Creality K3 Review: 4 Nozzles, More Colours and a Lot Less Filament Waste?
Creality K3 Review: 4 Nozzles, More Colours and a Lot Less Filament Waste?
I've been 3D printing since 2020, and in that time I've gone from constantly tinkering with an Ender 3 Pro to running multiple printers for my business.
So when Creality offered to send m
e their new K3 to review, I was particularly interested in one thing: the new KliTek nozzle-changing system.
Instead of repeatedly flushing different colours through one nozzle, the K3 has four independent nozzle assemblies that it can automatically swap between. It can also create additional colour shades by layering different filaments, and you can even use different nozzle diameters within the same print.
I've spent about a week testing the machine, printing everything from Pokémon models to a rather impressive multicoloured rooster.
And I'll say this now: I liked the K3 enough that I'm seriously considering buying more of them.
But there are a few things I would change.
Disclosure: Creality provided the K3 for this review. I wasn't paid to produce the video, and the opinions here are my own.
Watch my full Creality K3 review
I've documented the setup, nozzle changes, colour mixing, test prints, software and my final verdict in the video below.
If you'd rather see everything in action, the video goes through the entire experience, including the real nozzle-changing mechanism and all three test prints.
My history with Creality
My first 3D printer was an Ender 3 Pro, which I bought during lockdown in 2020.
Looking back, I'm actually glad I started with it. I learned an enormous amount about how 3D printers work, mostly because I spent so much time repairing it and printing upgrades.
Since then, I've used several other Creality machines, including the CR-10 V3 and K1, and I've had experience with the K2 through work.
Not every experience has been perfect. I had some issues with my K1, so I was naturally a little cautious about testing another new Creality machine.
The K3 feels like a substantial step forward from those early days.
Unboxing and getting started
The first thing you'll notice about the K3 is that it's heavy.
I'd recommend having somebody help you lift it, although I managed on my own after a bit of a struggle.
Once it's out of the box, the setup is reasonably straightforward. Most of the components are either inside the printer or included in the accessory packaging.
You get the CFS Nano filament-feeding system, labelled cables, the necessary tools and a double-sided textured PEI build plate.
There are a couple of things to watch out for.
First, remove the screws securing the print bed and the retaining brackets inside the machine. Otherwise, things aren't going to move as intended.
Secondly, pay attention when installing the spool holders. I initially fitted one of the brackets the wrong way around, which meant having to go back and correct it.
The nozzle assemblies are surprisingly easy to install. They attach magnetically and connect using USB-C-style connections, PTFE tubing and two securing screws per assembly.
After approximately 15 minutes of initial calibration, I was ready to get started.
Some key specifications
| Feature | Specification |
|---|---|
| Build volume | 260 × 260 × 260 mm |
| Maximum advertised print speed | 500 mm/s |
| Maximum nozzle temperature | 300°C |
| Maximum heated-bed temperature | 100°C |
| Filament paths / nozzle assemblies | Four |
| Standard nozzle diameter | 0.4 mm |
An optional top cover and mixed-diameter nozzle kit are available separately. I tested an additional 0.8 mm nozzle during this review.
Creality has also discussed a future TPU kit, but I haven't tested that.
KliTek: The feature that makes the K3 interesting
This is the part that really caught my attention.
The K3 doesn't have to flush the previous filament colour out of a shared nozzle every time it changes colour.
Instead, it parks one nozzle assembly and picks up another.
Creality advertises nozzle changes of approximately five seconds, and watching the mechanism in person, I can see why. It's genuinely quick.
It's also quite satisfying to watch.
The big advantage is reducing the amount of plastic that would otherwise be wasted flushing one colour out before loading another.
There is still some waste, and the printer still uses a prime tower to maintain consistent extrusion after changes. It's not a completely waste-free process.
But it's a different approach to conventional single-nozzle multicolour printing, and I'm particularly interested in what it could mean for a print farm over time.
Four nozzles, but more than four colours?
One of the more interesting additions to Creality Print is the ability to create extra colour shades through layered filament mixing.
Rather than physically melting several colours together, the slicer alternates thin layers of different filaments to create the appearance of another shade.
I experimented with this on my first print, a Pokémon Eevee.
I had mixed results when choosing my own colour combinations. One brown mixture didn't quite come out as I'd hoped.
That said, the feature itself is fascinating, especially when you're trying to get more colour variation from a limited number of physical filaments.
My first print: Eevee
My Eevee took 10 hours and 20 minutes to print, according to the result I recorded, and Creality Print listed approximately 290.83 g of filament.
The slicer also reported:
-
969 nozzle changes
-
85.60 g of prime-tower material
-
0.2 mm layer height
-
5% Gyroid infill
-
No supports
The finished print looked excellent.
The bottom layer was clean, the overall detail was lovely, and there was very little to complain about beyond a bit of fine stringing.
There was still a prime tower, but the amount of loose discarded filament was surprisingly small considering how many nozzle changes the machine had performed.
This was the first result that made me start thinking seriously about the K3's potential in a print farm.
Can different nozzle sizes save time?
For my second major test, I wanted to try combining different nozzle diameters.
The model was a large Pokémon Wailord storage bowl, which gave me an opportunity to test a 0.8 mm nozzle alongside the standard 0.4 mm nozzles.
Creality Print lets you assign specific nozzles to different printing features, including infill and supports.
I kept the finer nozzles for the visible detail, then assigned the larger 0.8 mm nozzle to infill and supports.
