Every 3D printer hobbyist eventually asks the same question: is PLA Plus actually better than regular PLA, or is it just marketing? And if PLA Plus is stronger, does the color of the filament also affect performance?
That’s exactly what we decided to test.
At Maker Build It, we compared three different eSun filaments to see how they performed in real-world printing and strength testing:
🧰 Filament Tested (Some Affiliate Links That Help Support the Channel):
eSun PLA Basic – Purple - https://amzn.to/48YCa0Z
eSun PLA+ – Haze Blue - https://amzn.to/3RJpaX2
eSun PLA+ – White - https://amzn.to/4tHYrb1
The goal was simple: test print quality, dimensional accuracy, and bridge strength to see if PLA Plus really offers an advantage over standard PLA — and whether different colors of the same material could also change the results.
Why Compare PLA and PLA Plus?
PLA has become one of the most popular 3D printing materials because it’s easy to print, affordable, and produces great-looking results. But PLA Plus claims to improve on standard PLA by offering:
- Better layer adhesion
- Improved impact resistance
- Reduced brittleness
- Slightly higher flexibility
- Better overall durability
For makers printing decorative parts, the difference may not matter much. But for functional parts, stronger layer bonding and impact resistance can make a huge difference.
Why Test White PLA Plus Separately?
This is where things got interesting.
White filament often contains titanium dioxide pigment to achieve its bright white appearance. While titanium dioxide makes filament look cleaner and more vibrant, many makers believe it can sometimes make filament slightly more brittle.
So we wanted to see if white PLA Plus would actually perform differently compared to blue PLA Plus from the same manufacturer.
Test Setup
To keep things as consistent as possible, all prints were made using standard Bambu Lab PLA settings with no custom tuning.
Each filament printed:
- A Benchy
- A calibration cube
- A goblin head detail model
- A bridge strength test
All bridge tests used the same:
- Wall count
- Infill settings
- Print orientation
- Print speed
This helped ensure the filament itself was the main variable.
Benchy Results
Right away, all three filaments produced surprisingly clean Benchys.
The eSun PLA Basic looked great with minimal visible artifacts, while both PLA Plus filaments also produced smooth surfaces and sharp details.
Honestly, these were some of the cleanest out-of-the-box Benchys we’ve printed without any custom tuning.
Observations:
- Very little stringing
- Clean overhangs
- Smooth top layers
- Good dimensional consistency
The PLA Plus did appear slightly smoother overall, especially around curved surfaces.
Calibration Cube Accuracy
All three calibration cubes came out extremely clean and dimensionally consistent.
No major warping, layer inconsistencies, or corner defects appeared on any of the prints.
From a printability standpoint, both PLA and PLA Plus performed very well.
Goblin Head Detail Test
The goblin head test focused on:
- Fine detail
- Layer visibility
- Surface texture
- Curved geometry performance
The standard PLA still looked very good, but the PLA Plus versions appeared slightly smoother on rounded surfaces.
The layer lines on the top of the head were a little less noticeable on the PLA Plus prints, although some of that could also be influenced by filament color.
Still, all three filaments handled detail exceptionally well.
Support Removal Test
Before the actual strength testing, we removed the bridge supports by hand.
This is where PLA Plus immediately started standing out.
The supports on the PLA Plus prints removed more smoothly and cleanly than the standard PLA. The blue PLA Plus especially released almost perfectly in one piece.
That smoother removal could suggest slightly better flexibility and layer behavior during stress.
The Strength Test
For the main test, we used a force meter to measure how much force, in Newtons, it took to snap each bridge print.
Results:
|
Filament |
Breaking Force |
|---|---|
|
eSun PLA Basic |
~18 Newtons |
|
eSun PLA Plus (Blue) |
~24.44 Newtons |
|
eSun PLA Plus (White) |
~24.42 Newtons |
That means the PLA Plus filaments handled roughly 35% more force before failure compared to standard PLA.
That’s a pretty noticeable difference for functional parts.
The Biggest Surprise
Originally, it looked like the white PLA Plus was stronger. During testing, it seemed like it took closer to 28 Newtons before snapping.
But after reviewing the footage frame by frame, the actual failure point was 24.42 Newtons — almost identical to the blue PLA Plus at 24.44 Newtons.
That means there was less than a 0.08% difference between the two PLA Plus colors.
So in this particular test, the pigment didn’t significantly affect the overall strength.
How the Parts Failed
Even though the numbers were nearly identical, the way the parts failed looked slightly different.
The white PLA Plus:
- Bent a little more before breaking
- Showed more cracking on the underside
- Appeared slightly more flexible
The blue PLA Plus:
- Failed cleaner
- Showed less overall cracking
- Looked slightly less brittle
Meanwhile, the standard PLA showed the most visible damage overall, especially along the bottom layers of the bridge.
Final Thoughts
After testing all three filaments, PLA Plus absolutely showed a noticeable improvement in strength over standard PLA.
The increased flexibility and reduced brittleness could make a real difference for:
- Functional prints
- Mechanical parts
- Clips and brackets
- Wearable props
- Parts exposed to stress or impact
As for filament color affecting strength? In this test, the difference between the white and blue PLA Plus was almost nonexistent.
That said, different pigment formulas can still behave differently between manufacturers, so results may vary depending on the brand.
Is PLA Plus Worth It?
For decorative prints, standard PLA is still perfectly fine.
But if you want:
- Better durability
- More impact resistance
- Cleaner support removal
- Slightly improved flexibility
Then PLA Plus definitely seems worth considering.
And sometimes in 3D printing, the difference between a failed part and a functional part really can come down to something as small as the pigment in your filament.