# Anet A8 Review: A Bargain Kit That Needs a 5-11 Hour Build

- Link: https://additiverealm.com/anet-a8-review/
- Published: 2023-01-16T21:33:46+02:00
- Author: TreiD

* [Introduction](https://additiverealm.com/anet-a8-review/#introduction)
 * [Performance breakdown](https://additiverealm.com/anet-a8-review/#performance-breakdown)
 * [Printing Quality](https://additiverealm.com/anet-a8-review/#printing-quality)
 * [Ease of use](https://additiverealm.com/anet-a8-review/#ease-of-use)
 * [Build Quality](https://additiverealm.com/anet-a8-review/#build-quality)
 * [Printing Speed](https://additiverealm.com/anet-a8-review/#printing-speed)
 * [Community Support](https://additiverealm.com/anet-a8-review/#community-support)
 * [Features](https://additiverealm.com/anet-a8-review/#features)
 * [Reliability](https://additiverealm.com/anet-a8-review/#reliability)
 * [Customer Support](https://additiverealm.com/anet-a8-review/#customer-support)
 * [Where reviewers disagree](https://additiverealm.com/anet-a8-review/#where-reviewers-disagree)
 * [Sum up](https://additiverealm.com/anet-a8-review/#sum-up)
 * [Videos](https://additiverealm.com/anet-a8-review/#videos)
 * [Where to buy it](https://additiverealm.com/anet-a8-review/#where-to-buy-it)
 * [Price alert](https://additiverealm.com/anet-a8-review/#price-alert)
 * [Sources](https://additiverealm.com/anet-a8-review/#sources)

**Based on 8 independent video reviews and manufacturer specifications. AdditiveRealm
has not physically tested this printer.**

## Introduction

Here’s my Anet A8 review verdict, drawn from eight video reviewers, from the kit’s
2018 heyday to a 2024 long-term check-in: once built and upgraded, this kit makes
good prints for the $148 ([It’s My Workshop](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFBWh8tiTZg))
to $180 ([Fast Tutorials](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQJtLAzoeIs)) they paid.
That ‘good’ is measured against budget printers of that era, not today’s self-levelling
machines. It’s only for patient tinkerers, because the build, the levelling and 
the fixes are part of the price. Can you still buy one? There is no verified offer
for the complete, original kit and Anet’s own shop no longer loads, so a used one
is your realistic route.

4.2/10

The tinkerer's bargain kit

Reviewers agree the Anet A8 can turn out good prints for very little money, but 
only after a 5 to 11 hour build, regular bed levelling and some cheap fixes.

 * [Printing quality6](https://additiverealm.com/anet-a8-review/#printing-quality)
 * [Ease of use1](https://additiverealm.com/anet-a8-review/#ease-of-use)
 * [Build quality3](https://additiverealm.com/anet-a8-review/#build-quality)
 * [Printing speed2](https://additiverealm.com/anet-a8-review/#printing-speed)
 * [Community support9](https://additiverealm.com/anet-a8-review/#community-support)
 * [Features5](https://additiverealm.com/anet-a8-review/#features)
 * [Reliability5.5](https://additiverealm.com/anet-a8-review/#reliability)
 * [Customer support2](https://additiverealm.com/anet-a8-review/#customer-support)

 * Pro: Very low kit price, around $150 to $180
 * Pro: Huge community with endless printable upgrades
 * Pro: Open-source RepRap design, easy to modify

 * Con: Assembly takes 5 to 11 hours from a kit
 * Con: Acrylic frame creaks and loses bed level if moved
 * Con: Reported dead heater and a hotend that burned a table

Consensus review: based on 8 independent video reviews and the maker's specs. AdditiveRealm
has not physically tested this printer. [How we score](https://additiverealm.com/how-we-score/)
[Affiliate disclosure](https://additiverealm.com/affiliate-disclosure/)

The [Anet A8](https://additiverealm.com/anet-a8/) is a Cartesian DIY kit with an
acrylic frame, and It’s My Workshop calls it basically a Prusa i3 knockoff. It has
a 220 x 220 x 240 mm build volume, a heated aluminium bed, a single 0.4 mm nozzle
for 1.75 mm filament, manual bed levelling and SD card printing from an onboard 
LCD. [byte sized engineering](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5PiyrROmSo) found
that most owners he read agreed it works just well enough out of the box to print
its own replacement and upgrade parts.

