Do I actually need a filament dryer?

It depends on your materials. PLA rarely needs drying if you store it sealed with desiccant. PETG and TPU benefit often. Nylon (PA), PC, and carbon-fiber blends genuinely need it — they soak up moisture from the air in hours and print badly wet, so most people running them print straight from a heated dry box. If you only print PLA, a sealed box with desiccant may be all you need.

Which filament dryer should I buy?

For most people, the Sunlu S4 — it dries four 1kg spools at once, hits 70°C, lets you print while drying, and is easy to get on Amazon. Buy a single-spool unit like the Sunlu S2 or Polymaker PolyDryer if you only need one roll at a time. If you run nylon, PC, or CF-filled engineering filament, you want a higher-temp unit like the Sunlu E2 (up to 110°C).

Single-spool or multi-spool dryer?

Multi-spool (Sunlu S4, Eibos Cyclopes, Creality Space Pi Plus) wins if you batch-dry or feed several printers — it's cheaper per spool and you set it once. Single-spool (Sunlu S2, Polymaker PolyDryer) is smaller, cheaper up front, and fine if you dry one roll at a time and print straight from the box.

Can I just use an oven instead of buying a dryer?

Risky. Most home ovens swing ±15°C at low settings and can't hold a steady 55°C, so you can melt or warp spools. If you try it, verify the real temperature with a separate thermometer. A food dehydrator is safer and cheaper than an oven, but a purpose-built dryer that also stores filament is the reliable answer for hygroscopic materials.

What temperature do I need for PETG and nylon?

PETG dries around 60–65°C for a few hours. Nylon (PA) needs roughly 75–80°C for 8–12 hours, and PC wants 80–90°C — which is why a 70°C dryer is marginal for nylon and not enough for PC. If you print those materials, buy a dryer rated to 80°C or higher, not a basic 70°C box.

Best Filament Dryer in 2026: Sunlu vs Polymaker vs Eibos

Updated 2026-06-19 · by Jay

If you just want the answer: most people should buy the Sunlu FilaDryer S4. It dries four 1kg spools at once, reaches 70°C, lets you print straight from the box, and it's the easiest capable dryer to get on Amazon. Check the Sunlu S4 price on Amazon.

The short version, by need:

Sunlu S4 — for most people. Four spools, 70°C, print-while-drying, on Amazon.
Sunlu S2 / Polymaker PolyDryer — single spool, cheaper, fine for one roll.
Eibos Polyphemus — 80°C and auto-rotation; for fussier materials and big spools.
Sunlu E2 — 110°C dryer and annealer; for nylon, PC, and CF engineering filament.

Heads up: this is a research-based buyer's guide, not a hands-on lab test — we haven't dried spools in these side by side. Some links are affiliate links; if you buy through them FilaScope earns a small commission at no extra cost to you. Details on the affiliate disclosure page.

First — do you actually need one?

Wet filament prints badly: stringing, popping, rough surfaces, weak layers. But not every material soaks up water at the same rate, and that decides whether a dryer is essential or optional.

PLA rarely needs drying. Stored sealed with desiccant, it stays printable for months. A dryer is a nice-to-have, not a must.
PETG and TPU benefit often — they pick up moisture over days to weeks, so a dryer earns its place if you print them regularly.
Nylon (PA), PC, and carbon-fiber blends genuinely need one. They absorb moisture from the air in hours, which is why people who run them print straight from a heated dry box.

If you only print PLA and store it well, you may not need a dryer at all — start with our how to store filament guide first. Everyone else: here's what to buy, and the filament drying guide covers the why, the exact temperatures, and the times once you have one.

At a glance

Dryer	Capacity	Max temp	Print while drying	~Price	On Amazon?
Sunlu S4	4 spools	70°C	Yes	~$80–110	Yes
Sunlu S2	1 spool	70°C	Yes	~$45–55	Yes
Eibos Cyclopes	2 spools	70°C	Yes	~$60–80	Yes
Eibos Polyphemus	1–2 (fits 3kg)	80°C	Yes	~$140	Yes
Polymaker PolyDryer	1 spool	~68–73°C	Yes	~$80	Yes
Creality Space Pi Plus	2 spools	up to ~75°C	Yes	~$70–90	Yes
Sunlu E2	2 spools	110°C	Yes	~$250–350	Yes

Prices move constantly — check the live listing before you buy. Sunlu S4 on Amazon · Eibos Polyphemus on Amazon

The dryers, compared

Sunlu FilaDryer S4 — the mainstream pick. Four 1kg spools at once, a 70°C ceiling, a 350W PTC heater, three circulation fans, and feed-through ports so you can print while it runs. It's the one most people should buy: enough capacity to batch-dry or feed several printers, and the simplest capable unit to find on Amazon. Reference price runs roughly $80–110 depending on the sale.

