Big potential, great price, but super finicky!
Editor's Summary
I'm stoked to be reviewing the Tronxy X5SA, a 3D printer that promises a lot for a ridiculously low price. But does it deliver? Let's dive in and see if there's any catch. I stumbled upon the X5SA while searching for CoreXY geometry printers, and I was intrigued by its cube-shaped design. Most popular models have a portal-like design, but users have cleverly nicknamed this geometry the 'drys-table' (or 'drys-tol' for short). I wasn't exactly looking for a drys-table, but the price was too good to pass up - around 13,000 rubles at the time. By the time I'm writing this review, the price has gone up to 14,000 rubles. It's essential to understand the context here: in the lower price segment, the norm is subpar offerings. But the Tronxy X5SA is different. It's a fast printer, with CoreXY geometry that's a tie with deltas. It's also quiet, with the only significant noise coming from the power supply fan. But the actual printing itself doesn't bother my ears. The same Flsun SR gets pretty loud and annoying on high speeds. So, what are the pros? The printer is fast, quiet, and has a large 33x33cm bed. But, I'm afraid, with all these tweaks, the price will be HIGHER than Creality, Anycubic, Flashforge, and even Flsun. Which will just work out of the box! Won't waste your nerves and time. But if you're young, handy, and have loads of free time, Tronxy is the printer for you.", "pros": [ "Fast printing speed", "Quiet operation", "Large 33x33cm bed", "CoreXY geometry", "Easy to assemble", "Good build quality" ], "cons": [ "Warped bed", "Poorly designed hotend", "Difficulty calibrating the bed", "No pre-extrusion option", "Annoying design flaws", "Price may be higher than expected" ], "faq": [ { "question": "What is the Tronxy X5SA?", "answer": "The Tronxy X5SA is a 3D printer with CoreXY geometry and a large 33x33cm bed." }, { "question": "What are the pros of the Tronxy X5SA?", "answer": "The pros of the Tronxy X5SA include fast printing speed, quiet operation, large 33x33cm bed, CoreXY geometry, easy to assemble, and good build quality." }, { "question": "What are the cons of the Tronxy X5SA?", "answer": "The cons of the Tronxy X5SA include warped bed, poorly designed hotend, difficulty calibrating the bed, no pre-extrusion option, annoying design flaws, and price may be higher than expected." }, { "question": "Is the Tronxy X5SA suitable for beginners?", "answer": "The Tronxy X5SA may not be suitable for beginners due to its complex design and difficulty calibrating the bed." }, { "question": "Can the Tronxy X5SA be tweaked to print decently?", "answer": "Yes, the Tronxy X5SA can be tweaked to print decently, but it may require a lot of time and effort." }, { "question": "What is the price of the Tronxy X5SA?", "answer": "The price of the Tronxy X5SA is around 14,000 rubles, but it may vary depending on the seller and location." }, { "question": "Is the Tronxy X5SA worth the price?", "answer": "Whether or not the Tronxy X5SA is worth the price depends on individual preferences and needs. If you're looking for a fast and quiet printer with a large bed, the Tronxy X5SA may be a good option. However, if you're a beginner or looking for a printer that's easy to use and maintain, you may want to consider other options." ], "meta_title": "Big potential, great price, but super finicky!", "meta_description": "The Tronxy X5SA is a 3D printer that promises a lot for a ridiculously low price. But does it deliver? Read our review to find out.", "og_title": "Big potential, great price, but super finicky!", "og_description": "The Tronxy X5SA is a 3D printer that promises a lot for a ridiculously low price. But does it deliver? Read our review to find out.
Specifications
I'm stoked to be reviewing another 3D printer today, and the Tronxy X5SA is definitely one of the most interesting options on the market. It promises a lot for a ridiculously low price. Let's dive in and see if there's any catch.
