Pros & Cons
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- Strong feature set for the price
- Good print quality (when fine-tuned)
- Compact footprint for its build volume
- Nozzle-as-sensor auto-leveling capability
- Wide material compatibility
- Robust air filtration system
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- Stock print profiles need adjustments for best quality
- Firmware and slicer software need refinement
Qidi Q2 Specs
| 3D-Printing Technology | Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) |
| Dimensions (HWD) | 22 by 19.7 by 24.8 inches |
| Frame Design | Closed |
| LCD Screen | |
| Maximum Build Area (HWD) | 10.6 by 10.6 by 10.1 inches |
| Number of Extruders | 1 |
| Number of Print Colors | 1 |
| Primary Interface(s) | Ethernet |
| Primary Interface(s) | USB |
| Primary Interface(s) | Wi-Fi |
| Top Print Resolution | 0.1 |
| Warranty (Parts/Labor) | 1 |
| Weight | 77.2 |
Qidi burst onto the 3D-printing scene in 2014, and it has since steadily expanded its lineup from enclosed hobby printers to higher-performance machines capable of handling engineering-grade filaments and multi-material workflows. Qidi’s offerings now include compact workhorses, midrange enclosed systems, and pro-level machines such as the Plus 4. Into that ecosystem comes the Qidi Q2 ($499). This reasonably priced workhorse has a heated chamber, advanced automatic leveling, and multi-material capabilities. The Q2 aims to bridge the gap between serious hobbyist rigs and prosumer 3D printers. It competes with popular enclosed XY machines that have been on the market for some time, such as the Elegoo Centauri Carbon, as well as newcomers like the Bambu Lab P2S.
A few years ago, it was impossible to find an under-$500 machine that could print out of the box without tuning and adjusting, let alone a fully enclosed, heated-chamber unit that could print with engineering-grade filaments. The Q2 is all of this and more, though it's not without a few drawbacks. It's an excellent printer overall, but we think most buyers would be better off spending an extra $50 on the Editors' Choice-award-winning P2S.
Unboxing and Setup: Easy-to-Follow Prompts
The Q2 is available in either the standalone configuration we tested or the $649 Q2 Combo, which adds a Qidi Box filament holder for printing with multiple colors. Several printers from Bambu Lab (including the P2S) offer similar configurations, with combo versions that come with filament holders.
Like most printers today, the Q2 comes securely packed in a rigid corrugated box. The shipping screws, which are intended to be removed prior to use, are clearly marked with red warning tape. I unpacked everything, removed the screws, and had the printer set up for printing within 15 minutes.
(Credit: Michael Lydick)I'm impressed that the Q2 is relatively compact for a printer with its build volume. It fit just about anywhere I wanted to place it in a small home office, and doesn't feel like it is bigger than it needs to be. (This is subjective, of course; the P2S has a slightly smaller build volume and is physically smaller than the Q2, yet we still found the P2S to be a bit large for a home office when we tested it.)
I'm also impressed with the display unit and the user interface, which leads you step by step through the setup process. Check marks note where you are in the process, and which steps you must still complete. I appreciate how more manufacturers are leveraging large color displays to make steps like this picture-based, so there’s no misunderstanding about what is being asked of you at each step. The only machines I’ve seen that do this better are from Bambu Lab, including the P2S and the H2S. The Q2’s graphics are a little more restrained and stark than Bambu Lab's, but they easily got me to the point where I could start printing.
(Credit: Michael Lydick)But this was the part of the testing process where things went a little sideways. Upon loading white PLA filament from Sunlu, I experienced a nozzle jam. After following all the cold-pull procedures and proceeding step by step to warm the nozzle and gently pull or push any debris from the inside to the outside, I was unable to remove the blockage and had to wait for a replacement nozzle, which arrived two days later. No extra nozzles come with the Q2 in the spare parts box.
