Anycubic Vyper Review: A Great All Round 3D Printer

In the ever-growing world of 3D printing, the Anycubic Vyper stands out as an affordable and feature-packed option, especially for those on a budget.

We were intrigued by its low price tag and the host of features it offers, like automatic bed leveling, a silent stepper driver, and a dual-drive extruder for a consistent flow rate.

Our Anycubic Vyper review found that it’s a great printer in the sub-$500 price range, but it’s not nearly as good as our top 3D printer pick.

3D Printer Specifications

Technology	Fusion Deposition Modeling (FDM)
Machine Footprint	457 x 508 x 516 mm (18 by 20 by 20.3 inches)
Build Volume	245 x 245 x 260 mm (9.6 x 9.6 x 10.2 inches)
Filaments	PLA, ABS, PETG, TPU
Nozzle Size	0.4mm
Extruder	Dual Gear
Feeder	Bowden Tube
Max Nozzle Temperature	260℃
Max Build Plate Temperature	110℃
Print Bed Material	Textured spring steel sheet
Max Print Speed	500mm/s
Net Weight	10kg (22)
Automatic Bed Leveling	Yes
Filament Runout Sensor	Yes
Year	2021
Assembly	Semi-assembled
Frame	Aluminum
Recomended Software	Cura

The Anycubic Vyper 3D printer boasts impressive specifications that make it a desirable choice for a variety of users. It’s an FDM 3D printer with support for a diverse range of filaments, including PLA, TPU, ABS, PETG, and more exotic filaments like wood.

The fully assembled printer measures 18 by 20 by 20.3 inches (WDH), and weighs around 22 pounds.

The printer boasts a relatively large build volume of 245mm (L) x 245mm (W) x 260mm (H) (9.6 x 9.6 x 10.2 inches). The Vyper provides a decent amount of space for creating larger objects.

With a print resolution of ±0.1mm, you can expect high-precision printing.

One key feature that distinguishes the Anycubic Vyper from other budget 3D printers is its auto-leveling feature. Bed leveling is a tedious and sometimes frustrating process.

The assisted bed leveling simplifies the process and ensures your PLA prints to stick to the bed.

Moreover, the Anycubic Vyper delivers good print quality at an affordable price point. Accurate, crisp corners and fine details on character models are achievable with this low-cost 3D printer.

Design and Build Quality

Our first impression of the Anycubic Vyper is its robust and open-frame design.

The Vyper’s design is similar to many of the budget and hobby-level 3D printers on the market. But its side-mounted spool holder adds a bit of a unique look to the machine. It’s not the best layout for space-saving, but it does provide slightly better filament feeding than a top-mounted spool.

The open frame allows easy access to the print area while offering a clear view of the printing process. This design choice makes maintenance easier, but you may require a 3D printer enclosure when working with more advanced filaments like ABS.

The build quality of the Vyper is quite impressive, especially considering its affordable price point.

The printer’s metal frame provides a sturdy foundation, ensuring minimal vibrations during the printing process, resulting in improved print quality. The attention to detail, like the built-in accessories drawer, adds convenience and enhances the overall user experience.

We found the Vyper’s automatic bed leveling feature to be reliable, which is essential for achieving good print results, especially for beginners. The 16-point leveling system ensures a consistently leveled print surface and reduces the time spent on manual adjustments.

The printer uses a dual-stepper-driven Z-axis. The stepper motors are synchronized by photoelectric limit switches for stable movement along the z-axis.

Another noteworthy feature of the Anycubic Vyper is its quiet operation. The 32-bit Anycubic mainboard with TMC2209 silent stepper drivers is almost entirely silent.

This makes the printer suitable for use in shared spaces or even at home without causing significant noise disruptions.

Unfortunately, the dual cooling fans are a bit nosy but not excessively loud. We still felt comfortable using this printer in a small room or apartment.

The 4.3-inch blue-tint touchscreen is responsive and user-friendly, making it easy to navigate through various settings and options.

One notable feature is the maximum nozzle temperature of 260℃ – hot enough to print PETG. But you might want to upgrade to hardened steel nozzles, as the Vyper only comes with the standard brass nozzle – good enough for printing PLA and ABS, but it will wear down with tougher filaments.

A small feature that we absolutely love is the full-sized SD card. I can’t understand why so many printers continue to use microSD cards.

To top it off, the Vyper uses a rough textured PEI print bed for easy print removal. The only downside is that the textured surface makes it impossible to achieve a smooth first layer. But you can upgrade to a smooth PEI sheet or tempered glass build surface at a low cost.

Assembly and Setup

We found the assembly and setup process for the Anycubic Vyper to be quite simple, making it an excellent option for beginners.

The printer ships in a semi-assembled state, so we didn’t have to worry about any soldering or complex mechanical assembly. In fact, it took us less than 15 minutes to get the printer up and running.

The assembly instructions were clear, and the diagrams solved any questions we had during the installation.

Upon opening the box, we appreciated that the major components were already connected. The semi-assembled printer meant we only needed to secure the frame, attach the print head, and connect a few cables and the LCD display. 

After assembling the printer, we did a quick manual leveling to ensure the print bed was somewhat level before running the automated bed leveling system.

Throughout the setup process, we found Viper’s interface to be user-friendly. We encountered no difficulties or issues navigating through the menu options.

This intuitive user interface, combined with the easy setup and various helpful features, makes the Anycubic Vyper a strong choice for those just starting out in the world of 3D printing.

Advanced Features

Auto-Leveling

One of the standout features of the Anycubic Vyper is its auto-leveling system.

With 16-point auto-leveling, the Vyper ensures accuracy and precision for each print.

