ELEGOO Centauri Carbon review: A challenge to Bambu Lab?

Centauri Carbon: Classification and Device Class

The ELEGOO Centauri Carbon has been available since the beginning of the year, but only just now made its way to our test lab. The timing is interesting, because in the meantime an active community has formed around the printer, optimizing profiles, analyzing errors, and even developing its own modding firmware called OpenCentauri. At the same time, ELEGOO has released several updates that are supposed to improve usability, calibration, and stability. For us, this is the ideal time to test the printer in its "mature" state.

On paper, the Centauri Carbon, priced at around €350, clearly positions itself in the budget segment, but technically it goes significantly further than typical entry-level models. A CoreXY drive with speeds up to 500 millimeters per second, a 320-degree hotend, a 110-degree heated bed, and a fully enclosed housing are anything but standard in this price range. Even Bambu Lab, currently one of the dominant manufacturers in the consumer market, only offers comparable hardware at higher prices.

The approach of making the Centauri Carbon as usable as possible right out of the box is also exciting. The printer comes pre-assembled, sets itself up upon first power-up, and automatically guides you through calibration and leveling. This makes it suitable for both beginners with little experience and makers who want to achieve their first results as quickly as possible while still having enough flexibility.

We tested the printer precisely with this aim in mind. From unpacking and setup to multiple PLA and ABS prints. And most importantly: Can the Centauri Carbon actually compete with Bambu models like the P1S or A1 in practice? 

Centauri Carbon: Unboxing and first impressions

The Centauri Carbon comes in a surprisingly compact box, significantly smaller than one would expect for an enclosed CoreXY printer. ELEGOO has packaged the device very neatly. Dense foam, fixed axes, and transport locks on the bed. You can immediately tell that nothing was meant to be damaged during transport.

Once unpacked, you're essentially presented with a nearly fully pre-assembled 3D printer. You only need to loosen three transport screws on the heated bed, connect the 4,3-inch display with the flex cables, and screw in the side spool holder. That's all there is to it.

No need to screw the frame together, no need to align the axes, no dangling cables. Even the linear rails come pre-greased and free of play. This makes the setup virtually error-free, even for complete beginners.

Included in the package are a small tool set, a USB stick with software and test models, a glue stick for difficult materials, and the multilingual (and surprisingly well-structured) manual. Upon removing the glass and metal casing, it's immediately apparent that nothing here screams "budget class."

The doors fit neatly in the frame, the hinges appear sturdy, and the tinted acrylic side panels show no tension or uneven edges.

ELEGOO has implemented several minor production improvements over the course of the year. Previous user reports regarding loose door handles, overtightened screws in the inner frame, or unevenly adjusted belts no longer apply to the current model. The test unit appears well-made and conveys a significantly higher-quality feel than many printers in this price range.

The build volume of 256 × 256 × 256 millimeters is larger than the compact body would suggest. A double-sided PEI flex plate rests on the magnetic, AC-heated print bed: smooth for glossy surfaces, textured for maximum adhesion.

On the rear right is a wiper pad for automatic nozzle cleaning; opposite it is the integrated camera for remote monitoring. The camera position is well chosen, as the field of view shows the entire printing area. The image quality is solid, not high-resolution, but sufficient for monitoring and time-lapse recordings.

ELEGOO has positioned the spool holder and filament sensor on the side. Many manufacturers place the spool behind the printer, which requires additional depth or is inconvenient in tight spaces. The Centauri Carbon, on the other hand, is wider than it is deep, making it easy to place on a workbench or IKEA shelf. This also results in pleasantly direct filament feeding, without tight radii or sharp bends.

One of the less noticeable additions is the LED lighting in the upper build chamber. It's inconspicuous because the brightness is barely sufficient to properly illuminate the print area. Details are particularly difficult to discern during printing due to the tinted acrylic glass.

Using "OpenCentauri" (more on that in a moment), a community fork of the firmware, the lighting can now be specifically expanded or upgraded to be brighter. It's great to see that the printer is open to such modifications.

Centauri Carbon: Setup, Firmware and First Boot

Upon first power-up, the Centauri Carbon guides the user through a clear setup wizard followed by an automatic self-test. During this process, it runs through all axes, checks the end stops, verifies the extruder drive, and performs an initial nozzle cleaning.

Immediately afterward, automatic mesh leveling begins. The Centauri Carbon measures the bed geometry at numerous points and generates a precise compensation matrix. This completely eliminates the need for manual bed leveling, which is a huge relief, especially for beginners.

