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The broad wash and cure station roundup covers the field. This article is for people who are already between these three units and need to know the actual differences.
The Mercury Plus 2.0, Phrozen CW3, and Anycubic Wash & Cure 2.0 are the three stations that dominate the $70-150 range right now. They look similar in spec sheets and they don’t look similar when you’re actually running them. If you print on a Saturn-class or smaller machine and want to know which station to pair with it, this is the comparison.
For general context on what wash and cure stations do and how they fit the resin workflow, start with the beginner’s guide to resin miniature printing. For IPA handling and disposal (relevant every time you run the wash cycle) the resin printing safety guide covers what you need to know.
The Three Stations at a Glance
Elegoo Mercury Plus 2.0 is the incumbent. It’s been the default recommendation for Saturn and Mars owners for a while, and Elegoo has refined the product through enough iterations that most of the early complaints (weak stirrer, flimsy basket, awkward cure position) are addressed in the current version.
Phrozen CW3 is the challenger from Phrozen, a company that makes printers rather than accessories as its primary business. The CW3 is their answer to the Mercury Plus, built for their own printer owners but compatible with any 405nm workflow.
Anycubic Wash & Cure 2.0 (sometimes listed as “Wash & Cure Plus” depending on market and revision) is Anycubic’s current station. Anycubic printer owners are the primary market, but it’s a standalone unit that works with any MSLA resin system.
This comparison is aimed at Saturn-class printer owners, since that’s the most common machine in the hobbyist miniature printing space. Where differences in published specs and reviewer-reported performance are the basis for a ranking, that’s noted. Where it’s straight spec comparison, it’s straight spec comparison.
Chamber Volume: The First Thing to Check
This is the spec that actually determines whether a station works with your printer, and the one that marketing copy glosses over most.
Mercury Plus 2.0: The wash chamber fits Saturn and smaller. The internal wash basket handles prints from the full Saturn build plate (218x123mm footprint) with standard support structures. Tall builds with long support columns or overhanging structures can be tight: the chamber has a practical Z limit in the mid-100mm range before you need to rotate or split prints. For standard 28-32mm miniatures in batch runs, you have plenty of room.
Phrozen CW3: Comparable capacity to the Mercury Plus 2.0 in XY. The CW3 is designed around Phrozen Sonic printer footprints, which are similar to Saturn-class dimensions. The basket design is slightly different, with more open mesh, which improves IPA circulation but means very small basing elements (loose sand, small decorative stones) occasionally fall through. For miniature printing specifically, this is a minor issue.
Anycubic Wash & Cure 2.0: The chamber volume is competitive with Mercury Plus 2.0. Anycubic has historically targeted the Photon Mono X as their reference printer, which has a larger build plate than the Saturn in some dimensions, so the wash basin is designed to be a bit more generous. For Saturn owners, this means more room to work. For Anycubic Mono 4 owners with smaller plates, it means a larger station than you strictly need.
Wash Performance: Magnetic Stirrer Quality
All three use magnetic stirrers. The difference is how well they circulate IPA across different print geometries.
Mercury Plus 2.0: The stirrer is reliable and consistent. For dense prints (multiple minis on the same plate with tight support packing) the circulation is good at the perimeter of the basket but can leave dead zones in the center of a very full wash load. Rotating the basket 180 degrees halfway through the wash cycle fixes this. It’s a minor step but worth knowing if you’re washing full build plates.
Phrozen CW3: The CW3’s stirrer generates noticeably stronger flow than the Mercury Plus 2.0 according to side-by-side comparisons published by multiple reviewers. The open mesh basket contributes to this: IPA flows through rather than around the print load. For complex geometry (miniatures with a lot of undercuts, terrain with deep recesses) the CW3’s circulation is the better performer.
Anycubic Wash & Cure 2.0: The stirrer is solid but the unit’s geometry creates slightly less efficient circulation than the CW3 for similar print loads. The Anycubic basin is wider and the stirrer has more volume to move. Adequate for normal miniature printing; not the strongest circulator of the three.
Wash performance ranking: CW3 for complex geometry, Mercury Plus 2.0 for standard miniature batches with equivalent effectiveness, Anycubic as a functional third.
UV Cure Performance
Post-cure is the step that determines final hardness and brittleness resistance. All three stations run 405nm arrays and turntables.
Mercury Plus 2.0: The cure array is consistent and well-tested across many generations of the product. The turntable ensures even exposure. Cure times for ABS-like resins run 1-3 minutes at standard settings; standard resins slightly less. The timer is precise enough to dial in specific resins without over-curing.
Phrozen CW3: The CW3’s UV cure chamber is slightly taller, which helps with taller prints that need even UV coverage across the Z axis. For standard 28mm miniatures this doesn’t matter. For large busts, big creatures, or terrain pieces where height matters, the CW3’s cure chamber gives you more even top-to-bottom exposure without needing a second cure cycle.
Anycubic Wash & Cure 2.0: The UV array is competitive with Mercury Plus 2.0. Anycubic has had good results with cure quality across several station generations. The one thing I’ve heard from Anycubic printer owners: the default cure time settings feel conservative, and most people reduce them slightly for their specific resin after a few test runs. Not a problem, just an adjustment step.
Cure performance ranking: CW3 for taller prints, Mercury Plus 2.0 and Anycubic roughly equivalent for standard miniature printing.
