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Tiny and Powerful - Sovol Zero Review
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Jun 10, 2025
🔥 Order the Sovol Zero here (with all the extras): https://geni.us/SovolZero The Sovol Zero is a tiny CoreXY 3D printer based on the open-source Voron 0.1 design—but don’t let its size fool you. With features like a blade part-cooling fan, PEI spring steel bed, carbon-filtered exhaust, and a built-in webcam, this machine is punching well above its weight. It runs Orca Slicer out of the box, offers a surprisingly smooth setup, and has more mod potential than most entry-level FDM printers. But does it actually deliver on print quality, speed, and reliability? In this review, we dive deep into real-world results, firmware quirks, slicer workflow, and why this might be a serious alternative to printers like the Bambu A1 Mini or even the Prusa CoreXY. Whether you're chasing performance, tinkering freedom, or just a fun print experience, this one might surprise you. #SovolZero #3DPrinting #Voron #CoreXY #FDMPrinter #OrcaSlicer #Mini3DPrinter #Budget3DPrinter #PrintQuality #Home3DPrinting #SovolReview #3DPrintTech #FDMReview #MakerGear #Sovol 👇 WANT THE BEST MINIATURES? START HERE Loot Studios ➜ https://geni.us/LootStudios MyMiniFactory ➜ https://geni.us/MyMiniFactory OnePageRules ➜ https://geni.us/OnePageRules TitanForge ➜ https://geni.us/TitanForge 🎯 Nail perfect exposure on any resin printer with the Photonsters XP Range Finder: Download ➜ https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6023738 Watch How ➜ https://youtu.be/Gm0-z971tgY 💥 EXCLUSIVE PERKS? JOIN THE CHANNEL ➜ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_9Jsf3SP8aMJgn0xv5jHjA/join
View Video Transcript
0:00
i've actually had more fun with the
0:01
Soval Zero than most other printers I've
0:03
played with recently and I have to say
0:06
Soval is a brand that I really do want
0:08
to champion you see when it comes to
0:10
budget printer brands that usually means
0:12
us having numerous printer companies
0:14
copy the most expensive brands but
0:16
having fewer and cheaper components or a
0:19
reduced quality of life workflow and
0:21
that's not a bad thing it saves us money
0:24
when we're on a budget however those
0:26
cost reductions often result in a less
0:29
reliable product and sometimes more
0:31
headaches what I like about Soval is
0:34
they're kind of going in their own
0:36
direction a direction that people like
0:38
Prusser are going they aren't being shy
0:40
about what these printers are and they
0:43
are now fully leaning into their
0:44
printers being mostly preassembled Voron
0:47
machines which by the way is an open-
0:49
source 3D printing design platform truly
0:52
flying the flag of rep wraps still in
0:54
2025 if you don't know some of those
0:57
words please Google them i'm not
0:58
covering it here it's too deep a rabbit
1:00
hole but I have to say that what we have
1:02
here despite its very limited size is a
1:05
printer that I genuinely have had an
1:07
awesome time with and despite this being
1:09
aimed at a more tinkerer crowd as a home
1:12
hobbyist user dare I say it yeah I dare
1:15
this is actually more feature- packed
1:18
than a Prussa Core 1 so after dropping
1:20
that bombshell all that's left to say is
1:22
"Hi I'm Ross and this is Fammer Videos
1:26
right first off unboxing and assembly."