(Credit: Michael Lydick)Once I got the new nozzle in place, I could test one of the Q2's key features: the “nozzle-as-a-sensor” approach to levelling and bed mapping. The Plus 4 uses an inductive sensor, and one of the issues for early Plus 4 users involved the nozzle digging into the build plate. When you’re using a sensor, you’re relying on it to indicate the position of the build plate. Instead, the Q2's nozzle slowly descends to the build plate and “feels” the plate with force feedback sensors when it touches it to build a map—and it works spectacularly, with excellent first-layer tests, as the photo below shows.
(Credit: Michael Lydick)It’s also worth noting at this point in the review that the internal filter of the Q2 does an excellent job of purifying the air exiting the build chamber. That's important for prospective owners who plan to use the Q2 at home and don't want to worry about breathing in small particulates.
Print Quality: Some Z-Banding, But Otherwise Excellent
We print a set of the same models on every 3D printer we review to judge print quality.
3D Benchy
The first is the 3D Benchy, a small model of a boat. I printed two different versions of the Benchy—one with black PLA, and the other with grey PLA—as I wanted to test the ease with which the Q2 changed filaments in between the two files. I found that each of the test files yielded good layer adhesion. They had no issues with bridging and had a relatively good surface finish.
(Credit: Michael Lydick)I did notice Z-banding on the sides of the hull, though, something that I’d see happening again in later test prints. These noticeable horizontal shifts in the layers result in markedly lower-quality prints compared with the output of more expensive machines like the H2S and the Prusa Core One.
(Credit: Michael Lydick)Owl and Cube
Another of our test prints, a model of an owl downloaded from MakerWorld, further illustrates the issue. I printed this using orange Sunlu PLA at the 0.18mm layer setting with Qidi Studio. (I'll briefly discuss the Studio software below, and you can read more about it in our Plus 4 review.)
(Credit: Michael Lydick)The Z-banding issue was most noticeable on long stretches of flat, planar printing, and less so in areas of intricate detail, where it was obfuscated.
(Credit: Michael Lydick)It's likely that the internal structure of the printer isn’t as stiff as the Plus 4, which doesn't have these banding issues. They were also evident on the next print, a calibration cube (shown below), which matched the required dimensions nearly perfectly but still had this banding issue on its sides. Other potential causes could be an issue with the Z lead screw or a loose nut on the Z screw with insufficient anti-backlash mechanisms.
(Credit: Michael Lydick)The Qidi Studio slicer—though less refined than the Prusa and Bambu Lab slicers—still has plenty of advanced options for you to go in and tune for these kinds of issues. I’d rather not have to, but I also like knowing I can. With a fused deposition modeling (FDM) printer, it’s just a matter of time before you need to tune something, and although the Qidi slicer isn't the most intuitive, it's capable enough to let you change just about anything quickly, including print speed and input shaping.
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Autodesk/Kickstarter Test
I then printed our Autodesk/Kickstarter test model and proceeded to score it based on the different parameters specified in the scoring rubric. They include dimensional accuracy, presence of visual stringing, bridging, and rippling.
(Credit: Michael Lydick)Whatever was happening in the Z axis, the dimensions of the X-Y plane were spot on. Dimensional accuracy scored a perfect 5 out of a possible 5. Spires were greater than 30mm, but they had visual stringing, which reduces the score to 2.5 out of a possible 5 for this part of the test.
(Credit: Michael Lydick)All pins easily fell away from the base, yielding a 5 out of a possible 5. The Q2 got a 4 out of 5 for the overhang test, as only the 15-degree overhang differed from the 45-degree overhang. This overhang result is as good as I've seen.
(Credit: Michael Lydick)I recorded a 5 out of 5 for the bridging, as none of the bridges contacted the surfaces beneath them, and a 2.5 for rippling in the Y axis, as it wasn’t observable past three hash marks.
I noticed no visible layer registration effect on the tower, which corresponds to a score of 2.5 on this part of the test. The Q2, like the Plus 4, uses 1.5mm pitch-timing belts, which gives it a huge advantage in reducing visual fine artifacts, or VFAs, compared with printers that use 2mm belts. When the motor pulley rotates, each step translates into a smaller linear movement, which can reduce subtle vertical lines that can appear on print faces.
(Credit: Michael Lydick)The total score for the Autodesk/Kickstarter test equaled 26.5 points out of a possible 30. This puts it well above the Prusa Core One, but below the Bambu Lab H2S.