It’s My Workshop’s $148 kit shipped from GearBest’s LA warehouse, and Fast Tutorials
paid $180 around 2017. byte sized engineering paid $160 in 2018, [RCLifeOn](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOz8TJ4vTts)
quotes $156 and [Chris Riley](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xscijkcjws) about
$165 with free shipping from China. At the time, byte sized engineering expected
a printer ‘worth purchasing’ to cost $700 or more, and It’s My Workshop put a decent
machine at $400 to $500. So the A8 undercut the market by a wide margin.

The trade-off is time and tinkering, which is why [3D Printing Doctor](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wa_bDokM48Q)
recommends it to people with patience and an eagerness to learn, whom he calls ‘
makers’. 3D Printing Doctor and [J²](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IGd9atTrdE)
thank GearBest for their units, while Chris Riley, byte sized engineering and It’s
My Workshop bought theirs. The GearBest-supplied units didn’t earn a kinder verdict:
Riley’s own-money unit had the most hardware failures, but 3D Printing Doctor and
J² still described a kit that demands patience.

First contact is a box of loose parts. byte sized engineering describes ‘a million
little parts’ with instructions and software on an included flash drive. J² says
peeling the protective film off every acrylic piece added a lot of time to his build.

Riley’s kit was also missing holes in the Y carriage. Once it runs, the A8 can print
many of its own fixes. The upgrade video from [Reality Check VR](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJbkLIwQbY4)
is mostly printed parts, such as easier bed-levelling adjusters, a top filament 
guide and a better part-cooling duct.

## Performance breakdown

### Printing Quality

Once assembled and tuned, reviewers got usable to good results. After improvements
costing no more than $30, 3D Printing Doctor measured his test parts close to their
nominal sizes: a 25 mm ring at 24.9 mm, and a 10 mm cube between 9.92 and 10.24 
mm. Once his own spare parts had it running, Chris Riley got ‘a very nice Benchy
with only minor defects’ in two attempts.

![Anet A8 printing a green treasure chest, with a nozzle close-up and a print settings
overlay](https://additiverealm.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/anet1.webp "Anet A8
Review: A Bargain Kit That Needs a 5-11 Hour Build 1")

It’s My Workshop called its parts ‘very usable’ but showed splitting on long tubes,
a wobble and some fit problems, partly blaming his own slicer settings. J² traced
jagged walls to a skewed Y belt. Fast Tutorials saw quality suffer after more than
600 hours, until new bearings, a new nozzle and heater block and a new bed surface
brought it back. My read is that the good prints come from the upgrades, so I’d 
budget for them from day one.

**Score: 6/10** · On our review scoring, printing quality 6 means: Above average
quality, some minor imperfections. (Surface Finish: Good, Detail Accuracy: Good)

 * “So when we calculate this ring has minimum of 0.4 error percentage.” — [3D Printing Doctor](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wa_bDokM48Q)
 * “it printed a very nice Benchy with only minor defects in just two attempts” —
   [Chris Riley](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xscijkcjws)
 * “some of these long tubes you can see I have a little bit of splitting here” —
   [It’s My Workshop](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFBWh8tiTZg)
 * “when it’s doing really delicate layers it will actually make it look weird on
   the side, they’ll be jagged and jittery” — [J²](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IGd9atTrdE)
 * “now looking at the results I was honestly shocked, I was expecting an improvement
   but just not to this degree” — [Fast Tutorials](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQJtLAzoeIs)

### Ease of use

This is a full kit, and reported build times ranged from about five hours (Chris
Riley) through six (byte sized engineering) to about eleven, with breaks, for first-
timer J². Bed levelling is manual, by turning adjustment screws, and needs regular
touch-ups. It’s My Workshop called it ‘not difficult but it’s fiddly’.

RCLifeOn and Chris Riley both found the LCD controls tedious, needing many clicks
to get anywhere. Chris Riley says both Anet’s build video and its PDF manual need
updating. J² found the PDF left out wiring and showed an endstop switch differently
from Anet’s own assembly video. If constant re-levelling and fuzzy instructions 
would wear you down, I’d look elsewhere.

**Score: 1/10** · On our review scoring, ease of use 1 means: Very difficult setup
and calibration, unintuitive interface. (Setup Time: >120 minutes, Calibration Process:
Complicated, User Interface: Unintuitive)
⚠ Estimate: no reviewer measured setup
time, so the score is estimated from their descriptions.

