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The best quality printer for fantasy miniatures? - Phrozen Sonic Mini 8K
🕑 Added 2023-07-19 18:18:30 +0000 UTC
Hi guys!
We've been wanting to try the Phrozen Sonic Mini 8K resin printer for a while now and our friends from Phrozen have made it possible.
They sent us the printer for review and we decided to do a Youtube video about the machine and the incredible results it provides.
We also compared the results with a 4K printer, using the same resin, same camera and same light conditions.
You can check the new Youtube video HERE.
The Phrozen Sonic Mini 8K gives you one of the best printing resolution in the 3D printing consumer market right now: 22 microns.
It goes at a maximum printing speed of 80mm per hour and has a relatively small printing volume. That’s why it is called mini!
We were quite surprised with the overall quality of the machine. It looks sturdy and it’s not heavy at all.
It comes very well packaged and secured inside the box and it will only cost you a couple of minutes to assemble.
To level the printer we used the thin red cardboard paper that comes with the printer. You just need to place it right in the center of the screen, like you would do with any other printer and unscrew the plate. Then click on “Z CALIBRATION” and wait for the plate to reach the screen.
Hold it tight and screw the plate again. When the four screws are securely tighten, make click on “DONE” and the calibration will be finished.
You can also run a quick LCD test to check that your screen is working just fine.
Printing in the Phrozen Sonic Mini 8K is very intuitive: insert the USB, make click on '3D Print', select the file and you are ready to go!
As you can see in the previous images, the main difference between 4K and 8K printers is the sharpness of the details.
If you look at the chainmail, for example, or the skin of the Hippogriff legs, you will notice that the 8K printer provides a more define shape of the miniature details.
The layer lines are also less noticeable in the 8K printed miniature compared with the 4K printed miniature.
But...
If you look at the prints with your bare eyes, you really won’t find much difference between 4K and 8K prints when they are properly printed, cleaned and cured.
Choosing one or another will depend basically on what you want the miniatures for. The quality of the prints are pretty much the same, but if you’re just a regular wargame player and you plan to print huge sets of units to just print and play, then you’ll be happy enough with a 4K printer.
If you’re planning on buying a 3D printer because you want the best quality possible, you collect fantasy miniatures for display or for the joy of painting, you’re a professional painter or you sell printed miniatures, then we see that the 8K printer prints in a deeper quality, highlighting the detail of the miniature, making the painting process more comfortable.
Hope you guys find this review useful and let us know if you would like to see more 3D printing content like this one in the future!
Join our Discord: HERE.
Comments
Print3dReality
nice! I have been looking into one of these for a smaller footprint compared to elegoo 8k printers i use. Especially for lower volume orders. its about the same difference i see with the mars 3 vs the Saturn 2 8k. I have always heard good things with the phrozen mini 8k
Jesse White
I missed this post originally, but I too can confirm Phrozen has been excellent to work with, started with an old school mini (2k) and have upgraded as the tech has gotten better. Very few issues over the course of thousands and thousands of prints.
