Elegoo spent years known mostly for resin printers, then walked into FDM with an enclosed CoreXY machine priced like a budget bed-slinger. The Centauri Carbon undercut every comparable enclosed printer when it launched, and Elegoo has since added a multi-material Centauri Carbon 2 on top of it. Here’s what the hardware, firmware, and real-world reliability actually look like, and whether the price is still the whole story.
Elegoo Centauri Carbon by the numbers
- 256 × 256 × 256 mm — the enclosed build volume, matching the Bambu Lab P1S’s footprint at less than half the price, per Elegoo’s spec sheet.
- 500 mm/s top speed, 20,000 mm/s² acceleration — Elegoo’s rated ceiling figures; like every fast CoreXY machine this site has tested, tuned working speeds for clean surfaces run lower in practice.
- 320°C nozzle — a brass-hardened-steel hotend rated 20°C hotter than the Bambu P1S’s 300°C ceiling, useful for carbon- and glass-fiber-reinforced filaments.
- $299.99 — the current list price (techradar has tracked sale pricing as low as $279), against a $699 MSRP for the closest enclosed CoreXY rival, the Bambu Lab P1S.
- Free AI failure detection — via Elegoo’s partnership with OctoEverywhere, unlimited spaghetti and bed-adhesion failure detection at no subscription cost, unlike some rivals that paywall AI monitoring.
Centauri Carbon vs Centauri Carbon 2 Combo at a glance
| Model | Build volume | Nozzle | Multicolor | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Centauri Carbon | 256×256×256 mm | 320°C | No | $299.99 |
| Centauri Carbon 2 | 256×256×256 mm | 350°C | No | ~$349 |
| Centauri Carbon 2 Combo | 256×256×256 mm | 350°C | CANVAS, up to 4 colors | ~$449 |
The Carbon 2’s real upgrade is the CANVAS multi-material system and a hotter 350°C nozzle for engineering filaments; build volume is unchanged. If you only print single-color parts, the original Centauri Carbon at $299.99 is the better value — you’re not paying for hardware you won’t use.
The 30-second verdict
Buy the original Centauri Carbon if you want the cheapest enclosed CoreXY printer, period. At $299.99 it undercuts every other enclosed machine this site has reviewed, including its own sibling the Kobra 3, and handles PETG, ABS, and carbon-fiber blends thanks to the 320°C nozzle.
Step up to the Centauri Carbon 2 Combo if multicolor matters. At roughly $449, the CANVAS system brings four-color printing to a price bracket Bambu and Prusa can’t match.
Skip it if quiet, polished operation is the priority. Reviewers including Tom’s Hardware note audible fans and dim chamber lighting next to the best enclosed 3D printer picks like the Bambu Lab P1S.
Elegoo Centauri Carbon
- 256×256×256 mm build volume, 500 mm/s rated top speed, 320°C nozzle.
- Free unlimited AI failure detection via OctoEverywhere, built-in camera, auto bed leveling.
- Klipper-derived firmware (ELEGOO OS) — familiar Fluidd-style interface, but closed to standard Klipper plugins, Mainsail, and OctoPrint.
New to Amazon or restocking filament and spare nozzles regularly? A free 30-day Amazon Prime trial gets fast, free shipping on Centauri Carbon filament and replacement parts.
The firmware tradeoff: Klipper-like, but closed
The Centauri Carbon’s touchscreen and web interface look like a standard Klipper setup — Elegoo built its firmware, branded ELEGOO OS, as a fork of Klipper with a Fluidd-style UI. But it runs on Elegoo’s own single-chip hardware architecture, which means it isn’t compatible with genuine open-source Klipper commands or the plugin ecosystem makers rely on for OctoPrint, Mainsail, or custom macros. It’s a convenience-first approach — most owners never touch the underlying firmware — but tinkerers who bought in expecting full Klipper openness should know the ecosystem is closed.
AI failure detection, without the subscription
Elegoo partnered with OctoEverywhere to bundle free, unlimited AI-powered failure detection into the Centauri Carbon’s built-in camera. It watches for spaghetti (a detached print dragging filament across the bed), bed-adhesion failures, and layer defects, and can automatically pause a job before it wastes hours of filament. The notable part is the price: OctoEverywhere offers this monitoring at no subscription cost on the Centauri series, where some competing ecosystems charge monthly for equivalent AI detection. Remote access and mobile app support come bundled in as well.
Centauri Carbon vs Bambu Lab P1S
Both are enclosed 256×256×256 mm CoreXY printers, but they represent opposite philosophies. The Centauri Carbon’s 320°C nozzle out-specs the P1S’s 300°C ceiling on paper, and at $299.99 it costs less than half the P1S’s $699 MSRP (or roughly 25–40% less than the P1S’s typical $399–$549 street price). What you give up is polish: the P1S runs Bambu’s proprietary, closed-source software that reviewers consistently praise for stability and quiet operation, while the Centauri Carbon’s fans run audibly louder and its chamber LED is dimmer. As this site’s best enclosed 3D printer guide frames it, choose the P1S for the safer, more proven ownership path, or the Centauri Carbon if minimizing spend on enclosed printing matters more than ecosystem maturity.
Bottom line
The Elegoo Centauri Carbon earns its reputation as the value story of enclosed CoreXY printing: a $299.99 machine that matches a $699 rival’s build volume and beats its nozzle temperature, backed by free AI failure detection most competitors charge for. Buy the original if you print single-material parts and want the lowest possible enclosed-printer spend. Step up to the Centauri Carbon 2 Combo (~$449) if four-color printing is worth the extra cost. Skip it only if Bambu’s quieter, more polished ecosystem is worth double the price to you.
Related guides
- Best enclosed 3D printer — how the Centauri Carbon stacks up against the Bambu P1S and other enclosed picks.
- Anycubic vs Elegoo — the Centauri Carbon against Anycubic’s closest budget rival, the Kobra S1.
- Best 3D printer for kids — why the enclosed Centauri Carbon is the safer pick for teens over an open-frame machine.