I've been tuning my Creality K1 ever since getting it (at a steal of $237.15!) about 3 months ago, and I finally got to a point where I'm getting really good, consistent quality results.
Upgrades include:
- MicroSwiss CHT FlowTech hotend / brass nozzle
- Triangle-Lab all-metal extruder gears
Strangely enough, the calibration I did that seemed to make the most difference is the one I kept reading was the least necessary to do. I performed an E-step calibration, and ended up changing the rotation_distance from the default 6.9 to 6.86964. Seems nearly identical, but the next print after making that change was the cleanest I've seen yet on my printer.
By the way, the print above was run at 600mm/s, with Overture Turbo PLA!
edit: actually no, volumetric speed limited to 25, so not 600mm/s (still fast though!)
I'm now going through and fine-tuning temp, flow, and pressure advance for each of my filaments, and this is just such a different experience than that of my franken-Ender 3; however, I'm still incredibly grateful for all the knowledge and experience I got from constantly tuning that printer for about 3 years straight.
Perfect first layers, every time
Yeah, checking your e-steps is important for many printer brands and models as you found out. But if you want the best in calibration for your printer, use. If you follow the steps correctly and in order, you will get as close to perfect as you can get. And the reading in each step tells you the why.
That's the exact guide I'm currently working my way through 👍