Which bambu to get?

[ukracer]

It is in my opinion, best in class. Not only that, I think it's a bargain at that price point.

The OP was asking which Bambu, and that's the one I'd recommend. If you'd @Paulbarrett like to play with a printer before committing to the best in class, the A1 mini is another fantastic product (so I am led to believe).

You are both correct. And I dont know 100% which way I would suggest. To try and explain the thinking so Paul can follow it.

Money no object, then buy the most expensive Bambu you can . (Thats said I hear a lot of complaints about the H2D) But X1C with AMS 2 would be my choice (Mainly because the dual head cant use the full bed.) But I dont know anyone with one.

I say go that route as it will give you perfect prints at a very very fast speed. (or faster) The X1C gives you a night and day different experience than a Bed slinger. Printer where the bed moves sideways as opposed to the hot end moving sideways. Also a lot less to learn when printing good STL's. You can still learn things but its less needed with a Bambu. You could almost use an X1C and just press a couple of buttons and just keep getting results.

You could get similar results from the P1S at the same speed BUT limited to printing filament type. BUT that would apply to any non enclosed printer.


Going a non Bambu route or buying a bed slinger would really slow the speed of results/prints. I have 7 printers and was so impressed with the speed of the X1C I have not used any other printer since I purchased the X1C. That alone should tell you a lot.


BUT I appreciate why others who are looking at the outlay for other printers being way way lower why They say different. Some printers like the flashforge mentioned above look like a Core XY in an enclosure so should be quick at printing. But I dont know anyone who can compare the two. You can get an idea of the difference in speeds without even having a printer. Just slice a file with the printer configs loaded and see the resultant time it shows you. (Not always accurate , but close enough when the difference is hours and not minutes.

 

[ukracer]

I can vouch for the A1 mini, I was impressed with: build quality, ease of setup/use, and it's quiet; mine has not missed a beat in the year I've had it. I went for the mini specifically for its small footprint to replace a bigger printer, however I couldn't resist the pricing of the a1 mini + AMSlite bundle though so didn't reclaim as much space as I had intended! I love the AMS though so glad I went for it in the end. Current sale price is £170 for the printer or £300 for the bundle.

The 2 things that probably put people off the mini are going to be its small build volume 180mm^3 and it isn't really enclosure friendly for filaments the need one. The regular A1 addresses the build volume but not the enclosure issue but for a higher price tag of course.

On lathe vs printer buying - Not sure the analogy holds up for 3d printer buying as printers don't need an operator standing over them for the hours they take to print, so if you can make an entry level printer work for the materials and build volume you need initially you can always buy a 2nd top of the range printer later at 10x cost and benefit from printing 2 things at the same time, or have each printer pre-loaded with different filament(s) or a workshop printer and an in the house printer etc.

your first two comments are great. I would be interested in the print speeds of sliced files as I think the A1 mini is bedslinger is it not?

Your third one I do appreciate you are also bang on about buying a more expensive one later. I do appreciate you dont have to watch them 24/7 but cheaper printers I would be less happy to leave them unattended, without constant checks.

 

[ukracer]

Simply to make it easier to keep jobs going with changes. I don't do multicolour prints anymore. I tried them to begin with but my stuff is usually practical things. The dual ams is so I have pla in one and petg in the other.

Do you have AMS1 or 2. I have had so much trouble with snapping filament I had to print a PYthon and then then I desperately still need a decent large filament dryer.

 

[ukracer]

Simply to make it easier to keep jobs going with changes. I don't do multicolour prints anymore. I tried them to begin with but my stuff is usually practical things. The dual ams is so I have pla in one and petg in the other.

Thats pretty much how mine is used currently. I was aware of the "speculate to accumulate saying. So I took the plunge on the basis that a commercial licence was not a great deal more. I purchased 3 kickstarter projects. But to be honest I simply dont think I could sell much if any at all.
I started with https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/txarlifactory/cube-pro-organizer?ref=android_project_share

then I got https://www.kickstarter.com/project...-3d-printable-modular-cable-organizing-system

and finally the one I need most this one. https://www.kickstarter.com/project...fully-3d-printable-filament-dryer/description
seem very expensive
AS I say the boxes sell at silly prices but I doubt they sell many at 25quid.

The cablecap seems you could make a few quid BUT the Aero dryer 2.0 seems expensive when you add the cost of electronics. I have yet to find an alternative commercial dryer but to be honest when I looked 6 months ago for a dryer they did seem expensive although they were not dedicated filament dryers.

Another issue I have found with kickstarter is they still allow anyone to buy the commercial files so the competition is growing daily, even after the campaign has finished.

 

[My Old Landy]

Do you have AMS1 or 2. I have had so much trouble with snapping filament I had to print a PYthon and then then I desperately still need a decent large filament dryer.

I have the first version. I believe they are compatible so if I do ever get a H2D I will be able to transfer the extra one to it.

I use my printers for prototype and small batch work. My company pay me through the PAYE scheme and supply the filament so I am not out of pocket.
I do commission work too but put that through our craft business. I've not looked at volume selling other people's designs as I expect as you have found, the competition is fierce!

 

[rich_c]

I would be interested in the print speeds of sliced files as I think the A1 mini is bedslinger is it not?

It prints pretty fast, not sure how to quantify it for comparison but the marketing claims say comparable to core xy and a 14minute quality benchy time playing by the speed benchy rules. What helps is that the bed is small, rigid design on linear rails with input shaping (or whatever Bambu call it). I'm also not printing tall wobbly parts though so mmv.

I do appreciate you dont have to watch them 24/7 but cheaper printers I would be less happy to leave them unattended, without constant checks.

Depending on why you say that I might have agreed a few years ago but entry level/cheap doesn't necessarily mean zero quality these days with the likes of Bambu in the market imo.