Anycubic Kobra 2 Review: Fast, Affordable, and Effective

The 3D printing market is saturated with budget-friendly 3D printers that promise outstanding results, but many of these choices fall short.

The complexity of calibrating a 3D printer, coupled with the fear of dealing with filament jams or poor adhesion, can turn what should be a creative and enjoyable process into a source of anxiety and disappointment.

Enter the Anycubic Kobra 2, an easy-to-use 3D printer with advanced features that provide a fun and reliable printing experience. With its auto-leveling technology, direct drive extruder, linear rods, and robust build quality, the Kobra 2 seeks to minimize common printing issues, making it an ideal choice for beginners and advanced users.

The Kobra 2’s low price bridges the gap between affordability and high-performance 3D printing. In our comprehensive Anycubic Kobra 2 review, we’ll explore how well the Anycubic Kobra 2 lives up to these claims.

Specifications

Technology	Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM)
Build Volume	250 x 220 x 220 mm (9.8 x 8.7 x 8.7 inches)
Machine Footprint	440 x 435 x 486 mm (17.3 x 17.1 x 19.1 inches)
Materials Supported	PLA, ABS, PETG, and TPU
Extruder	Direct Drive
Max Nozzle Temperature	260℃
Max Build Plate Temperature	110℃
Print Bed Material	Textured PEI Coated Spring Steel Sheet
Max Print Speed	300mm/s
Weight	8.4kg (18.51 pounds)
Bed Leveling	LeviQ 2.0 (Inductive Sensor with Smart Z-Offset)
Filament Runout Sensor	Yes
Year	2023
Nozzle	.4mm Volcano style

Unboxing and Assembly

The unboxing and setup process of the Anycubic Kobra 2 is designed with user convenience at its core. The mostly assembled printer and detailed instructions make getting the Kobra 2 up and running hassle-free.

The printer arrives in a compact and well-organized box, ensuring that all components are securely placed and easily identified. The cables are well-labeled, making it easy to find the right connections.

Assembling the printer is as simple as connecting the screws that hold the gantry and base, attaching the LCD display, and connecting the cables. With just a few screws needed to attach the gantry to the base and a handful of clearly marked cables to connect, the setup process takes less than 15 minutes.

Before powering on your 3D printer, check the voltage switch. A red switch on the back flips between 115V and 230V. My Kobra came pre-set to 230V, but I needed to switch it to 115V.

You’re greeted with Anycubic’s signature jingle when you power the 3D printer. It’s fun initially, but the jingle becomes annoying after multiple uses. I wish Anycubic would include a way to disable the welcoming music.

Before running your first print, it’s best to level the printer.

The Kobra 2 offers automatic bed leveling and smart Z-offset calibration. The process is as easy as clicking a button, and the printer works to provide bed mesh compensation automatically and calculate the Z-offset.

I was surprised that the Kobra 2 doesn’t include cutters or a spatula – two common inclusions with FDM 3D printers.

With a flexible bed, I can understand Ancubic’s decision not to include the spatula. But I can’t understand why the printer would ship without cutters. Cutters are an essential tool for 3D printers to remove 3D printed supports, trim filaments, and remove blobs.

It’s not a big issue, but the lack of essential tools is a bit odd.

Anycubic Kobra 2 Design

The Anycubic Kobra 2 is a testament to innovation and thoughtful design. It fixes all the issues I found when reviewing the original Kobra 3D printer. The printer has a sleeker appearance, quieter printing, faster speeds, linear rods, and a lighter print head.

The Kobra 2 stands out for its looks, but the upgrades translate into better efficiency and print quality.

An opening in the hotend cover accommodates a new, powerful blower fan that provides efficient cooling at higher speeds.

The large 5020 fan is capable of up to 7000 rpm, directing air through two ducts towards the nozzle for optimal hot-end cooling. Rapid cooling is essential for ensuring dimensional accuracy at high print speeds.

