Why would NOVA3D sell two resin printers that look almost identical? I put the Elfin 2 Mono SE and the Elfin 3 Mini side by side to find the real differences, and to see whether I could tell their prints apart.
The biggest difference: price
When I made this comparison in November 2021, the Elfin 3 Mini was 179 euros on Amazon, while the Elfin 2 Mono SE was at least 239. That's a gap of about 60 euros. Does it show in print quality? As we'll see, no. NOVA3D managed to bring out a cheaper printer by cutting costs elsewhere.
Where the savings are
- Build volume: 132 × 74 × 150 mm on the Elfin 2, 120 × 68 × 150 mm on the Mini. Same height, slightly smaller plate.
- Storage: the Elfin 2 has 8 GB of internal storage, so it can receive files over Wi-Fi. The Mini has none: without the USB stick plugged in, it can't receive anything.
- Touchscreen: 4.3 inches on the Elfin 2, 3.5 inches on the Mini. Same display, just smaller.
- Z-axis structure: 7.5 cm on the Elfin 2 against 5 cm on the Mini. The Mini still feels strong and well built.
- Build plate arm: a full bar on the Elfin 2, a cut-out design with two bars on the Mini. It doesn't affect prints.
- Weight: according to NOVA3D's spec sheet, the Mini is a bit lighter.
What's exactly the same
Layer and XY resolution (from 0.01 to 0.025 mm), printing speed (18 to 39 mm per hour), the monochrome crystal UV light source, the quad-core Cortex-A7 processor and the 512 MB of RAM are identical. After months with both machines, I honestly couldn't tell the difference. I have so many prints from each that I get them mixed up, and I'd challenge anyone to tell which printer made which piece.
So who wins?
I wanted to name a winner, but I honestly can't. The quality is the same. It comes down to your budget, whether you want a slightly bigger plate and whether you want internal storage for Wi-Fi transfers. It's up to you.