I would describe it less like a toy and more of an appliance. Coming from an old Ender 3 pro to the A1 series printers made me fall in love with 3d printing again.
I was the exact same way with my Ender 3 too. Even after adding bed levelling, I never printed as much as I wanted to because of the time it took for me to constantly deal with problems.
Man I had the exact same situation. I used to print on an Ender 3 and I had fun but slowly fell out of love with 3D printing. I picked up an A1 Mini and I’m having fun again and spending so much time just playing with it
damn straight friend. I find the ease of use to be so much better than my slower counter part printers. I have a anycubic mega S, monoprice mini select v2 and a ankermake m5c (the only other fast one is the ankermake)
Been 3D printing for awhile now (several years), and I can honestly say buying the A1 printer is the first time where the printer feels like a tool, and not a project. Which is great, even if you're a tinkerer. I love to mod things, but sometimes I just want something that works as advertised, and this printer does that.
I love to mod... but my Ender 3 was a real pain in the ass (and still is). I had several problems from the start that took a whole lot of failed prints and modding just to get it to work. Then when I upgraded the hotend to print at higher temperatures, it hasn't worked right since. I have a new v6 hotend for it to hopefully get it back to working condition... but I don't feel like messing with it, because I've spent almost as much time working on it as I have ever spent actually printing with it. Despite the problems from the start, it did print extremely high quality from the start though. I just had problem with the bed/springs, problem with losing zero, z-axis problems and also tilting problems and had to go dual-axis, z stop problems, problems with maintaining temperature, a thermal runaway once despite having a new thermal runaway protected mainboard... and many other problems. It's just insane that Most of these problems are known by Ender, but they continue to sell defective printers regardless, when it would cost them very little to nothing to just fix them.
I tried 3d printing about 5 years ago and got one of those Prusa kits. It came with like 200 pieces and like 500 screws. I probably spent about 30 hours over a weekend assembling it. The next weekend I spent about 10 hours trying to get it leveled and calibrated. Then, I did my first real print which was a small figurine that took like 6 hours to print. After that I was like screw this. It looks like it's gone a long way since then.
I received my A1 mini yesterday, never touched a 3D printer before. I have already lost count of the number of prints I made, and all prints have been very useful. Ofcourse I have also never used any other printer. But from a beginner's perspective: I am very, very happy with it. Before purchasing the printer I asked a local dealer which one I should have. He has all brands and an expert on 3D printing for years. He advised the Bambu Lab in a heartbeat. "It'll be fun, trust me." Man, he wasn't lying.
As a newbie to 3D printers, I found this review very thorough, clear and honest. It has really helped my understanding of what to look for before purchasing a 3D printer.
I may be beginner and I just bought the same exact printer a week ago ago. It’s been so fantastic so easy to use and I can’t say enough good things about it. Totally worth the money. and this tutorial is next level easy to follow thank you
The a1 fullsize is my first printer ever. I'm about a month deep into ownership and from others that have had other printers theyve been telling me they love theirs. Im having no regrets.
This review and a few others convinced me to take the plunge and buy an A1/AMS, and I couldn't be happier! I've been printing for 6 years with an Ender 3 and Kobra Plus. The Ender 3 was fascinating as a hobby that more than paid for itself in all the household items and fixes I printed. I got the Kobra to reward myself for all the tinkering I had done on the Ender 3, and for a year was thrilled by the improved quality and low maintenance. Decided I wanted color, and went for the A1/AMS based mostly on your review. The way I feel about this printer reminds of the late 90s, when laser printers became affordable for home use - suddenly a whole world of fonts and formatting opened up, and we said goodbye to tearing the perforated strips off accordion paper. My first A1 project has been to print a large number of little plastic gears for a project for my daughter. My Kobra Plus had been doing great with these, but there was still a fair amount of post-processing - picking off threads, sanding and minor filing - and we're talking hundreds of gears. The A1 cranks these things out perfectly, ready to use, and so much faster. The surface finish on the metallic silk filaments I'm using is amazing - parts shine like actual metal now. I'm getting nicer results with 0.2mm layers than with 0.16 on the Kobra. In fact, the A1's precision is so good I've had to revise my designs a little, to remove the fudge factors I had built in to make parts fit right. This machine totally blows me away, along with the whole Bambu ecosystem. Many thanks for the super clear and thoughtful review and all the demos. You have a new subscriber.
I don't print things very often. I feel a lot of that is because with ny Ender 3-V2, I've never gotten great prints out of it that really showcase what 3D printer can be. I'm a tinkerer and have already modded it, but I'm looking for something that will just work (once i learn the slicer), and you've sold me on this printer. Video was excellent and I am glad you highlighted the good AND bad in a clear and informative manner. Thank you
I have been watching printer videos on RUclips for years, and almost hit the trigger on an Ender 3, but waited out the hype a bit and then lost intrest in it when people started having problems with them. When you peeled off that first coaster, I instantly fell in love again. I don't want the printer to be a new hobby, I want it to be a tool for all my other hobbys, and Bamboo labs seems to be there with this. Of course it comes at a price, but the price for buying another printer that doesnt do the job without tinkering and stands unused is maybe higher
I have had an A1 since February and I love it. It’s my 4th and 5th printer. Now my only printer. I have one correction for you. It does not matter on the hot end what color goes to what tube. It only matters on the AMS side and that is clearly labeled. Good video.
Idk if anyone has shared with you yet but it doesn’t matter which tube goes into which port on the AMS hub. The color/material is pulled based on the slot on the AMS unit not the slot the tube enters on the hub. 😊
So, after having my A1 for 8 months now, it was awesome at first, incredibly fast, very precise, and multi color. It was MILES ahead of my ender 3. Then came the failures...and the recall. I've replaced the extruder heater twice, the extruder once, and then the heated bed for the recall. I also had camera problems after an update that took MONTHS to resolve. I am not bagging on the printer, it is still the best thing I have ever purchased in my life, but a Toyota it is not.
I just started 3D printing and my first and so far only unit is the A1 Mini. The only experience I have is using my laser cutter/engraver. So, I was completely new to 3D printing. Now I am learning CAD and have created my own designs for brackets, SSD/HDD trays, and cable management clips. The fact even my prints come out needing so little clean up attention is amazing. After watching your video I learned a couple useful features that would help improve my prints even more. Thank you for the variable layer height section you shared and the using a heated iron to lightly melt the support edges. I personally have experienced zero stress learning how to use the printer or the slicer software. CAD on the other hand, a little stressful but interesting.