 * “it took me let’s see I think it was about 11 hours to assemble” — [J²](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IGd9atTrdE)
 * “it took about five hours to get it set up and printing” — [Chris Riley](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xscijkcjws)
 * “the bed leveling is not difficult but it’s fiddly” — [It’s My Workshop](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFBWh8tiTZg)
 * “the five push buttons can be very annoying as you have to click multiple times
   for it to toggle” — [RCLifeOn](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOz8TJ4vTts)

### Build Quality

The acrylic frame splits opinion. It’s My Workshop said it creaks and cracks during
assembly and he’s afraid to take it apart again to fit his mods, and 3D Printing
Doctor calls the body brittle. byte sized engineering, by contrast, thought it was
fine once fully built, and Chris Riley found it ‘sturdy enough if you’re careful’.

![Anet A8 acrylic frame with close-ups of the stepper motor, brass-nut lead screw
and red control board](https://additiverealm.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/anet2.
webp "Anet A8 Review: A Bargain Kit That Needs a 5-11 Hour Build 2")

Component quality was patchy. Riley’s heater cartridge arrived dead. Later a stripped
grub screw let the hot heater come out mid-print, and it kept heating on his bed
and then his table, leaving a burn mark. Fast Tutorials’ original belt disintegrated
and his bearings had all but given out after seven years, and Reality Check VR added
vibration dampeners because the noise kept him awake.

That burn mark shows a fire risk, not just a print-quality one. It’s My Workshop
calls safety his biggest issue: he read of boards melting and even catching fire
where the power supply feeds in, and recommends an add-on MOSFET board or a better
power supply as the fix. Riley advises soldering the heated-bed wires directly rather
than trusting the plug, and found the stock firmware proprietary and impossible 
to change.

So on any A8 I’d check the bed wiring and board connector for heat damage and confirm
a bed MOSFET is fitted. I’d also confirm it runs firmware with thermal runaway protection,
which [Marlin](https://marlinfw.org/docs/configuration/configuration.html) calls
one of its most vital safety features; flashing Marlin is the community mod Fast
Tutorials lists. Until those checks are done, I wouldn’t leave this printer running
alone.

**Score: 3/10** · On our review scoring, build quality 3 means: Below average build,
some components lack durability. (Frame Material: Below average, Component Durability:
Below average, Vibration Resistance: Below average)

 * “putting it together it creaks and cracks and I’m afraid it’s going to break,
   it is not aluminium, it’s an acrylic” — [It’s My Workshop](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFBWh8tiTZg)
 * “one major complaint I read from many people with this printer is that the frame
   is very flimsy, once I had finished installing all the pieces I actually thought
   it was fine” — [byte sized engineering](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5PiyrROmSo)
 * “the grub screw that holds the heater in was apparently stripped and it came 
   out during a print after the block got good and hot” — [Chris Riley](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xscijkcjws)
 * “It was vibrating and I couldn’t really fall asleep printing with this thing”—
   [Reality Check VR](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJbkLIwQbY4)
 * “it has an acrylic body. Its body is brittle. So you need to be gentle with this
   3D printer.” — [3D Printing Doctor](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wa_bDokM48Q)

### Printing Speed

Anet quotes a 100 mm/s maximum. Fast Tutorials, the only reviewer to give working
speeds, runs functional parts at 70 to 80 mm/s and calls that fast for this kind
of printer. For detailed models he drops to 40 to 50 mm/s.

**Score: 2/10** · On our review scoring, printing speed 2 means: Very slow print
speed, low efficiency. (Print Speed: 50-60 mm/s, Max Speed: 100-150 mm/s, Default
Acceleration: 500-600 mm/s², Max Acceleration: 1000-1200 mm/s², Efficiency: Very
Poor)
Measured: manufacturer spec max 100 mm/s.⚠ Estimate: only one reviewer covered
this.

 * _Printing Speed: max 100 mm/s_ — manufacturer
 * “for functional parts like these I find that the finish even at 70 to 80 mm/second
   is more than good enough for me” — [Fast Tutorials](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQJtLAzoeIs)
 * “when printing smaller detailed models I could set it down to 40 or 50 mm/second”—
   [Fast Tutorials](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQJtLAzoeIs)

### Community Support

Community is the A8’s strongest point. RCLifeOn picked it over the Anet A6 largely
because of its far bigger community and endless printable upgrades. byte sized engineering
found many YouTube guides and community-compiled lists of essential upgrades.

3D Printing Doctor praises a Facebook group whose members around the world reply‘
super fast’, and It’s My Workshop points to people on Facebook and elsewhere who
help each other out. None of the reviewers gave a member count or a timed response,
so this rests on consistent qualitative reports, the most recent from 2024.

