by Anker is a brand best known for power banks and phone accessories, so I wasn’t sure what to expect from the company’s first 3D printer. It turns out to be pretty amazing, one of the easier models I’ve ever used and definitely the fastest. But how does the AnkerMake M5 fare overall? Is it a good choice for novices and hobbyists? What about special users? After spending some time cranking out dragons, spaceships and other 3D objects, I’m ready to judge. This is my AnkerMake M5 3D printer review.
(Note: This includes updates after six months of using the machine. During that time I encountered some additional frustrations as a result of software updates and reduced bed adhesion, but overall the M5 is a fast and useful printer .)
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VERDICT: The AnkerMake M5 eliminates several common pain points associated with 3D printing, making it a new favorite. But it is on the expensive side, and novices will still need to learn some basics.
- Super-fast printing
- Easy to assemble and use
- Removable flexible magnetic print bed
- Built-in camera with live feed and time-lapse recording
- Filament often gets stuck during initial feeding
- Imperfect auto-leveling
- Location and camera quality is not great
$699 at Amazon
AnkerMake M5 design and setup
The M5 is one of the most impressive 3D printers I’ve seen, a shiny two-tone affair that resembles industrial art. The touch screen control panel is built into the right column, which is a bit odd (because it moves up and down like the print head does) but not a problem.
Assembling the machine was mostly a breeze; the Ceremony of Creation V1 required fewer steps. The instruction manual details every step of the process, right down to how you unpack the printer. (I wish the text was bigger and the illustrations a bit clearer, though.) Cleverly, the foam packing plays a role in supporting the bridge so you can attach the base. A few cable connections and a handful of screws later and the machine is ready to run. The whole build took me about 25 minutes; if I had seen this video, I could have easily done it in 15. In fact, there are more and better instructions available on the AnkerMake site; I highly recommend starting there.
To connect the M5 to your Wi-Fi network, you’ll need the AnkerMake app, which is available for Android and iOS. You’ll also need an Anker account – yep, one more password to create and keep track of. Thankfully, everything went quickly and smoothly, and after that it only took a few minutes to install a firmware update.
From there I loaded the AnkerMake slicer software for Windows. To my surprise, it automatically detected the printer on the network; I didn’t have to walk through another configuration. The software consists of importing 3D print files (from sites like Cults3D and Thingiverse), tweak print size and other parameters, preview the job and then send it to the printer. Like the printer’s touchscreen interface, the software is polished and pretty simple. That said, anyone new to 3D printing will definitely want to spend some time with online tutorials and videos; basic operations, such as how to feed filament, are not covered in the manual.
You can also print directly from the mobile app, although it limits you to a few dozen sample models. Currently there is no way to access files from, say, a cloud account. That’s a shame, because the app is excellent in other ways, allowing you to check status, modify settings and stream a live feed from the camera.
AnkerMake M5 features and performance
The M5 ticked all the important boxes for a modern 3D printer: heated bed, automatic leveling, flexible magnetic steel printing plate and built-in camera. It has a print area of 235x235x250 mm, which is a reasonable size for a hobby printer – just enough space to print most of, say, Iron Man’s helmet. You can feed it PLA, PETG, TPU or ABS filament.
Anker promises print speeds of up to 500mm/second (in Fast Mode), although the default is 250mm/s. Many other printers top out at 200mm/s, and some chug along at half that rate. When my review unit first came to life for a “bench” (small boat) test print, I was very excited. There were loud clicks and grinding noises, the print bed oscillating so fast that the machine shook the desk (which, to be fair, was a bit jarring). I’ve never seen a 3D printer move this quickly, but thankfully it didn’t shake itself apart – and the resulting bench looked pretty good.
However, despite running through the auto-leveling procedure (which takes a solid 10 minutes), I could tell that the print head was landing just a hair too close to the bed, resulting in there was a little bit of nozzle scratching on the front layer and some. difficulty removing skirts (the outside border) after the prints are made. This is traditionally handled by adjusting the “Z offset”, meaning the height of the nozzle. Unlike some printers, which bury this setting or make it complicated to execute, the M5 offers a dedicated Z-offset menu that’s just two taps (or one if you’re in the middle of printing). I set it to +0.10mm and, presto, the problem was solved.
That said, the whole point of automatic leveling is so you don’t have to monkey with Z offset; Anker needs to fine-tune this setup so that it works out of the box properly.
I also think a few other default settings were a bit off. Most of my initial prints showed some wiring, meaning wisps of threading between different parts. Probably because the nozzle temperature was set too high (in this case 230 degrees); I reduced it and the problem mostly went away.
Another hiccup: Whenever I tried to feed a new spool of filament, it seemed to hit a block before “catching” in the extruder. I have done various work trials; the best involves pulling the bowden tube out of the top, straightening the filament by hand, then feeding it. When it hits, I put the tube back in. This isn’t complicated, but it shouldn’t work like this.
Once I got over these initial hiccups, the machine worked beautifully. Filament adhesion to the print bed: zero problems. Removing finished prints: zero problems. (You just need to lift the magnetic plate and give it a flick or two.) Print quality: excellent overall, even in Fast Mode.
That being said, the pace at its prints is impressive. For example, I printed an articulated dragon that would normally take up to 24 hours – or at least that’s how long it took the aforementioned Sermoon V1. The M5 completed it in just over seven hours. 3D printing has long been a game of patience; it feels pretty magical to crank out your favorite models in a fraction of the time.
Meanwhile, the built-in camera can stream a live feed in real-time at 720p, but it can also capture 1080p time-lapse recordings (ideal for Instagram, TikTok, etc.). I love being able to monitor print progress via the mobile app or while sitting at my computer, without having to run and check the printer every 20 minutes. However, because the camera lens is embedded into the left side of the touchscreen module at a fixed angle, your view is far from ideal. At the beginning of the print, it is even with the print bed; most of the image is just empty space below it. It’s not until the print gets higher that you start getting any real value from the camera. It’s too bad Anker didn’t raise it, or at least make it adjustable so you could see more of what’s happening.
AnkerMake M5 3D Printer: Should you buy it?
For a first try, the AnkerMake M5 is a really impressive 3D printer. It gets a lot of things right, starting with design: The hardware is really pretty and the software shows more polish than most. Assembly is about as easy as it gets, and you can cut out your first print in minutes.
In fact, the M5’s claim to fame is speed, and I’m drinking the Kool-Aid. Once you get used to printing things in hours instead of days (or minutes instead of hours), it’s hard to go back to slower machines. You’re definitely paying a premium for it – many 3D printers are priced lower – but the time you save could help justify the cost.
(Speaking of price, Anker now offers the AnkerMake M5C for $399. It doesn’t do away with the touchscreen — you control everything with your computer and/or the mobile app — and has a slightly smaller print bed has it, but it also comes with a full version). metal hotend, which allows a greater variety of filaments (those that require a higher temperature).)
While I’m not sure I’d recommend the M5 to newbies, who will still have to educate themselves on filament routes, nozzle temperatures and such, it’s a slam-dunk for hobbyists who know what they’re doing . You’ll be up and running in no time and, I think, you’ll love the AnkerMake M5.
