Elegoo Mars 5 Review

I’d consider the Elegoo Mars 5 if you want a cheaper, compact resin printer for small figures and miniatures, and you’d appreciate having less setup to do. This review covers the standard Mars 5 with the 6.6-inch 4K screen. The Mars 5 Ultra is a different printer, with a different screen and printing mechanism.

I’d put the standard model on your shortlist for tabletop pieces. Reported prints show crisp detail, but that doesn’t mean every curved surface comes out smooth. If you want smooth display figures that need very little finishing, the biggest concern is uncertain support for anti-aliasing, which smooths pixel edges. Automatic leveling also leaves plenty for you to do: prepare the file, adjust the resin settings, wash the print and finish hardening it with ultraviolet (UV) light.

What You Can Fit On The Mars 5

The Mars 5’s build space is 143.43 × 89.6 × 150 mm, or about 5.65 × 3.53 × 5.91 inches. Those are the limits for the complete print, including any supports underneath and around it.

That’s a useful size for small figures, separate heads, weapons and other miniature parts. A figure’s advertised height won’t tell you whether it fits, though. An outstretched arm, wide base or long spear may take up more room than the body.

Before buying, open a few files you actually want to print in a slicer, the software that prepares models for the printer. Select the standard Mars 5 and include the models’ supports in the layout. These temporary printed struts hold parts of the model in place as it forms. You’ll remove them afterward, and the spots where they attached may need trimming.

Turning a figure at an angle can reduce its height while increasing its width or depth, and supports can extend beyond the figure itself. Check that everything fits within the printer’s build space. How many miniatures you can print at once depends on their size and pose.

For example, the Zombie Warrior miniature comes as separate body, shield and sword files with supports already added. From their listed dimensions, those parts fit in a row about 60 × 30 × 44 mm, including supports and 5 mm gaps between the spaces reserved for each part. This assumes you keep the parts at their supplied size and angle. Centered on the standard Mars 5, the row fits comfortably within its build space. This is a size calculation, not a tested layout or a guarantee that the print will succeed.

If a larger figure won’t fit, you’ll need a version divided into parts, or you’ll need to split the model yourself and put the printed pieces together. If most of your planned projects need that treatment, choose a larger printer.

The printer itself measures 230 × 230 × 433.5 mm. Leave room above it to remove the cover, somewhere to put that cover, and a clear route to your washing area.

How Much Detail The Mars 5 Can Show

The Mars 5 uses light through an LCD screen to harden liquid resin one layer at a time. The screen divides each layer into tiny squares called pixels. Its 4K label describes the pixel count; the more useful detail is that each pixel measures 35 microns across, or 0.035 mm.

That pixel size doesn’t promise that a printed hole or peg will match its design within 0.035 mm. Resin, supports and exposure—how long the light stays on to harden each layer—all affect the result. If you want pieces that fit together, check the fit with a small test before printing a whole batch.

Reported tests disagree on how the Mars 5 compares with the Ultra. In one standard-model review featuring Loot Studios models, prints used to check exposure looked particularly sharp, even beside the Mars 5 Ultra. Visible surface lines were still a concern. A second report praised the standard model’s crisp AmeraLabs Town test print, yet favored the Ultra for smoother surfaces and better definition.

The second test used Sunlu Red Wax resin, the Lychee slicer and a separate enclosure heater set to 30°C. That setting wasn’t a measured resin temperature, and the reviewer didn’t state numerical exposure settings in the spoken report. Neither comparison showed that both printers used the same resin, exposure and temperature conditions. Even the second report’s apparent improvement over the older Mars 3 Pro could have come from differences in resin, color or photo focus. These impressions don’t establish a consistent winner against the Ultra.

The distinction between sharpness and smoothness matters. You can get a clearly defined edge on a piece of armor while still seeing small steps across a rounded shoulder. If you mostly want gaming pieces, that may be an acceptable compromise. If you enjoy painting broad, smooth surfaces on display busts, those marks deserve more attention.

Layer height is the thickness of each printed layer, a separate measurement from the pixels across it. Thinner layers can reduce the steps caused by stacking those layers, but they also mean printing more layers for the same model. They don’t make the screen’s pixels smaller.

I wouldn’t reject the Mars 5 just because it says 4K, but don’t assume primer and paint will hide every mark. Consider how much finishing you’re happy to do on the shapes you print most often.

Does Anti-Aliasing Work On The Mars 5?

Anti-aliasing softens the boundaries between pixels by adjusting the light at an edge. It can make curves look less stepped, although stronger smoothing can soften small details too.

An early Mars 5 report found the smoothing controls missing in the Chitubox Basic 2.0 slicer. A later update said Elegoo had confirmed that the standard model didn’t support anti-aliasing. That describes support at the time; it doesn’t settle whether smoothing works with newer slicers or firmware, the software installed on the printer itself.

Treat reliable anti-aliasing on the standard Mars 5 as unresolved. A smoothing control appearing in a slicer isn’t enough to establish that the printer applies it correctly. To confirm it works, a test needs to compare prints with smoothing turned on and off, and identify the Mars 5 firmware, slicer version and exported file format.

If smooth surfaces are essential to you, ask for those test results before buying. Don’t base the decision on a promised future fix or an experiment performed on the Ultra.

What Automatic Leveling Makes Easier On The Mars 5

Automatic leveling saves you from manually positioning the build plate, the surface the print attaches to. With a correctly assembled printer, you shouldn’t need to loosen that plate, position it against a sheet of paper and tighten it again before your first print.