Build Quality and Noise
Mercury Plus 2.0: The current version is quiet. The stirrer vibration is minimal. You can run it on a shared desk surface without it walking across the table or generating annoying sound. The lid and bucket mechanism are solid. Previous Mercury versions had some creaking and fitting issues; the Plus 2.0 addresses these.
Phrozen CW3: The CW3 has a more premium physical feel than the Mercury Plus 2.0: heavier base, more substantial construction. It also runs quieter. If you’re printing in a shared space where noise matters, the CW3 has a real edge. The lid design is clean and the wash-to-cure conversion (flipping the lid) is intuitive.
Anycubic Wash & Cure 2.0: Competent build, slightly less polished feel than the CW3. The noise level is similar to the Mercury Plus 2.0. One minor annoyance: the wash basket handle design makes it slightly harder to lift out a full basket without IPA running down your gloves. Manageable but worth mentioning.
Price
Mercury Plus 2.0: $45-65 depending on sales. Amazon and Elegoo direct.
Phrozen CW3: $80-100. Amazon and Phrozen direct.
Anycubic Wash & Cure 2.0: $60-80. Amazon and Anycubic direct.
The CW3 is the most expensive of the three by a real margin. The Mercury Plus 2.0 is the most affordable. The Anycubic sits in between.
Head-to-Head Comparison Table
| Feature | Mercury Plus 2.0 | Phrozen CW3 | Anycubic Wash & Cure 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wash Capacity | Saturn-class and smaller | Saturn-class and smaller | Saturn-class, slightly more generous |
| Stirrer Quality | Good | Excellent | Good |
| Cure Chamber Height | Standard | Taller | Standard |
| Build Quality | Solid | Premium | Solid |
| Noise Level | Quiet | Quietest | Moderate |
| Price Range | $45-65 | $80-100 | $60-80 |
| Best Pairing | Elegoo printer owners | Any printer, terrain/tall prints | Anycubic printer owners |
My Recommendation
Buy the Mercury Plus 2.0 if you own a Saturn or Mars and are printing standard miniatures: 28-32mm characters, creatures, terrain in the normal height range. It’s the default recommendation because it works well for the most common use case at the most accessible price. The volume of online support and troubleshooting content for this unit is much larger than the other two.
Buy the CW3 if you care about build quality, noise level, or you’re printing complex geometry and large prints where better IPA circulation makes a difference. The price premium is real, but the CW3 is a noticeably better-built unit that performs better at the edges of the use case. If you’re printing large busts or terrain tiles at height, the CW3’s taller cure chamber removes a source of frustration that the Mercury doesn’t fully solve.
Buy the Anycubic Wash & Cure 2.0 if you own Anycubic printers and want a matched-brand workflow, or if the Mercury is sold out and you’re on a timeline. It’s a functional unit that delivers acceptable results. It’s not the strongest choice against its direct competition at its price point, but it does the job.
One honest note: if you’re currently using a jar of IPA and a UV nail lamp, all three of these stations are a real upgrade. The decision between them is secondary to having dedicated equipment at all. Prioritize getting a station over optimizing which station.
The Workflow These Stations Support
Both the wash and cure steps have technique nuances that affect print quality: cure times by resin type, IPA contamination management, when to replace IPA. The beginner’s guide to resin miniature printing covers this end-to-end. For IPA disposal (which you’ll be doing regularly once you’re running a station), the safety guide has the correct process.
For the broader comparison of all wash and cure options including budget picks, the wash and cure station roundup is the starting point.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use the Mercury Plus 2.0 with an Anycubic printer? Yes. All three stations in this comparison work with any 405nm MSLA resin and any printer brand. These are not closed ecosystems: IPA chemistry doesn’t care whose printer made the print.
Does the Phrozen CW3 come with IPA? No. None of these stations include IPA. You’ll need to source 95%+ isopropyl alcohol separately. A gallon of 99% IPA from a local pharmacy or hardware store is the standard supply.
How do I know when my IPA is too contaminated to reuse? The IPA will turn progressively darker yellow-orange as it accumulates dissolved resin. Functional IPA has some color but still looks translucent. When it turns opaque or dark brown, replace it. You can extend IPA life by leaving contaminated IPA in sunlight in a clear container: UV light cures the dissolved resin particles, which then settle to the bottom. Filter out the solid waste, and the IPA is usable again for a few more cycles.
Why does my Mercury Plus 2.0 leave residue on miniatures? Usually contaminated IPA (once IPA is saturated with dissolved resin, it can’t clean effectively and starts depositing residue instead. Swap to fresh IPA. The second cause is not drying the print fully after washing before curing) liquid IPA residue leaves spots under UV light. Give prints a full air-dry (5-10 minutes minimum) after washing.
Is the CW3 worth $25-40 more than the Mercury Plus 2.0? Depends on what you’re printing. For standard 28mm gaming miniatures in batch runs: probably not. The Mercury Plus 2.0 handles the standard use case well. For complex large prints, display-quality busts, or anything where you care about the quality of the workstation itself: yes, the build quality and wash performance justify the gap.
The next purchase after the station is usually resin: the best resin for miniatures guide covers which formulas work best for painted gaming pieces vs. display-quality work. And once you’re printing and washing regularly, the varnishing and sealing guide keeps your paint jobs on the finished models.