SUNLU PLA 3D Printer Filament review

Have you ever held a perfect little benchy in your hand and thought, I might finally have my life together?

Why I Picked the SUNLU PLA 3D Printer Filament, 1.75mm (PLA 10color)

I didn’t set out to develop strong opinions about plastic spaghetti, but here I am with an entire shelf dedicated to 1 kg spools and a partner who has started using my filament stash as a visual mood chart. The day I added the SUNLU PLA 3D Printer Filament, 1.75 PLA Filament Dimensional Accuracy +/- 0.02 mm, 1 kg Spool, 1.75mm (PLA 10color) to the rotation, I was looking for something boring in the best possible way: consistent, tidy, and able to print on a Tuesday without surprising me on a Thursday.

This filament promised neat winding, tight diameter tolerances, and wide compatibility. In my house, that’s like saying, “I will fold all the laundry and I’m good with cats.” I decided to see if it could keep those promises when confronted with my particular brand of optimism and impatience.

What I Print and Why That Matters

I print useful gadgets (hooks, brackets, cable organizers), mildly ridiculous desk ornaments, terrain pieces for tabletop games I never play, and functional parts that have no business being functional. If a filament can handle a tolerance fit, a little abuse, and a six-hour print where I forget to check on it after hour one, it earns a permanent seat on my printer cart.

Unboxing and First Impressions

The SUNLU PLA arrived in a tidy box and the spool was vacuum-sealed with desiccant. I’ve learned the hard way that filament is like a houseplant: if you ignore it, it punishes you in ways that are silent and progressive. The bag felt tight, the label was clear, and the spool looked like it had been wound by someone who pays their taxes early.

The plastic feels smooth and has a touch of sheen—enough to look clean, not so glossy that every layer line becomes a gilded reminder of my imperfect slicer settings. I was also relieved to see the spool wasn’t one of those oversized dinner plates that won’t fit on a standard holder. The dimensions are pretty practical.

Neatly Wound Spool: New Calm, Who This

SUNLU talks about a “self-developed neat winding device” with a “100% neat rate,” and while that’s a wonderfully confident phrase, the real test is whether I can yank on the filament like a tired parent at a playground and not end up with a bird’s nest. Over multiple spools, I never found a tangle. Filament came off with the kind of grace I usually only see in people who practice yoga. It makes me more relaxed about letting a print run overnight—which is when my anxiety usually starts writing fan fiction about failed parts.

The Specs That Actually Matter

I don’t buy filament because it has a nice smile; I buy it because it plays well with my equipment. Here are the nuts and bolts that influenced my purchase and how they mapped to my experience.

Attribute	What SUNLU Says	What I Experienced
Material	PLA	Definitely PLA: low warp, low odor, friendly with cooling
Diameter	1.75 mm	Consistent on my calipers across the spool
Dimensional Accuracy	±0.02 mm	I measured 1.74–1.76 mm, steady; no weird bulges
Spool Weight	1 kg	True to label; felt standard, printed as expected
Spool Diameter	8.00 in	Fits Ender-style holders, Qidi, and Bambu with adapters
Spool Width	2.50 in	Compact enough for most built-in spindles
Hub Hole Diameter	2.20 in	Works with common rollers and dry boxes
Recommended Nozzle Temp	200–230°C	My sweet spot: 205–215°C for detail and little stringing
Bed Temp	50–65°C	60°C on glass PEI was perfect; 55°C for textured PEI
Speed	50–100 mm/s	Healthy prints at 80 mm/s; 100 mm/s with tuned cooling
Colors	10-color range (varies)	Solid saturation and consistent finish
Winding	100% neat rate	No tangles, no sudden tight loops, no jams

My Setup: The Unromantic Truth

I tested the SUNLU PLA 1.75 mm on a small collection of mildly opinionated printers:

• Creality Ender-3 Pro with a PEI spring steel sheet and a stock Bowden setup (tuned, because of course).
• Prusa MK3S+ with textured and smooth PEI sheets, direct drive, because it makes me feel competent.
• Elegoo Neptune with glass and PEI, depending on what I’ve misplaced that day.
• A Bambu P1P with a retrofitted spool holder and AMS adapter for some spools.