Damn, it's amazing how far the technology have come. My Ultimaker 2 feels positively like a goddamn prehistoric fossil in comparison, and it costed more than 3 times this printer's price! It's only downside is a lack of enclosure, since PLA drools, ABS rules.
I have been looking at Bambu labs for a while so I have watched SO many video reviews. This is by far the most informative and well done reviews. There is an enormous amount of information that is presented so efficiently. Loved it!
Not just multi-color, but multi material. This is where this machine truly separates itself from say a prusa with the MMU units. I currently use qidi tech i-fasts (dual nozzle, heated chamber" solely for the fact that I can print in two different materials. i.e. PETG with TPU flexible material embedded in the print for flexibility. Great review, you should review the AMU unit that bamboo has with this, and multi-material printing.
This 2nd year 3D print enthusiast appreciates your work here. Had the A1 Mini for a couple of months and am blown away by Bambu's infrastructure. Coming from initial learning with the Ender 3 Pro.
It amazes me how far advanced 3d printing has become. For the money, this printer seems to be a really good value for all it's incredible features and user friendly refinement. I have an old Anet A6 that I heavily modified and while it ended up producing some pretty good 3d prints, it cost me upwards of $1000 to get it to print properly and reliably. But alas, it's been sitting in my shop for 5 yrs just collecting dust. This little printer looks like a win.
As I understand it, it doesn't matter which line goes to which port, as the filament is pushed by the AMS Lite into the extruder gears. I've taken mine off to add a printed part, allowing me to keep the AMS Lite and external spool connected simultaneously. I didn't worry about which line went where except for orderliness.
Thanks for showing the printer in such vast detail. I've saved up enough for the Bambu Labs P1S and AMS combo over the past few months and planned to buy it on Black Friday. Although I started debating getting the A1 because the AMS lite can handle cardboard spools, the A1 printer combo is about half the price of the P1S combo, but I wouldn't be able to print some of the materials I've been thinking of. been weighing the pro's and Cons for a while but you went into so much depth into the A1 it answered all my questions. I'm Gonna get the A1 Combo! Btw I love your vids, I've gotten into prop making and when I get to a faster machine I'm gonna make a droid or two.
Currently I have a K1 and a A1 Mini. And I'm in love with the A1... so much easy to print. Never changed the default profiles on Bambu Studio. 90% of my prints are in the A1 Mini.
I learned 3D printing with my Ender-3 four years ago. Now the Bambú Lab A1 will be my next printer. This one is a game changer definitely. Thanks for your great video.
I can’t tell you how useful this video was. I really appreciate all of the detail that you provided for this printer, and the exhaustive testing. I’m now totally sold on this printer, as someone looking to get into the hobby without much friction. I also know that the little “finishing touches” you did to the droid were glossed right over but very much lot an easy process. This is the first video I’ve seen from you but I’ll definitely be checking out more of your content!
Blows my mind we've come to a point that a four color 3d printer can be had under $500! Zero personal interest in 3d printing, but have to admit, this is really cool. Thanks for the video.
Really liked your video, I'm an on the fence beginner who may make the leap into a printer soon, and was really impressed with what you got working straight outta the box. Very different from my prior quick experiences with other peoples 3D printers.
lock me in that ecosystem baby! its a great feeling knowing you can start a print and walk away to a finished print 97% of the time. compare that to my ender 3 that you would go through a quarter roll just trying to get a few layers down. 100% worth it
Vendor lock-in is not something to ignore, you should be coaching use of a system like this against what they restrict. These are easy to use, but we don't want 3d printers to be like the rest of the printing market.
I've had the Ultimaker 3 since its release and it's done a lot for my small business, everytime I see the Bambu Lab A1 it reminds me of how phones used to cost 10x more and does a fraction of the stuff what a new phone would do, and I'm all for it. Very much will be looking to refurbish the UM3 to sell then upgrade to the A1, at less than half the cost!
Great video. One of the BEST I have seen on any printer and especially the A1. You did a very in depth look and explained everything as to why you made those statements. I do have one question/comment about the 'waste' portion. I also struggle whenever I do prints to keep the waste down and reduce the size of the purge tower and the flushing volumes. One of the things I never see is anyone ever making a comparison between multi-color waste in amount and cost versus the amount of effort and cost and waste that occurs when painting the model. Filament waste is 'permanent' and yes you can reuse brushes and bottles of colors of paint but it still has to wash the brush, some waste when changing colors and the amount of time in prepping the model and the materials and tools as well as clean up after painting. Again, EXCELLENT video and thank you for such an in depth and honest review.
I know that this is mainly a Star Wars focused printing channel but I hope one day you could try to make a life size Martian ambassador. I haven’t seen anyone master that head piece because most of the times, the eyes just don’t look right. Id be more than happy to commission it as well! 😊
Ok, Ive been considering it for a while and the X1/P1S was on my list but after watching your review, I've pressed the button on the A1 combo. Thanks for a great review
Filament Refills and compatible spools are also offered by other brands. In Germany/Europe for example there are "Das Filament" and "Recycling Fabrik".
coming from someone who started my 3D printing journey in 2006, things have gotten so insanely good. I still have my old makerbot, a pegasus touch (unfortunately) and my Raise3D N2 Plus (which I got in 2016), and is the only one I use anymore. Seeing this, and the price and the ease of use, I just might buy another printer. That metallic filament worked really well and while I'd stil finish and paint it, for metallic prints, it would be nice to have that as a base when it wears through the paint, or just to have as a final finish depending on the print. The multicolor is awesome, I would use it as multi-material, like carbon fill and nylon or something, if that works on this printer, either way, great looking printer and as always, awesome video!
I enjoyed this review. However, I think your assertion that people who buy one of these are "missing out" on something by not having to deal with inferior machines is misguided. I am a computer programmer by trade. I am not technically illiterate. The assumption that people should have to suffer through screwing around with these half baked models from Creality and Sovol in order to really understand 3d printing is not correct. What I hope Bambu moving into the more affordable printer range does is force these other companies to actually put out a product that at least reasonably works out of the box. There is no world where a machine should have to be manually leveled and have the Z offset manually set when one of the advertised features is "auto-leveling". These machines are filled with bad and lazy software. Bambu apparently put a lot of time in to the software to make it where the machine, after calibration, just works as intended out of the box. These affordable machines are going to bring a lot more people into the hobby, and they are going to force the other companies to do better, or shut down.