1:28
Actually no let's skip unboxing you take
1:31
it out of the box which is easy to do
1:32
because it's small and light assembly is
1:34
straightforward not the easiest it's
1:37
pretty easy but I mean straightforward
1:39
specifically thanks to its pretty decent
1:42
instruction manual all you have to do is
1:44
attach the screen to the cables sticking
1:45
out the front which are clearly labeled
1:47
which one goes in which socket attach
1:49
the filament reel holder on the back the
1:51
runout sensor off the side feed the
1:53
included PTFE tube through the printer
1:56
into the hotend attach the Wi-Fi antenna
1:59
turn it on let it run through its
2:00
calibration and it's ready to print
2:02
however I want to dive straight into the
2:04
issues I've had with this printer and
2:06
the main ones I want to call out are on
2:08
the externals first of all the port
2:10
placement the power socket and rocker
2:12
switch are on the left hand side of the
2:13
machine which leaves you with this big
2:15
bulky cable sticking out so for those of
2:18
you like most of us in the UK this takes
2:21
up a little extra horizontal real estate
2:23
on worktops that we could fill by you
2:25
know sitting another device up close and
2:27
on the right side of the machine at the
2:29
back you've got a similar issue because
2:31
this is where the ports are for Ethernet
2:33
USB and HDMI now those first two ports
2:36
are obvious but the latter port is
2:38
actually used to connect up an optional
2:39
touchscreen UI that doesn't come as
2:42
standard but we'll come on to UI
2:43
separately and as previously mentioned
2:45
the Wi-Fi antenna sticks off the right
2:47
hand side too but none of these things
2:49
have functional impact they're mostly
2:52
just untidy elements what I'm unhappy
2:55
happy unhappy with that'll make sense in
2:57
a mo is the filament holder and runout
3:00
sensor mounting locations so the
3:02
filament spool holder is on the back
3:04
which I've complained about on other
3:06
printers so I don't like this generally
3:08
but because it's on the back right side
3:11
I can still easily access it to change
3:13
filament spools which is something I do
3:15
like however it's the runout sensor
3:17
positioning that makes this difficult
3:19
because when actually loading the
3:21
filament you need to give the printer an
3:23
awkward reach around i don't know if
3:25
there is one that isn't awkward just
3:27
maybe don't stare directly in the
3:28
printer's eyes as you're doing it anyway
3:30
when you do this you have to pull the
3:32
filament line clumsily into the runout
3:35
sensor towards yourself now thankfully
3:38
Aurora Tech another great YouTube
3:40
channel has designed a whole new mount
3:42
for this that will hang off the side and
3:44
if you want a more technical review of
3:46
this machine please check out her
3:48
channel because as I said it is awesome
3:51
i'm more about the overall user
3:53
experience side of things though it's
3:55
still nice to see that we've both come
3:57
to a very similar conclusion anyway as I
3:59
was saying I don't like the mounting
4:01
location for the filament i do like that
4:02
it's accessible and I don't like the
4:04
runout sensor positioning thankfully
4:06
it's moddable and that's some of what
4:08
you should expect with Soval machines
4:10
they are targeted at the more
4:12
projectybased user anyway and on the
4:14
plus side and I wish we saw this more
4:17
right where the PTFE tube enters the
4:19
printer there is a PTFE tube coupler so
4:22
for anyone wanting to use an external
4:24
filament dryer for example this is an
4:27
ideal consideration that other brands
4:29
don't often do now as I said the build
4:31
of this machine is based on the Voron
4:33
Zero which is something you can build
4:35
yourself if you check out Voron's
4:37
website this is based on a Zero kit with
4:40
the framework being made up of aluminium
4:42
extrusion the body is also aluminum
4:44
sheets with the door and lid both being
4:47
made out of glass and the lid also has
4:49
these small plastic latches in each
4:51
corner unlike other machines though I
4:53
suspect this is to stop the lid shifting
4:55
as the loose PTFE tube shifts internally
4:58
now you could attach this tube to the
5:00
hotend's cable chain but this loose
5:02
method prevents the sharp angle that the
5:04
filament needs to overcome in the last
5:06
few centm before entering the extruder
5:08
gear a problem on a few other machines i
5:11
think the key thing to be aware of in
5:13
this machine in case it wasn't already
5:14
obvious is that it is tiny in terms of
5:17