For the same model and slicing conditions, the estimates were:
| Wailord test | All 0.4 mm | Mixed 0.4/0.8 mm |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated print time | 11h 16m | 8h 59m |
| Estimated filament | 305.59 g | 362.04 g |
That's a 2-hour, 17-minute estimated saving, or around 20% less printing time.
The trade-off was approximately 56 g of additional filament.
So using a bigger nozzle can save time, but it doesn't automatically make a print more material-efficient.
These were slicer estimates, rather than two physically timed comparison prints. I also haven't strength-tested the finished parts, so I wouldn't claim a proven strength improvement from this particular experiment.
Unfortunately, I managed to lose the footage of Wailord printing, and I hadn't enabled the timelapse either.
I also accidentally paused the machine partway through the job.
The finished print wasn't perfect. There were some visible creases along the side, although I can't confidently attribute those to the 0.8 mm nozzle alone.
It's something I'd like to investigate further, especially with models better suited to combining different nozzle sizes.
The multicolour rooster: My favourite print
For my final test, I wanted something that would really show off the K3's layered colour-mixing capabilities.
I chose a multicoloured rooster by Mugong Creations on Creality Cloud.
And this is easily one of my favourite models I've ever printed.
The model uses white, yellow, red and black filaments, but creates additional shades by alternating the colours in carefully chosen areas.
You can see orange, multiple shades of yellow, and some excellent transitions throughout the feathers, beak and feet.
It looks incredibly effective.
If you look very closely, you can see the individual layers creating the colour effect.
But at a normal viewing distance, the result is brilliant.
The model needed supports, and I unfortunately chipped a small part of the tail while removing them. Nothing a little glue can't fix.
That's a minor issue compared with how pleased I am with the overall result.
The slicer reported 1,000 filament changes, with an estimated 203.45 g total filament usage, including 78.43 g for the prime tower.
This is the print that really sold me on the colour-mixing possibilities.
Creality Print, the touchscreen and the mobile app
I spent quite a lot of time exploring the K3's software and interface.
The touchscreen has the usual controls you'd expect, including filament loading, temperatures, movement, calibration, nozzle information and print management.
I particularly liked how easy the CFS Nano made filament loading. You feed the filament into the system, and its motors pull it through automatically.
There's also the Creality Cloud mobile app, which lets you access your printers remotely, monitor jobs and browse models.
The K3's built-in camera is 720p. I'd have liked something higher resolution, although the footage is usable for checking on a print.
There are also configurable features including spaghetti detection, foreign-object detection and build-plate detection. I explored those settings, but I haven't independently tested every detection scenario.
One feature I was pleased to see is the availability of root access for users who want more control over their printers.
What I really like about the Creality K3
Beyond the nozzle-changing technology, one thing genuinely surprised me: the build quality.
For some reason, I expected the white exterior panels to feel a little cheap.
They don't.
The machine is incredibly sturdy. I couldn't detect any noticeable flex in the frame or outer panels, and the whole thing feels reassuringly solid.
It's built like a tank.
Another small detail I appreciate is the area underneath the print bed. The floor is easy to access and clean, so removing bits of discarded filament is much less awkward than on some of my other printers.
That might not sound particularly exciting, but when you're regularly using multiple printers, those little conveniences matter.
What I don't like
The biggest drawback for me is noise.
The K3 is loud when printing, and that's something to consider if you're planning to keep it in a home office.
There was also a noticeably harsh sound when unloading filament.
I raised it with Creality, who explained that the sound comes from filament striking the cutter during feeding and retraction. They said they're working on optimisations to reduce it in future firmware updates.
It's good to have an explanation, although I'd still prefer the mechanism to be quieter.
My other criticism is the optional top cover.
For a machine in this class, I would have liked to see it included. If you're planning to print materials that benefit from an enclosed chamber, that's another accessory to consider.
Finally, the machine I've been testing is a pre-release unit. My experience has been positive so far, but a week of testing isn't enough to establish long-term reliability.
Would I actually buy a Creality K3?
Yes.
And I don't say that lightly.
After spending years running different 3D printers, I can genuinely see myself buying more K3s and replacing some of the older machines in my setup.
The nozzle-changing system makes a lot of sense for multicolour production. Less repeated filament flushing means less material being thrown away, while the ability to use different nozzle diameters adds another level of flexibility.
There are downsides.
It's loud, it's a significant investment, some accessories cost extra, and colour mixing still takes experimentation.
But the prints I've produced have impressed me, the machine feels well built, and I haven't encountered any major reliability problems during my initial testing.
Creality listed the printer at US$849 at the time I recorded my review, although UK availability wasn't confirmed then. Check their website for current local pricing and availability.
Would I recommend buying one immediately without considering alternatives or your actual printing needs? Not necessarily.
But if you're serious about multicolour 3D printing, the K3 is absolutely a machine I'd put on your shortlist.
I'm looking forward to using it more over the coming months and sharing any issues I encounter as well as the things it does well.
Models featured in this review
Pokémon Chibi Eevee — SnapPrint3D_SuperCrazyPrints
Download on MakerWorld
Pokémon Wailord Storage Bowl — molamola
Download on MakerWorld
Big Rooster — Mixed Colours — Mugong Creations (木公)
Download on Creality Cloud
Find out more
Creality K3 — Official Product Page
Creality supplied the review unit. This article reflects my experience with the pre-release machine and my findings at the time of testing.