TIP : what to do with the print poop. Collect a bunch of them print a mesh container and fill it with the collected poop. This makes a perfect bacterial filter for any koipond. (And they can be very expensive) so then sell it on Etsy or online.
Just wanted to say thank you for posting this video. I was on the fence about which printer to get and this one helped make that decision for me. I purchased the A1 Combo the next day. Your videos are all super helpful. I feel like I'm in the room with you getting a lesson. It is a major bonus to find another woman who loves Star Wars as much as I do as well. 😀
I’ve had an Ender 3 for 5 years and I love it. Upgraded as far as it’ll go. What puts me off this and, say, the K1C, is the proprietary nature of the printer. Also most of these printers have a PCB in the head, and if these boards fail getting replacements sounds like an expensive experience. So, great when they are working, but fixing them and real upgrades (not just prints) sounds a lot more painful than a more traditional (older) printer.
Been using an Ender V3 KE for a couple months helping my kids after they went to 3d printing camp. I dabbled in 3D printing several years ago when I fixed an old XYZ printer (yuk). We immediately got hooked and knew a multi-color printer was the next step. I've yet to see anything negative about Bambu and this AMS is the route we'll be taking if Santa is nice to them this year. ;-) So glad I came across this channel.
I got the A1 Mini without the AMS and it is my favourite appliance. Whenever I need something small to hold something, to repair something or just something like a mixing tray for glue or what have you, I have it in a few minutes or hours, spent a few cents on it, have no shipping, no hassle, just exactly what I needed, when I needed it.
As someone that does consumer electronic repairs and design things like cases for electronic equipment and so on, this printer is a perfect tool to sit next to my electronic workbench. After using the Creality line of printers (not bad at all by the way), this printer is just more like of piece of equipment, and not something that has to be tinkered with every now and then.
You sold me on this and I'm not dissapointed with it. I love the thing. I have an Elegoo Neptune 3 Pro modded with Klipper and this genuinely feels like so much less hassle.
I own an X1C, the failed prints I have had on it is either filament problems (breaks and clogs), or dirty buildplate causing aheadsion issues. And I have done multi-day prints on it and it just works.
every A1 video makes me one step closer to buying one. the moment i press "buy now", they're gonna launch their large format printer that nathan alluded to
I absolutely enjoyed this review - PROPS! I have the Carbon X1, but I sent this review to my friend as a incentive for him to buy into the Bambu Lab ecosystem 👍
What do you think of the carbon x1? Do you have the multispool as well? I was looking at one. What would you say I'd the big differences between this a1 and yours? Thank you in advance
I had a lot of issues with bulging 90 degree corners, but now - with adjusted wall print speeds - the results are good. Had an Ankermake before and the difference is like night and day.
This looks like we're finally getting to the stage where these are basically inkjet printers, and we can just pull them out of the box and click print for great results
I've wanted to try 3D printing for years, but I think I will finally get one. I know I'll love it and have been doing a lot of research lately. Great quality vid, and being a Star Wars fan gives you an auto sub from me. lol
I want to upgrade to this from my Ender 3. I heavily modified my Ender 3 with a linear rail, direct drive, Klipper through a Raspberry Pi, Print over network, vibration compensation, rubber springs replacement, a less warped glass build plate, nozzle brush. I’d rather get the Bambu which has all this functionality out of the box and calibrates itself automagically. Got an X1C at work which is amazing.
I have Creality 3D printer experince and I’ve never printed so much (without struggles) for everyone and had so much fun than with the Bambu Labs A1 Combo in the last few months. Highly recommended first printer, for certain.
Hi, on the topic of plugging the tubes in the right hole: thats not important, the AMS-adapter on the extruder is a simple "y^2"-Adapter (so called filament buffer/hub), the selection of the right filament is completely done by the AMS (lite) regardless of the placement of the tubes in the toolhead. To the review: I own the A1 Combo for about 3 month now, it is my 4th 3D-printer so far. And I do not plan to change that in the foreseeable future. The A1 brought me back to the hobby after the very first layer on the bed. It is so amazing to see this first layer EVERY time, I cannot get enough of that... And an aspect of this printer wich is not deeply touched by the review: this thing is fast af. On the SD-card comes a speed benchy in 16:38 (I think). It is so crazy to cannot see clearly the toolhead moving at this speed. I'm so happy with the A1 and the momentary price of 500€/$ (Eddies anyone?) is a true bargain. If you want a FDM-Printer and can afford it: buy it! 👍 Greetz
This popped up in my feed. I have been looking at 3D printer reviews for a long long time, and this is the first 3D printer I would most likely buy. It seems as though Bambu has found a sweetspot for complete beginners. A printer that works out of the box.
So, i am new to watching your videos. This is actually my first. Your videos are so in depth and logical. Your analysis of the a1 is so good. Thank you! Very good video.
Great video, I think you've helped me make up my mind on which printer I'm going with. Particularly loved the section on software / slicer halfway through. Fantastic advice!
Great Review! I thoroughly enjoyed watching every second of this review. I have been into 3d printing for four years now and admire the game changing features Bambu Labs brought to the market. I learned the ropes like many on a highly modified Ender 3V2. I own several great Qidi Tech printers and my original Ender, looking forward to hopping into a multicolor setup in the future. I am waiting for 2025 and more new releases before I go with a new multicolor unit. This one has been added to my shortlist. I am hoping someone launches a large format(350mm+) multicolor unit with a heated chamber. Watching the color changes really means a multicolor print must be thought out and planned with efficient color changes in mind. You gained a new subscriber.
Last time i bought a 3d-printer was like 15 years ago, it was all laser-cut plywood, was an unassembled kit, and cost more than this printer does right now. It may be way easier to get back in the game than i thought.
That’s the best printer reviews I’ve seen in a long time. You do a great job talking though it all and the level of detail you go into was perfect. Well done!
For the camera problem, I use Roku cameras with the Roku power outlets. I can use the app to view my printers, and if i notice them failing, I can just turn it off with the power outlet and deal with it when i get home.