Slicer-wise, I used PrusaSlicer and Cura. No radical profiles—just reasonable settings and the occasional bout of fiddling when I forgot what I changed last time.

Temperature and Speed Tuning Results

I started with temperature towers and retraction tests, because I pretend to be methodical for at least an hour before I go rogue. My best results clustered around:

• 205–210°C for models with finer details where I wanted crisper corners and the least stringing.
• 215–220°C for large single-wall vases and parts where layer bonding matters more.
• Bed at 60°C for glass and smooth PEI, 55°C for textured PEI, with a 5–10-minute preheat to keep moisture at bay.
• Speeds between 60–80 mm/s for most things. Larger parts at 100 mm/s were fine after dialing in cooling.

I was able to keep retraction modest (0.6–0.8 mm direct drive; 3.5–4.5 mm Bowden) and still avoid angel hair stringing. It felt forgiving, which is lovely, because forgiving is not a word I would usually use to describe my printers.

Print Quality: Where the Plastic Meets the Bed

If a filament can’t give me crisp details, I don’t want it staying at my house. The SUNLU PLA produced clean edges, consistent walls, and that little whisper of sheen that makes layer lines less judgmental. I printed a set of calibration cubes, a handful of articulated toys (my niece has a small army now), a snap-fit box, and a series of wall-mount brackets.

The corners were sharp without elephant footing when I kept first-layer squish reasonable. Overhangs at 60 degrees looked respectable. Bridging was serviceable at 210°C with 30–40% fan speed, but truly came into its own at 215°C with 80–100% fan. I also tried some spiral vase prints at 0.2 mm layer height; the walls were uniform and gently glossy.

Surface Finish and Color

I’m particular about surface finish because I spend a lot of time looking at parts thinking, “What if I made that just a little better?” The SUNLU PLA has a friendly luster—somewhere between matte and gloss—so it hides minor surface flaws better than high-shine filaments. I saw uniform color across the entire spool with no strange streaks or opacity changes.

The “PLA 10color” offering gave me a set of hues that cover the practical spectrum: a classic black that doesn’t look chalky, a white that doesn’t turn gray with fan drafts, and primary colors that behave with equal temperament. I didn’t see notable color-to-color variation in print behavior across the batch I tested.

Dimensional Accuracy: Because Tolerances Are Real

SUNLU advertises ±0.02 mm dimensional accuracy. I measured diameter at several points across the spool with a digital caliper: most readings hovered at 1.75–1.76 mm, with occasional 1.74 mm dips that lasted all of a few inches. That kind of stability translated well to parts with interacting components.

I printed a tolerance gauge that incrementally narrows fittings from 0.6 mm down to 0.1 mm. At 0.2 mm layer height with a 0.4 mm nozzle and 210°C, I consistently got clean press fits at 0.2–0.25 mm clearance. Threaded parts matched comfortably with standard M3 and M4 hardware. If I were printing press-fit bearings, I’d still slice conservatively, but for snap-fit lids and interlocking brackets, the accuracy held up well.

Reliability: Clogs, Bubbles, or Other Gremlins

Here’s what didn’t happen: I didn’t get bubbles, and I didn’t get the kind of brittle snapping that makes you question your life choices. I used this filament dry out of the bag (as you should), and also left a spool out for a week because I like to test the universe’s patience. Even after that week, with a quick pre-dry, it printed smoothly.

The filament didn’t abrade or produce dust through the extruder gears—something I’ve seen with lesser plastics that seem almost eager to cause drama. I didn’t have to babysit the spool either; the neat winding never knotted or tightened suddenly mid-print. The filament’s smooth path off the spool might sound like a tiny thing, but it removes an entire category of possible failure, which frees up my mind to wander to more important topics, like where the other half of my caliper went.