A pivotal upgrade in the Kobra 2 is the integration of metal rods for the X and Y axes. The linear rods are a hybrid system blending the affordability and simplicity of V-slot wheels with the durability and precision of linear rods seen in higher-end models like the Prusa MK4 and Bambu Lab P1P.

Anycubic’s innovative “SG 15 bearings” significantly reduce friction between moving parts, enabling smoother and faster movements while being more wear-resistant. I’ve seen a similar design on the FLSun V400, but never on a bed slinger.

The motion is incredibly smooth, enabling greater precision at higher speeds. Additionally, they are more durable and longer lasting than v-slot wheels on budget printers like the original Kobra and Creality Ender 3 V2.

The printer’s Z-axis continues to use hard rubber wheels. But the Kobra 2 upgrades the Z-axis with a new “double screw motion system.” The twin Z lead screws are synchronized by a belt providing greater stability on the Z axis and reducing Z-wobble print defects.

The Z-axis has only one motor on the left lead screw. The belts are synchronized by a belt at the top of the lead screws. The belt looks looser than I’m comfortable with, but I never had any issues with Z wobble.

One interesting note is the labeling on the Z motor wiring.

On the original Kobra, the wire is labeled “Z.” But on the Kobra 2, the wire is labeled “ZL.” It appears that Anycubic may have had plans to use a dual-motor Z-axis but opted instead for the single-motor system.

My favorite design change is the new direct drive extruder. It’s lighter than the one found on the previous generation Kobra and features a dual gear setup and Volcano-style hotend.

Anycubic’s use of an E3D Open Source design for the hotel underscores Anycubic’s focus on compatibility and user customization. You can access a wide range of third-party nozzles to customize your printing experience instead of relying on proprietary nozzles.

I love that Anycubic embraces the open-source community, making it easy for users to modify and upgrade the Kobra 2 without paying for overpriced parts.

The 4.3-inch touchscreen display is identical to the original Kobra. The interface is user-friendly and intuitive to navigate.

The printer only offers English and Mandarin, which is a big letdown.

I am happy to see Anycubic’s textured PEI-coated spring steel build plate. My number one choice for 3D printer bed material.

Despite its many advancements, the Kobra 2’s lack of input shaping—a feature that mitigates vibrations at high speeds—points to areas where future iterations could improve. Input shaping is vital for maintaining print quality at the speeds the Kobra 2 can, and its absence is noted as a potential area for enhancement.

While the Kobra 2 produces excellent-quality prints, future Kobra versions can improve further by including input shaping.

The Kobra 2 looks closer to the Vyper than the Origan Kobra, with a side-mounted spool holder. A step backward from the Kobra’s top-mounted filament spool.

The decision to move the spool holder to the side is confusing, considering the top bar has threads for a top-mounted spool holder.

I prefer top-mounts for filament spools. In my experience, the top-mounted spool holder offers slightly better filament flow as the extruder has the help of gravity while feeding material through the hotel.

The spool holder includes a filament runout sensor, which was missing on the previous Kobra 3D printer. However, the side-mounted design requires feeding filament through a PTFE tube to the hot end.

Another odd design is the wiring for the hotend.

The wires are neatly organized, but they’re arranged to follow the PTFE tube, which sometimes gets in the way of the spool.

Features

Print Speed

The Anycubic Kobra 2 offers ultra-fast print speeds of 300mm/s, a key feature that sets it apart from other budget-friendly 3D printers. Despite the promise of 300mm/s printing, we recommend sticking with a speed of 150mm/s, as it offers the best trade-off between speed and print quality.

Anycubic’s Kobra 2 uses a Mendel (bed-slinger) design. While the Kobra 2 can’t match the impressive print speeds on CoreXY 3D printers like Bambu Labs P1P, it is incredibly fast for a budget 3D printer.