Tolerance Test
For the next phase of testing, I printed two parts with the same Sunlu orange PLA filament at the 0.16mm slicing height. The first was a print-in-place tolerance ring with gaps ranging from 0.35mm to 0.10mm. The Q2 had no issue with this one. All of the spherical orbs easily slid away from the inner walls, with no evidence that they had been initially held in place and were being broken away.
(Credit: Michael Lydick)Next up, a print commonly referred to as a “go/no-go” gauge in engineering circles. It helps us understand, through the use of circular and square shapes, how well the printer can produce dimensionally accurate parts. The model features several slots, ranging from a 0.125mm oversized slot to a -0.05mm undersized slot. With the Q2, the square-and-round peg made it all the way to the 0mm slot, and did not fit in the -0.05 space that would indicate an undersized print. This test yielded a perfect result, indicating that Q2 excels at printing parts for assemblies that will be snapped or screwed together.
(Credit: Michael Lydick)I saw the Z-banding from earlier prints on this part, too, though. You can see the banding in the photo below, especially in the area marked with the different tolerance levels.
(Credit: Michael Lydick)Fine Detail Test
The Q2 actually outperformed the far more expensive H2S on the next test. It was able to print the finest details of the “Test” script on the very top of the print. The squares and circles were nearly exact in dimension, and the model had nearly perfect bridging on the open cylinders and boxes on the bottom rows.
(Credit: Michael Lydick)The only issue that I could find was the Z-banding on the faces of the flat boxes and cylinders. I’m nitpicking at this point; you have to look close to find the banding on this print. However, the state of the art is currently near-zero Z-banding, so this is one area in which the Q2 lags behind.
I don't like that you have to open the door and slide the glass top open for cooling when you're printing with PLA filament, which is susceptible to high temperatures. More expensive machines, such as the Core One and the H2S and H2D, have active chamber ventilation fans that maintain the temperature inside when printing with filaments like PLA. The solution of sliding the glass back feels outdated. Still, that's something we expect from machines in this price range, and to the Q2's credit, at least it uses a glass top panel, not the flimsy polycarbonate used for the lid and door on the more expensive Prusa Core One.
(Credit: Michael Lydick)Features: Rare Active Chamber Heating
Despite Qidi having been around for more than a decade, I had never heard of the company until I started searching for an enclosed XY machine with a heated chamber a little over a year ago. I couldn’t find any consumer-grade printers equipped with chamber heaters, and I was tired of struggling with warping when printing with the engineering-grade materials I used each week for my projects: filaments like ABS, ABS-CF, PA6-CF, and PC. Some machines, including the Core One, rely on the heat from the extruder and build plate “baking” into the frame and components inside the enclosure to achieve the requisite high temperatures for these filaments. However, the Plus 4, which I eventually purchased, was the first one I came across that featured active chamber heating. I like how I can tell the unit to warm the chamber to 50 degrees C, for example, for ABS, and it maintains that temperature.
(Credit: Michael Lydick)I was excited to see that the Q2 also includes this active heating capability, and after testing it out, I was surprised at how well it printed with ABS-CF. I started with a bracket from MakerWorld that allowed me to attach an aftermarket part to a tapped hole in the engine bay of my Toyota Land Cruiser. I needed a part that was heat-tolerant and strong, so ABS with carbon fiber was my first choice. It emerged from the machine with nearly perfect dimensions, and the surface finish was exceptional.
(Credit: Michael Lydick)Whatever Z-axis issues I was having with PLA and PETG disappeared with the ABS prints, and I had no striations or lines on the walls of the large planar surfaces this time. It's possible that the carbon fibers helped alleviate the issue and filled in the gaps between the layers more effectively.
I then printed another model with ABS-CF: a wall hanger for a garage organization project. It printed out as well as the engine bracket, with a beautiful surface finish and no discernable warping on the plate. I hung a tool that weighed about 20 pounds from the hook, which I attached to the wall with a sheetrock screw driven into a wall stud. The part looked store-bought:
(Credit: Michael Lydick)