Our hero is already assembled and trying to print something. I stumbled upon the X5SA while searching for CoreXY geometry printers. If you're not familiar, these are basically cube-shaped printers. Most 'popular' models have a portal-like design, and users have cleverly nicknamed this geometry the 'drys-table' (or 'drys-tol' for short). I wasn't exactly looking for a drys-table, and after browsing AliExpress, I came across the Tronxy X5SA for an incredibly low price - around 13,000 rubles at the time. By the time I'm writing this review, the price has gone up to 14,000 rubles.It's essential to understand the context here: in the lower price segment, the norm is subpar offerings. If you scroll down to around 7,000 rubles, you'll find lopsided, underpowered printers like the EasyThreed, which often lack even a heated bed. I did look for reviews on the Tronxy X5SA, but the authors seemed pretty skeptical about it, warning that it's not suitable for beginners. Luckily, I already had some printing experience under my belt, so I decided to take the plunge and order it.
Fast forward to the day it arrived. The printer came in a massive box, and when I opened it, I found a bunch of separate components, including the guides that make up the Tronxy X5SA. The good news is that the screws were included, and even with some extras. I did see some reviews complaining about missing screws, so that was a pleasant surprise. Assembling everything into a single machine was a bit of a process, but not overly complicated. The only tricky part was tightening the belts - that took some effort. Overall, I'd say it's a one-day job to get everything set up.
This is what the screen looks like when you start printing, for example. Everything sets up smoothly, and there aren't any print stops. Now, let's get to the main event - my printing experience. A lot of the complaints I've seen in online reviews seem to be outdated for 2026. Some people said the firmware is terrible - supposedly, pressing the screen stops the print. I didn't notice anything like that. Everything works pretty nicely and functionally. I don't see a need to reflash the firmware. Someone else said Tronxy absolutely needs Z-axis synchronizers. I even followed that advice and bought those things. I didn't notice any effect at all - the printer prints just as well without them. Those "synchronizers". They even sent me the wrong size, and the strap just hangs there looking ugly. The biggest pain with cheap printers like this is trying to calibrate the bed. On old Anet printers, it was like stabbing in the dark. And you have to do it regularly. Luckily, Tronxy has one theoretically really cool feature: a sensor that shows you where and how to move the bed. It's not fully automatic leveling like on the delta, but it gives you hope that the bed will be relatively flat. Typical situation during calibration. The difference between the highest and lowest readings should be no more than 0.6mm. Ha! Three times. Those numbers represent the distance from the nozzle to the bed at different points. And the picture remains roughly the same - nothing changes. Maybe it's just the bed itself? Maybe it's supposed to be that way? The bed is definitely warped, that's for sure. But when I put a glass plate on it, nothing changed. Maybe it's the guides that are bent? Or maybe the sensor just lost its mind? I don't know. The further away from the center, the worse the quality gets. So what does that mean in practice? In practice, it means that a huge 33x33cm bed can't be used to its full potential. The central area, marked by four squares, prints just fine. But if you try to print models on the edges - you won't get any decent adhesion. Even with PLA. Even with additional tricks like Kapton tape. And here's the final result: parts of the models just come off. And here's another crazy story to top it all off. The hotend on this printer is poorly designed, and you can't even set up "Pre-Extrusion" in the slicer. So when the printer starts printing, there's always a mess of plastic coming out of the nozzle while it heats up. One time, I was printing a model, and the extruder just started spitting out a bunch of plastic, and I had to shut it down and clean up the mess. It's just ridiculous.I tried to remove the annoying thing with a screwdriver so it wouldn't interfere with the first layer. And because the fan on the Hotend is in the front, I stuck the screwdriver right into it! Luckily, replacing the broken one is a breeze.
The state of the old fan after this ordeal. So, what are the pros? The printer is pretty fast. CoreXY with deltas is a tie here. The printer is quiet! The only thing that creates a significant noise is the power supply fan. But the actual printing itself doesn't bother my ears. The same Flsun SR gets pretty loud and annoying on high speeds.I'd say this: Tronxy can be tweaked to print decently. To be able to print a big project with multiple models in one go. But, I'm afraid, with all these tweaks, the price will be HIGHER than Creality, Anycubic, Flashforge, and even Flsun. Which will just work out of the box! Won't waste your nerves and time. But if you're young, handy, and have loads of free time, Tronxy is the printer for you.
