Elegoo Neptune 3

The Elegoo Neptune 3 is the entry model of the line, launched in May 2022 and already discontinued — Elegoo's store lists it as out of stock. It was built as a first printer: mostly assembled, open frame, automatic bed leveling. Unlike the 3 Pro, 3 Plus and 3 Max, it feeds through a Bowden tube instead of direct drive.

Build volume is 220×220×280 mm, rated 30–180 mm/s with 60 mm/s recommended, layers 0.1–0.4 mm. The nozzle hits 260 °C and the bed 100 °C. Leveling reads 16 points through a strain gauge in the print head, the plate is PEI on spring steel, and the 4.3-inch screen pops off the base. Official materials are PLA, ABS, ASA and PETG — no TPU, which the Bowden feed explains.

Pros

• Goes together in a couple of hours and prints decently right away, no long tuning session
• Quiet motion: about 39 dB on average against a rated ≤48 dB, and mostly it's the fans you hear
• PEI on spring steel holds PLA and PETG without glue, and parts pop off with a flex of the sheet
• All-metal dual-gear extruder and a titanium heatbreak — generous for a $210 machine
• Removable 4.3-inch screen, filament runout sensor and power-loss recovery all come standard
• Steady-state printing draws 30–40 W; the 300 W rating only shows up during heat-up

Cons

• Bowden feed: TPU isn't officially supported, and the runout sensor grips the filament so tightly that flexibles won't pass through
• The bed has no adjustment screws, so flatness rides on how straight the frame went together, and the 16-point mesh only covers 0.2 mm
• Some units arrive with a skewed X gantry that has to be squared up by hand
• The 180 mm/s figure is closer to travel speed — real printing lands at 40–60 mm/s
• No profile in stock Cura or PrusaSlicer, part cooling is weak for PLA, and there's no Wi-Fi or camera

Worth hunting down used as a first printer for PLA and PETG, provided you're willing to tighten the mechanics yourself and watch the first layer. For TPU, ABS or real speed, look elsewhere.

Bottom line: a solid budget bedslinger from 2022 with honest auto leveling and quiet motion, held back by the Bowden feed and no networking. It isn't sold new anymore — the Elegoo Neptune 4 with direct drive and Klipper replaces it, with the Neptune 4 Plus and 4 Max for bigger volumes.

Reviews

• Tom's Hardware — Elegoo Neptune 3 Review: Quality Features at a Bargain Price
• 3DPrinterBee — Elegoo Neptune 3 Review (measured noise and power draw)
• 3DWithUs — Elegoo Neptune 3 Review and Testing