Does Neat Winding Really Matter?

It does, and not just in a “clean desk, clear mind” sort of way. Tight, even winding prevents crossovers from creating the kind of friction that can pause your print just enough to under-extrude and ruin a layer. I ran a nine-hour print job and came back to a finished part that hadn’t skipped a beat. That’s the kind of boring I love.

Bed Adhesion and Warp Resistance

PLA has a reputation for being cooperative, and this SUNLU PLA lived up to it. On smooth PEI at 60°C with a 0.2 mm first layer and 110% first-layer extrusion width, parts gripped well and released after cooldown. On textured PEI, I used 55°C and a tiny bit of glue stick for particularly small footprints because I’m cautious and easily spooked by curling corners.

Glass beds needed 60–65°C and a thin smear of glue stick to avoid over-bonding. In all tests, warp was negligible, even on long parts. If there was curling, it was because I got cocky and let a fan blast across the first layer. This filament will meet you halfway, but it won’t fight physics for you.

Surfaces I Used and What Worked

• Smooth PEI: 60°C, clean with isopropyl alcohol; excellent hold, easy release after cooling.
• Textured PEI: 55°C, reliable first layers; great for parts where I want a grippy bottom texture.
• Glass: 60–65°C with glue; glossy bottoms if I’m feeling fancy.
• BuildTak-style sheets: 55–60°C and a restrained first-layer squish to prevent bonding incidents I’ll be thinking about for days.

Strength and Functional Parts

This isn’t PLA+. It doesn’t promise gym membership strength, but it does a convincing job as a practical PLA. My wall-mount hooks (4 perimeters, 40% gyroid, 215°C, 0.2 mm layer height) held a full set of keys and a flashlight without bending. A desk hinge printed in two pieces with 0.25 mm clearance rotated smoothly and didn’t delaminate under light torque.

Layer adhesion benefitted from temperature: at 205°C, parts were crisper but slightly more brittle; at 215–220°C, the layers fused better with only a minor penalty to stringing that retraction easily solved. For functional parts, I bumped walls to 3–4 perimeters and upped infill to 25–40% depending on load. PLA won’t forgive being left in a hot car or sunlit window ledge, but within indoor conditions, this filament is ready for everyday duties.

Interlayer Adhesion Notes

• Best adhesion at 215–220°C with adequate cooling and modest print speeds.
• Avoid over-cooling on small parts; 30–50% fan is plenty.
• For brackets or mounts, consider increasing extrusion width to 0.44–0.48 mm with a 0.4 mm nozzle.

Stringing, Oozing, and Retraction Settings

Stringing is where I usually make grand statements, then immediately change my mind. With SUNLU PLA, stringing stayed minimal at 205–210°C, and even at 215°C it was manageable. Key settings I used:

• Direct drive: 0.6–0.8 mm retraction, 35–45 mm/s retraction speed.
• Bowden: 3.5–4.5 mm retraction, 35–45 mm/s, sometimes 5 mm if I was printing a hairbrush or something equally cruel.
• Combing set to “Within Infill” in Cura or “Not in Skin” in PrusaSlicer helped avoid travel across perimeters.
• Wipe on retract: 5–10% improved tips on small towers.
• Z-hop: Off unless printing on glossy surfaces or tight tolerances.

After dialing those in, I could print little test trees without creating an orchard of sadness.

Odor and Household Friendliness

I’ve had filaments that smelled like a chemistry set had a midlife crisis. This wasn’t one of them. At normal printing temperatures, the SUNLU PLA gave off a faint sweetness—the kind of scent that reminds me of a classroom at the end of an art period, minus the glue mustache. I still ventilate, because I’m not trying to become a cautionary tale, but I’d call this very home-friendly.

