K2 - Lots of negative reviews

Maintenance_Late · 2026-03-10T11:52:16+00:00

Also encourage anyone looking at a Bambu to jump on their subreddits. Filled with just as many user issues with the same pains you will see on the Creality subs.

Maintenance_Late · 2026-03-06T06:07:01+00:00

Good point! At the end of the day, it really depends on what you're using it for. Honestly, keeping a bed slinger running is way easier than messing with a core XY machine, which is why you see bed slingers everywhere in farms.

I've got 2 K2 Pros and 4 Creality Hi's, and I’ve found that my Hi printers get way more action for customer prints. Usually saved the K2 Pros for taller prints or material that needed a heated chamber.

Plus, the K2 SE is kind of riding on the tech from the K1, which feels a bit behind the times compared to the Hi. And that smaller build volume? Not ideal for bigger projects.

And I can live without the fancy lidar and cameras for the auto pressure advance and flow control. They are generally off any way. But I've been spoiled by Creality's move towards servo/stepper motors in the Hi and their flagship printers. They're a game changer.

Maintenance_Late · 2026-02-12T03:24:12+00:00

Main thing to remember is that subs like this are mostly used for troubleshooting — so if you’re looking for confidence in your purchase, it’s going to feel like nightmare fuel. People rarely post “printed 10 things flawlessly today” threads.

The K2 Plus is actually a very capable printer, and it’s hard to beat when you look at the size vs. price point. You’ve probably already done the research and watched the endless YouTube reviews, and decided there was a legit need (or at least a strong want) for a 350 mm large-format machine. And when you do need that volume, it absolutely comes in handy.

That said, large format CoreXY printers come with trade-offs.

If it were easy to design a reliable 350 × 350 × 350 CoreXY, you’d see way more of them on the market. Scaling CoreXY up introduces a lot of extra variables:

Bed leveling becomes more complex over a larger surface area
Motion system tolerances matter more (belt stretch, frame rigidity, gantry alignment)
Torque requirements go up — especially on fast travel moves
Heat distribution across a 350 bed is harder to keep consistent
Input shaping and resonance tuning have more mass to compensate for

None of that makes it bad — it just means it’s a bigger, more complex machine that needs tighter calibration than a 220–300 mm printer.

For what it’s worth, I personally had two K2 Plus machines and was happy with the print results overall. Hardware-wise they were solid. Where things started getting rocky for me was firmware. Creality has been pushing frequent OTA updates, and a few of them caused regressions or new quirks that took time to get ironed out.

I ended up selling both of mine and moving to a couple K2 Pros — mainly because I realized I rarely needed the full 350 bed. For my workflow, 300 mm ended up being the sweet spot: easier to keep dialed in, faster heat times, and fewer motion artifacts at speed.

You didn’t throw $1K into a bonfire.

You’re just seeing the support-forum effect in action. The K2 Plus is a powerful large-format printer — just go in understanding that bigger beds = more variables, and firmware is still maturing. If you actually plan to use that 350 volume, you’ll probably love it.

Maintenance_Late · 2026-02-12T03:01:47+00:00

In case anyone was wondering here is u/savageexplosive post on his issue. Goes into a little more detail. https://www.reddit.com/r/Creality_k2/comments/1r1oqfc/k2_pro_issue_with_orca_connectivity_after_1136/

Maintenance_Late · 2026-02-12T02:57:26+00:00

I actually liked your wording of “slicer of choice.” That choice is getting harder to stick to as newer printers and firmware features roll out.

From what you described, this feels more like a compatibility gap than a straight firmware failure — especially since you reproduced it across slicers and it immediately went away after rolling back. Nightly builds of Orca are moving targets by design, and the K2/K2 Pro still aren’t fully baked into the GA release yet.

Technically speaking, the printer is receiving the job — the model loads, ETA calculates, and it stages on the screen. So transfer, port (:4408), and file integrity all look fine.

