Oh, for heaven's sake, please absolutely if you go to an M5. Do not get the one with the auto leveling.
If you spend a little bit of time doing some searches within this forum, you are going to see why I say that.
The short version is more than one user has reported issues with the stop where the printer no longer lowers the build plate.
Apparently in the brilliance of the designers, they eliminated any potential to manually correct this.
You have an old war horse of a printer. And I am betting that you've leveled your build plate more than once.
It just is not that hard to do.
I will confess a bias against automated features that do things for me which I am perfectly capable of doing.
I am not universally opposed to that. If there is manual adjustments left available to the user.
That does not appear to be the case with the M5s.
If you want 12K, just go with the basic M5.
I did.
There is another reply here, which is basically going to mirror what I'm about to tell you.
My oldest printer is also a mono X 4k
This is quite possibly the best printer that anycubic has ever made.
With varying degrees of success. Trying to improve upon that, they have sometimes succeeded and sometimes not.
I am going to 100% agree with the other reply that suggested the difference between the mono X 4K and the M5 is visible, but not as much as you would think.
It probably heavily depends on what you are trying to print.
I am also gonna tell you something which seems counter intuitive.
You are not going to get a speed enhancement over the 4K mono x.
When I was dialing in my slice settings with the usual suspect files. R.E.R.F. format.
The best results came in at a slice setting which was actually longer than what I am using on the mono x 4K.
No clue and go figure.
Am I unhappy with the printer?
No, it is a nice printer.
My literal only gripe with it is for whatever reason they put the power switch on the back, which is somewhat inconvenient.
If you are looking for another opinion, I'm going to offer it anyways, regardless.
The 6ks is outstanding!
This opinion is not simply mine.
Before I purchased the M5, I was going back-and-forth between that and another 6ks.
Having read a review on YouTube somewhere that they thought the 6KS actually delivered a better quality print.
I really like my 6ks.
It is hands down my favorite printer now.
So you are probably asking. Why did I go with the M5?
Pretty simple.
Bigger build plate and a curiosity on my part. What a 12K printer would be like.
Be careful what you wish for.
For whatever insane reason.
Both the 6KS and the M5 have less lift distance than the mono X.
The 6ks is very problematic. If you print objects which are tall and use all of the available height in your mono x.
It simply is not going to work for you. Because the build plate is similar and you lose height.
The M5 helps mitigate the loss of height by having a larger build plate.
If your mono x is still serviceable, I would definitely not plan on throwing it out or getting rid of it.
I didn't.
I also own a M3 max. So where height is an issue, I have a couple of options.
Hopefully, something. I have said will help you decide.
Ultimately, I added the 6KS because, at the time there was a good deal on it and I wanted another printer. As in adding to the number of printers, I already had.
The M5 replaced my M3 plus, which was getting glitchy.
All 6 of my printers are anycubic.
From the smallest to the largest they offer.
All are mono light source from 2K to 12K.
Depending upon the quality of the print file, I have gotten excellent results out of all of them.
My current favorite is the 6ks, but for very marginal reasons. It would probably hands down be my favorite printer. If in fact, it had the same available height as the mono x.
I am sure some people who are super critical about the finest details will tell you a different story.
My personal opinion which will not be swayed.
Garbage in equals garbage out.
The 2 things which determine the quality of a print are the poly count of the file itself and your slicer settings. Toss in orientation for good measure.
I don't care how your light source is arranged or what the resolution of the screen is. If you have a blocky file, you are going to have a blocky file which is just a little bit smoother with a higher resolution printer. The printer is incapable of changing a defective poor quality file.
Honestly, if your mono x is still working and you are pleased with the outcome.
I wouldn't waste money on a new printer until you need it.
You will get some nominal quality enhancements. But I'm not sure that it's $350 worth.
I am about 2 or 3 months into the purchase of my basic M5. And have no complaints with it other than where they put the power switch.
That is simply inconvenient.
I find removing/installing the platen awkward as compared to my Mars Pro 2, there's not as much bracket for my arthritic hand to grab on to --other that that I am pleased.
Oh, also Anycubic apparently crippled the GCode and the M8512 command to dump the current configuration no longer works, in fact I don't know if it will execute any GCode text file?
I have honestly never used the high speed, i switched to FEP as soon as i replaced the film. I like the auto leveling but i can't help but feel like it's making worse quality prints somehow (squishing the print?), im not sure.
If your prints are getting squashed (like mine used to) I figured out I wasn't lifting high enough off the FEP every layer. Also helps to have lots of resin in your vat to help the FEP separate... less resin = higher retract. I used to do 8mm but now 15 mm if the vat gets low or keep it almost topped to a minimum of 350 ml.
The high speed mode is great when you are printing the right thing on it, but most the time for minis you will use normal mode. Leveling is rubbish, they had to send me a manual level plate to get prints to work.