Hotend calibration is also straightforward. The printer heats up the hotend, performs a filament feed, and checks the functionality of the filament sensor.

The filament feed is pleasantly direct, allowing the material to enter the extruder without resistance. A small but helpful detail is the short animation that shows the filament path and where the material needs to be inserted. This is especially beneficial for users working with a direct drive extruder for the first time.

It's also interesting how quickly the AC heated bed reaches temperature. In our test, the bed reached 60 degrees within a few seconds and 100 degrees in well under two minutes. This saves noticeable time at the start of every print.

The settings allow you to adjust some initial details. These include:

• Network connection via WLAN or LAN
• Camera resolution and frame rate
• LED control (on/off, brightness depending on firmware)
• Energy saving features
• Tools for axis and extruder calibration

Everything seems stable on the current firmware. No crashes, no frozen menus, no repeated restarts. The community had previously reported minor instabilities, which appear to have been fixed in the latest updates. It's also good to see that ELEGOO hasn't artificially restricted the menu, but rather deliberately made many technical options available.

OpenCentauri, the alternative community firmware, offers significantly more possibilities. These include finer LED control, additional debug menus, extended material profiles, and input shaping adjustments. However, for initial setup, we strongly recommend sticking with the official firmware. It is now mature, beginner-friendly, and covers all basic functions without any issues.

Once the setup process is complete, you'll arrive at the main menu, which provides access to the most important areas. These include print preparation, leveling, maintenance, network, camera, and system information. Everything is logically structured, so you can quickly find what you're looking for, even without the manual.

Centauri Carbon: Software, ELEGOO Slicer and Alternatives

Before the Centauri Carbon can start its first print, a slicer is of course required. ELEGOO includes its own ELEGOO Slicer, which is technically based on OrcaSlicer, a popular open-source development of PrusaSlicer.

ELEGOO Slicer: Ready to use right out of the box, clearly structured

The ELEGOO slicer starts with a pre-configured profile for the Centauri Carbon. This eliminates the entire setup process that is often necessary with other printers. Layer heights, speeds, retraction parameters, and temperature settings are all correctly configured at the factory.

The user interface is designed in the classic Orca/Prusa style. Beginners benefit from the fact that they essentially only need to load the model, activate support, and click export. The slicer appears neither cluttered nor minimalist, but strikes a good balance between clarity and customization options.

 Material profiles and presets 

The integrated material profiles performed very well in testing. PLA, ABS, and PETG have reliable default values ​​that deliver usable results without further adjustments. The high hotend and bed temperatures of the Centauri Carbon are directly factored into the profile, which is a significant advantage for ABS.

The Silk PLA profiles are well-tuned and produced clean surfaces in the test for both sample prints (Terminator pen holder & yoga skeleton).

 Advantages of the ELEGOO Slicer 

• Ready to use immediately, no setup required.
• saves beginners a lot of work
• based on an established open-source project
• good material profiles
• direct printer transmission via network

The last point is particularly important. The slicer automatically detects the Centauri Carbon on the network. Models can be transferred directly, including preview and launch command.

 Weaknesses of the ELEGOO Slicer 

The ELEGOO slicer is solid, but not perfect:

• no cloud connection
• no print queue
• no advanced analysis tools
• less comfortable than Bambu Studio
• Some features are available in Orca, but are deliberately hidden in the ELEGOO slicer.

Alternatives: OrcaSlicer, PrusaSlicer & Cura

Since ELEGOO does not incorporate any proprietary hurdles, the Centauri Carbon can be used without problems with other slicers.

 OrcaSlicer (full control) 

Those who want the full range of features should simply use the original version, which offers more customization options, better flow calibration, extended support algorithms, more precise input shaping settings, and significantly more fine-tuning for Cooling & Pressure Advance.

In practice, this allows for a noticeable improvement in print quality and speed. Particularly with Silk-PLA and ABS, finer layer transitions are possible.

 PrusaSlicer 

It also works very well, but requires a bit more manual work, as there's no official device profile, meaning some values ​​have to be transferred manually. However, PrusaSlicer offers an excellent support generator and extremely clean G-code.

 Care Instructions  

Cura works, but it's probably the weakest option, as the CoreXY settings and acceleration limits of the Centauri Carbon have to be adjusted manually. However, it remains an option for makers who are used to Cura.