Spool Dimensions and Fit

The spool’s 8.00-inch diameter and 2.50-inch width fit all my holders without the dreaded half-tilt squeeze. The 2.20-inch hub plays nicely with common rollers and the Sunlu filament dryer. The edges are smooth, so filament doesn’t snag, and the label is visible enough to keep me from confusing black with very dark navy—something I do so often it has become part of my personality.

In a Dryer or Enclosure

I ran a spool through the SUNLU filament dryer at 45–50°C for four hours after a week of humidity, and it perked right back up. No swelling, no gummy extrusion. In my enclosed printer, I kept airflow going and stayed around 210°C to prevent mushy corners. PLA likes moving air; I like cool corners; in the end, we compromised and everyone was happy.

Colors, Aesthetics, and Project Planning

The 10-color variety option appealed to my inability to commit. I used black and white for functional pieces and the brighter colors for gifts and little decorative objects that declare: “I made this with a tiny robot that lives in my office.”

Color consistency mattered for multi-part prints, and I didn’t catch shade shifts between spools in the same color batch. If you plan to print a set of stackable bins or modular pieces, this matters—a lot. I’ve had prints from other brands where the lid and box looked like they’d never met. With SUNLU PLA, pieces matched up nicely.

How It Compares: A Few Frames of Reference

I won’t bash other brands. The 3D printing world is a big, messy family, and sometimes the cousin who eats orange peels still brings a great casserole. But here’s how I’d place SUNLU PLA among common options I’ve used.

Versus Budget House-Brand PLA

• SUNLU felt more consistent across the spool.
• Neat winding reduced interruptions and anxiety.
• Dimensional accuracy helped with tolerance fits that cheaper filaments can bungle.

Versus PLA+

• PLA+ is tougher and often more heat resistant, but can be stringier and less precise on tiny details.
• SUNLU’s standard PLA gave me cleaner surfaces and crispers corners with less tuning.
• For mechanical parts that face a hard life, I might still go PLA+; for everything else, this PLA nails it.

Versus PETG

• PETG can handle higher temps and mild flex but asks for more patience with stringing.
• SUNLU PLA won on fine detail and overall ease, with fewer surprises.
• If I need chemical resistance or outdoor performance, I’ll step up to PETG or ASA; for indoor, this PLA is my default.

Value for Money and Who This Is For

This filament positions itself as dependable rather than flashy. The cost is competitive, but the quality sits above what I’d call the true bargain bin. The neat winding alone is worth a small premium because it removes an entire category of headaches I don’t have coffee for.

If you’re new to 3D printing and want your first victories to feel like more than luck, this is a solid pick. If you’re experienced and want a daily driver that doesn’t require a formal thank-you note every time it works, it’s also a solid pick. Basically, it’s a safe bet in a hobby that often feels like betting against yourself.

Recommended Settings That Worked for Me

SUNLU recommends:

• Nozzle: 200–230°C
• Bed: 50–65°C
• Speed: 50–100 mm/s

My go-to recipes:

• Detail prints: 0.12–0.2 mm layers, 205–210°C nozzle, 60°C bed, 40–50% fan, 50–70 mm/s.
• Functional parts: 0.2–0.24 mm layers, 215–220°C nozzle, 60°C bed, 50–80% fan, 60–80 mm/s, 3–4 perimeters, 25–40% infill.
• Vase mode: 0.2–0.28 mm layers, 215°C, 60°C bed, 100% fan after layer 3, 70–90 mm/s, 1 perimeter, 0% infill.

A Quick Test Log

I like numbers, but I like them casual. Here’s a snapshot of my tests:

Test	Settings	Result
Benchy	0.2 mm, 210°C, 60°C bed, 70 mm/s	Clean smokestack, minimal stringing, crisp text
Tolerance gauge	0.2 mm, 210°C, 60°C bed	0.2–0.25 mm press-fit; excellent dimensional consistency
Bridging test	0.2 mm, 215°C, 80% fan	30–40 mm bridges clean with minimal sag
Long print (9 hrs)	0.2 mm, 215°C, 60°C bed, 70 mm/s	No under-extrusion; winding stayed smooth
Functional bracket	0.2 mm, 4 walls, 30% gyroid, 215°C	Strong, no delamination; bore dimension accurate
Stringing tree	0.2 mm, 205–215°C, tuned retraction	Very light at 205–210°C; manageable at 215°C

Troubleshooting: If Things Get Weird

Even good filament can be framed by bad luck. Here’s what I did when things went sideways.