build volume it's only
5:20
152.4x 152.4 with a build height of
5:24
152.5 i'm not sure why that extra tenth
5:27
of a millimeter was even worth
5:28
developing and it's got a two-sided PEI
5:31
plate which you can guide into place
5:32
using two tabs at the back of the build
5:34
platform though there's no horizontal
5:37
guidance tabs but this is small enough
5:39
to easily maneuver without them and it's
5:41
even got an integrated nozzle wiper
5:44
which is handy for preprint cleaning but
5:46
yeah this is the smallest FDM printer
5:48
I've ever used smaller even than the
5:50
Bamboo A1 Mini and I did struggle with
5:53
it as the project I built on this
5:55
machine for this video another one of
5:57
Tame Grip's prop weapons had to have
5:59
about 30% of the parts printed on a
6:02
different larger printer but I'll come
6:03
back to showing you the rest of this
6:05
build as I go through my conclusion
6:07
anyway this has got some cool features
6:09
there's a part cooling blade fan across
6:11
the rear of the printer and that brings
6:13
air in across the part and at the lower
6:15
back corner is an exhaust fan to get hot
6:17
air out of the chamber there's also a
6:19
magnetic cover to put over this when
6:22
using more potentially hazardous
6:23
materials like ABS when this cover is in
6:26
place the air won't be exhausted
6:28
straight out but it'll actually be
6:30
forced to pass over a carbon filter in
6:32
the top of this unit beforehand just
6:35
remember to move it before printing with
6:37
PLA i forgot at one point and ended up
6:39
with a couple of extruder jams before I
6:41
remembered but at least this lets me
6:43
talk about and show off maintenance on
6:45
this printer the hotend cover is easily
6:48
removable thanks to its clips and
6:49
swapping out the nozzle is just three
6:51
screws and if you need to access the
6:53
extruder as I did it's just two extra
6:56
screws to disconnect the controller
6:57
board and then unscrew the nut from the
6:59
extruder tension arm to access the
7:01
filament once you've done that this was
7:03
enough clearance for me to cut out the
7:05
material that had deformed in the
7:06
extruder due to the excess heat pop it
7:09
all back together and continue printing
7:11
and I really wish more brands would give
7:13
us this much access to the extruder
7:14
mechanism as it's one of the more
7:16
frustrating issues to tackle much like a
7:18
paper jam on 2D printers I can't see us
7:21
ever eradicating this potential problem
7:24
so it would be good to see brands lean
7:26
into it with better ways to resolve it
7:28
just it being more accessible here makes
7:31
this one of the better ones in my humble
7:33
opinion now one of the other features
7:34
where this offers functionality beyond
7:36
even the Prussa Core 1 is the inclusion
7:39
of a webcam now I understand why Prussa
7:41
left it as an optional extra but I
7:44
personally like these both for using in
7:47
my videos that I put out but also remote
7:50
monitoring and post-print issue
7:52
diagnosis though I have to say the image
7:54
quality here is awful it's both low
7:58
resolution and the footage is really
8:00
noisy and this isn't in low light
8:03
conditions either the printer has a
8:04
built-in chamber light but I also had my
8:07
studio lights pointed right at it one
8:09
thing I did notice is that the machine
8:11
has no tangle detection at one point I
8:13
thought I had another clog even though
8:15
I'd removed the internal fan cover but
8:17
it turns out I'd actually gotten my
8:18
filament snagged that's my bad and it
8:21
happens feel free to complain at me
8:22
about this if you've never made a
8:24
mistake terra is human but by that logic
8:27
I'm probably human more often than most
8:29
anyway it would have been nice if this
8:31
printer could have detected this and
8:32
paused but sadly no maybe that's a mod
8:35
you could do moving on to the UI this is
8:38
as basic as they come in fact it's more
8:40
basic than most come now there's no
8:42
touch screen here just a monochrome
8:44
screen filled with lists of functions
8:46
and a control dial that has three
8:49
functions turn clockwise or
8:50
counterclockwise and push in to click
8:53
this is a rather legacy interface for
8:55
modern printers but it is workable in
8:58
the most part and again if you want you
9:00
can install a clipper interface
9:01
touchcreen that Soal sell i guess if I
9:04
do another Soval review I might actually
9:06
ask them for one of these to try out now
9:08
I say it's workable but I do still find
9:10
some of these functions a bit limited
9:11