That droid looks amazing the metallics are really impressive. I never considered the AMS lite being faster and less wasteful that is such a great point and it will help me make the decision for my next printer
Its so great to see that you had the exact same experience then I did when I bought my two P1S a few weeks ago. I allready have over 500 h on them and are currently printing my first full B1 Battle droid that you inspired me to! Like you said its just outstanding! But! I think you missed one not insignificant point of the AMS system and that is that you can have the same material on different slots in the ams so when you print something like a droid you dont have to worrie about beeing there in time to swap spools. It just emties one and keeps on chugging with the next wich is just soooooo freakin awesome! Especialy if you do longer prints and I highly recomend you to try that feature out. A yea and like you said the bed size is a good compromise I think. But I would love to have a bambu with 400x400x600 or something for helmets. But I think you should also look into the P1S series. Its so nice to have a non bedslinger in that size and you can crank up the speed even more. Plus the enclosed ams is also great to store filament so even if you dont print multi color its still great to have to keep moisture off your filament. I loaded mine up with two spooles of pla and two spooles of petg for my bigger projects and its just amazing to have that option. Oh by the way! I found this project the other day and I am pretty certain you or one of your friends will love it too! And its another nice test for your ams! makerworld.com/en/models/433175#profileId-337827 Keep up the great work! I allways look forward to your new uploads! Cheers from Germany
I legit kind of love it (though also find it amusing) that more than 48% of this video is "final thoughts". 😂 Great review, though, and lots of good info. Thanks!
Thanks for the insights. My first printer was an Ender 3. It was not a happy relationship, but I learned a LOT. Presently running a Prusa Mk4 (built from kit) and an FLSun Super Racer (because Deltas are a hoot to watch). I'm considering a Bambu Carbon as I sorta want an enclosed printer for some of the fussier filaments.
I wish I had known about this printer before getting my Ankermake M5C. I regret it every day. This thing is so much better by leaps and bounds. Need to sell my M5c AND GET THis set.
Agree - I bought the M5 during its kickstarter. It was “good” for a few months, now, absolutely worthless and useless. Literally. It “bed levels” at about an inch above the plate, and gets higher as it goes + numerous other major issues. Ugh
Wow, thank you so much for such an informative video. Honestly, these coasters may have sold me on finally investing in a 3D printer. And that driod, chef's kiss.
Since getting the A1 mini, I have grown a huge collection of PETG. I always had mixed results before, but not PETG is as easy as printing PLA -- just harder to remove from the build plate. I really want the A1 now.
I just bought a Sovol SV-08 (which is sitting idol due to all the problems I'm having with it) and I could have invested my money in this! It looks amazing! All because I wanted a larger print bed. Doesn't do me much good if it doesn't work. :(
Appreciate your review. I just got this printer with AMS and still have tons to learn. Prints are usually great but run into a lot of top layer roughness (so far the most common answer is enable ironing but it hasn’t helped much). Your video gave me some direction on some of the slicer options I should start learning more about - thank you!
It could be that you’re using too many or too few top surface layers. For printing at 0.2mm layer heights I don’t go below 4 or above 6. Having proper cooling enabled is also important because those first top surface layers are essentially all overhangs.
having used a Ender 3 for a few years this seems like the future option to go for. To much time has been spent nursing adjusting and crying over errors or failed adjustments
Honestly using filament other than theirs was one of the main things holding me back from Bambu Lab. I've bought 4 ender clones and had nothing but trouble so I'm finally getting a better printer and have decided on Bambu. Thanks for clearing up some issues and pointing out things to prepare for.
Yep - Any filament will do. I have boxes full of filament, and every one of them prints perfect. That said - Probably the Babulab filament is more fine-tuned in the slicer than the generic filament, but adding filament by name and use the manufacturer recommendations for the settings is easy to do and as said, prints perfectly.
First timer here, this answered so many questions except the price, looks like I've found a new hobby... Thankyou P.s how did you know i needed this ?😆
@ 24:00 I believe they do grid infill because of the wear it has on the X1C. A few months into having my X1C and having similar thoughts, I replaced all my profiles to gyroid, since I love it, it's both great for aesthetics and strength(and mesmerising to watch). But I've read somewhere about the reason of using grid, switched and stuck with it.
thanks so much for this, and for star wars for presumably bringing this to my feed lmao i’ve been debating getting a printer for YEARS and just haven’t been convinced, and was overwhelmed with where to start. your notes and just “doing what a beginner would do” was super helpful! the coaster sets looks SO beautiful and smooth! i have a whole set of the oga’s ones, but… paper, lmao if you’re ever selling the coaster sets, i will pay any price 😂
Wow, this looks so much nicer and more reliable than my Elegoo Neptune. Only downside is the tiny print volume. I really wish Bambu offered printers at least 500x500mm.
I would describe it less like a toy and more of an appliance. Coming from an old Ender 3 pro to the A1 series printers made me fall in love with 3d printing again.
I was the exact same way with my Ender 3 too. Even after adding bed levelling, I never printed as much as I wanted to because of the time it took for me to constantly deal with problems.
Man I had the exact same situation. I used to print on an Ender 3 and I had fun but slowly fell out of love with 3D printing. I picked up an A1 Mini and I’m having fun again and spending so much time just playing with it
damn straight friend. I find the ease of use to be so much better than my slower counter part printers. I have a anycubic mega S, monoprice mini select v2 and a ankermake m5c (the only other fast one is the ankermake)
I have upgraded and upgraded my ender 3, two of them. But its about time to move on. Always troubleshooting and never enough printing.
I still have the ender 3 pro and I'm thinking of getting this...
Been 3D printing for awhile now (several years), and I can honestly say buying the A1 printer is the first time where the printer feels like a tool, and not a project. Which is great, even if you're a tinkerer. I love to mod things, but sometimes I just want something that works as advertised, and this printer does that.
i mean..... i am a tinkerer
on my actual projects....
I love to mod... but my Ender 3 was a real pain in the ass (and still is). I had several problems from the start that took a whole lot of failed prints and modding just to get it to work. Then when I upgraded the hotend to print at higher temperatures, it hasn't worked right since. I have a new v6 hotend for it to hopefully get it back to working condition... but I don't feel like messing with it, because I've spent almost as much time working on it as I have ever spent actually printing with it. Despite the problems from the start, it did print extremely high quality from the start though. I just had problem with the bed/springs, problem with losing zero, z-axis problems and also tilting problems and had to go dual-axis, z stop problems, problems with maintaining temperature, a thermal runaway once despite having a new thermal runaway protected mainboard... and many other problems. It's just insane that Most of these problems are known by Ender, but they continue to sell defective printers regardless, when it would cost them very little to nothing to just fix them.