**Score: 9/10** · On our review scoring, community support 9 means: Massive community,
comprehensive resources and quick support. (Online Community Size: >15000 users,
Availability of Guides: Comprehensive, Responsiveness in Forums: <6 hours)
Measured:
[Facebook Official Geeetech & Anet 3D Printer Support Group (Incl. RepRap Prusa i3)](https://www.facebook.com/groups/1068531466501015)
61.5K members, as of 2026-10-12 (counted 2026-10-12).⚠ Estimate: community size 
is counted (size alone fits 10); guide quality and forum response time are estimated
from reviewers.

 * “the Anet A8 is far more popular making the community absolutely amazing, you
   can find endless amount of upgrades and useful prints on Thingiverse” — [RCLifeOn](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOz8TJ4vTts)
 * “it has a really nice Facebook group and they are super fast replying to your
   any problem” — [3D Printing Doctor](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wa_bDokM48Q)
 * “I found a ton of YouTube videos and a large online community surrounding this
   super cheap 3D printer” — [byte sized engineering](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5PiyrROmSo)
 * “There’s been a boatload of popular community modifications available for the
   A8” — [Fast Tutorials](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQJtLAzoeIs)

### Features

Out of the box the A8 offers a 220 x 220 x 240 mm volume, a heated aluminium bed,
a 0.4 mm nozzle, SD card printing and an open-source design. It has no enclosure,
filtration, filament sensor, auto-levelling or app. It’s My Workshop found the LCD
menu complete enough to print without a computer, and he also runs OctoPrint on 
a Raspberry Pi (see [how OctoPrint compares with Klipper and Marlin](https://additiverealm.com/klipper-vs-octoprint-vs-marlin/)).

![Anet A8 3D printer with a blue overlay showing its build volume and overall dimensions](
https://additiverealm.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/anet3.webp "Anet A8 Review:
A Bargain Kit That Needs a 5-11 Hour Build 3")

The upgrade path is wide: RCLifeOn notes auto-levelling can be added, and Fast Tutorials
lists flashing Marlin, E3D hot ends and full aluminium-extrusion rebuilds. Stock
omissions still frustrate, and Chris Riley wants at least a power switch.

The A8 also changed during its production run, so the one you find used may be an
earlier or later version than the spec sheet. RCLifeOn’s unit had a direct-drive
extruder, a push-button LCD and a v1.0 board, and byte sized engineering built dual
Z motors. Our database describes a different spec: a Bowden extruder, a single Z
motor, a rotary-encoder LCD and an Anet v1.7 board. Going by the board numbers, 
the reviewed kits look like earlier revisions, so before ordering upgrade parts 
for a second-hand A8 I’d confirm which board and extruder it actually has.

**Score: 5/10** · On our review scoring, features 5 means: Good range of features,
moderate upgrade options. (Available Features: Good, Upgrade Options: Moderate, 
Open Source: Yes, External Upgrades: Some, Build Volume: 200 x 200 x 200 mm, Multicolor
Printing: Possible, App: No, Offline: Yes, Ventilation: Optional, Filtration: No)

Measured: manufacturer spec: build volume 220x220x240 mm, multicolour no.

 * _Printing Volume 220x220x240 mm, Heated Bed yes, Bed Leveling Manual, OpenSource
   Yes, Connection SD Card_ — manufacturer
 * “it has enough options on here that you can print without a computer if you put
   things on the SD card” — [It’s My Workshop](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFBWh8tiTZg)
 * “both printers are however able to be modified with automatic leveling” — [RCLifeOn](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOz8TJ4vTts)
 * “I would like to see them go one step further and throw in a power switch, this
   can be real handy when things go wrong” — [Chris Riley](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xscijkcjws)

### Reliability

None of the reviewers logged a success rate, and the reports split. Fast Tutorials
ran his A8 for about seven years, 600+ hours and roughly 5,000 m of filament with
only occasional screw tightening, and called it ‘extremely reliable’. After a month,
It’s My Workshop said it ‘never just failed’.

Against that, Chris Riley hit a dead heater, a heater block that came loose mid-
print, a filament jam and a first PLA rocket print that curled. It’s My Workshop
and Chris Riley also report that the bed drifts out of level every few prints or
whenever the printer is moved. I read that split as a sign that results depend on
the unit you get and how much maintenance you put in.