for example when changing filament the
9:14
only options are load or unload with no
9:16
direct way to set the extrusion length
9:18
so when I was changing colors it would
9:20
often extrude to an amount that was
9:22
always not quite a full color change
9:24
leading me to have to go all the way
9:26
back into this function from the home
9:28
menu and do it again at least until I
9:31
realized you can quickly manually
9:33
extrude some more before the nozzle
9:35
cooled by just turning the gear on the
9:36
back of the hotend unit and yeah it took
9:39
me longer than it should have to figure
9:40
out why there was no extrude function on
9:42
the UI when I was dealing with the clogs
9:44
I had until I realized I didn't need one
9:46
cuz there's a big bloody valve on the
9:48
back another strange thing is connecting
9:50
to Wi-Fi it's odd here now when you get
9:53
the printer or at least in my case and
9:55
how it should be when you get it it was
9:57
in its factory reset state to pass this
10:00
you need to run the outof-box
10:01
calibration such as leveling and
10:03
resonance detection the usual stuff you
10:06
also need to do this after a firmware
10:08
update too which I was pleased to see is
10:10
available as an overtheair update rather
10:12
than a manual download to an external
10:14
USB drive but for how smart that is
10:17
Wi-Fi yeah you need to actually open a
10:20
config file on the root of the USB drive
10:23
enter your Wi-Fi's ID and password in
10:26
here save it plug that USB drive into
10:29
the printer and restart it then you need
10:31
to go into the menus and I think
10:33
advanced and click and then show IP on
10:35
the printer in order for it to then save
10:38
and hold those credentials so it can
10:40
connect it's really janky and I'd at
10:42
least like the option of being able to
10:44
do this in the UI overall though it's a
10:48
passable and workable interface but
10:50
other brands with similar interfaces
10:52
have shown much cleaner workflows where
10:54
the user in real world scenarios has
10:57
been considered a lot more but again I
10:59
kind of want to expect stuff like this
11:01
from a machine like this and finally the
11:04
slicer and this I think is the main
11:07
thing I love about Soval there's no
11:09
pissing about with Soval slicer or any
11:12
of that crap that they've made and
11:14
branded they don't have one they
11:16
literally just ship this with Orca now
11:18
in my version because I had this printer
11:20
sent to me for free pre-release I had to
11:23
manually add the profiles and muck
11:25
around with files on my PC but if you
11:27
download the latest version of Orca now
11:29
this machine and its profiles should be
11:32
there though they were limited to
11:34
nothing more than 0.2 mm height profiles
11:37
per generic material type and what I
11:39
love about Orcer is the fact that well
11:41
we know it we understand it we know
11:43
where everything is the only thing
11:45
that's even slightly different is the
11:47
more detailed interface in Orca for
11:50
monitoring the printer this is the web
11:52
interface and it is a bit weird because
11:54
if you want to download the time-lapses
11:56
from this interface you actually need to
11:58
access the printer via this interface in
12:01
its web UI which is basically the same
12:03
UI but you type the IP address into a
12:05
web browser otherwise you can't download
12:08
time-lapses through Orca but anyway
12:10
there's no Soval cloud app but you can
12:13
monitor it remotely using the
12:15
open-source OBO app which they actually
12:17
recommend in the instruction manual
12:19
again though overall I actually want to
12:21
thank Soval for doing what we want from
12:23
most other brands and just giving us
12:25
Orca on the USB stick so now then as the
12:28
first part of the conclusion printing my
12:31
first print was the built-in Beny test
12:33
and as this was printing this moved
12:36
faster than any printer I've ever seen
12:39
before in person i think the audio of
12:41
this clip actually has me exclaiming
12:44
hell as I stood there watching the whole
12:47
thing print mesmerized by how fast it
12:50
was going but as for quality well I've
12:53
said this so often now that I'm getting
12:54
a bit sick of it the faster the print in
12:57
most cases the worse the quality and
13:00
here it's not great with warped walls
13:02
low detail and gaps in the upper
13:05
surfaces the benchi I printed later
13:07
using the profile in the slicer took
13:09
closer to 30 minutes and is visually
13:12
much better however when it comes to
13:15
overall print speed there is a little
13:17