I tried 3d printing about 5 years ago and got one of those Prusa kits. It came with like 200 pieces and like 500 screws. I probably spent about 30 hours over a weekend assembling it. The next weekend I spent about 10 hours trying to get it leveled and calibrated. Then, I did my first real print which was a small figurine that took like 6 hours to print. After that I was like screw this. It looks like it's gone a long way since then.
I sold my Ender 3 V2 because I was sick of the work needed to maintain decent print quality. I am really tempted by this.
@@ProjeKtWEREWOLF Have had the A1 for months now and it just keeps printing with no issues. The price point is pretty good at the moment as well.
I received my A1 mini yesterday, never touched a 3D printer before. I have already lost count of the number of prints I made, and all prints have been very useful.
Ofcourse I have also never used any other printer. But from a beginner's perspective: I am very, very happy with it.
Before purchasing the printer I asked a local dealer which one I should have. He has all brands and an expert on 3D printing for years. He advised the Bambu Lab in a heartbeat. "It'll be fun, trust me." Man, he wasn't lying.
You’ll be a guntuber in no time.
@@Kshthymyla i've mostly been printing body parts lol
Great, now I want a new 3D printer.
As a newbie to 3D printers, I found this review very thorough, clear and honest. It has really helped my understanding of what to look for before purchasing a 3D printer.
I may be beginner and I just bought the same exact printer a week ago ago. It’s been so fantastic so easy to use and I can’t say enough good things about it. Totally worth the money. and this tutorial is next level easy to follow thank you
The a1 fullsize is my first printer ever. I'm about a month deep into ownership and from others that have had other printers theyve been telling me they love theirs. Im having no regrets.
This review and a few others convinced me to take the plunge and buy an A1/AMS, and I couldn't be happier!
I've been printing for 6 years with an Ender 3 and Kobra Plus. The Ender 3 was fascinating as a hobby that more than paid for itself in all the household items and fixes I printed. I got the Kobra to reward myself for all the tinkering I had done on the Ender 3, and for a year was thrilled by the improved quality and low maintenance. Decided I wanted color, and went for the A1/AMS based mostly on your review. The way I feel about this printer reminds of the late 90s, when laser printers became affordable for home use - suddenly a whole world of fonts and formatting opened up, and we said goodbye to tearing the perforated strips off accordion paper.
My first A1 project has been to print a large number of little plastic gears for a project for my daughter. My Kobra Plus had been doing great with these, but there was still a fair amount of post-processing - picking off threads, sanding and minor filing - and we're talking hundreds of gears. The A1 cranks these things out perfectly, ready to use, and so much faster. The surface finish on the metallic silk filaments I'm using is amazing - parts shine like actual metal now. I'm getting nicer results with 0.2mm layers than with 0.16 on the Kobra. In fact, the A1's precision is so good I've had to revise my designs a little, to remove the fudge factors I had built in to make parts fit right. This machine totally blows me away, along with the whole Bambu ecosystem.
Many thanks for the super clear and thoughtful review and all the demos. You have a new subscriber.
I don't print things very often. I feel a lot of that is because with ny Ender 3-V2, I've never gotten great prints out of it that really showcase what 3D printer can be. I'm a tinkerer and have already modded it, but I'm looking for something that will just work (once i learn the slicer), and you've sold me on this printer. Video was excellent and I am glad you highlighted the good AND bad in a clear and informative manner. Thank you
I have been watching printer videos on RUclips for years, and almost hit the trigger on an Ender 3, but waited out the hype a bit and then lost intrest in it when people started having problems with them.
When you peeled off that first coaster, I instantly fell in love again.
I don't want the printer to be a new hobby, I want it to be a tool for all my other hobbys, and Bamboo labs seems to be there with this.
Of course it comes at a price, but the price for buying another printer that doesnt do the job without tinkering and stands unused is maybe higher
Amazing review. I bought an A-1 Mini and have watched DOZENS of reviews. Yours was the BEST. I can't believe your channel isn't bigger.
Is the plate size the only difference with the regular A1?
I have had an A1 since February and I love it. It’s my 4th and 5th printer. Now my only printer.
I have one correction for you. It does not matter on the hot end what color goes to what tube. It only matters on the AMS side and that is clearly labeled. Good video.
Hi.. good to know.. have you any experience with K1C, I'm confused between A1 and K1C as getting both for similar price
This video is just awesome, camera positioning, lighting, editing, the review itself, everything so well done.
Thank you!
Like everyone else has said, good video. It will definitely help with my purchase!
As A1 owner, I think this is the best and honest review so far.
Idk if anyone has shared with you yet but it doesn’t matter which tube goes into which port on the AMS hub. The color/material is pulled based on the slot on the AMS unit not the slot the tube enters on the hub. 😊
So, after having my A1 for 8 months now, it was awesome at first, incredibly fast, very precise, and multi color. It was MILES ahead of my ender 3. Then came the failures...and the recall. I've replaced the extruder heater twice, the extruder once, and then the heated bed for the recall. I also had camera problems after an update that took MONTHS to resolve. I am not bagging on the printer, it is still the best thing I have ever purchased in my life, but a Toyota it is not.
I just started 3D printing and my first and so far only unit is the A1 Mini. The only experience I have is using my laser cutter/engraver. So, I was completely new to 3D printing. Now I am learning CAD and have created my own designs for brackets, SSD/HDD trays, and cable management clips. The fact even my prints come out needing so little clean up attention is amazing. After watching your video I learned a couple useful features that would help improve my prints even more. Thank you for the variable layer height section you shared and the using a heated iron to lightly melt the support edges. I personally have experienced zero stress learning how to use the printer or the slicer software. CAD on the other hand, a little stressful but interesting.
Damn, it's amazing how far the technology have come. My Ultimaker 2 feels positively like a goddamn prehistoric fossil in comparison, and it costed more than 3 times this printer's price! It's only downside is a lack of enclosure, since PLA drools, ABS rules.
I have been looking at Bambu labs for a while so I have watched SO many video reviews. This is by far the most informative and well done reviews. There is an enormous amount of information that is presented so efficiently. Loved it!