**Score: 5.5/10** · On our review scoring, reliability 5.5 sits between 5: Reasonably
reliable, occasional print failures. (Success Rate: 65-70%, Consistency: Reasonably
consistent) and 6: Above average reliability, occasional issues
⚠ Estimate: no reviewer
measured a success rate, so the score is estimated from their descriptions; the 
evidence sits between two bands, so the half point is a judgement call.

 * “throughout this time the printer has been extremely reliable with minimum maintenance”—
   [Fast Tutorials](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQJtLAzoeIs)
 * “after every so many prints you have to come back and give a little quarter turn
   here or there and make it right again” — [It’s My Workshop](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFBWh8tiTZg)
 * “after many prints the unusual barrel size started to bind and cause the filament
   to jam” — [Chris Riley](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xscijkcjws)
 * “moving it can cause the bed to become unlevel easily” — [Chris Riley](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xscijkcjws)

### Customer Support

Chris Riley reports that Anet does not support these printers directly, so buyers
are left to the seller and, in his experience, ‘you get what you get’. He fixed 
his dead heater with his own spare part. RCLifeOn did get a factual answer from 
GearBest support about the motherboard, but no reviewer recorded a response time
or a resolved fault. In practice the community, not the vendor, is the support channel.

**Score: 2/10** · On our review scoring, customer support 2 means: Very slow response,
ineffective problem-solving. (Response Time: >48 hours, Problem Resolution: Poor)

⚠ Estimate: no reviewer measured a support response time, so the score is estimated
from their descriptions.

 * “Anet does not provide support directly for these printers. You can contact the
   seller you got it from but I found it’s mostly you get what you get” — [Chris Riley](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xscijkcjws)
 * “This was also confirmed by GearBest support staff” — [RCLifeOn](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOz8TJ4vTts)

## Where reviewers disagree

 * Frame sturdiness. It’s My Workshop and 3D Printing Doctor call the acrylic fragile,
   while byte sized engineering and Chris Riley found it fine once built.
 * Assembly difficulty. It’s My Workshop says it ‘was not difficult’ for anyone 
   mechanically inclined, and Chris Riley calls it ‘pretty easy’ at about five hours.
   First-timer J² needed about 11 hours.
 * Noise. It’s My Workshop calls it ‘a pretty quiet machine’, but his runs inside
   a home-built cabinet with quieter bearings fitted. Reality Check VR found the
   vibration loud enough to keep him awake and added dampeners.
 * Long-term reliability. Fast Tutorials logged seven years and 600+ hours with 
   little maintenance, while Chris Riley hit a dead heater, a loose heater block
   and a jam.
 * Out-of-box print quality. It’s My Workshop got decent prints once it was built
   and levelled, and Chris Riley a nice Benchy in two attempts after replacing his
   dead heater. 3D Printing Doctor says ‘you may not get the perfect prints right
   away’ and that the printer needs developing first.
 * Firmware. Our spec sheet lists Marlin. Chris Riley says the stock firmware is
   proprietary and can’t be changed, and Fast Tutorials lists flashing Marlin as
   a popular community modification while his own A8 still runs its original firmware.
 * Heated bed temperature. Anet rates the bed at 90 °C. Chris Riley saw his reach
   100 °C from 23 °C in about 15 minutes, while RCLifeOn found it couldn’t stay 
   hot enough for ABS without an enclosure.
 * Hardware listed versus hardware reviewed. Spec sheet says Bowden, single Z, rotary
   encoder and a v1.7 board, while reviewed units had direct drive, dual Z, buttons
   and a v1.0 board.
 * Connectivity. The spec sheet lists SD card only. It’s My Workshop points to the
   board’s USB port and runs OctoPrint from a Raspberry Pi.
 * Material range. The manufacturer lists ABS, PETG, TPU and more as compatible.
   RCLifeOn says flexibles tend to jam unless printed slowly, and that ABS is difficult
   without an enclosure because the bed can’t hold a high enough temperature.

## Sum up

Reviewers recommend it for patient, mechanically inclined beginners who want to 
learn how a 3D printer works and enjoy fixing and upgrading one. 3D Printing Doctor
calls this audience ‘makers’. Fast Tutorials argues that anyone with a little tinkering
spirit, printing only a couple of things a month, has no reason to replace an A8
that already works. From what they report, I’d buy it only if I wanted the tinkering
as much as the prints.

