To say that Anycubic frequently releases new 3D printers would be an understatement: in the past year Anycubic has released Vyper, Kobra Max, Kobra Plus, Kobra, and now Kobra Go, and these are just its FDM printers, not to mention its resin printers. So why should you be interested in their latest printer, the Kobra Go? Anycubic decided to include some features of the more expensive printers. So what are those features? Well it’s automatic bed leveling, called LeviQ, and a magnetic steel spring plate with textured PEI on top for print adhesion.
Printers under $200 often have spring-loaded beds with four set screws that you have to loosen and tighten to get the perfect distance between the nozzle and the bed. They also often have print surfaces that are permanently stuck, or use weak, flimsy refrigerator magnet-type beds. These two changes can often add up to $100 to the printer price. Anycubic gets around this by simply assembling less of the printer itself.
Design
The Anycubic Kobra Go differs little in design from the original Kobra. It still has a modern look with the etched black aluminum alloy gate and solid plastic parts with futuristic-looking embossed designs. The Hotend’s cover is smaller and looks more like the Vyper 2021 – our favorite for the best printer for a printer.
The electronics and a 400w output are the same, and still hidden under the build plate, giving it a nice neat footprint. It weighs 15.4 pounds (7KG), making it fairly easy to move around. There is a 32 bit board, quiet stepper motors and extremely quiet fans.
We are very pleased that the Kobra Go still has the PEI-coated spring steel plate of the original Kobra, held on with magnets. Most prints pop off as the bed cools, but larger or more sticky PETG prints can be easily removed by bending the plate. The biggest design change is the switch to a smaller LED screen with a button. No pixels are wasted on this simplified display, and the new menu is extremely easy to operate.
Features
The Kobra Go feels like the quality machine, made of fine materials. It is sturdy and robust, but feels less industrial than some of its competitors. What surprises is that the Kobra is a do-it-yourself device. There is some assembly involved. Not a huge amount, and the process can be completed in 20 minutes or so, but enough to provide a good level of familiarity with how the Kobra works and is put together.
This means that certain features emerge, such as the spring-loaded metal print bed, which makes removing the print a breeze. This bed attaches magnetically to the self-leveling platform, which is operated with a single button. This simple operation betrays the 25-point leveling mechanism, which really improves print quality.
Then there is the big one. The hot end and the extruder are separate units, reducing backlash and inertia issues, allowing the printer to work faster and more accurately, up to 100 mm per second. Not bad, but also quite useful, considering the large build volume of 200 x 200 x 250 mm.
Printing
The Kobra Go only comes with one small spool of thread, so you will definitely need to stock up on more. Check out our guide to the best threads for 3D printing for examples of our favorite materials. The first print we made with the Anycubic Kobra was a pre-cut owl that was on the microSD card; we used the sample spool of white PLA and it printed without any problems just a few pimples on the lower wings where the overhang is a bit too big. The Kobra Go does a better job with most prints, but the delicate arms on this X Wing battery box got a little rough.
It can be improved by running the machine slower, but you can also bring sandpaper into the print. This model printed in 9 hours and 54 minutes with a layer height of 0.2 mm at 50 mm/s on Anycubic Matte White PLA. The Kobra Go can make perfectly smooth and showy prints if you give it time to run with thin layers that practically disappear if you use good floss.
This print in glass mode was made with a layer height of 0.16 mm at my usual speed of 65 mm/s. The jar was scaled up to 175% and took 7 hours and 26 minutes to print. Printed with PLA Anycubic Silk Blue. To see how the Kobra Go handles TPU, we chose this handy jar-shaped bag yes, that’s a scan of a Taco Bell from DaveMoneySign. The print is nice and clean, and the Kobra Go’s extruder had no trouble feeding the elastic filament. Printing with 0.2 mm thick layers and a speed of 65 mm/s took 2 hours and 29 minutes.
Software
The Anycubic Kobra Go comes with copy of Ultimaker Cura 4.12 and three material profiles (PLA, ABS, TPU) to get you started. The manual explains how to set up a custom printer. However, we think it’s easier to start with the Anycubic Vyper as the base and change bed size to 220 x 220 x 250.
Since the included copy of Cura is not customized for the Kobra Go, you can also download the latest version here or use a version of Cura that you may already be using for another printer. You can also use PrusaSlicer and the built-in profile for an Anycubic Mega Zero, which has the same bed size. To create a new profile, in Cura, click Preferences →Printers →Add. In the Add Printer menu, scroll down to Anycubic and select Vyper, then Add.
Conclusion
The Anycubic Kobra Go is an unexpected addition to the Kobra line. Anycubic clearly cut back a bit to keep the price down, including making the printer a kit. But it still has the two features we find most useful: automatic bed leveling and a flexible build plate. We found the Kobra Go just as easy to use as the first Kobra, and frankly, we didn’t miss the touch screen at all.
The assembly instructions are easy to follow, so putting it together is not too much trouble. we think the extra 40 minutes of work are well worth the money you save. This lower price makes it a best printer to give as a gift to a young maker, or to add to growing herd on your print farm.