Several design and technological advancements make this impressive speed achievable:

1. Direct Drive with Dual Gears: The Kobra 2 employs a direct drive system equipped with dual gears that engage the filament on both sides. This mechanism ensures a controlled and steady feeding of the filament into the hot end, which is crucial for maintaining high-speed printing without slippage or jamming.
2. Volcano-Style Hotend: The printer utilizes a Volcano-style hotend designed for high filament flow rates. Volcano-style hotends have longer melt zones for high filament flow. This is complemented by a 60-watt heat block that quickly melts filament to keep up with the printer’s high speed.
3. Powerful Cooling System: A giant 5020 fan capable of 7000 rotations per minute is at the core of its cooling system. This fan directs air downward through two ducts pointing at the nozzle, ensuring the extruded filament cools rapidly and solidifies quickly after deposition. Effective cooling is vital for high-speed printing as it prevents warping and stringing.
4. Double Screw Motion System on the Z-Axis: The Kobra 2 features a dual lead screw setup for the Z-axis. Although the second rod does not have its own stepper motor, the screws are synchronized with a belt. This design allows for quicker and more precise Z-axis movements, enabling faster layer changes.
5. Metal Rails on X and Y Axes: Linear rails on the X and Y axes provide smooth and stable print head movement at high speeds. This stability is crucial for maintaining print quality at high speeds, as it reduces vibrations and allows for more precise positioning of the print head.
6. Print Head Weight: The Kobra 2’s print head is noticeably lighter than the original Kobra. A lighter printhead is easier to move and control, making it easier to print at faster speeds.

Combining these features positions the Anycubic Kobra 2 as a powerful tool for both hobbyists and professionals. The Kobra 2’s print speed and high-quality design reduce print times while maintaining high-quality prints.

Build Volume and Print Bed

The Anycubic Kobra 2 offers a standard build volume of 220 x 220 x 250 mm, slightly larger than the previous Kobra but nothing to brag about.

One of the key features of the Anycubic Kobra 2 is its textured PEI (Polyetherimide) build plate, my favorite print surface.

The textured build plate offers incredible first-layer adhesion, so you don’t need to worry about prints slipping off the build plate during printing. You also don’t need any build plate adhesives like glue or hairspray.

Removing prints from the bed is effortless.

Once the build plate cools, most prints simply pop off the build plate.

For larger objects with a greater surface area, you simply need to remove the print surface and bend the spring steel sheet to remove the print.

The textured surface is functional and aesthetic as the texture translates to the bottom of your 3D print. The texture works to hide the lines created by the printer and provides a more aesthetically appealing surface.

One minor inconvenience is the lack of insulation on the bottom of the build plate. Insulation helps ensure an even heat across the build surface.

It’s not a big deal for a 3D printer of this size, but it would’ve been nice to have.

Auto Bed Leveling

The Anycubic Kobra 2 offers auto bed leveling using their LeviQ 2.0 system. LeviQ 2.0 ensures a perfectly leveled bed for each print, incorporating smart Z-offset functionality.

LeviQ 2.0 uses an inductive sensor to actively probe the build plate at 25 points in a 5×5 grid.

The smart Z-offset is a critical feature that adjusts the height of the print nozzle to compensate for any minor variances in the print bed. Smart Z offset takes the guesswork out of calibrating your nozzle height and ensures a consistent first layer.

After assembling the printer, I ran an auto bed leveling sequence.

The begins by purging the nozzle of leftover filament and wiping the nozzle clean using a pad at the back of the build plate. After cleaning the nozzle, the printer calibrates the induction sensor on a metallic button. You no longer need to touch the sensor before leveling like you did on the original Kobra.

The Kobra 2’s auto bed leveling is truly a hands-off process.

I found that the bed leveling worked perfectly, but the Z-offset was off by more than 1mm. I tried re-leveling and got closer to a usable Z-offset, but it was still off by more than 0.5 mm. I continued running the auto-leveling sequence and got different results every time.

After looking online, I found that issues with the smart Z-offset are a common complaint among users.

I decided that manual Z-offset calibration would be best. When I navigated to the Z-offset controls, I was disappointed to find that I could only calibrate in 0.05 mm increments.

The 0.05 increment is perfectly fine for printing at 0.1 mm, 0.15 mm, or 0.2 mm layer heights. But it’s terrible for tuning 0.08 mm, 0.12 mm, 0.16 mm, and 0.24 mm layer heights.