Not just multi-color, but multi material. This is where this machine truly separates itself from say a prusa with the MMU units. I currently use qidi tech i-fasts (dual nozzle, heated chamber" solely for the fact that I can print in two different materials. i.e. PETG with TPU flexible material embedded in the print for flexibility. Great review, you should review the AMU unit that bamboo has with this, and multi-material printing.
This 2nd year 3D print enthusiast appreciates your work here. Had the A1 Mini for a couple of months and am blown away by Bambu's infrastructure. Coming from initial learning with the Ender 3 Pro.
It amazes me how far advanced 3d printing has become. For the money, this printer seems to be a really good value for all it's incredible features and user friendly refinement. I have an old Anet A6 that I heavily modified and while it ended up producing some pretty good 3d prints, it cost me upwards of $1000 to get it to print properly and reliably. But alas, it's been sitting in my shop for 5 yrs just collecting dust. This little printer looks like a win.
As I understand it, it doesn't matter which line goes to which port, as the filament is pushed by the AMS Lite into the extruder gears. I've taken mine off to add a printed part, allowing me to keep the AMS Lite and external spool connected simultaneously. I didn't worry about which line went where except for orderliness.
As Jack said, the filaments can go in any tube, it doesn't matter to the printer as they all come out the one nozzle.
This looks like an awesome printer.
I have a CR10 S4 which is great for large prints… but that printers quality looks amazing.
Great point on the slicer software. This is a tool and people really need to invest some time into learning how it works.
Thanks for showing the printer in such vast detail. I've saved up enough for the Bambu Labs P1S and AMS combo over the past few months and planned to buy it on Black Friday. Although I started debating getting the A1 because the AMS lite can handle cardboard spools, the A1 printer combo is about half the price of the P1S combo, but I wouldn't be able to print some of the materials I've been thinking of. been weighing the pro's and Cons for a while but you went into so much depth into the A1 it answered all my questions. I'm Gonna get the A1 Combo!
Btw I love your vids, I've gotten into prop making and when I get to a faster machine I'm gonna make a droid or two.
A bit of electrical tape stretched around the rim fixes that cardboard spool problem.
Currently I have a K1 and a A1 Mini. And I'm in love with the A1... so much easy to print. Never changed the default profiles on Bambu Studio. 90% of my prints are in the A1 Mini.
I learned 3D printing with my Ender-3 four years ago. Now the Bambú Lab A1 will be my next printer. This one is a game changer definitely. Thanks for your great video.
I can’t tell you how useful this video was. I really appreciate all of the detail that you provided for this printer, and the exhaustive testing. I’m now totally sold on this printer, as someone looking to get into the hobby without much friction.
I also know that the little “finishing touches” you did to the droid were glossed right over but very much lot an easy process. This is the first video I’ve seen from you but I’ll definitely be checking out more of your content!
Blows my mind we've come to a point that a four color 3d printer can be had under $500! Zero personal interest in 3d printing, but have to admit, this is really cool. Thanks for the video.
Really liked your video, I'm an on the fence beginner who may make the leap into a printer soon, and was really impressed with what you got working straight outta the box. Very different from my prior quick experiences with other peoples 3D printers.
lock me in that ecosystem baby! its a great feeling knowing you can start a print and walk away to a finished print 97% of the time. compare that to my ender 3 that you would go through a quarter roll just trying to get a few layers down.
100% worth it
Vendor lock-in is not something to ignore, you should be coaching use of a system like this against what they restrict. These are easy to use, but we don't want 3d printers to be like the rest of the printing market.
I've had the Ultimaker 3 since its release and it's done a lot for my small business, everytime I see the Bambu Lab A1 it reminds me of how phones used to cost 10x more and does a fraction of the stuff what a new phone would do, and I'm all for it. Very much will be looking to refurbish the UM3 to sell then upgrade to the A1, at less than half the cost!
Great video. One of the BEST I have seen on any printer and especially the A1. You did a very in depth look and explained everything as to why you made those statements. I do have one question/comment about the 'waste' portion. I also struggle whenever I do prints to keep the waste down and reduce the size of the purge tower and the flushing volumes.
One of the things I never see is anyone ever making a comparison between multi-color waste in amount and cost versus the amount of effort and cost and waste that occurs when painting the model. Filament waste is 'permanent' and yes you can reuse brushes and bottles of colors of paint but it still has to wash the brush, some waste when changing colors and the amount of time in prepping the model and the materials and tools as well as clean up after painting.
Again, EXCELLENT video and thank you for such an in depth and honest review.
Thank you for showing this printer in amazing detail.
Thanks for the review, I've been thinking of buying a 3d printer and this is currently top of my list.
Just looked at the price, it’s crazy, I had no idea it was so cheap.
I know that this is mainly a Star Wars focused printing channel but I hope one day you could try to make a life size Martian ambassador. I haven’t seen anyone master that head piece because most of the times, the eyes just don’t look right. Id be more than happy to commission it as well! 😊
Ok, Ive been considering it for a while and the X1/P1S was on my list but after watching your review, I've pressed the button on the A1 combo. Thanks for a great review
Filament Refills and compatible spools are also offered by other brands. In Germany/Europe for example there are "Das Filament" and "Recycling Fabrik".
You can send Recycling Fabrik your filament waste like the poop from the Bambu Lab to get points, that can be used for a discount.
coming from someone who started my 3D printing journey in 2006, things have gotten so insanely good. I still have my old makerbot, a pegasus touch (unfortunately) and my Raise3D N2 Plus (which I got in 2016), and is the only one I use anymore. Seeing this, and the price and the ease of use, I just might buy another printer. That metallic filament worked really well and while I'd stil finish and paint it, for metallic prints, it would be nice to have that as a base when it wears through the paint, or just to have as a final finish depending on the print. The multicolor is awesome, I would use it as multi-material, like carbon fill and nylon or something, if that works on this printer, either way, great looking printer and as always, awesome video!
I enjoyed this review. However, I think your assertion that people who buy one of these are "missing out" on something by not having to deal with inferior machines is misguided. I am a computer programmer by trade. I am not technically illiterate. The assumption that people should have to suffer through screwing around with these half baked models from Creality and Sovol in order to really understand 3d printing is not correct. What I hope Bambu moving into the more affordable printer range does is force these other companies to actually put out a product that at least reasonably works out of the box. There is no world where a machine should have to be manually leveled and have the Z offset manually set when one of the advertised features is "auto-leveling". These machines are filled with bad and lazy software. Bambu apparently put a lot of time in to the software to make it where the machine, after calibration, just works as intended out of the box. These affordable machines are going to bring a lot more people into the hobby, and they are going to force the other companies to do better, or shut down.
