Head to head
Elegoo Centauri Carbon vs Centauri Carbon 2
A generational comparison with an unusually clean answer. The 2 publishes a hotter nozzle and includes the multi-material unit - and the original has quietly stopped being sold new.
By Scooter M. · Published · Last reviewed
How this page is funded: the buy links below are affiliate links. If you buy through one we earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It does not change the order of the picks or a word of what we say about them. Full disclosure.
Printers we claim to have tested: 0. Everyone in this category says they tested twenty machines. We have not tested any, and we would rather say so. What we did instead is on this page: the manufacturer’s own published specification for every pick, cited and dated; the arithmetic on what it costs to run, with the inputs shown; a live price rather than a remembered one; and a plain answer on who should skip each machine.
The short answer
Buy the Centauri Carbon 2. It publishes a 350 °C nozzle against the original’s 320 °C, ships as a Combo with Elegoo’s CANVAS multi-material unit included, and adds a built-in filter and a chamber regulator fan. The decision is made easier by something outside the spec sheet: when we checked, the original Centauri Carbon’s only listing from Elegoo’s official store was Used, not new. This is a generational upgrade where the previous generation has largely left the new market.
We have not printed on either machine. Everything below is from Elegoo’s published specifications for each, plus a live availability check on both.
The availability finding, first, because it decides most of this
What the second generation actually changed
Elegoo's published specifications for each generation.
| Specification | Centauri Carbon | Centauri Carbon 2 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max nozzle temperature | 320 C | 350 C | Real gain. 350 C is the highest published figure on this site under $500 |
| Max heatbed temperature | 110 C at 25 C ambient | 110 C at 25 C ambient | Unchanged |
| Build volume | 256 x 256 x 256 mm | 256 x 256 x 256 mm | Unchanged |
| Printing speed | 500 mm/s max, 250 mm/s recommended | 500 mm/s max, 250 mm/s recommended | Unchanged — and Elegoo publishes the honest recommended figure on both |
| Max acceleration | 20,000 mm/s2 | 20,000 mm/s2 | Unchanged |
| Leveling | 121-point auto-leveling | 121-point auto-leveling | Unchanged |
| Multi-color | Not offered | CANVAS included with the Combo | The biggest practical change |
| Filtration | Not published | Nano mineral crystal filter and chamber regulator fan | Real gain for ABS and ASA indoors |
| Nozzle material | Brass-hardened steel | Brass-hardened steel | Unchanged |
| Clog detection | Elegoo's own sensor table marks it absent | Not published either way | No confirmed improvement |
The honest summary: the printer is largely the same machine with a hotter nozzle, a filter and a multi-material unit added. Build volume, bed temperature, speed, acceleration and leveling are all identical. This is an iteration, not a redesign.
Does the 350 degree nozzle matter to you?
It matters if you want PC, PA or the more demanding carbon-filled grades. Elegoo puts PC and PA in the Carbon 2’s “superior” material tier, and 350 °C is genuinely higher than anything else at this price — the Bambu P1S and P2S both publish 300 °C.
It does not matter at all if your plan is PLA, PETG and the occasional ABS print. Both generations handle those, and 320 °C was already more headroom than those materials need. Our filament types guide sets out what each material actually asks for.
The multi-color unit is the change most people will feel
The Carbon 2 Combo includes CANVAS. The original did not offer a multi-material unit at all. If printing in more than one color is part of why you are buying, that is the difference that counts, and buying a bundled unit is substantially cheaper than adding one later — a point our bundle guide makes about Combo machines generally.
The honest counterpoint applies to every system of this type: each color change purges filament, so multi-color prints use noticeably more plastic than the model weighs. And Elegoo’s own footnote says the filament waste bin is not in the box — you print it yourself from a supplied model. Our guide to printing in multiple colors explains the mechanism.
The honest downsides of each
Centauri Carbon (original). Only available used from Elegoo’s official store when we checked. No multi-material option. No published filtration. Elegoo’s own sensor table marks clog detection as absent. A 320 °C nozzle, which is ample for most materials but the lower of the two.
Centauri Carbon 2 Combo. The 500 mm/s headline sits beside Elegoo’s own recommended 250 mm/s. The filament waste bin is not included. Elegoo publishes no noise figure, which matters on an enclosed machine running chamber fans. Availability has been patchy — Elegoo’s own store has shown it sold out with stock moving through Amazon. And it is more machine than a first-time PLA printer needs.
So which one
The Carbon 2, for almost everyone. It is new rather than used, the nozzle is hotter, the filter is real and the multi-material unit is in the box. Our full Carbon 2 review goes through it in detail.
The original, only if you find one new at a genuine discount, you have no interest in multi-color, and you do not need filtration. Our original Centauri Carbon review still stands on its specifications.
Neither, if you are buying a first printer for PLA. An enclosed 350 °C machine is capability you would be paying for and not using — start from the beginner roundup instead. And if enclosed is what you want, the Centauri Carbon against the Bambu P1S is the more useful comparison.