This feature helps reduce the need for manual bed leveling, making it easier for both beginners and experienced users to get started. And the automated system all but guarantees perfect first-layer bed adhesion and prints that stick to the bed.

Touchscreen User Interface

The Vyper comes with a large 4.3-inch touchscreen interface, adding to the overall convenience and ease of use.

The blue-tint touchscreen offers a responsive and intuitive navigation experience. It uses a well-designed user interface for easy navigation and control of the machine.

You can access different settings, monitor the print progress, and make adjustments during the printing process without any hassle.

Connectivity Options

When it comes to connectivity, the Anycubic Vyper offers multiple options to choose from. You can connect your printer using a USB cable, a full-sized SD card, or even Wi-Fi. This versatility in connectivity options allows users to print from different devices and platforms seamlessly.

Spring Steel Magnetic Bed

The print bed of the Vyper features a spring steel magnetic bed, ensuring easy removal of prints once they’re completed.

The flexible and textured surface of the bed allows for effortless detachment of the models without the need for a scraper.

Prints stick to the plate without any glue or adhesives. And removing finished models is as simple as detaching the magnetic bed, bending the plate, and the prints just pop off.

One downside to the textured build plate is that it’s impossible to get a smooth first layer. If your print requires a smooth bottom surface, you may need to purchase a smooth PEI sheet or glass print surface.

Fortunately, the textured surface shouldn’t be an issue for most 3D printing applications.

Dual Gear Extruder

The Vyper utilizes a dual-gear extruder, ensuring consistent and precise extrusion for different filament types.

Dual-gear extruders provide smoother filament feeding while reducing the chances of jamming or filament breakage compared to single-drive extruders. It also ensures a more reliable print experience with various materials, making it a versatile choice for different applications.

Filament Runout Detection

The Anycubic Vyper is equipped with a filament runout detection system.

This feature ensures that the print process is paused in case the filament runs out or breaks mid-print. The system allows you to refill the filament and resume the print without any loss of progress, preventing potential print failures, material waste, or time loss.

Dual extruders provide more stable filament feeding even when printing flexible materials like TPU.

Printing Performance

In our tests, we found the Anycubic Vyper to deliver exceptional print quality for an FDM 3D printer at this price range.

The prints exhibited high accuracy and clean details. Additionally, we had minimal encounters with stringing and no issue with overhangs, allowing for better results straight off the heated bed.

We ran several test prints using the provided printing profile and didn’t have any major issues.

Overall, the print quality was what we would expect for the price.

Many of the prints looked near perfect, with slight imperfections between layer lines and minimal stringing.

You can further improve the print quality by taking the time to fine-tune the slicer settings. But the default profile is pretty good.

Slicing Software

Anycubic ships the printer with Ultimaker Cura and a dedicated slicing profile for the Vyper.

Cura is a widely used slicing software and provides an excellent user experience. There are basic and advanced settings for fine-tuning prints.

For beginners, Ultimaker Cura offers a simple, user-friendly interface and defaults to the most common settings. As users become more experienced, they can explore advanced settings to further optimize their prints.

Connecting the Anycubic Vyper to Ultimaker Cura is straightforward. Just import the printer’s profile, which the manufacturer provides on the included SD card. The software automatically sets the right print parameters.

The default printing profile leaves less room for error and ensures that our prints come out well from the start.

Advanced users can fine-tune the settings to achieve an even greater level of performance.

We used the default profile for our test prints and were very happy with the results.

Comparison with Competitors

In this section, we will compare the Anycubic Vyper to a few popular competitors in the market: Elegoo Neptune 2, Creality Ender 3, and Anycubic Mega X.

Elegoo Neptune 2

The Elegoo Neptune 2 is an affordable FDM 3D printer similar to the Anycubic Vyper. The Neptune 2 has a smaller print volume than the Vyper but provides a similar level of quality at a lower price.

Both printers are quite beginner-friendly. The assembly process is straightforward for both models, involving only a few zip ties and simple cable connections.

Creality Ender 3 V2

The Creality Ender 3 V2 is another popular 3D printer that shares some similarities with the Anycubic Vyper. Both printers have similar print volumes and performance.

However, the Ender 3 doesn’t come with automatic bed leveling, unlike the Vyper.

One advantage of the Ender 3 is its large community and manufacturer support. This means there are plenty of Cura profiles and tips available for users to optimize their prints. The Ender 3 is also generally more affordable than the Vyper, making it an attractive option for those on a budget.

Anycubic Mega X

The Anycubic Mega X is a larger 3D printer from the same manufacturer as the Vyper. The Mega X is an older 3D printer, but it has a much larger print volume, allowing for bigger and more ambitious projects.

When comparing printing speeds, the Vyper outperforms the Mega X due to its more optimized gantry design and updated hardware. Although the Mega X is easy to use and assemble, the Vyper’s automatic bed leveling and touchscreen controls make it even more user-friendly overall.

Anycubic Vyper Review: Final Thoughts

In the realm of affordable 3D printers, the Anycubic Vyper emerges as a formidable contender.

With its array of impressive features, such as the auto-leveling bed, silent operation, and dual-gear extruder, it provides an excellent balance of performance, ease of use, and affordability. While it may not outshine the best in the market, it holds its own, especially considering its sub-$500 price tag.

The sturdy build quality, simple assembly, and open frame design make it durable while also providing ease of access for maintenance. Its compatibility with various filaments and a relatively large build volume further adds to its versatility.

Additionally, the assisted bed leveling ensures excellent first-layer adhesion, which is invaluable for novices and experts alike.

The Vyper is an excellent choice for beginners and hobbyists.

But if you want the best 3D printer on the market, make sure you check out our top pick.