There’s a huge list of added features, like Manual Mesh Bed Leveling, the possibility of adjusting the screen brightness, tuned PID settings and custom menu colors. You’ll get a single-gear plastic extruder with the Aquila 3D printer, which serves its purpose. It would be nice to have a metal extruder, but plastic is what you get with the Voxelab unit. The spool holder resides at the top of the Aquila printer, which makes the filament path a little challenging. But, the plastic extruder does have a metallic insert, which protects it from any filament grinding into the body of the extruder itself. Firmware updates One of the coolest features about the Aquila printer is that you’ll get a nice, color TFT screen with the unit. The screen has a white user interface with red accents. Unfortunately, it’s not a touchscreen, so you’ll have to use the hardware buttons to navigate through the menu. The screen is responsive and fast, which is nice to see since the printer doesn’t offer many advanced options or additional features. PTFE hotend Modern mainboard features - Many 3D printer features relate to the version of the mainboard and firmware, including features like resuming prints after a power failure and support for silent stepper motor drivers for quieter printing. Newer boards also include safety features like thermal runaway protection which shuts the printer down if it detects issues with overheating. Disadvantages to consider Additionally, you can upgrade the hotend in the future if you plan on doing a lot of printing at higher temperatures. This is handy if you don’t want to have to regularly troubleshoot issues with your hotend. Belt tensioners

When your Voxelab Aquila 3D printer is sitting idle, it will draw around 9 watts. When it’s heating up, the wattage bumps up to 240W, which then levels off to around 90W once the print job starts. Noise Because the hotend is similar to what you get with a Creality 3D printer, I would recommend looking for a drop-in replacement like the NF-Smart CR-10, Trianglelab Spiral Tower or the popular Microswiss hotend. Any of these hotends should allow you to print higher temperature materials more reliably without having to service your printer that often. If you decide to flash a custom firmware on your Voxelab Aquila, then you will notice that it’s recommended to mount the LCD in a vertical orientation. This vertical LCD mount on Thingiverse should do the job. But if changing the firmware is not on your Voxelab Aquila upgrades list then changing the screen orientation won’t help. V-slot covers Finally, there the BLTouch that’s recommended by everyone. I added this to the guide just so you know this can be a solution for easier bed leveling, but in the free section I will tell you about the free alternative which can be used (manual mesh bed leveling). In my opinion, a BLTouch is not needed for small format printers like the Voxelab Aquila but it can be a helpful upgrade if your print surface is not perfect, and you don’t want to mess with MBL.

Query Monitor

Moderately difficult assembly - This 3D printer is shipped partially unassembled, and will require more time to put together. This can be a good learning experience to better understand how the printer works, but can be a challenge especially if you are new to 3D printing. Experience the world of 3D printing with the Voxelab Aquila C2 FDM 3D Printer. This versatile printer combines high-quality performance with user-friendly features, making it the perfect choice for beginners and enthusiasts alike.

The hot end module contains two fans: a part cooling fan mounted on the right that blows cool air over the printed module and a heat break cooling fan that is mounted over the hot end. By far, this is my least favorite part of the Aquila X2 due to the distractingly-loud noise generated by these fans. The silent stepper drivers on this printer provide a nearly silent mechanical movement system, but the fans sound like a hair dryer when they are running.The Aquila 3D printer offers a 220 x 220 x 250 printing volume. This is what you might expect with a mid-tier printer, which is big enough for the majority of the items you’ll print. The printer bed runs on four V-slot wheels, which you can use to connect the aluminum extrusion. Once that’s done, the bed will be much more stable when you start printing. Printing surface Dated LCD Screen - The printer's LCD screen is a more basic monochrome interface with limited resolution and no support for graphical components. While this does not detract much from using the printer, it can take a bit longer to navigate through the text only menus, and gives the printer a less premium feel. Where to buy the Voxelab Aquila C2 Bare-bones appearance - This printer is not built to be attractive, which is apparent by the standard aluminum extrusions used throughout the design, and the exposed power supply unit. While this is a purely cosmetic issue, it makes the printer less attractive than some of it's more expensive cousins. Make sure you read the documentation carefully before flashing a custom firmware, to ensure that you understood all the steps needed, and you have the correct files at hand. It’s also important to format the SD cards as recommended in the flashing guide, for a successful firmware upgrade. Vertical LCD mount The printer’s surface is held in place with two metal clips, which lets you remove the glass if you need to. This is a handy feature for cleaning up after print jobs. One item to note is that the Aquila does not have insulation material beneath the printing bed. Power supply

If I needed two printers I'd buy another. And yes 'TOM' it does know what it's about. It is a budget version of a good solid enthusiast's machine at a startlingly good price. With no significant technical compromises to hit the price point!The Voxelab Aquila has a generic single-geared extruder which does a decent job, and with a better hotend, it might perform even better. Mostly, because a better hotend won’t require a high retraction value and will allow easier filament feeding to the nozzle. You could do the same thing using a few screw nuts and a bit of patience, but the silicone bed mounts are quite cheap and will allow you to have your bed fixed much faster. This upgrade is something I started recommending to most of the printers available because it makes bed leveling much easier and should eliminate the need for any auto bed leveling solution like a BLTouch. The Aquila C2 supports popular slicing software such as Cura, VoxelMaker, and Simplify3D. You can choose the software that suits your needs and start creating stunning prints with ease. Additionally, it is compatible with various filaments including PLA, ABS, and PETG, giving you the flexibility to explore different materials and achieve the desired results. Carborundum glass bed provides good adhesion and easy removal - Carborundum glass is a great build surface that provides good adhesion while heated, but parts can be removed easily once it cools. The surface finish is not quite as smooth as borosilicate glass, but the superior adhesion without any hairspray more than compensates. With a carborundum bed, you wont need to use any additional adhesives like hairspray, but it is important that you clean the bed with a damp cloth after every 5-10 prints to maintain the adhesion.

One of the standout features of the Aquila C2 is its power failure recovery capability. Say goodbye to wasted time and filament due to unexpected power outages. This printer intelligently resumes printing from where it left off, ensuring that your progress is not lost. You can now save time and energy, focusing on your creative process.

Well, 'Tom's' views seem a little elitist..... 'can't decide what it wants to be', where is his confusion?