• Stringing on tiny parts

  • Lower nozzle temp to 205–210°C.
  • Increase retraction slightly (Bowden: up to 5 mm; direct: up to 0.8–1.0 mm).
  • Boost fan to 80–100% after layer 2.
  • Enable “Combing: Not in Skin” or “Avoid Crossing Perimeters.”

• First-layer smush and elephant foot

  • Lower bed to 55–60°C or reduce Z offset by 0.02–0.05 mm.
  • Reduce first-layer extrusion width to 105–110%.
  • Add a 0.2 mm chamfer at model base if design allows.

• Corners lifting (warp)

  • Use a brim of 3–6 lines.
  • Increase bed temp by 5°C and preheat longer.
  • Remove drafts; set fan to 0% for first two layers.

• Brittle filament after storage

  • Dry for 4–6 hours at 45–50°C in a filament dryer.
  • Store spools in sealed bags with silica gel.

• Nozzle clicking or under-extrusion

  • Check that the spool unwinds smoothly; make sure the filament guide isn’t biting it.
  • Increase nozzle temp by 5°C.
  • Verify that the extruder tension isn’t set to “crack walnut.”

Compatibility: Printers That Didn’t Give Me the Side-Eye

Because the dimensional accuracy is tight, the filament fed cleanly across all my 1.75 mm FDM machines. Bowden tubes didn’t choke, direct drives didn’t slip. The spool dimensions were friendly to standard holders, though on printers with enclosed filament bays, you may need an external holder or adapter.

I asked a friend with a voracious Bambu to run it through his AMS. With a compatible hub adapter, it worked. The winding helped the AMS pull smoothly without tangles, which is not a guarantee with every third-party spool.

Pairing With Other SUNLU Gear

I used the SUNLU filament dryer and found it played the role of a supportive friend who doesn’t judge your hydration habits. A simple 3–4-hour session at 50°C took the edge off moisture-induced sins. SUNLU makes other 3D printing gear—resins, pens, and all sorts of accessories—but the synergy I cared about here was the dryer. Dry filament is happy filament, and happy filament makes me feel like I’ve finally figured out adulthood.

The Little Things I Noticed

• The spool sides are smooth, not sharp, and didn’t chew into my holder.
• The filament’s surface finish stayed uniform across the entire kilogram, which sounds unremarkable until you’ve stared at a model wondering why the top half looks like a different material.
• The box is easy to re-seal. I put the bag back on with desiccant between prints because I like to pretend I’m organized.

Who Should Choose This Filament

• Beginners who want a forgiving, consistent PLA that won’t punish every slight misstep.
• Makers who print practical parts and care about tolerance.
• People who value neat winding because life has enough snarls already.
• Anyone who wants colors that look consistent across multi-part builds.

What Could Be Better

• The default print settings are spot-on, but a printed info card with quick-start settings would be a nice touch for nervous beginners.
• A clearer label about the color name on each spool would save a few face-to-spool squints under bad lighting.
• I’d love a humidity indicator in the bag, but that’s a dream I have for every filament I buy.

Safety and Storage: The Part I Try Not to Skip

PLA is kinder than many materials, but I still crack a window and keep filters going. I store spools in zip bags with silica gel and add a note on the side with painter’s tape to track when I last dried them, which makes me feel like a scientist in a movie, sans the hovering robot.

