Anycubic Kobra 3: power use and running cost
Budget bed-slinger usually sold as a Combo with the ACE Pro four-spool dryer/changer. 250 × 250 × 260 mm build volume, open frame.
Power figure: measured. Notebookcheck plug-meter test of the Kobra 3 V2 Combo (ACE Pro attached): 8 W idle, 180 W printing PLA, up to 700 W while heating; 400 W listed rating.
Electricity cost for a print on the Anycubic Kobra 3
Full cost of a print on the Anycubic Kobra 3
Pre-set with this printer's wattage and price for depreciation. Enter grams and hours from your slicer.
Layer heights that suit the Anycubic Kobra 3's Z axis
Z moves 0.0400 mm per full step (lead screw, 8 mm per motor revolution, 200 steps/rev, 400 steps/mm). Whole multiples of that are "magic" heights: every layer lands on a full step instead of a less accurate microstep.
| Layer height | 0.08 | 0.10 | 0.12 | 0.15 | 0.16 | 0.20 | 0.24 | 0.25 | 0.28 | 0.30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| On a full step? | yes | no → 0.12 | yes | no → 0.16 | yes | yes | yes | no → 0.24 | yes | no → 0.32 |
Basis: firmware. ANYCUBIC-3D/Klipper-go config/printer_k3c_k3v2c.cfg (Kobra 3 / 3 V2 Combo): [stepper_z] rotation_distance 8, microsteps 16, full_steps_per_rotation 200 → Tr8x8 lead screws, 0.04 mm full step (400 steps/mm). Open in the magic layer height calculator.
Questions about the Anycubic Kobra 3
How many watts does the Anycubic Kobra 3 use?
About 180 W on average while printing PLA, 8 W when idle and up to 700 W while heating. Notebookcheck plug-meter test of the Kobra 3 V2 Combo (ACE Pro attached): 8 W idle, 180 W printing PLA, up to 700 W while heating; 400 W listed rating.
How much does it cost to run a Anycubic Kobra 3 for 24 hours?
4.3 kWh, which is $0.73 at $0.17/kWh (US average) or about £1.12 at UK rates.
Does the Anycubic Kobra 3 use a lot of electricity?
No. Running it 8 hours a day for a month costs roughly $7.34 at US rates — comparable to a desktop computer.
What are the best layer heights for the Anycubic Kobra 3?
The Anycubic Kobra 3's Z axis moves 0.0400 mm per full motor step (8 mm per revolution, 200 steps). Layer heights that are whole multiples of that — 0.08, 0.12, 0.16, 0.2, 0.24, 0.28, 0.32 mm — avoid microstep rounding. 0.1, 0.15, 0.25 mm are not exact multiples.