u/BeepFixer

So after *8 years* of being lost in storage during a house and country move, I finally reunited with my brand new Creality CR-10 Mini that was never opened 😄

It ended up stored away safely alongside a bunch of retro gaming gear hoarded over the years - C64, Atari, Sega, cartridge parts, etc. I always resisted buying another printer because I *knew* this thing was still out there somewhere.

A few weeks ago I finally found it, got it running, and started printing happy as a kid on Christmas!

So far I've done a few cartridge shells, adapters, and small retro gaming related parts. Already learned a few lessons the hard way too - like hairspray apparently being way nicer than tape, and also how easy it is to ruin a nozzle during a filament swap 😅

That led me down the rabbit hole of realizing just how much the 3D printing world changed in the last 8 years.

So far I've ordered:

* Replacement nozzles

* 235x235 PEI plate + magnetic base

* filament dust filter/sponge

* BLTouch-style auto leveling clone

* 1.5m extension cable kit

* spare PTFE tubing

* filament runout sensor (though I know the stock 8-bit board may not support it properly)

I've already noticed that despite many people still loving the CR-10 series, a lot of recommendations here nowadays understandably lean toward “just buy a refurbished Ender instead.”

I really appreciate the honesty in this sub - it’s refreshing compared to some communities.

But… this CR-10 Mini is literally brand new after all these years, and I kind of want to give it some proper TLC instead of replacing it, and to perhaps suffer a bit too 😁

So I had a few questions for people still familiar with these machines:

1. Besides the upgrades above, what else would you recommend if I do want to get the most out of a CR-10 Mini in 2026?

2. For example, was going with a 235x235 PEI plate the right move, or would a 305x305 have made more sense despite the overhang?

The Mini’s odd 235x305 sizing seems to make replacement plates weirdly expensive compared to standard sizes.

3. Is moving from the stock 8-bit board to a modern 32-bit board actually worthwhile for relatively simple use cases?

I mainly expect to print practical things like cartridge shells, adapters, brackets, and retro modding parts - not giant helmets or dragon statues.

But if upgrading opens the door to genuinely useful features/reliability improvements, I’m definitely interested.

4. Any recommendations for *current* guides/videos worth watching?

It’s pretty difficult filtering through nearly a decade of old CR-10 content and figuring out what’s still relevant today or not.

5. I'm totally assuming the mini is still best friends with just PLA spools, but if there's advice here I'd be happy to learn too.

Thanks for reading the long post, and thanks in advance for any advice 🙂