A Day in the Life With This Filament

There’s a shape to a calm printing day, and this filament fits it. I load the spool, level the bed, and start a print. The first layer goes down like a well-rehearsed dance, and by hour three I’ve forgotten to check on it because I’m busy pretending to be productive. When I do wander back, the print is boringly fine, which is the highest compliment I can offer. I remove the part without breaking a fingernail, admire the surface finish, and put the spool back like a civilized person. It’s the printing equivalent of a day where the grocery line moves fast and nobody parks diagonally.

A Few Real Projects and How They Fared

• Snap-fit electronics case: 0.2 mm layers, 210°C, 60°C bed, 70 mm/s. The lid clicked on with a satisfying sound that made me consider reprinting it just to hear it again. No deformities, hinges aligned, and no need for post-processing beyond brushing off a crumb of brim.
• Kitchen bag clips: 0.24 mm layers, 215°C. Survived my clumsy attempts at opening stubborn snack bags. Springs maintained tension.
• Cable management combs: 0.2 mm, 210°C. Pristine edges, no warping even on long straight segments.
• Figurine with delicate features: 0.12 mm layers, 205°C. Took longer than it had any right to, but rewarded with clean little curls and details. The kind of project that makes me feel warmer about humanity.

When I Pushed It Too Far

On a whim, I printed a friction-fit gear set with 0.1 mm clearances at 0.2 mm layers, 210°C. The gears worked, but sounded grumpy. I reprinted at 0.15 mm layers and widened clearance to 0.2 mm; suddenly they had the confidence of a well-rested intern. Moral: the filament is accurate, but physics appreciates a little breathing room.

Maintenance: Keeping the Love Alive

• Purge 50–100 mm when switching from darker to lighter filament if you care about purity.
• Snip the filament at an angle before loading; it helps it slip through extruder gears like a polite whisper.
• If it’s humid, dry the spool—especially if you start hearing subtle sizzling from the nozzle, which is the printer’s way of coughing politely.

Short Q&A for the Curious

• Will it fit my printer?

  • If your printer uses 1.75 mm filament and takes spools around 8 inches in diameter with a 2.2-inch hub, yes.

• Is it brittle?

  • Fresh out of the bag, no. After a week on my desk during humid weather, it needed a drying session to restore flexibility.

• Can I print at 100 mm/s?

  • Yes, with good cooling and slightly higher temps (215–220°C). Perfect for large, simple shapes; for intricate parts, slow it down.

• Does it jam?

  • I didn’t experience jams. Consistent diameter and smooth extrusion meant no mid-print surprises.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Consistent diameter with reliable dimensional accuracy.
• Neatly wound spool that feeds smoothly without tangles.
• Friendly surface finish that flatters most models.
• Wide compatibility across common 1.75 mm FDM printers.
• Clear recommended settings that match real-world results.

Cons:

• Color labeling could be more prominent in low light.
• Not PLA+ tough; it’s classic PLA with classic PLA limits.
• Humidity-sensitive—as all PLA is—so a dryer helps.

Final Thoughts

I’ve come to appreciate filaments that behave like good neighbors: quiet, reliable, and unflustered by the occasional odd request. The SUNLU PLA 3D Printer Filament, 1.75 PLA Filament Dimensional Accuracy +/- 0.02 mm, 1 kg Spool, 1.75mm (PLA 10color) is exactly that. It doesn’t try to reinvent PLA. Instead, it does PLA correctly, with neat winding that feels like a small miracle, tolerances that deliver press-fit joy, and a color set that keeps projects looking cohesive.

I use it for the majority of my daily printing—organizers, fixtures, little gifts, and prototypes that don’t need to arm wrestle with the sun. When I need more heat resistance or toughness, I move to other materials. But when I just want things to work, this is the spool I reach for without thinking. It’s the dependable friend in a hobby where many of us are still figuring out where the line between tinkering and self-sabotage really is.

If you’re building your “everyday PLA” shortlist, it deserves a spot. It prints cleanly, plays nice with settings, and spares you the melodrama of tangles and diameter swings. I don’t ask much from plastic, but I ask it consistently, and this filament answers the same way every time: sure, I’ve got you.

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