I've been struggling with my K1 since Christmas. I bought it on sale for Black Friday and no matter who I contact at Creality, no one can tell me what replacement parts to order. K1 parts don't fit my printer. They want pictures to see what 'buckle' I have, because my serial number isn't enough information, but who wants to tear down a printer just to take pictures? Now my thermistor is broken (a leg weld just fell right off while I was fixing a clog), and I can't order a new one because what do I order? This printer doesn't take K1 parts. Every time I order something, it has to get shipped back. I'm annoyed and venting, but also trying to help anyone else considering a Creality printer. Don't do it. Their support is a joke and they take zero accountability.
I've added an image for help explaining the problem. These two JST connections are completely different, but both are supposed to be for the K1. And both of these listings are Creality Official:
I've had a K1 for a couple of years now, and I've never had issues getting parts for it. I recently replaced the hot end and hot end breakout board because of my own personal stupidity, and I was able to just buy the parts. And they fit.
Is something different about your or my K1?
Something that I’ve learned over the years is that a lot of times what separates cheaper or more expensive brands or higher prestige brands from lower prestige brands is quality control.
In the world of guitars, for example, you can get some amazing deals if you’re willing to deal with buying a guitar that might need a lot of work to be set up properly after you bring it home. Or maybe you’ll be lucky and the one you get will be totally fine and require zero setup.
Nowadays for most products I just assume if I’m spending half the money I’m probably not getting half the value. Instead the lower price means I’m accepting the risk of a 70% chance of proper QC’d unit rather than 95% for the more expensive one.
The problem is it’s basically impossible to know the real rates for these things unless you’re a dealer who sees a high volume and can analyze return rates and stuff so it’s kind of a crapshoot. If I’m buying something I feel confident I can fix or upgrade myself (guitar) I’ll happily save a bunch of money and deal with the risk. A lot of people have that level of experience with 3d printers
My printer before this was an Ender 3 v2, I'm not useless. But when I can't even find parts that fit, that's a problem.
Yeah honestly I went back and read your OP and it sounds like maybe you straight up got a counterfeit unit or something? That’s wild. If genuine replacement parts don’t fit that’s super whack
It's not counterfeit. Creality literally admitted the problem. It's super whack, I agree.
Yea, none of what he says makes sense.
I have a K1 that doesn't take early K1 parts. I think they changed things mid-production to use the unicorn nozzles that they evidently designed for another printer. During that time, the hotend was changed twice as well. This means if I order a hotend kit, I have a very low chance of actually getting the part I need. I'm not sure how to shop, because everything just says K1.
Usually that means a v1, v2, etc. there are k1v1, k1v2, k1c, k1 max, k1 plus, k1se, etc. so you need to verify exactly which version you have and order the parts specific to your system.
Creality wouldn't explain that to me, and I've never seen a listing with versions for the K1. Can you find one so I can see what you mean?
I just googled it. You should be able to tell based on the hot end and serial number
But Creality can't even tell. They asked for pictures.
Yeah you're probably talking to some idiot that doesn't actually work for creality their third party low level tech and either the Philippines or India so they have no clue what they're talking about. Just Google it I I found descriptions on one site that said you can tell the difference between the V1 and the V2 based off of like the hot end or the fan or something like that that they're only slight modifications. You may be able to go on crealities website itself and there may be a section to be able to put in for like your warranty and when you click into it it should give you additional details something like that is usually where I would start at.
I emailed Creality directly, I didn't go through their ticket system. Could you not link me to that site you mentioned? Because I've Googled the hell out of this and found a few complaints on Amazon, and that's it.
https://youtu.be/ILXu12KHa4s
The Creality K1 "v2" (roughly June/July 2023 and later, often called the "updated version" or v2/v3) is a hardware revision of the original K1 (v1) designed to fix initial reliability issues, most notably extruder and hotend failures. The updated version is generally considered the minimum standard for a reliable K1 experience.
Key Differences: Creality K1 V1 vs. V2/Updated
Extruder: The V1 extruder had a chrome-finished, often problematic latch. The Updated/V2 extruder has a matte or sandblasted finish on the lever, providing better filament grip, fewer jams, and less slippage.
Hotend: The original hotend was prone to clogging and issues with the ceramic heating element. The updated version (sometimes with a red silicone sock, though this is not definitive) has improved thermal performance and reliability.
PTFE Tube Setup: Some updated units feature an improved toolhead clip that removes the need for the small, breakable blue plastic clip used on the V1 to secure the PTFE tube.
Overall Reliability: The V2 (updated) K1 is far less likely to suffer from the "extruder click" or clogs that plagued early adopters.
How to Identify the Differences
Batch Number: Check the white sticker on the box. Batch numbers starting with 2305 are generally V1 (older). Batch numbers starting with 2307 or later are the updated version.
Extruder Lever: The original extruder has a shiny/chrome lever. The updated extruder has a dull, matte, or sandblasted grey lever.
Manufacturing Date: Units manufactured around or after July 2023 are generally the updated versions.
Summary Table
Feature K1 V1 (Original) K1 V2 (Updated/Mid-2023+)
Extruder Lever Shiny/Chrome finish Matte/Sandblasted finish
Extruder Performance Prone to slipping/jamming Improved grip & reliability
Hotend Original (higher clog rate) Upgraded (better reliability)
PTFE Clip Small blue clip (easily lost) Improved, more secure clip
Common Issues Clogs, extruder clicks, uneven mesh Far fewer, more stable
Note: The "K1C" is a separate, newer model that comes with all these, plus a hardened steel nozzle and improved toolhead.
If you have a K1 V1, Creality previously offered "upgrade kits" to bring them to V2 specifications, but they are now widely replaced by third-party, more advanced extruders.
+1
Holy shit. Why didn't they just tell me this???
Thank you!
You do realize emailing a company like that directly still goes to a call center and customer service area where they answer it right? I can Google it later on I'm in the middle of working right now but all I did was Google reality k1 V2 and it brought up several answers
Evidently? Everything I order for it is for the original K1, and Creality quietly made changes midway through production so nothing labeled K1 will fit. The connections for a new hotend, for example, would not fit my board. The nozzles labeled K1 are short, like nozzles my Ender took, but then I found out my K1 takes unicorns. I literally can't buy parts.