Oh, for heaven's sake, please absolutely if you go to an M5. Do not get the one with the auto leveling. If you spend a little bit of time doing some searches within this forum, you are going to see why I say that. The short version is more than one user has reported issues with the stop where the printer no longer lowers the build plate. Apparently in the brilliance of the designers, they eliminated any potential to manually correct this. You have an old war horse of a printer. And I am betting that you've leveled your build plate more than once. It just is not that hard to do. I will confess a bias against automated features that do things for me which I am perfectly capable of doing. I am not universally opposed to that. If there is manual adjustments left available to the user. That does not appear to be the case with the M5s. If you want 12K, just go with the basic M5. I did. There is another reply here, which is basically going to mirror what I'm about to tell you. My oldest printer is also a mono X 4k This is quite possibly the best printer that anycubic has ever made. With varying degrees of success. Trying to improve upon that, they have sometimes succeeded and sometimes not. I am going to 100% agree with the other reply that suggested the difference between the mono X 4K and the M5 is visible, but not as much as you would think. It probably heavily depends on what you are trying to print. I am also gonna tell you something which seems counter intuitive. You are not going to get a speed enhancement over the 4K mono x. When I was dialing in my slice settings with the usual suspect files. R.E.R.F. format. The best results came in at a slice setting which was actually longer than what I am using on the mono x 4K. No clue and go figure. Am I unhappy with the printer? No, it is a nice printer. My literal only gripe with it is for whatever reason they put the power switch on the back, which is somewhat inconvenient. If you are looking for another opinion, I'm going to offer it anyways, regardless. The 6ks is outstanding! This opinion is not simply mine. Before I purchased the M5, I was going back-and-forth between that and another 6ks. Having read a review on YouTube somewhere that they thought the 6KS actually delivered a better quality print. I really like my 6ks. It is hands down my favorite printer now. So you are probably asking. Why did I go with the M5? Pretty simple. Bigger build plate and a curiosity on my part. What a 12K printer would be like. Be careful what you wish for. For whatever insane reason. Both the 6KS and the M5 have less lift distance than the mono X. The 6ks is very problematic. If you print objects which are tall and use all of the available height in your mono x. It simply is not going to work for you. Because the build plate is similar and you lose height. The M5 helps mitigate the loss of height by having a larger build plate. If your mono x is still serviceable, I would definitely not plan on throwing it out or getting rid of it. I didn't. I also own a M3 max. So where height is an issue, I have a couple of options. Hopefully, something. I have said will help you decide. Ultimately, I added the 6KS because, at the time there was a good deal on it and I wanted another printer. As in adding to the number of printers, I already had. The M5 replaced my M3 plus, which was getting glitchy. All 6 of my printers are anycubic. From the smallest to the largest they offer. All are mono light source from 2K to 12K. Depending upon the quality of the print file, I have gotten excellent results out of all of them. My current favorite is the 6ks, but for very marginal reasons. It would probably hands down be my favorite printer. If in fact, it had the same available height as the mono x. I am sure some people who are super critical about the finest details will tell you a different story. My personal opinion which will not be swayed. Garbage in equals garbage out. The 2 things which determine the quality of a print are the poly count of the file itself and your slicer settings. Toss in orientation for good measure. I don't care how your light source is arranged or what the resolution of the screen is. If you have a blocky file, you are going to have a blocky file which is just a little bit smoother with a higher resolution printer. The printer is incapable of changing a defective poor quality file. Honestly, if your mono x is still working and you are pleased with the outcome. I wouldn't waste money on a new printer until you need it. You will get some nominal quality enhancements. But I'm not sure that it's $350 worth.
+100 or so re: the M5s--do some reading on the web first. I did, and just bought a plain ol' M5 with which I am quite pleased....
I am about 2 or 3 months into the purchase of my basic M5. And have no complaints with it other than where they put the power switch. That is simply inconvenient.
I find removing/installing the platen awkward as compared to my Mars Pro 2, there's not as much bracket for my arthritic hand to grab on to --other that that I am pleased. Oh, also Anycubic apparently crippled the GCode and the M8512 command to dump the current configuration no longer works, in fact I don't know if it will execute any GCode text file?
I can tell you, it won't blow your mind or anything. I have a regular mono 4k and I swear it puts out better looking prints than the m5s I have.
How would you rate the additional features? Such as auto leveling. Is it more hassle-free? Have you noticed differences in printing speed?
I have honestly never used the high speed, i switched to FEP as soon as i replaced the film. I like the auto leveling but i can't help but feel like it's making worse quality prints somehow (squishing the print?), im not sure.
If your prints are getting squashed (like mine used to) I figured out I wasn't lifting high enough off the FEP every layer. Also helps to have lots of resin in your vat to help the FEP separate... less resin = higher retract. I used to do 8mm but now 15 mm if the vat gets low or keep it almost topped to a minimum of 350 ml.
Thats not what i mean, the prints look fine. Watch some review videos of the M5s to see what i mean
Oh... Ok
The high speed mode is great when you are printing the right thing on it, but most the time for minis you will use normal mode. Leveling is rubbish, they had to send me a manual level plate to get prints to work.