Community firmware: OpenCentauri

Even though the Centauri Carbon ships with stable firmware, a very active modding community has quickly formed around the printer. The result is OpenCentauri, a patched firmware based on ELEGOO's official version 1.1.40, but which addresses a number of limitations, bugs, and usability issues. While still in beta, the firmware is already surprisingly mature and offers several features that advanced users won't want to miss.

 What are the benefits of the OpenCentauri firmware? 

OpenCentauri extends or modifies the original firmware in several places:

• SSH access (root/OpenCentauri) for advanced diagnostics and customization
• Developer functions such as access to the package manager or disabling the internal Klipper service
• Customizable boat logo, including ready-made logos from the community.
• Homing position changed; the X/Y reference is now at the front right instead of the front left.
• Exhaust fan control revised: The exhaust fan no longer starts automatically with every pressure.
• Web interface enabled: Changes to settings are now possible even during an ongoing print job.
• Remote online checks: OTA updates and telemetry queries are blocked.
• New G-code commands: M8212 switches off the chamber lighting, M8213 switches it on.
• Z-offset can be freely edited in idle mode.
• WebUI cleaned up, including OpenCentauri branding and without a store button

These changes are not aimed at spectacular "superpowers," but rather at meaningful improvements in everyday use. Many of them were limitations or bugs in the official firmware that ELEGOO had not yet fixed themselves.

 Installation and requirements 

To install the firmware, you first need to activate the printer's developer mode. This is done using a small tool that can be run on Windows, macOS, or Linux. The firmware is then installed via USB drive, similar to a local manual update. After a restart, you'll be greeted by the OpenCentauri start screen.

Professionals can also perform the installation "headless" via the command line. Thanks to the enabled SSH interface, the printer can be configured very flexibly later on.

Centauri Carbon: Practical experience with printing

After setup, firmware configuration, and slicer selection, it was time for real test prints. The focus was on both everyday scenarios with classic PLA and more demanding materials such as ABS and Silk-PLA.

Even after the first few minutes, it's clear that the Centauri Carbon, despite its price, makes a very mature overall impression. The build chamber heats up quickly, the automatic calibration repeats reliably, and the CoreXY drive operates cleanly and consistently from the start.

PLA: Strong primers and clean lines

The first prints using PLA yielded consistently positive results. The textured side of the PEI sheet ensures excellent first-layer adhesion, eliminating the need for glue sticks. Lines are deposited evenly, the extrusion appears stable, and there was no ridge formation or visible unevenness in the layer pattern. Even during fast movements, the print path remains precise, and the corners exhibit minimal oscillation.

The smooth side of the plate is also advantageous when aiming for special surface effects. However, PLA adheres somewhat more strongly to this surface, meaning prints can often only be removed cleanly after complete cooling.

Silk-PLA: Demanding material, surprisingly good results

Silk filament is known to be a good test for printers because its pigmentation makes it very sensitive to seams, Z-seams, and uneven extrusion. These typical problems hardly occurred in the test.

The Terminator pen cup showed a uniform shine, clearly defined contours, inconspicuous layer transitions and a barely visible seam.

The yoga skeleton, a model with many thin struts and curves, also printed cleanly. A particularly positive aspect is that the printer effectively reduces speed even in delicate areas without being overly conservative. The transitions between slower and faster segments appear harmonious, giving the model a uniform finish.

ABS: An area where many inexpensive printers fail.

ABS printing remains a problem for many budget printers, primarily due to warping, uneven layers, and temperature instability. The Centauri Carbon performs significantly better than its price range would suggest.

The enclosed chamber maintains a stable temperature, and the AC heated bed reaches the required bed temperatures quickly and reliably. Medium-sized ABS test parts exhibited only minimal warping at the corners, and layer adhesion was exceptionally strong. Functional components with 3-4 perimeters appeared robust and cleanly defined. While larger or very flat parts still require the use of a skirt or brim, the printer demonstrates overall high ABS compatibility.

Pressure stability and repeatability

Throughout the entire test period, the following aspects were particularly impressive:

•  stable extrusion: no clicking, no underfeeding
•  Good cooling: the auxiliary fan is loud, but works effectively.
•  Reliable leveling: no drift, no need for manual correction.
•  Clean bridging performance: PLA bridges are laid surprisingly stably.
•  Precise CoreXY mechanics: Corners and curves are clearly defined.

The interior lighting makes it difficult to judge the printing progress through the tinted acrylic glass. The camera only partially compensates for this.

Speed, noise level and everyday operation

 Speed 

The combination of stable construction, tight belts and a cleanly tuned motion setup ensures that the printer not only achieves high speeds, but can also maintain them reproducibly.

