Low-price Ender 5 dual-gear upgrade, but the 3.8★ rating says proceed carefully

Is the Befenybay Upgrade Direct Dual Gear Extruder Support Kit worth buying? At £28.99, it can be a useful Ender 5-series upgrade if you specifically want a direct-drive dual-gear setup for flexible filament, but the 3.8/5 rating from 38 reviews shows it is not a universal slam dunk.

First impressions

The appeal here is straightforward: this kit turns a stock Creality Ender 5, Ender 5 Pro, or Ender 5 Plus into a direct-drive style setup without losing X, Y, or Z build volume, according to the product description. That matters because a lot of direct-drive conversions eat into usable space or require more invasive changes. The package is also fairly complete for the price, with a direct extruder support plate, 4 pulleys, 2 PTFE tubes, a 60cm motor extension cable, a metal dual gear extruder structure, and an 8mm to 10mm open-end wrench.

What the kit is trying to do

The core promise is better extrusion and retraction from a direct drive extruder, plus easier printing of TPU flexible filament. The listing also says the plate is made from high quality cold rolled sheet material, which should help with rigidity compared with flimsy stamped parts. For Ender 5 owners, the big selling point is compatibility with the stock machine and the claim of no build volume lost.

Performance assessment

On paper, the direct-drive layout is the right direction for TPU and other flexible materials because it shortens the filament path and usually gives better control over retraction. The dual-gear extruder structure should also help grip filament more consistently than a basic single-gear setup. That said, the 3.8/5 score from 38 reviews suggests the real-world experience is mixed rather than universally excellent.

The most likely strength is practical flexibility: if you want more material options and easier TPU printing, this kit is aimed squarely at that use case. The most likely weakness is that this is still an upgrade kit, not a complete polished ecosystem. Fitment, alignment, and installation quality matter a lot with carriage and extruder conversions, and the review score hints that some buyers probably ran into setup friction or performance that did not fully match expectations.

Build quality and contents

The cold rolled sheet plate is a good sign for structural stiffness, and the metal dual gear extruder structure should be more durable than cheap plastic alternatives. The included 60cm motor extension cable is a practical touch because direct-drive conversions often need wiring changes. The two PTFE tubes and four pulleys suggest the kit is designed to cover the main mechanical pieces needed for the swap.

The warning here is that “complete enough” is not the same as “plug and play.” This is a support kit, not a full printer redesign, so anyone expecting a painless bolt-on experience may be disappointed. The product description is also quite specific to Ender 5-family machines, so it is not a general-purpose upgrade for every Creality printer.

Value for money

At £28.99, this is close to the average tracked price of £28.88, so it is neither a bargain nor a premium outlier right now. The lowest recorded price was £25.70 and the highest was £36.48, which puts the current price in the middle of a fairly narrow band. Because the current price is only 0.4% above average, the value is decent rather than exceptional.

Compared with alternatives, the Befenybay kit is far cheaper than a SUNLU Official Filament Dryer S4 at £99.99, but that is a different product category entirely. More relevant is the SUNLU S1 dryer box at £29.99, which costs almost the same as this kit and carries a stronger 4.4★ rating. A £39.99 3D printer enclosure with 4.6★ also sits above it in price but has a much better reputation. Those comparisons suggest the Befenybay kit is attractive on price, but not on trust or review strength.

Bottom line on who should consider it

If you own an Ender 5, Ender 5 Pro, or Ender 5 Plus and want a direct-drive dual-gear conversion specifically for TPU or broader filament handling, this kit has a sensible feature set for £28.99. If you want the safest, most proven upgrade path, the mixed 3.8★ score means you should read the reviews carefully and be ready for some installation work.

The biggest positive is the combination of direct drive, dual gears, and no claimed build-volume loss. The biggest negative is that the review score does not suggest a universally smooth experience, so this is better for tinkerers than for anyone wanting a guaranteed hassle-free upgrade.