SUNLU PETG
Manufactured by SUNLU
Quick Summary
SUNLU PETG is what most people should print functional parts in when the budget is the constraint. The polymer does the important work: layers bond hard, parts flex instead of shattering, and heat that would slump PLA leaves it alone. The 220-250 °C window is broad, and everything you might dislike about the spool comes down to consistency rather than capability.
Print Settings That Work
240 °C nozzle and 70 °C bed on textured PEI is the default that works most often. SUNLU’s own guidance stretches the bed as high as 85 °C, which helps large flat parts stay down but makes removal harder.
Cooling at 30-50%. Retraction around 1 mm on direct drive or 3-4 mm Bowden. Slow the outer wall to about 30 mm/s and corners come out square rather than bulged.
Dry the spool first. Budget PETG is the category where drying pays the biggest visible dividend, and a spool that has been open for a week will string no matter how well you tune everything else.
Print Quality
Layer adhesion is excellent, matching PETG twice the price. Test brackets bend and whiten before they break, which is exactly the behaviour that makes PETG worth the stringing.
Surface finish is glossy and a little uneven on large flat faces; the material shows temperature variation more than premium spools do. Colour depth is good, and translucent variants look genuinely nice.
Dimensional accuracy is fair. Holes come out undersized, corners bulge slightly, and press fits need designing with 0.2 mm of slop. None of that matters for brackets and enclosures.
Where It Falls Short
Spool-to-spool variation is the theme. A new colour may want 5-10 °C different, and the occasional spool arrives with a loose wind that can trap the filament under a wrap on a long print.
Stringing is worse than premium PETG straight from the bag, entirely because of shipping moisture. Budget accordingly: a filament dryer pays for itself quickly if this is your main material.
Verdict
If you print functional parts in volume, SUNLU PETG is the cheapest sensible way to do it. Keep a dryer next to the printer, run a temperature tower for each new colour, and accept a bit of tuning in exchange for the price. Buy PolyLite or Prusament when the surface finish is the point.
- SUNLU PETG vs overture petg — Direct rivals at the same price. Overture has slightly better colour consistency; SUNLU is usually a little cheaper and just as strong.
- SUNLU PETG vs polylite petg — PolyLite is more consistent spool to spool and strings less out of the bag; SUNLU does the same job for meaningfully less money.
- SUNLU PETG vs bambu petg hf — Bambu PETG HF prints far faster and needs less tuning; SUNLU is the choice when filament cost dominates.
What temperature should I print SUNLU PETG at?
SUNLU gives 220-250 °C at the nozzle with the bed between 60 and 85 °C depending on the source. 240 °C and 70 °C is a good middle; run a temperature tower because this material varies more by colour than premium PETG does.
Why is my SUNLU PETG stringing so badly?
Almost always moisture. Budget PETG often ships having already absorbed water. Dry at 60 °C for 6 hours, then tune: retraction near 1 mm on direct drive, 5 °C lower nozzle, and a little coasting on outer walls.
Is cheap PETG strong enough for functional parts?
Yes. The layer bonding that makes PETG worth printing is a property of the polymer, not the price. What you lose at the budget end is consistency and surface finish, not strength.