Ranked #7 of 8 3D printers
Elegoo Centauri Carbon 2 Combo Review (2026)
Four colors, enclosed, quiet — for $369 on sale.
Prices and specs verified September 2026. How we rate products.
Elegoo’s answer to its own hit product is straightforward: take everything that made the Centauri Carbon the value king, and bolt on the one thing it lacked — multicolor. The Carbon 2 Combo integrates the CANVAS four-color system with RFID auto-detect, keeps the enclosed CoreXY design, and bumps the nozzle to 350 °C hardened steel for engineering filaments. At $449 list — and $369 on recent sales — it is the cheapest enclosed multicolor printer on the market.
It is also notably quiet: ~45 dB claimed, which reviewers confirm is library-level for this category. GamesRadar found it beginner-friendly with reliable, detailed results, and the 5-inch touchscreen plus full-auto calibration keep setup approachable.
The caution lights: buyer ratings sit at 3.8/5 versus 4.3/5 for Bambu’s P1S Combo, with complaints about connectivity, fiddly initial assembly of the upper shield and filament hub, and AI detection false positives. Filament sits outside the enclosure, so humid-climate buyers need dry storage. It is tremendous value with rougher edges — we’ve marked the score provisional until more owner data accumulates.
Pros & cons
Pros
- Four-color printing included at $449 list — cheapest enclosed multicolor
- Enclosed CoreXY with 350 °C hardened-steel nozzle
- Quiet: ~45 dB claimed — library-level for a 3D printer
- Beginner-friendly: full-auto calibration, big 5″ touchscreen
- Handles engineering filaments (PC, fiber-reinforced) at this price
Cons
- Buyer rating 3.8/5 — satisfaction trails Bambu rivals
- External filament storage — humidity management is on you
- Fiddly first setup (upper shield + filament hub fit)
- Connectivity issues and AI-detection false positives reported
- Purge-based multicolor still wastes filament
Key specs
- Build volume
- 256 × 256 × 256 mm
- Max speed
- 500 mm/s
- Motion
- CoreXY, enclosed
- Multicolor
- CANVAS — 4 colors, RFID auto-detect
- Nozzle
- Hardened steel, 350 °C max
- Bed
- Dual-sided flex plate, 110 °C, auto leveling
- Noise
- ~45 dB (official)
- Connectivity
- Wi-Fi, LAN, USB
Who it is for
Best for
- Budget multicolor
- Quiet rooms
- Engineering filaments on a budget
Not for
- Buyers wanting the most polished multicolor
- Humid climates without dry storage
- Plug-and-play purists
Frequently asked questions
Is the Carbon 2 better than the Bambu Lab A1 Combo?
It is enclosed (better for ABS/ASA) and quieter, with a higher-temp nozzle. The A1 Combo has more polished software, a bigger community, and higher buyer satisfaction. Pick your priority.
Does the CANVAS system waste filament like other multicolor systems?
Yes — it is a single-nozzle purge system, so color changes purge filament. Only toolchanger designs like the Snapmaker U1 avoid purge waste.
Why is the score provisional?
The Carbon 2 launched in January 2026, so long-term owner data is still thin and buyer ratings are mixed. We publish the score with the warning rather than pretending certainty.