It’s an odd oversight on a 3D printer that gets so much right.

The trouble with the Z-offset aside, I am very impressed with the Kobra 2’s bed leveling. I always get excellent first-layer adhesion, and after my initial leveling attempts, I’ve never needed to re-level the bed.

I’m a big fan of how the nozzle purges excess filament and wipes itself clean before leveling. I only wish it was included in the G-code so you can enable nozzle cleaning before each print. The nozzle cleaning would be an excellent feature for filament changes to eliminate bleeding when changing to a new filament color.

Direct Drive Extruder

The Anycubic Kobra 2 introduces a new direct-drive extruder, marking a significant upgrade from the previous Kobra models. This new extruder is lighter and offers improved extrusion and cooling.

The direct drive mechanism allows for more precise control over filament feeding directly into the hot end. Its dual gear setup allows you to print flexible materials like TPU. The Kobra 2 also upgrades to an all-metal hotend, providing better longevity.

The extruder has a futuristic look courtesy of a front-facing cooling fan. The high-speed cooling fan operates at 7,000 rpm/min. Effective cooling is crucial for maintaining print quality, especially at the elevated speeds that the Kobra 2 can reach.

Looking at the specs alone, I expected cooling to be an issue, especially when comparing the Kobra 2 to the Elegoo Neptune 4, which offers direct and auxiliary cooling.

Despite my hesitations, I had no issues with cooling, even when pushing the printer to its top speed.

The improvements to the direct drive extruder reflect Anycubic’s focus on enhancing user experience and innovation. The Kobra 2’s extruder is fast, versatile, easy to use, and reliable, making it an excellent choice for beginners and advanced makers.

Filament Runout Sensor

The Anycubic Kobra 2 3D printer offers filament runout detection. The filament runout sensor detects when you run out of filament on the spool. When the sensor detects you’ve run out of filament, the printer pauses printing, allowing you to insert a new filament roll without losing progress on your print.

This automatic pause is instrumental in saving filament and reducing the chances of unsuccessful prints, reducing the amount of wasted material and time.

The sensor also detects breaks in the filament, but only when the break occurs before the sensor.

The type of filament runout sensor used in the Kobra 2 is more of a filament detection sensor. A spring-loaded ball bearing detects the presence of filament running through the sensor.

But it doesn’t detect if the filament is moving.

If your filament breaks after passing the sensor, the sensor won’t detect the break as there is still filament remaining inside the filament sensor.

While not perfect, the sensor is a great addition to the Anycubic Kobra 2. It’s especially useful when printing large objects or when using rolls with small amounts of filament left.

Print Quality

The Kobra 2’s microSD card comes pre-loaded with 2 3D Benchy models. The models demonstrate the Kobra 2’s fast speeds and excellent print quality. The 3D Benchy’s print in 30 and 38 minutes.

Both Benchy models look incredible. The hulls are smooth, there’s almost no stringing, and the edges are straight.

Despite only taking 8 minutes longer to print, the second Benchy has a much nicer print quality.

The 30-minute Bency has a low-resolution appearance, using a 0.28 mm layer height. The low resolution is especially noticeable on the front of the hull, as the incline looks more like a staircase than a gradual incline.

The model also has a little bit of ringing around the porthole, and the z seam is much more noticeable on the cabin when comparing the 38 minute Benchy. Both print defects are caused by vibrations, showing that the printer was moving too fast.

Despite the limitations, the print quality is passable if you’re looking for high-speed printing.

The 38-minute 3D Benchy came out looking much better. The model showed very little stringing or ghosting, and the cabin edges are straight.

I put the Kobra 2 to the ultimate test with a work-in-progress model of our very own All In One Calibration test. I adjusted the standard 150 mm/s slicer profile in Anycubic Slicer, setting the layer height to 0.12mm. The printer performed exceptionally well, easily handling overhangs, bridges, and engraved fonts.

The top layer was a bit disappointing. The top of the print shows noticeable layer lines. I tried adjusting the slicer settings and got better results, but I had difficulty getting a smooth top layer.

