbon 2 into my existing print production process, making licensed models for sale at our local market, but I was expecting it to handle that.

No, I really wanted to put this printer through its paces, so I devised a torture test. I’ve always wanted a 3D print of the Tachikoma robots from the Ghost in the Shell manga and anime franchise. So I downloaded a fan-made model and spent a few hours in the ELEGOO Slicer software painting it in four colors with as much detail as I could manage.

I did this with no regard for wastage or printing time. I only cared about the model looking exactly the way I wanted it to, and in the end, the print took over 30 hours with more than 1100 filament changes.

Of course, this resulted in more wasted material than actually ended up in the model, but there’s no arguing with the result! The Carbon 2 Combo handled it with no issues at all, and so I’d say it passed my torture test with (four) flying colors.

Software and ease of use

ELEGOO’s slicer software (a custom fork of Orca Slicer) has received several updates since I reviewed the original, and I ran into no issues at all while loading models, painting them, and then slicing and printing them.

Some things have changed since the original Carbon was released, however. For one thing, the slicer will now auto-detect printers on your network. Which beats manually putting in an IP address. However, before I could add the Carbon 2 Combo, I had to create an ELEGOO account and bind the printer to it.

However, I’m glad I did because it meant I could use the Carbon 2 with the rather excellent ELEGOO Matrix app which I’ve been using to monitor prints both at home and while away.

I also have to commend how easy it is to pick the colors you want to use when starting a print. You can easily assign filaments to each of the slots without slicing them again.

Credit: Sydney Louw Butler/How-To Geek

This is handy for me because I like printing lots of color variations of the same model for sale.

Minor bugs and speedbumps

It’s not been all smooth sailing. The printer has given me a constant error letting me know that it can’t get data from ELEGOO’s servers.

Credit: Sydney Louw Butler/How-To Geek

I have no idea what this error pertains to, but it seems to have no effect on the printer whatsoever, so I just ignored it. All other network and online features worked just fine. So hopefully whatever this is gets fixed in an update.

Other than the odd bug that did not affect anything important, I did have some issues with the purge chute. It failed to eject purges a few times, leading to clogs. I only lost one print because of this, but as a result, I now make a point of ensuring the chute is completely clear before starting a new print.

Should you buy the ELEGOO Centauri Carbon 2 Combo?

Credit: Sydney Louw Butler/How-To Geek

You should buy the ELEGOO Centauri Carbon 2 Combo if:

• You want to print in multiple colors or materials, but are on a budget.
• You want to upgrade from a non-CoreXY printer.
• You’re a hobbyist,

You should NOT buy the ELEGOO Centauri Carbon 2 Combo if:

• You’re happy with mono-color printing.
• You need more than four colors or materials.
• You’re an enthusiast or want to run a 3D-printing business.

If you want to enter the world of multicolor 3D printing or want to benefit from a multimaterial system, then there’s no cheaper entry point than the ELEGOO Centauri Carbon 2 Combo. As with the previous model, the price is fantastic, and for the average person who just wants to print things for their own personal use, it’s hard to see any real downsides. If that’s you, then you should absolutely go for it.

With the first-generation Centauri, my only concern was with build quality and durability. At that time, I had no reference point, but since then, I’ve printed three to four spools of filament every month for a year straight, and my original Centauri works just as well as the day it arrived. That gives me plenty of confidence to recommend this new model to regular hobbyists who aren’t going to print anywhere near that volume.

A tougher recommendation is for those who already own the first-generation Centauri. A year ago, the ELEGOO representative confirmed that the company was working on a multi-material system for the older model. So far we’ve heard nothing about this coming to light, but at the same time, ELEGOO hasn’t canceled the product either. The improvements over the original Centauri aren’t enough to justify buying a whole new printer. In which case, it might be worth waiting a little to see if an upgrade kit becomes available. That said, it never hurts to have a second printer!

9/10

Build Volume

256 × 256 × 256 mm

Connectivity

Wi-Fi

The ELEGOO Centauri Carbon 2 builds on the solid foundation of its predecessor and adds an affordable, effective multicolor system to the mix.