Elegoo Saturn 8K

The Elegoo Saturn 8K is a 2022 resin printer built on a simple formula: the original Saturn chassis plus a ten-inch 8K masking LCD. From the outside it's the same squat black base with a red UV lid, but the pixel drops from 50 to 28.5 μm and an air filter is now built into the base. It's discontinued — the Saturn 4 and Saturn 4 Ultra hold that slot today.

Build volume is 219×123×210 mm, 40 mm shorter in Z than the Saturn 2. Light comes from a 28-LED parallel matrix with double-convex lenses that pull the incidence angle down to about 5 degrees. Speed is 30–70 mm/h, layers run 0.01 to 0.2 mm, and the Z axis steps at 0.00125 mm. There's 9H tempered glass over the LCD, and the all-metal vat has recessed handles plus four standoffs that keep the film off the bench during cleaning. Control is a 3.5-inch resistive touchscreen and files arrive by USB stick only.

Pros

• A 28.5 μm pixel over a 219×123 mm plate in a case only 46 cm tall — Saturn 2 detail, far less shelf height
• The carbon filter sits in the base and switches on with the print — Tom's Hardware confirms it cuts odor exactly as advertised
• 9H tempered glass over the panel: spilled resin comes off the glass instead of off a $100 masking LCD
• All-metal vat with recessed side handles, so a full vat is easy to carry in gloves without spilling
• Two-bolt leveling against a sheet of paper — a first-timer gets it right on the first try
• The UV lid has an exhaust port, and the community prints adapters for standard ducting

Cons

• The vat has no pour spout even though the original Saturn had one, which turns a resin swap into a messy job
• The 3.5-inch screen feels cramped and the on-printer menu is thin on settings — a complaint echoed by owners on Russian forums
• The bundled test print sits straight on the plate and fights you coming off — Tom's Hardware has called this file out six reviews running
• It's discontinued, and the LCD, film and vat are consumables: check where you'd source spares before buying

The Saturn 8K makes sense if you want a big plate and a fine pixel but can't spare the shelf height a Saturn 2 demands: batches of miniatures, busts up to 210 mm, casting masters and scale-model parts. Beginners get an easy start — it ships assembled, leveling is trivial, filter included.

Bottom line: a solid machine that landed in an awkward spot — at launch the larger-volume Saturn 2 cost only about $60 more. Today it's worth buying used, and only at a price clearly below a new Saturn 4.

Reviews and discussions

• Tom's Hardware — Elegoo Saturn 8K 3D Printer Review: 8K Resolution, Cheaper Than Ever
• Tom's Hardware — Elegoo Saturn Review: the same chassis, one generation earlier