Check the Sunlu S4 price on Amazon

Sunlu FilaDryer S2 — the cheap single-spool. One spool, 70°C, circulation fan, around $45–55. If you dry one roll at a time and print straight from it, this is the value pick. Same temperature ceiling as the S4 — you're just trading capacity for a lower price and a smaller footprint.

Check the Sunlu S2 price on Amazon

Polymaker PolyDryer — the modular store-and-dry. A single-spool unit with a clever split design: a Dry Dock heating base plus a sealed PolyDryer Box, so the same hardware dries and stores. Temperature lands in the ~68–73°C range (Polymaker notes the figure varies around the spool). Around $80, on Amazon. Good if tidy storage matters as much as drying to you.

Check the Polymaker PolyDryer on Amazon

Eibos Cyclopes — the two-spool middle ground. Two rolls, 70°C, humidity sensor, infinite timer, and feed-through for printing while drying. Sits between the single-spool budget boxes and the bigger Sunlu S4 in capacity and price, roughly $60–80. A solid two-printer or two-material setup.

Check the Eibos Cyclopes on Amazon

Eibos Polyphemus — for fussier materials and big spools. This is the one that breaks the 70°C wall: it runs 30–80°C, uses a motorized 360° auto-rotation system for even drying, and fits spools up to 3kg. Maker spec claims a ~1°C spread across the spool. Around $140. Buy it if you run materials that want a hotter, more even dry — nylon especially — or if you use oversized spools.

Check the Eibos Polyphemus on Amazon

Sunlu FilaDryer E2 — the engineering-filament dryer (and annealer). A different class: up to 110°C from a 500W PTC heater, a dual chamber, and an annealing mode for strengthening printed parts. It's built for PC, PA/PA-CF, and FR-ABS — the materials a 70°C box can't properly dry. It's pricey at roughly $250–350, so only buy it if you actually run engineering filaments.

Check the Sunlu E2 on Amazon

The temperature trap most guides skip

Here's the buying detail that matters more than capacity: a 70°C dryer is marginal for nylon and not enough for PC. Nylon (PA) wants roughly 75–80°C to drive moisture out, and PC wants 80–90°C. So the popular 70°C boxes — Sunlu S4/S2, Eibos Cyclopes, Creality Space Pi — are great for PLA, PETG, TPU, ABS, and ASA, but they top out right where serious engineering materials begin.

If nylon, PC, or CF-filled filament is in your future, skip straight to an 80°C+ unit (Eibos Polyphemus) or the 110°C Sunlu E2. The full per-material temperature table is in our filament drying guide, and the nylon vs PETG guide covers when nylon's hassle is even worth it.

The free (and near-free) baseline

Before you spend, know what you're competing against:

A sealed box with desiccant keeps PLA and well-dried spools printable for a long time — for many PLA-only printers, this is all you need. See how to store filament.
A food dehydrator ($30–50) dries filament with far steadier temperature control than an oven, though spools may not fit without removing trays.
A kitchen oven is the risky option: most home ovens swing ±15°C at low settings and can't hold a steady 55°C, which is exactly how spools warp or melt. Only attempt it with a separate thermometer.

A purpose-built dryer wins because it dries and stores, holds temperature honestly, and lets you print straight from it — but if you're PLA-only, the cheap storage route is a legitimate answer, not a cop-out.

Bottom line

Most people: buy the Sunlu S4. Four spools, 70°C, print-while-drying, easy on Amazon.
One roll at a time / on a budget: the Sunlu S2 or the modular Polymaker PolyDryer.
Two materials or two printers: the Eibos Cyclopes or Creality Space Pi Plus.
Nylon, big spools, or fussy materials: the 80°C Eibos Polyphemus.
PC, PA-CF, engineering filament + annealing: the 110°C Sunlu E2.

Match the dryer to your materials, not just your spool count — the temperature ceiling is what separates "dries my PLA" from "dries my nylon." And once your filament's dry, the filament temperature guide helps you dial in the print itself.