TIP : what to do with the print poop. Collect a bunch of them print a mesh container and fill it with the collected poop. This makes a perfect bacterial filter for any koipond. (And they can be very expensive) so then sell it on Etsy or online.
Do these work for any kind of filament?
Just wanted to say thank you for posting this video. I was on the fence about which printer to get and this one helped make that decision for me. I purchased the A1 Combo the next day.
Your videos are all super helpful. I feel like I'm in the room with you getting a lesson. It is a major bonus to find another woman who loves Star Wars as much as I do as well. 😀
Moved to an A1 from a Custom Artillery Genius, best move ever.
I’ve had an Ender 3 for 5 years and I love it. Upgraded as far as it’ll go. What puts me off this and, say, the K1C, is the proprietary nature of the printer. Also most of these printers have a PCB in the head, and if these boards fail getting replacements sounds like an expensive experience. So, great when they are working, but fixing them and real upgrades (not just prints) sounds a lot more painful than a more traditional (older) printer.
Without a doubt the best video on the A1 I have seen you have covered all the pros & cons with honesty. Keep up the good work. 👍
Been using an Ender V3 KE for a couple months helping my kids after they went to 3d printing camp. I dabbled in 3D printing several years ago when I fixed an old XYZ printer (yuk).
We immediately got hooked and knew a multi-color printer was the next step. I've yet to see anything negative about Bambu and this AMS is the route we'll be taking if Santa is nice to them this year. ;-) So glad I came across this channel.
I had to watch the video twice. Once just to appreciate the items and the 2nd for the actual printer info.
I got the A1 Mini without the AMS and it is my favourite appliance. Whenever I need something small to hold something, to repair something or just something like a mixing tray for glue or what have you, I have it in a few minutes or hours, spent a few cents on it, have no shipping, no hassle, just exactly what I needed, when I needed it.
As someone that does consumer electronic repairs and design things like cases for electronic equipment and so on, this printer is a perfect tool to sit next to my electronic workbench. After using the Creality line of printers (not bad at all by the way), this printer is just more like of piece of equipment, and not something that has to be tinkered with every now and then.
You sold me on this and I'm not dissapointed with it. I love the thing. I have an Elegoo Neptune 3 Pro modded with Klipper and this genuinely feels like so much less hassle.
The bed leveling isn’t “excessive” if it delivers “easily one of if not the cleanest and most perfect first layer I have ever seen on a print” 😁
I love the colour scheme of the 2nd droid
Those coasters look amazing. I never watch print videos, but this looks such a cool device.
I've got an Ender 3 v2 - Neo, but watching this video made me defiantly want to upgrade to it! Thanks, already placed my order
I own an X1C, the failed prints I have had on it is either filament problems (breaks and clogs), or dirty buildplate causing aheadsion issues. And I have done multi-day prints on it and it just works.
every A1 video makes me one step closer to buying one. the moment i press "buy now", they're gonna launch their large format printer that nathan alluded to
Those coasters....WOW!!! would love a set...
Really appreciate the emphasis on learning to use the software. I definitely struggle with the software learning curve on new tech.
I absolutely enjoyed this review - PROPS!
I have the Carbon X1, but I sent this review to my friend as a incentive for him to buy into the Bambu Lab ecosystem 👍
What do you think of the carbon x1? Do you have the multispool as well? I was looking at one. What would you say I'd the big differences between this a1 and yours? Thank you in advance
I had a lot of issues with bulging 90 degree corners, but now - with adjusted wall print speeds - the results are good.
Had an Ankermake before and the difference is like night and day.
This looks like we're finally getting to the stage where these are basically inkjet printers, and we can just pull them out of the box and click print for great results
I've wanted to try 3D printing for years, but I think I will finally get one. I know I'll love it and have been doing a lot of research lately. Great quality vid, and being a Star Wars fan gives you an auto sub from me. lol
I want to upgrade to this from my Ender 3. I heavily modified my Ender 3 with a linear rail, direct drive, Klipper through a Raspberry Pi, Print over network, vibration compensation, rubber springs replacement, a less warped glass build plate, nozzle brush. I’d rather get the Bambu which has all this functionality out of the box and calibrates itself automagically. Got an X1C at work which is amazing.
The thing looks gorgeous, can't deny it.
I have Creality 3D printer experince and I’ve never printed so much (without struggles) for everyone and had so much fun than with the Bambu Labs A1 Combo in the last few months. Highly recommended first printer, for certain.
Thanks. Im a beginner, and its my birthday. I finally can get into the hobby. Subscribed so I can find out more
Hi,
on the topic of plugging the tubes in the right hole: thats not important, the AMS-adapter on the extruder is a simple "y^2"-Adapter (so called filament buffer/hub), the selection of the right filament is completely done by the AMS (lite) regardless of the placement of the tubes in the toolhead.
To the review: I own the A1 Combo for about 3 month now, it is my 4th 3D-printer so far. And I do not plan to change that in the foreseeable future. The A1 brought me back to the hobby after the very first layer on the bed. It is so amazing to see this first layer EVERY time, I cannot get enough of that...
And an aspect of this printer wich is not deeply touched by the review: this thing is fast af. On the SD-card comes a speed benchy in 16:38 (I think). It is so crazy to cannot see clearly the toolhead moving at this speed.
I'm so happy with the A1 and the momentary price of 500€/$ (Eddies anyone?) is a true bargain. If you want a FDM-Printer and can afford it: buy it! 👍
Greetz
This popped up in my feed. I have been looking at 3D printer reviews for a long long time, and this is the first 3D printer I would most likely buy. It seems as though Bambu has found a sweetspot for complete beginners. A printer that works out of the box.
So, i am new to watching your videos. This is actually my first. Your videos are so in depth and logical. Your analysis of the a1 is so good. Thank you! Very good video.
Great video, I think you've helped me make up my mind on which printer I'm going with. Particularly loved the section on software / slicer halfway through. Fantastic advice!
Great Review! I thoroughly enjoyed watching every second of this review. I have been into 3d printing for four years now and admire the game changing features Bambu Labs brought to the market. I learned the ropes like many on a highly modified Ender 3V2. I own several great Qidi Tech printers and my original Ender, looking forward to hopping into a multicolor setup in the future. I am waiting for 2025 and more new releases before I go with a new multicolor unit. This one has been added to my shortlist. I am hoping someone launches a large format(350mm+) multicolor unit with a heated chamber.