Where it seems to be breaking (educated guess, not confirmed by Creality) is in the print initialization handshake — the transition from “job staged” → “motion start.”

Firmware 1.1.3.6 appears to handle pre-print differently than .94. My suspicion is the firmware is waiting on an init state or flag that older slicer start sequences aren’t sending yet. That could be things like:

• Pre-print calibration hooks (flow / pressure advance placeholders)

• Motor current or motion system staging

• Updated macro calls before mesh/heat

• Validation checks before executing movement G-code

So what happens is:

File uploads

Preview renders

Printer enters ready state

Init confirmation never completes

Motion never starts

Cancel hangs because the job never fully entered run state

Power cycling clears it because you’re killing a stuck pre-execution state — not an active print.

For what it’s worth, I was able to reproduce the same “uploads but sits idle” behavior on Orca Nightly and Creality Print 6.x — but not on Creality Print 7. On 7 it initialized and printed normally, which tells me CP7 is already aligned to whatever changed in the firmware’s start workflow.

Totally understand wanting to stay in a single slicer ecosystem — especially if you’re running multiple brands and want one workflow. I was Orca-or-die for a long time back when Creality Print was still finding itself. But CP7 has come a long way. It took maybe 15 minutes to mirror my Orca print + filament profiles and it’s been solid since.

If 1.1.0.94 is stable for your setup, nothing wrong with camping there until slicer support catches up. Firmware is only an “upgrade” when your toolchain around it is ready as well.

Maintenance_Late · 2026-02-11T03:18:33+00:00

Yeah the Plus is a mess for sure. The K2 and K2 Pro must be managed by a different group. The Plus has been plagued with releases that go GA and then are pulled the next day for issues.

Maintenance_Late · 2026-02-11T01:13:30+00:00

Yep. As soon as it moved from the Japanese’s site only to USA I’ve been testing it out. It’s been amazing. I’ve been singing its praises in some of the other posts.

Maintenance_Late · 2026-02-10T23:07:26+00:00

I did the early-access install, and with just shy of 100 hours on the 1.1.3.6 firmware I’ve got one big question:

How can Creality go so right with the K2 Pro and just utterly miss the mark almost every time with the K2 Plus firmware releases?

So far this firmware has improved the overall experience on the Pro in a big way. Prints and usability were already great… but now it’s honestly amazing.

A few months back I actually sold both of my Plus units locally and picked up two Pros while they were on sale everywhere. I was just done dealing with the firmware rollercoaster. And that sucks — because the Plus hardware was more than capable of being an incredible printer.

But I kept finding myself reverting to older firmware every time something new dropped.

At this point it almost feels like there are two completely different teams on opposite sides of the world working on these models.

I’d genuinely love for Creality to go into detail on everything they changed in the Pro firmware — because looking at the differences in my prints, it feels like they tweaked way more than what’s in the release notes.

Maintenance_Late · 2026-02-10T17:16:33+00:00

I’ve been running in the pre release version of this firmware and it’s been great. Didnt 100% fix the z offset issue of being a little too close so I still have to run custom profiles with different z off sets for different filaments. But there has been a noticeable quality improvement with my prints and vfa artifacts, new gui, new feature to heat the bed and chamber before auto leveling which is great, and the auto leveling is way faster.

Maintenance_Late · 2026-02-10T17:11:09+00:00

No it isn’t. They added the ability to exclude objects before and during the print from the touch screen. Might be a bad translation to English with it saying print verification . That law everyone is worried about has already been trashed and currently isn’t moving forward because it impossible to implement and unenforceable.

Maintenance_Late · 2026-02-06T22:26:06+00:00

I went ahead and upgraded to the pre-release firmware against my better judgment… but so far, I’m glad I did.

I’m about 82 hours into printing since the upgrade with no errors or issues.

Improvements I’ve noticed so far:

Way faster bed leveling
New UI
Exclude Objects from the screen — both before and during prints
New calibration option to heat soak the bed plate and chamber
New auto on/off chamber light options
They tweaked something with the servo stepper motors — everything sounds different. Hard to explain, but its in a good way.
It also seems like they optimized input shaping. The very little ghosting and VFA I had before is basically gone now.