bit of time saved here in how long it
13:19
takes for everything to get ready
13:21
because the nozzle and the small bed
13:24
heat up incredibly fast and the printer
13:26
also does its leveling detection through
13:29
what is called an Eddie current sensor
13:31
so instead of it touching all the
13:33
various points of the bed this just
13:35
quickly scans over the surface and gets
13:38
to printing and as for how accurate that
13:40
is well I ran a first layer test on this
13:42
and it came off pretty decent not the
13:45
best but well this was my experience
13:47
with pretty much all the prints it was
13:49
just a little sub okay out of the box
13:53
and I do need to say that with all my
13:54
prints this is loud and this is the case
13:58
fan and airflow noise more than anything
14:00
something I've pointed out with the
14:01
Soval SV8 and many users of that printer
14:04
actually made it their first task to
14:06
change to quieter fans i think the same
14:08
can be said and should be done here and
14:11
one annoyance that I think needs a
14:13
firmware update is that every time I
14:16
finished a print the external case fan
14:18
would just spin eternally it never went
14:20
off at least not in the 8 hours I tested
14:23
it for it did seem to resolve this after
14:26
I did a firmware update but three or
14:28
four prints later it just kept spinning
14:31
forever again following every print bit
14:33
weird anyway the overall out ofbox
14:36
quality of prints on this weren't
14:38
amazing a lot of what I printed for my
14:40
large project weren't super accurate and
14:42
there were times that I struggled to fit
14:44
some parts together and it needed some
14:46
minor filing and cutting a lot of the
14:48
test prints I did showed signs of
14:50
stringing and on the toaster test I
14:52
couldn't actually move the 2 cm
14:54
clearance pin that I typically can on
14:56
similar machines I've tested recently
14:58
but where I can accept that more here
15:00
than on other printers is that this
15:03
printer is kind of made to be a project
15:06
machine it's built on the Voron
15:08
framework which is an open-source
15:10
approach to printing aimed more at
15:12
tinkerers so whilst Soval can and yeah
15:15
to a degree should look at dialing in
15:17
their profiles a little better for
15:19
people who want an outofbox workhorse
15:22
which would attract more customers i
15:24
think the reason to buy one of these is
15:26
more if you want to get into the tech of
15:28
3D printing while starting a little
15:31
further up learning curve mountain
15:33
unlike a Voron the machine here is built
15:35
for you so you can print out of the box
15:38
if you get a Voron and you don't know
15:40
what good looks like when building your
15:42
first printer you can only really be
15:44
frustrated at the platform or blame
15:47
yourself and no offense it's probably
15:49
not the platform so having something
15:51
that is built for you that shows you
15:53
what good looks like is a fantastic
15:55
place to start even if you do want to
15:57
build one of your own in the future but
15:59
once you've got this built machine yeah
16:01
you'll probably need to dial in some
16:02
settings like temperature flow rate
16:04
retraction and speed but most of these
16:07
are tests built into Orca now anyway
16:09
once you've done that and you're
16:10
confident in the machine you can then
16:13
work backwards and start to tinker with
16:14
the hardware and as I said there are
16:16
things here that I personally like over
16:18
the Prusser Core 1 it's got things I
16:21
want like the blade fan at the back the
16:23
nozzle wiper and integrated camera all
16:26
features that suit me as a home user you
16:28
don't get them with Prusser not right
16:30
now anyway so overall this surprisingly
16:33
impressed me this is a featurerich
16:35
mighty little beast and a printer I've
16:37
got no qualms recommending to the right
16:40
people if you're after a plug-and-play
16:42
printer there are cheaper larger
16:44
machines out there but if you want a
16:46
printer to really have some fun with
16:48
I've had more fun with this than most
16:51
others and with no brand to
16:53
wade through on the journey if you do
16:55
decide to pick one of these up then
16:56
please consider clicking my affiliate
16:58
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17:00
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17:02
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17:04
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so until next time let off some steam
17:18
bennett Fammer out
17:24
[Music]