What we would buy for this
Chosen from the same registry as our roundups, on the manufacturer’s own published figures and a live price.
Elegoo Centauri Carbon 2 Combo
Elegoo · One enclosed machine that prints everything, including multi-color
An enclosed CoreXY with a 350 C nozzle, 121-point leveling and multi-color included, at a price that used to buy an open frame. The catch is the one Elegoo prints in its own footnotes: the filament waste bin is not in the box, you print it yourself.
#ad Price as of September 27, 2026, from Amazon. Prices change. How we make money.
What it actually is
A fully enclosed CoreXY printer sold with Elegoo's CANVAS multi-material unit. Enclosed means the chamber holds its heat, which is what stops ABS and ASA from curling off the plate.
What the manufacturer states
| Figure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Build volume | 256 x 256 x 256 mm | Elegoo Centauri Carbon 2 specification table |
| Printing speed | Up to 500 mm/s; Elegoo's own recommended figure is 250 mm/s | Elegoo Centauri Carbon 2 specification table |
| Acceleration | 10,000 mm/s2 default, 20,000 mm/s2 maximum | Elegoo Centauri Carbon 2 specification table |
| Max nozzle temperature | 350 C | Elegoo Centauri Carbon 2 specification table |
| Max heated bed temperature | 110 C at 25 C ambient | Elegoo Centauri Carbon 2 specification table |
| Printing accuracy | +/- 0.1 mm | Elegoo Centauri Carbon 2 specification table |
| Layer thickness | 0.1 - 0.4 mm, 0.2 mm recommended | Elegoo Centauri Carbon 2 specification table |
| Extruder | Dual-gear direct extruder, 1 fan; brass-hardened steel 0.4 mm nozzle | Elegoo Centauri Carbon 2 specification table |
| Leveling | 121-point auto-leveling | Elegoo Centauri Carbon 2 specification table |
| Build plate | Dual-sided spring steel sheet - textured PEI and a PLA-specific surface | Elegoo Centauri Carbon 2 specification table |
| Heat break | Titanium alloy | Elegoo Centauri Carbon 2 specification table |
| Z axis | 3 lead screws and 3 linear guide rods | Elegoo Centauri Carbon 2 specification table |
| Multi-color | CANVAS capability - included with the Combo, sold separately for the base machine | Elegoo Centauri Carbon 2 specification table |
| Supported filament | Ideal: PLA, PETG, TPU, PLA-CF. Superior: ABS/ABS-CF, ASA/ASA-CF, PET/PET-CF, PETG-CF, PC, PA. Capable: PPS/PPS-CF/PPS-GF, PPA-CF/PPA-GF | Elegoo Centauri Carbon 2 specification table |
| Ambient temperature | 5 - 40 C | Elegoo Centauri Carbon 2 specification table |
| Screen and system | 5-inch color capacitive touchscreen running ELEGOO OS | Elegoo Centauri Carbon 2 specification table |
| Connectivity | USB and Wi-Fi | Elegoo Centauri Carbon 2 specification table |
| Slicing software | ElegooSlicer recommended; Orca and Cura also supported | Elegoo Centauri Carbon 2 specification table |
| Filtration | Built-in nano mineral crystal filter and a chamber temperature regulator fan | Elegoo Centauri Carbon 2 specification table |
Read from Elegoo, Centauri Carbon 2 product page and specification table on 2026-09-21. Where a manufacturer does not publish a figure, there is no row for it here.
What is good about it
- Fully enclosed with a tempered glass door, which is what ABS and ASA actually need
- 350 C nozzle - the highest published figure of any machine on this site under $500
- Multi-color is included rather than an upgrade, unlike most machines at this price
- 121-point leveling and a dual-sided PEI plate, so the first layer is not the owner's problem
- Built-in filter and a chamber regulator fan, which no open-frame machine can offer
What is not
- The 500 mm/s headline sits next to Elegoo's own recommended 250 mm/s - half the number on the box
- The filament waste bin is not supplied; Elegoo's footnote says you print it yourself from a file on the USB drive
- Multi-color printing wastes filament on every color change, and the bin fills fast
- Elegoo publishes no noise figure, which matters more on an enclosed machine that runs fans
- Elegoo's own store has been showing it sold out, so availability has been through Amazon rather than direct
- More machine than a first-time buyer needs if the plan is PLA models and nothing else
Skip this one if
Skip it if you only ever intend to print PLA. You would be paying for a heated chamber, a 350 C nozzle and a multi-material unit to do a job a $249 open frame does just as well.
What we cannot tell you
We have not printed on this machine. How quiet the enclosure really is, how much filament CANVAS wastes per color change, and how long the nano mineral crystal filter lasts are all unpublished and would need a unit in hand.
How it scored for a beginner
- Setup out of the box8.5
- Auto-calibration9.0
- First-layer forgiveness9.0
- Material range9.5
- Running cost7.0
- Published data8.5
Beginner fit 8.4 / 10. That is our editorial read of how well this suits someone buying their first printer, taken off the published specifications — not a test result, and not a verdict on absolute quality. It is deliberately not marked up as a rating in this page’s structured data. How we pick.