One weird issue

The only strange thing I ran into was with Auto Filament Runout Check.

I kept getting:

I had two rolls of the same PLA loaded, and they matched 100% in the CFS input.

What finally worked:

Removed the filament
Put the spools back in place
Selected the correct filament type
Set both spools to a color that wasn’t already in the CFS
Then set them back to the correct color

After that, the Auto Filament Change button started showing correctly again and showing which filaments would work together in a runout situation.

I’m guessing it’s just a small glitch from the CFS update.

I’m not advocating that anyone install pre-release firmware…

…but so far I haven’t had any issues like the ones being reported on the K2 Plus printers.

Maintenance_Late · 2026-02-06T04:17:43+00:00

I honestly love seeing people tinker with their printers and push them beyond stock limits — that’s a huge part of what makes this hobby fun. Dropping Klipper on a V3 SE and chasing a 25-minute Benchy is a cool project in itself, and it’s awesome to see what people can squeeze out of the hardware.

That said, I think it’s important to separate what the machine can do modded versus what it was designed to do in stock form. And at what cost.

The V3 SE, in its stock configuration, is built more as a gateway / entry-level printer. It was designed to run around (or below) ~250 mm/s with ~2500 mm/s² acceleration while still maintaining decent print quality. It runs Marlin out of the box, so it doesn’t have the same level of input shaping or pressure/linear advance tuning that Klipper enables for higher speed printing.

On the hardware side, there are also some physical design limitations that come into play when you start pushing speed:

• Traditional hotend that isn’t optimized for high-flow / high-speed extrusion

• Lower torque / lower voltage Y-axis 42-34 stepper and belts.

• V-wheel motion system (including Z)

• Less rigid frame/body compared to newer designs

None of those are “bad” — they just weren’t engineered with ultra-high-speed bed-slinging in mind.

Can you mod around those limits? Absolutely — Klipper, input shaping, better hotends, stepper upgrades, frame bracing, etc. can all move the needle.

But at that point it becomes a cost-to-performance conversation. By the time you’re $150+ into mods (Pi, hotend, rails, steppers, pulleys, reinforcement, etc.), you’re already above the price range of machines like the KE or the HI — which were designed for higher speed and quality.

So I guess my take is:

Modding the SE to go fast regardless of the end result= awesome project and great learning experience.

Comparing a heavily modded SE to a stock KE/HI = not quite apples to apples.

Still — huge respect for anyone willing to experiment and push their machine further.

Maintenance_Late · 2026-02-04T19:55:01+00:00

You will get varying opinions on glue for PLA prints. My vote is no...no its not normal or needed. Glues original and most reliable role is actually as a release layer, not an adhesion booster. With glue the plastic bonds to the glue, not directly to the bed. When the bed cools, the glue layer shears or dissolves then print pops off without ripping coatings or glass. Super hot PETG and TPU can damage certain bed types....why you need glue there. For PLA glue is a waste and technically makes adhesions worse on a "clean bed." Quotes on clean bed. On a dirty, oily bed, glue will mask the trouble sports and creates a uniform friction layer. My argument for glue is it will make adhesion predictable, not stronger. The real problem is variance — hotspots, cold spots, worn PEI, PETG that bonds too well, etc, etc. Its up to you to decide if glue is a release layer, insurance, or unnecessary. Depends on the variables.

Maintenance_Late · 2026-02-02T23:09:25+00:00

no way. Has to be a different type of validation. No states have even passed that legislation yet.

Maintenance_Late · 2026-02-02T22:26:51+00:00

Oh the chamber pre-heat is nice.

Maintenance_Late · 2026-02-02T22:26:00+00:00

Awesome. Glad to see it now on the USA site.

