Here’s Why This Printer Drove Me Crazy (In a Good Way)

Quick disclaimer: This is NOT a sponsored post. No one paid me, I’m not making a dime. I’m just a 3D printing entusiast who got his hands on a printer that… well, kinda blew me away.

I’m talking about the Elegoo Centauri Carbon.

Long story short,I grabbed it on launch day for €329. After a full month of steady use, I can say it loud and clear:👉 worth every single penny.

Size-wise, it’s in the same ballpark as the Bambu X1 or P1 series. Right now it’s single-filament only, so no multicolor printing (yet). But if you’re looking for a machine that can pump out high-quality prints without draining your bank account—this might be your next buy.

What really got me was the consistency. I’m talking real-world, reliable speed.

Fast enough to finish clean prints without errors, and—best part—you don’t have to babysit it every hour. With Bambu printers, you hit “start” and forget about it? Same story here.

Here are the print times for the same parts, using the same settings and the same material, on both printers.

Bambu Slicer — Bambu X1C - PETG Sunlu - 2 walls - 2 tops - 2 Bottoms- 10% infill Gyroid

Orca Slicer — Elegoo Centauri Carbon - PETG Sunlu - 2 walls - 2 tops - 2 Bottoms- 10% infill Gyroid

Over 202 hours of printing, and not a single fail.

Sure, it doesn’t come with all the bells and whistles of the Bambu ecosystem.

You’ll have to get your hands dirty with filament tuning and such—but honestly, it’s totally manageable.

Pro tip: I’d skip the stock Elegoo slicer. It’s a re-skinned, clunky version of Cura.

I’ve been using Orca Slicer instead—it already has Centauri profiles, and it works beautifully right out of the gate.

Now, let’s talk flaws—because yeah, it’s not perfect.The built-in lighting? Kinda trash, let’s be honest. But I fixed it with a printed riser and a €9 LED strip, and visibility improved big time. Sure, you might get some glare on the camera if the light’s too strong—but whatever. Even Bambu printers don’t exactly light up like a concert stage inside, right?

PTFE tube and cable management on the printhead could use some love, especially when printing full plate. But with a couple bucks and a quick DIY mod, it’s totally fixable.

Noise level? Around 50–52 dB—solid, especially since there's no motor tuning like with Bambu.The only things making a bit of a fuss are the chamber fan and the auxiliary fan. But again, small issue. I swapped the fans and printed a rear muffler—easy fix, huge difference.

And the touchscreen? Absolute gem. Responsive, clean layout, easy to use. It definitely takes some design cues from Bambu, but it’s not a copy—it’s got its own vibe. And let’s be real: its main competitor, the P1S, doesn’t even have a decent screen… and costs nearly twice as much.

Bottom line?This printer impressed me—a lot.I’ve been running all my single-color parts on it with zero issues. I’m still using the Bambu for multicolor prints, but once Elegoo drops their multi-material system? We’ll see who comes out on top 😉

So yeah, if you’re looking for a powerful, budget-friendly printer, I’d say give this one a serious look. I haven’t regretted it for a second.

Catch you later,Enrico