Elegoo Centauri Carbon
Elegoo · An enclosed printer without an enclosed-printer budget
An enclosed CoreXY printer at a price that used to buy an open frame. If the reason you are hesitating about a beginner machine is that you can already see yourself outgrowing it, this is the one that answers that.
#ad Price as of September 27, 2026, from Amazon. Prices change. How we make money.
What it actually is
A boxed CoreXY machine with a steel chassis and aluminum and glass panels. The enclosure holds chamber heat, which is what lets it handle materials that shrink and peel on an open frame.
What the manufacturer states
| Figure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Build volume | 256 x 256 x 256 mm | Elegoo Centauri Carbon product specifications |
| Motion system | CoreXY | Elegoo Centauri Carbon product specifications |
| Enclosure | Fully enclosed; steel chassis with aluminum and glass shell | Elegoo Centauri Carbon product specifications |
| Maximum speed | 500 mm/s | Elegoo Centauri Carbon product specifications |
| Maximum acceleration | 20,000 mm/s2 (10,000 mm/s2 default) | Elegoo Centauri Carbon product specifications |
| Max nozzle temperature | 320 C | Elegoo Centauri Carbon product specifications |
| Max heated bed temperature | 110 C at 25 C ambient | Elegoo Centauri Carbon product specifications |
| Supported filament | PLA, PETG, ABS, ASA, TPU, PET, PC, PA and carbon or glass fiber reinforced grades | Elegoo Centauri Carbon product specifications |
| Bed leveling | 121-point auto-leveling; full-auto calibration | Elegoo Centauri Carbon product specifications |
| Print accuracy | +/- 0.1 mm | Elegoo Centauri Carbon product specifications |
| Machine size and weight | 398 x 404 x 490 mm, 17.5 kg | Elegoo Centauri Carbon product specifications |
| Rated power | 350 W at 110 V | Elegoo Centauri Carbon product specifications |
| Operating sound | 55 dB or below | Elegoo Centauri Carbon product specifications |
Read from Elegoo, Centauri Carbon product page on 2026-09-06. Where a manufacturer does not publish a figure, there is no row for it here.
What is good about it
- Fully enclosed at a price that competes with open-frame machines
- 20,000 mm/s2 rated acceleration, matching the enclosed Bambu
- 256 mm cubed — the same working envelope as an A1 or a P1S
- The enclosure contains noise and smell, which decides whether a printer can live in a bedroom
What is not
- A newer platform than the Bambu and Creality lines, so there is less community troubleshooting behind it
- An enclosure adds a heat-soak wait to PLA prints in a warm room
- Larger and heavier than any open-frame machine here
- Nothing about the enclosure makes the first print easier — it makes later prints possible
Skip this one if
Skip it if PLA is all you will ever print and your printer lives in a spare room. You are paying for a box you will not use. The enclosure earns its money on ABS, ASA and a shared living space, not on PLA in a garage.
What we cannot tell you
We have not printed on this machine. Chamber temperature in practice, panel fit and finish, and long-term CoreXY belt tension are not published numbers.
How it scored for a beginner
- Setup out of the box8.5
- Auto-calibration8.5
- First-layer forgiveness8.5
- Parts and filament availability7.5
- Running cost8.0
- Help when it goes wrong7.5
Beginner fit 8.3 / 10. That is our editorial read of how well this suits someone buying their first printer, taken off the published specifications — not a test result, and not a verdict on absolute quality. It is deliberately not marked up as a rating in this page’s structured data. How we pick.
How these were picked
We have not printed on these machines and we do not pretend to have. What we did was read each manufacturer’s own specification page, take their stated build volume, temperatures and speeds, check that every pick genuinely fits the job in this page’s title, confirm it is still being sold, and pull a live price rather than a remembered one. Every figure names the source it came from, so you can check it yourself in about a minute.
How we pick sets out the full method, including what would change a ranking.
Questions people actually ask
+−What is the difference between the Centauri Carbon and Carbon 2?
The Carbon 2 publishes a 350 °C nozzle against the original’s 320 °C, adds a built-in nano mineral crystal filter and a chamber regulator fan, and is sold as a Combo with Elegoo’s CANVAS multi-material unit included. Build volume, bed temperature, speed, acceleration and 121-point leveling are identical on both.
+−Is the Centauri Carbon still available?
Not new from Elegoo’s official store, as far as we could verify. When we checked, its official listing showed as Used condition while the Carbon 2 Combo showed as New from the same seller. Treat the original as a used-market purchase.
+−Is the Carbon 2 worth the upgrade if I own the original?
Probably not for the printer itself, since build volume, bed temperature, speed and leveling are unchanged. The upgrade case rests on wanting multi-color printing or the built-in filtration, or on needing the extra 30 °C at the nozzle for PC and PA.