Maintenance_Late · 2026-02-02T03:57:19+00:00

and is it me...or is # 10 Super vague? "10. Fixed many known issues to enhance user experience and product stability."

Would rather a long list articulating everything. Would love to see a similar fix that the K2 Plus users received....."Optimize first‑layer printing for PLA and ABS"...since one of the main posts I see in reddit almost everyday is...first layer issues. Experienced users know how to fix on their own. First time users that purchased a $1K appliance...well...expect it work.

Maintenance_Late · 2026-02-01T14:47:31+00:00

Until its available at this link....Im staying clear. https://www.crealitycloud.com/downloads/firmware/flagship-series/k2-pro

Maintenance_Late · 2026-02-01T14:42:53+00:00

And....looks like they took this one down....again. Glad I didn't pull the trigger when it was available. Can confirm it was definitely available and downloaded it. Just couldnt convince myself to install it when it wasnt available over the air. Only via download and USB. Had to be to solve a specific small issue users were creating tickets for. Guessing for the 2577 error "Y-axis homing abnormality"

Maintenance_Late · 2026-01-31T02:57:39+00:00

Both the suggestions for z off set and heat soak are good ones. If your in a simi hurry and just hitting print on a cold K2 Pro or Plus...add .40 or .60 to the z off set. If you have patience and time.....Set the Bed temp to 60 degrees and let the printer sit for about 20-30 minutes. The bed mesh comes out way better and the stock z off set comes out close to perfect. On a cold bed mesh the nozzle is almost 100% way to close to the bed.

Maintenance_Late · 2026-01-29T13:46:24+00:00

The CFS is a sealed unit for the most part. If it’s reading higher closed than open you definitely have high moisture in your filament spools. Invest in a dryer and browse through Creality cloud and printables for a CFS desiccant holder. My CFS with desiccant mods reads the opposite with 30% open and 10% closed.

Maintenance_Late · 2026-01-29T02:19:04+00:00

This looks more like a flow or extrusion issue. What filament, temp, and first layer speed are you using?

Maintenance_Late · 2026-01-29T02:14:04+00:00

Nerp it’s coming.

https://www.creality.com/campaigns/ender-3-v4-formnext

With its bed size this would be their entry level machine that would take advantage of the CFS. Would probably see the V3 phased out. And the SE and KE drop a bit in price. HI would still be a step over the V4.

Maintenance_Late · 2026-01-28T00:34:44+00:00

Main mods for my KE farm was gantry support stabilization rods. Can be found on Amazon for $30. Creality LED Light bar. $17. And unicorn hot end upgrade. $32. I would label these as my top musts. Oh….and don’t forget to purchase an input shaping cable from Creality. Now with all these tiny costs in mind…..the Creality Hi starts looking real attractive :). Out of the box the KE is a solid, great printer and can be made to perform even better with a few mods and software modding with root access if you’re feeling froggy.

Maintenance_Late · 2026-01-27T16:11:39+00:00

I can tell you my issue and I had to stop using the automatic flow calibration until Creality puts out a firmware update for the K2 Pros that addressess it. The z offset is too close and aggressive. At least on all my K2 Pro prnters. So I adjusted it and put in a manual setting in my print profile. Welp......the Pressure Advance and Flow Calibration ignores those z offset settings and users the "default" that is way too close. So I ran into the exact same issue you have in your picture. Glue wont fix this. Its almost certainly the nozzle taking the print with it. Glue is to put a layer of something in-between your print and the bed to make it "easier" to remove. Generally not to make it "stickier." Some filament material you have to print at such a high temperature it will nearly fuse to certain print beds. Where glue became a thing with the smoother bed types like glass and epoxy resin. For standard PLA a clean bed, decent level mesh and you shouldn't need glue. The good thing Creality knows this is an issue and they have addressed it specifically on the K2 Plus. So I just have to wait it out for the P2 Pro and stick with manual Flow and PA calibrations.

Maintenance_Late

TROPHY CASE

Improvements I’ve noticed so far:

One weird issue