The spring-loaded plate and sensor help the printer establish its starting position. Finding that position isn’t the same thing as repairing a plate or mounting assembly that’s out of alignment. If prints repeatedly fail on one side of the plate, don’t assume automatic leveling has ruled out an alignment problem.

Before adjusting hardware, check that you’ve selected the standard Mars 5 in your slicer, that your resin settings are suitable, and that the fasteners are secure and the tank is clean. If the problem persists, get adjustment instructions from Elegoo for the standard Mars 5. Instructions for another Mars or Saturn model aren’t a sound basis for turning screws on yours.

Elegoo lists self-checks and alarms for resin shortage, residue and leveling failure on the standard model’s product page. Treat them as prompts to check a problem, not a guarantee that the printer will detect every failed print or loose fragment. Follow the instructions in any error message before starting again, and leave the printer undisturbed while it checks itself.

You’ll still need to choose the right exposure for your resin. Too little time under the light can leave weak features; too much can close small gaps and thicken details. The first layers have separate settings because they need to hold the print to the plate.

Start with the manufacturer’s settings for your printer and resin, then use a small calibration model—a test print for checking settings—to see whether its details form clearly and its gaps stay open. Change one relevant setting at a time so you can tell what helped. Recheck when you change resin or make a substantial change to your printing conditions.

Sending Prints To The Mars 5 And Cleaning Up

The standard Mars 5 takes print files on a USB drive. It doesn’t have the Ultra’s Wi-Fi transfer, so you’ll carry the drive between your computer and printer whenever you prepare another job.

Elegoo’s updated manual walks you through SatelLite, while its product page also lists Chitubox and Voxeldance Tango. In your slicer, select the standard Mars 5 settings, prepare the supports, and slice the model into layers the printer can make. Then export the printer-ready file. A downloaded 3D model still needs that preparation; copying it straight onto the drive isn’t the complete process.

USB transfer is manageable when the computer is nearby. It becomes more annoying if your ventilated printing space is downstairs or in a separate workshop. The 3.5-inch touchscreen is another reason to plan on checking progress beside the printer: one reported review found its information too small to read comfortably from across a room.

During printing, the plate rises to separate each hardened layer from the tank’s bottom film, then lowers for the next layer. The standard model doesn’t use the Ultra’s tilting tank. Elegoo’s advertised maximum of 70 mm/h isn’t a measured completion time for your figure. Layer height, exposure, movement and waiting settings all affect how long a job takes.

Once printing finishes, let excess resin drip back into the tank before removing the plate. The quick-release handle makes detaching it straightforward, but one reported review found resin could collect between the plate’s two levels. Carry it over a tray to catch drips on the way to the washing area.

Remove the print, wash it with the cleaner specified for your resin, let it dry and finish hardening it under UV light according to the resin instructions. This last step is called curing. You’ll also need to remove supports. Allow time for these jobs when deciding how often you’ll realistically print.

What You Need Alongside The Mars 5

Budget for the whole work area before choosing the printer. You’ll need resin, washing supplies, a suitable curing setup, protective equipment and a way to manage spills and waste. Later, you’ll also replace parts that wear out, such as the release film, the transparent sheet at the bottom of the tank.

Elegoo sells replacement film for the standard Mars 5. Check exact model compatibility when ordering; parts for other Mars printers may not fit. You may eventually need to replace the LCD screen too, since it wears out.

Elegoo offers the Mercury Plus V3.0 wash-and-cure station with the standard Mars 5. Its specified washing space is large enough for prints removed from the Mars 5’s plate. Check both washing and curing limits for your largest piece. If you already own a smaller station, don’t assume its bracket can hold the Mars 5’s complete plate assembly just because the printed model fits inside the bucket.

Plan ventilation for pouring, printing, washing and curing. Don’t assume the cover keeps all emissions inside the printer. A compatible Mars Mate filter also doesn’t, by itself, show that your room is adequately ventilated.

Wear splash protection for your eyes and chemical-resistant gloves suitable for both the resin and wash solvent. Keep wash containers closed when you’re not using them. Water-washable resin still needs careful handling: its contaminated wash water isn’t suitable for pouring down a drain. Keep resin waste and used cleaner contained and follow your local disposal requirements.

A cold workspace adds another consideration. Follow the resin’s temperature guidance; the Mars 5 has no built-in resin heater. Elegoo lists its separate Mini Heater as compatible. The printer’s overheat protection serves a different purpose: it stops printing if the light source gets too hot. It doesn’t warm cold resin.

If you can’t make room for this work and keep resin and solvent away from where you do everyday activities, I’d postpone buying a resin printer. Easier leveling doesn’t change that requirement.

Is The Standard Mars 5 Right For You?

I’d consider the standard Mars 5 if you mainly print small miniatures and separate figure parts, want less manual setup, and can accept USB transfer. It generally costs less than the Mars 5 Ultra, leaving more of your budget for the washing, curing and workspace equipment you’ll actually need.

As a second printer, it makes more sense if you already have a suitable workspace. Check that your washing equipment can hold its prints and that your usual models fit on the Mars 5 with their supports. There’s no need to pay for another compact printer if larger batches are what you’re missing.

The Mars 5 Ultra is the closest alternative if you want Wi-Fi transfer, a camera and a tank that tilts to release each printed layer. Its 9K screen has smaller 18-micron pixels. Those features may be worth paying more for, though the screen specification alone doesn’t settle every print-quality comparison. Its build space is wider and taller but shallower than the standard model’s, so it isn’t simply bigger in every direction.

I’d pass on the standard Mars 5 if you regularly want large one-piece figures or require dependable software smoothing before you buy. Long-term reliability is still an open question; the available reports don’t establish how often the standard model fails over extended use.