HICTOP Ender 3 v2 Upgrades Flexible Build Plate PEI Steel Sheet 235x235mm Works for Ender 3/Ender 3 Pro/Ender 5 3D Printers

I was pretty skeptical about this at first, thinking that all the online clamoring were by fanbois who just didnt know how to set up their printer, and using the PEI spring steel plate as a crutch. When the opportunity came along, I decided to do a true comparison. you can see in the photo, I have an ender 3 pro running the stock buildtak surface. I replaced the ender 3 v2s glass plate with the Hictop PEI, and the cr-10s has the stock glass bed. all 3 printers were dialed in, and adhesion is great from all 3 without needing any sort of air (like hairspray or glue). In the adhesion category, I would give the edge to buildtak, but all 3 are about comparable. the thing that really sets the Hictop apart, is the removal of the pieces. Im used to just waiting for the parts to cool, and they automatically pop off the surface once it has cooled (on the glass), but with the springsteel, the wait is over. I can easily lift the edge and remove the print perfectly. personal preference. I actually like the slight grain on the print surface vs. the mirror finish from glass, so this was actually a nice change for me. bottom line, I didnt expect to like it, especially with the cost of entry being a not-inexpensive amount, but if you can get it on sale, or money isnt a factor, then this definitely provides a nice upgrade to the printing experience.

I like it so much I got one for my work printer as well

This is a great PEI sheet. It looks amazing, it feels great and most of all IT STICKS! Ive had sheets before where the sticky side did not adhere to the bed and would start to peel up with use. This one is sticking well so far. Unfortunately I am unable to judge its performance while printing, because my printer is having issues, but I am very happy so far. Will update once I can print. Also, they should use the same adhesive they use for the underside, on the logo. As it stands I only have a HICT P lol. The O took a vacation.

I installed it and ran pid and re-calibrated the z axis with bl touch it works wonderful, prints pop right off after cooling for just a little bit

This bed is such a good upgrade over stock! Prints auto release when cooled, and the adhesion is great!

the TL;DR on the HICTOP flexible build plate is that it is a good plate and is above average for quality. strong points: good magnetic adhesion at high temperatures & good adhesion and easy part removal even after significant use. longer read: I got this as an upgrade to a creality printer that came stock with a carborundum glass bed. hint for those upgrading a cr10 v2 / v3 .. just remove the front clips and leave the back ones to help easily align the build plate each time yu put it back on. id give the same advice for any printer that works similarly. This build plate has 2 things going for it that are better than most. 1. the magnetic sheet is good to 130c. This contrasts with most giving up their magnetism before they hit 100c. BE CARFUL if you are looking at other build plate / magnetic sheet combinations. make sure there able to work well at 110c without damage to the magnetic material. 2. The pei coating is very good and seems to hold up well to higher bed temperatures and a lot of use. i regularly print at 100/110c on the build plate without issue. Ive used the sheet works well with abs, petg, and with pla (at 60c). gives good adhesion when heated and easy release when cooled. Things to note on this build plate, ... whatever process they use to coat the service leaves a little loose/rough pei flakes on the surface that tends to come off on your first few prints, this seems not to be an issue and noticed no degradation of adhesion after the flakes came off... if you have ever spray painted primer, and felt it before you sanded it, its a bit like that. the other thing is mine is single-sided. id love for it to have been double-sided. the quality of the one said is good so, i am happy with that for the price. the magnetic sheet they supply is very good and strong even at high temps. id have no need to swap it out if I were to also get other magnetic build sheets of other materials. I dont expect any build surface to last forever but i do expect them to last a while. id defiantly buy this again when that time comes to retire it.

This thing is awesome! so much better than my old glass bed. Easy to remove parts, just bend it a little. So much better than using the glue sticks.

I love how you can obtain high-quality products like this one from China at an economical price! The manufacturer and seller, HICTOP, are mostly based in Shenzhen China but it was shipped from a US FBA warehouse so it arrived in one day with my Amazon Prime. Best of all, this magnetic build plate works perfectly with my HICTOP D3 Hero IDEX printer! Perfect adhesion when printing yet prints pop right off with a simple flex of the plate when finished printing. And then, to reinstall the flexplate on the print bed it just snaps back on via the magnet that stays permanently attached to the print bed. Highly recommended!

Couldnt get anything to stick to this out of the box. Had it covered in masking tape for a while, but masking tape isnt itself flexible once taped down, so that sort of defeated the purpose. Carefully wiped the whole thing down with 100% isopropyl (automotive dry gas) and now it works as advertised. Can only assume there was some kind of manufacturing or shipping residue. Maybe this is an obvious step for others, but this is my first printer and I put the build plate on starting with my second print. Have about 30 hours of printing done since and still working perfectly. The magnet is strong enough that alignment can be a little challenging if youre planning to use the full print bed, but thats better than the alternative and overall not a big deal.

Besides the additional thickness, I have to calibrate my bed temperature using a contact less thermometer (theres a lot of surplus of them these days) but after that, works like a charm for me. As advertised.