Skip it if you want to unbox and print. It’s My Workshop says ‘steer clear’ if that
is you, and Chris Riley warns that a younger or less experienced buyer facing a 
failed part could end up with ‘a pile of garbage’. For me the dealbreaker would 
be needing to move the printer often or leave it running unattended before the wiring
and hotend have been checked.

At the $148 to $180 reviewers paid, the value was hard to beat. Chris Riley says‘
for 165 dollars US you pretty much can’t go wrong’ if you don’t move it around much
and will replace a few sub-$5 parts. 3D Printing Doctor puts his quality improvements
at no more than $30. Fast Tutorials got seven years of use from a $180 kit.

The real price, though, includes many hours of assembly, tuning and maintenance.
No Anet A8 review among the eight quotes a current retail price, so check what the
kit, or a clone of it, costs today before treating these figures as current.

Against its sibling, the Anet A6 (about $200), RCLifeOn found the same motherboard
and heated bed, a nicer control knob and more pre-assembled parts on the A6. He 
still judged the A8 the better buy, for its far larger community and lower price.
Fast Tutorials puts A8 owners alongside owners of an old [Creality Ender 3](https://additiverealm.com/review-ender-3/)
or CR-10: people who never expected to just press print.

Fast Tutorials concedes that newer printers save time through faster printing and
automated features, though he argues a well-maintained A8 still does what he needs.
So the 2026 choice is a used A8 or a current entry printer like the [Ender 3 V3 SE](https://additiverealm.com/ender-3-v3-se/)
or the [Bambu Lab A1 mini](https://additiverealm.com/a1-mini/). Our database lists
automatic bed levelling on both, which removes the screw-by-screw levelling, and
neither needs the A8’s wiring and firmware safety checks. Unless you want the tinkering,
I’d take the new machine.

As for buying an A8: there is no verified offer for the complete, original kit, 
and Anet’s own web shop no longer loads (checked 12 October 2026). Listings for 
the later A8 Plus are a different printer from the kit these eight reviewers built.
Your realistic route is a used kit from local marketplaces or printing groups.

Before paying for a used one, I’d check the acrylic for cracks, the heater block’s
grub screw, the bed wiring and connector, and the belts and bearings, which are 
the parts reviewers saw fail. If that sounds like more hunting than you want, my
[3D printer buying guide](https://additiverealm.com/3d-printer-buying-guide/) covers
current machines.

4.2Expert Score

The tinkerer's bargain kit

Reviewers agree the Anet A8 can turn out good prints for very little money, but 
only after a 5 to 11 hour build, regular bed levelling and some cheap fixes. The
acrylic frame, uneven parts quality and absent manufacturer support make it a project
rather than an appliance. Its huge community is what makes it work.

Printing Quality

6

Ease of use

1

Build Quality

3

Printing Speed

2

Community Support

9

Features

5

Reliability

5.5

Customer Support

2

Pros

 * Very low kit price, around $150 to $180
 * Huge community with endless printable upgrades
 * Open-source RepRap design, easy to modify
 * Tuned prints within about 0.5% dimensional error
 * Prints standalone from SD card via the LCD

Cons

 * Assembly takes 5 to 11 hours from a kit
 * Acrylic frame creaks and loses bed level if moved
 * Reported dead heater and a hotend that burned a table
 * No direct manufacturer support, seller only

## Videos

## Where to buy it

**Buy from here**

## Price alert

## Sources

 * [byte sized engineering — Anet A8 – The best cheap DIY 3D printer in 2018?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5PiyrROmSo)
 * [RCLifeOn — Anet A6 vs A8 Comparison – Which Is the Best 3D Printer?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOz8TJ4vTts)
 * [3D Printing Doctor — Review | Should I Purchase A8 Anet Desktop 3D Printer DIY kit?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wa_bDokM48Q)
 * [Reality Check VR — ✔ ANET A8 ULTIMATE UPGRADES! AMAZING CHEAP 3D-PRINTER!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJbkLIwQbY4)
 * [It’s My Workshop — Anet A8 3D Printer Review](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFBWh8tiTZg)
 * [J² — 3D Printing Newcomer’s Anet A8 Review](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IGd9atTrdE)
 * [Fast Tutorials — Original ANET A8 In 2024! | Why you don’t need a new 3D Printer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQJtLAzoeIs)
 * [Chris Riley — 3D Printer Anet A8 Review – IS IT WORTH IT!?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xscijkcjws)
 * [Marlin Firmware — Configuration (Thermal Protection)](https://marlinfw.org/docs/configuration/configuration.html)
