Hi and welcome, I hope you're doing great.
I got a lot of comments asking what the
difference is between the Anet A8
and the Anet A6. I got them both here so let's
check them out and see which one is superior.
For a lot of people on a tight budget
price is number one priority,
and even though these are both incredibly
inexpensive machines. There is a
difference in cost, with the Anet A6
currently at two hundred dollars and the
Anet A8 at almost ridiculously low, 156 dollars.
However there is a couple of reasons why
should reconsider from buying the cheapest one.
When using the interface to change settings
the A6 uses a knob, while the A8 has push buttons.
I found the knob to be quicker and easier to use as its
very smooth, the five push buttons can be
very annoying as you have to push
multiple times for it to toggle.
However this is just a minor thing is
you won't be using it too much.
The structure is quite different the A6
arrives with pre-built Z-axis rails but
the A8 comes with 3D printed ones,
which means you can print new rails if needed.
Both printer uses direct drive
extruders and on the A8 the extruder is
mounted vertically while on the A6 it's
mounted in parallel with the X-axis rods
and is considered to be more stable design.
It also came with more pre-built
parts than the Anet A8, making the assembly
slightly quicker. The A6 also comes with
half kilo of random colored PLA filament.
Speaking of filaments, both printers are
capable of printing with almost all
filaments but does require some modifications.
When printing with flexible materials
the filament has a tendency to flex
inside extruder causing it to jam.
However by lowering the printing speed
it can be done.
ABS can be even more difficult because
the heated bed can't reach the higher temperature
without any insulation such as an enclosure.
I use PLA because it can be
printed at a lower temperature, it's non-
toxic and very strong.
According to this specification page the
A6 has an updated motherboard.
But at closer inspection you can clearly see
that both printers use the same
motherboard with the same IC,
also called the version 1.0 Anet motherboard.
This was also confirmed by
Gearbest's support staff.
And once again looking at the comparison table the
Anet A6 is using an upgraded heated bed
but once again they are exactly the same.
Both printers are however able to be
modified with automatic leveling.
I will leave a link to a tutorial down below if you
would like to do so.
It was also stated
that the A6 could print with a 0.4
millimeter layer thickness.
This is true but it also works with the Anet A8
Once again proving that the two printers
are very much alike.
There is however one major difference
between these two great printers.
The Anet A8 is far more popular,
making the community absolutely amazing.
You can find endless amount of upgrades
and useful prints on Thingiverse.
There is a Facebook page and just overall more information about the printer.
No matter which one you pick you will
have a great 3D printer.
Comparing structure, price and all these factors.
I think it's safe to say that at Anet A8
is superior over the Anet A6.
Remember that the specifications of each printer
could change depending on where you
purchase yours, but i will leave links
down below to where I got these two.
I cannot thank you enough for the support
lately it's been absolutely crazy,
in this place we're going to hit 10k in no time
so a huge thank you, see you again soon.
Have nice day.
Bye.
