Elegoo Centauri Carbon 2 Combo
$449
Specs and US prices from the PrintPick catalog, checked 2026-09-29. Scores are PrintPick ratings out of 10.
By Shadman Rahman · Prices checked
Elegoo · FDM (filament)
$449 via Amazon. US price in USD, approximate. Your price at checkout can differ by store and country.
Buy the Centauri Carbon 2 Combo. 8/10, #28 of 51 FDM printers.
Best sub-$500 multi-color printer in 2026. Quirks exist but none are deal-breakers. Enclosed CoreXY plus 4-color at this number has no real competition.
Right side is the average of the 51 current FDM printers we track. Teal wins the row.
| Centauri Carbon 2 Combo | Spec | Average of 51 |
|---|---|---|
| $449 (wins) | Price | $520 |
| 16.8 L | Build volume | 21.6 L (wins) |
| 500 mm/s (wins) | Top speed | 476 mm/s |
| 0.08 mm | Finest layer | 0.054 mm (wins) |
| 19.4 kg | Weight | 14.7 kg |
$449 ÷ 16.8 L and $449 ÷ 500 mm/s. Lower is more printer for the money.
| Centauri Carbon 2 Combo | Spec | Average of 51 |
|---|---|---|
| $26.76 (wins) | $ per liter | $30.19 |
| $0.90 (wins) | $ per mm/s | $1.37 |
| Centauri Carbon 2 Combo | Spec | Average of 51 |
|---|---|---|
| 9 (wins) | Value | 8.5 |
| 7 | Beginner | 7.4 (wins) |
| 8 | Print quality | 8.4 (wins) |
| 8 (wins) | Speed | 7.9 |
| 8 | Reliability | 8.1 (wins) |
| 8 | Overall | 8.1 (wins) |
Best sub-$500 multicolor 3D printer in 2026. The value proposition is insane.3D Printed Decor
Ultra accessible multicolor printing. CANVAS completed 31 out of 34 jobs on first attempt.VoxelMatters
I'm an idiot, and even I was able to make a cool Fallout action figure with this printer.GamesRadar+
| Build volume | 256 × 256 × 256 mm |
|---|---|
| Layer resolution | 0.08 to 0.4 mm |
| Top speed | 500 mm/s |
| Weight | 19.35 kg |
| Type | FDM (filament) |
A printer does nothing without these. Grab them in the same order.
Where the Centauri Carbon 2 Combo makes the cut, and what it beats.
The Elegoo Centauri Carbon 2 Combo costs $449 in 2026. It's a FDM printer from Elegoo. Prices checked 2026-09-29.
The Elegoo Centauri Carbon 2 Combo has a build volume of 256 x 256 x 256 mm.
The Elegoo Centauri Carbon 2 Combo scores 7/10 for beginner-friendliness. It's a great choice for beginners.
Pros: First enclosed multi-color CoreXY under $500. 91% first-attempt success rate on multi-color jobs. RFID reads filament type automatically, no manual input. TPU prints without complaints. Cons: Spool holders are finicky. Loading routine doesn't get hot enough for high-temp filaments. Build plate grip is mediocre. Canvas software works but looks like it was designed fast.
fdmBambu Lab
Multi-color printing out of the box, reliable enough for beginners, fast enough for anyone who's tired of watching a print head crawl.
fdmBambu Lab
P1S replaced by a meaningfully better machine for $100 more. Quick-swap nozzles, 5-inch touchscreen, 1080p AI camera, AMS 2 Pro compatibility. $549.
