Generally speaking, the most appealing feature of the TEVO Tornado 3D printer is the 300 X 300 X 400 mm build size, which for around $350 seems like a bargain in-and-of-itself. Pair that with a 50 micron minimum layer thickness and a 150 mm/s print speed, and this 3D printer sounds pretty decent.
The TEVO Tornado 3D printer is partially assembled, but most people should be able to get everything setup in under an hour.
At first glance, the TEVO Tornado 3D printer looks like a clone of the extremely popular Creality CR-10 (and in many ways, it is identical). However, there are a few features that separate these two similar FDM machines.
One of the biggest differences is that the TEVO Tornado comes equipped with a Titan extruder from E3D. This high-end accessory is commonly used to upgrade budget 3D printers, but TEVO opted to include it with the stock kit. With the Titan extruder, the 3D printer should be better able to handle a wide range of filaments, such as PLA, ABS, PETG, exotics, TPU, and others.
Another defining feature of this 3D printer is the 110 volt heated bed, allowing the print area to heat up to high temperatures in under a minute. On the other hand, some people in the 3D printing community claim that the Creality CR-10 offers better quality electronics and a larger support group.
Last but not least, the TEVO Tornado tends to be a bit cheaper than the Creality CR-10, but not by much. The prices for both of these 3D printers seem to vary from time to time, but the TEVO is usually around $20-30 cheaper.
There are a few issues that TEVO Tornado 3D printer owners have reported on various forums and community groups. One glaring problem that has been raised by the 3D printing community is “salmon skin” on the surface of 3D prints. As you can guess from the name, some users have reported that the 3D printer produces objects with a strange striped pattern. However, this reported dilemma can be remedied with stepper smoothers.
After skimming through the TEVO Tornado Owners Facebook group, which has nearly 6,000 members, we noticed a few other issues that were being discussed. Some users claim to have an issue with the quality of 3D prints coming from the SD card that TEVO provides. Others have noted low voltage to the Y-axis stepper motor, which can be alleviated by increasing the voltage.
With a 3D printer at such a low price point, these various issues are neither surprising nor a deal breaker. However, it’s certainly worth noting the downsides alongside the advantages. Like many desktop FDM machines under $500, the TEVO Tornado is a project 3D printer, and could require some tweaking and modifications to achieve higher print quality.
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