ELEGOO specifies a maximum printing speed of up to 500 mm/s. In practice, as with all devices, these values ​​are only achievable with specific infill patterns and simplified geometries. In normal everyday printing, realistic values ​​are more like 150–200 mm/s for standard PLA, 80–120 mm/s for ABS, and 100–140 mm/s for Silk-PLA.

Even at 160–180 mm/s, the print image does not appear rushed or unsteady. The acceleration values ​​are sensibly calibrated so that the printer remains within its "comfort zone" without excessive vibration or producing visible artifacts.

For large projects with a lot of infill, the Centauri Carbon can achieve a significant time advantage compared to Bowden systems or slower Cartesian systems. In tests, comparable PLA models were printed approximately 25–40% faster than on inexpensive entry-level printers.

 volume 

The Centauri Carbon is not among the quieter devices in its class. On the contrary, in everyday use it operates at the upper end of what is considered comfortable for offices or living rooms.

The auxiliary fan, or case fan, is particularly audible. During operation, it measures approximately 63–67 dB at a distance of 1 meter, depending on the surroundings. This isn't quiet, but it's perfectly acceptable for many workshops and hobby rooms. The enclosed design does help somewhat, but the fans remain the dominant source of noise.

Those who value a printer that is as quiet as possible are better off with the Bambu A1 or with specially insulated DIY solutions.

 Vibrations and stability 

Despite the high speed, the frame remains very stable during printing. The mass of the housing provides good damping, so that hardly any vibrations are transmitted to the surroundings.

The printer remains stable even during rapid changes of direction, and nothing tips over on a narrow shelf or an IKEA Lack table. Vibration artifacts ("ghosting") are noticeably less pronounced than with open frame designs. This is not a given, especially for budget-oriented CoreXY printers.

 Thermals and temperature behavior 

The AC heated bed ensures very short heating times. The enclosed chamber maintains a moderate but constant internal temperature. Typical values, depending on the bed configuration, are: PLA: 28–32 °C chamber; ABS: 38–45 °C chamber

This is sufficient for ABS to significantly reduce warping. The printer lacks active chamber heating, therefore temperature-sensitive high-performance materials like PC-CF can only be recommended to a limited extent.

 everyday practicality 

In daily use, the printer proves to be very user-friendly. The PEI flexible printhead is easy to remove once it has cooled down, and the automatic nozzle cleaning saves time during print preparation.

All maintenance points are easily accessible, allowing for quick filament changes. The camera delivers usable images for inspection in sufficient light.

Comparison with Bambu Lab: P1S, A1 and A1 Mini

Over the past two years, Bambu Lab has established itself as a benchmark in the consumer segment, especially with the P1S and the A1. A comparison with the Centauri Carbon quickly reveals that both manufacturers target a similar user group but have different priorities.

ELEGOO Centauri Carbon vs Bambu Lab P1S

The P1S is the closest comparable model. Both printers use a CoreXY drive, both offer an enclosed housing, high speeds, and solid material compatibility. Nevertheless, they differ functionally:

 Advantages of Centauri Carbon: 

• significantly cheaper than the P1S
• very high hotend temperature (up to 320 °C)
• Not a closed ecosystem, therefore more flexible when modding
• Community surrounding OpenCentauri
• stronger price-performance ratio

 Advantages of Bambu P1S: 

• significantly quieter in operation
• noticeably more convenient thanks to cloud integration, app and automated processes
• Optional AMS for automatic filament change and multi-color printing
• More stable software with improved user guidance
• Overall, a more "finished" system in everyday use

Those who want to minimize tinkering and simply print will still feel better served by the P1S. However, those who prioritize price and flexibility will find the Centauri Carbon the more attractive option.

ELEGOO Centauri Carbon vs Bambu Lab A1

The A1 is an affordable entry-level device focused on ease of use and minimal effort. In direct comparison, the Centauri Carbon appears significantly more sophisticated.

 Advantages of Centauri Carbon: 

• Closed construction, a clear advantage with ABS
• larger pressure volume
• higher hotend and bed temperatures
• Overall, better material suitability
• more reserves in terms of speed and stability

 Advantages of Bambu A1: 

• whisper-quiet in comparison
• even easier in setup
• App, cloud, and ecosystem benefits
• AMS Lite already integrated (multi-color for PLA)

For printing purely in PLA or PETG, especially in the hobby or figurine sector, the A1 remains more convenient. For users with ABS, ASA, or functional parts, the Centauri Carbon is clearly superior.