There is a bit of stringing on the model, but it’s a massive improvement from the stringing on the original Kobra.

I wanted to compare our test print model with the usual All in One Calibration Test from Thingiverse. I kept the same filament and slicer settings and ran the test.

The model looked just as good as our calibration test. There was minimal stringing, and the top layer was a bit lackluster. However, the test print showcased the Kobra 2’s excellent print quality and consistency.

Next, I swapped the filament to a tri-extrusion and ran a Lioness model from Thingiverse. I sliced the file in Cura using their tree supports but kept all the settings the same.

The print came out nearly flawless. The sides are smooth, and the detail around the face and tail is nearly perfect despite very minor ghosting.

The textured PEI sheet did an excellent job throughout the test prints. Most of the models popped off the build plate once the heated build surface cooled.

I printed 7 more models without needing to re-level the bed or running into issues with first-layer adhesion.

Alternatives

The Creality Ender 3 V3 KE and the Anycubic Kobra 2 are popular 3D printers in the budget category, offering a range of features catering to hobbyists and beginners.

The Creality Ender 3 V3 KE is a notable upgrade in the Ender 3 series, offering faster speeds and more features. The KE features linear rails on the X-axis and linear rods on the Y-axis, reducing vibration for higher print quality at fast print speeds.

The Ender 3 V3 KE is faster than the Kobra 2, with a maximum print speed of 500 mm/s and an acceleration of 8,000 mm/s². Including a direct drive extruder and an all-metal hot end capable of reaching 300°C allows for a wide range of filament compatibility, including PLA, PETG, TPU, ABS, PA, and nylon.

The Ender 3 V3 KE also features an intuitive full-color graphical touchscreen controller, enhancing user interaction by providing easy access to printer controls and status updates.

WiFi connectivity allows for remote control and monitoring from the Creality Cloud App. The KE runs on Klipper firmware, taking advantage of motion advance, vibration compensation, and input shaping, which collectively enhance print quality at higher speeds.

Automatic bed leveling is another standout feature, utilizing a secondary strain gauge sensor for precise Z offset calibration. The smart Z offset performed more accurately and consistently in our tests than the Kobra 2.

The Ender 3 uses a smooth PEI-coated spring steel print bed, and the print volume is 220 × 220 × 240 mm.

Other features like a double-driven Z-axis and linear rail on the X-axis ensure precision and stability, crucial for high-quality prints.

The KE has a similar price to the Kobra 2. Features like linear advance, Klipper firmware, linear rods, higher print temperatures, and better print quality make the Ender 3 V3 KE a better purchase.

The Elegoo Neptune 4 is a feature-rich FDM 3D printer that offers an impressive array of features at budget-friendly prices. The outstanding print speed and quality make it a strong competitor to the Anycubic Kobra 2.

The Neptune 4 comes almost fully assembled, making setup a breeze. The 3D printer has a build volume of 225x225x265 mm, allowing for medium-sized prints.

One of its standout features is the integration of Klipper firmware, which supports high printing speeds of up to 500 mm/s, and advanced features like Input Shaping and Pressure Advance for improved print quality.

The printer’s direct drive hotend supports a wide range of filaments, including PLA, ABS, TPU, PETG, and Nylon, thanks to its high-temperature hotend, which can reach up to 300° Celsius. The printer’s versatility is further enhanced by its flexible and magnetic PEI-coated spring steel print bed, which offers excellent adhesion for most filaments and simplifies print removal.

Neptune 4 features a touchscreen display for easy navigation and control. While it lacks WiFi support, it compensates with USB and LAN connectivity options. The printer is also equipped with dual LED sources for better lighting during printing, a filament detection system, and the ability to resume prints after a power outage.

Overall, the Elegoo Neptune 4 stands out for its high-speed printing capabilities and print quality. It is a viable option for both beginners and experienced users looking for an affordable yet powerful 3D printer. With more compelling features, better print quality, and faster speeds, I recommend the Neptune 4 over the Kobra 2.