Watching the color changes really means a multicolor print must be thought out and planned with efficient color changes in mind. You gained a new subscriber.
Last time i bought a 3d-printer was like 15 years ago, it was all laser-cut plywood, was an unassembled kit, and cost more than this printer does right now. It may be way easier to get back in the game than i thought.
That’s the best printer reviews I’ve seen in a long time. You do a great job talking though it all and the level of detail you go into was perfect. Well done!
Excellent presentation of this particular 3d printer. Thank you so much for your time and effort. You are appreciated.
For the camera problem, I use Roku cameras with the Roku power outlets. I can use the app to view my printers, and if i notice them failing, I can just turn it off with the power outlet and deal with it when i get home.
That droid looks amazing the metallics are really impressive.
I never considered the AMS lite being faster and less wasteful that is such a great point and it will help me make the decision for my next printer
Its so great to see that you had the exact same experience then I did when I bought my two P1S a few weeks ago. I allready have over 500 h on them and are currently printing my first full B1 Battle droid that you inspired me to! Like you said its just outstanding! But! I think you missed one not insignificant point of the AMS system and that is that you can have the same material on different slots in the ams so when you print something like a droid you dont have to worrie about beeing there in time to swap spools. It just emties one and keeps on chugging with the next wich is just soooooo freakin awesome! Especialy if you do longer prints and I highly recomend you to try that feature out. A yea and like you said the bed size is a good compromise I think. But I would love to have a bambu with 400x400x600 or something for helmets. But I think you should also look into the P1S series. Its so nice to have a non bedslinger in that size and you can crank up the speed even more. Plus the enclosed ams is also great to store filament so even if you dont print multi color its still great to have to keep moisture off your filament. I loaded mine up with two spooles of pla and two spooles of petg for my bigger projects and its just amazing to have that option.
Oh by the way! I found this project the other day and I am pretty certain you or one of your friends will love it too! And its another nice test for your ams! makerworld.com/en/models/433175#profileId-337827
Keep up the great work! I allways look forward to your new uploads! Cheers from Germany
Great clear information....best I have seen! Software is ALWAYS important.
I legit kind of love it (though also find it amusing) that more than 48% of this video is "final thoughts". 😂
Great review, though, and lots of good info. Thanks!
Thanks for the insights. My first printer was an Ender 3. It was not a happy relationship, but I learned a LOT. Presently running a Prusa Mk4 (built from kit) and an FLSun Super Racer (because Deltas are a hoot to watch). I'm considering a Bambu Carbon as I sorta want an enclosed printer for some of the fussier filaments.
I wish I had known about this printer before getting my Ankermake M5C. I regret it every day. This thing is so much better by leaps and bounds. Need to sell my M5c AND GET THis set.
Agree - I bought the M5 during its kickstarter. It was “good” for a few months, now, absolutely worthless and useless. Literally. It “bed levels” at about an inch above the plate, and gets higher as it goes + numerous other major issues. Ugh
Excellent vid. To the point and edited precisely 🤙🏽🤙🏽🤙🏽. No fluff 🤙🏽🤙🏽🤙🏽🤙🏽
Bambu is making 3d printers so accessible to everyone. So cool to see
Wow, thank you so much for such an informative video. Honestly, these coasters may have sold me on finally investing in a 3D printer. And that driod, chef's kiss.
I can not just leave after watching 40+ minutes :) Thank you! This is a super review. Well explained, nice footage, so yeah, thank you ^^
Since getting the A1 mini, I have grown a huge collection of PETG. I always had mixed results before, but not PETG is as easy as printing PLA -- just harder to remove from the build plate. I really want the A1 now.
What a fantastic video, thank you. I'm a complete noob to 3d printing and this was really useful. I think this could be a good first 3D printer for me
I just bought a Sovol SV-08 (which is sitting idol due to all the problems I'm having with it) and I could have invested my money in this! It looks amazing! All because I wanted a larger print bed. Doesn't do me much good if it doesn't work. :(
Appreciate your review. I just got this printer with AMS and still have tons to learn. Prints are usually great but run into a lot of top layer roughness (so far the most common answer is enable ironing but it hasn’t helped much). Your video gave me some direction on some of the slicer options I should start learning more about - thank you!
It could be that you’re using too many or too few top surface layers. For printing at 0.2mm layer heights I don’t go below 4 or above 6. Having proper cooling enabled is also important because those first top surface layers are essentially all overhangs.
The A1 combo is on my list of things to get around xmas this year! or if black Fridays has some crazy deals.
having used a Ender 3 for a few years this seems like the future option to go for. To much time has been spent nursing adjusting and crying over errors or failed adjustments
Honestly using filament other than theirs was one of the main things holding me back from Bambu Lab. I've bought 4 ender clones and had nothing but trouble so I'm finally getting a better printer and have decided on Bambu. Thanks for clearing up some issues and pointing out things to prepare for.
Yep - Any filament will do. I have boxes full of filament, and every one of them prints perfect. That said - Probably the Babulab filament is more fine-tuned in the slicer than the generic filament, but adding filament by name and use the manufacturer recommendations for the settings is easy to do and as said, prints perfectly.
First timer here, this answered so many questions except the price, looks like I've found a new hobby...
Thankyou
P.s how did you know i needed this ?😆
@ 24:00 I believe they do grid infill because of the wear it has on the X1C. A few months into having my X1C and having similar thoughts, I replaced all my profiles to gyroid, since I love it, it's both great for aesthetics and strength(and mesmerising to watch). But I've read somewhere about the reason of using grid, switched and stuck with it.
I am more impressed with your artistic skills and ingenuity 🎉
thanks so much for this, and for star wars for presumably bringing this to my feed lmao
i’ve been debating getting a printer for YEARS and just haven’t been convinced, and was overwhelmed with where to start. your notes and just “doing what a beginner would do” was super helpful!
the coaster sets looks SO beautiful and smooth! i have a whole set of the oga’s ones, but… paper, lmao
if you’re ever selling the coaster sets, i will pay any price 😂
Don't forget to select "purge into infill" which helps a little with waste.
Wow they look basically perfect, regretting my recent creality purchase now
Wow, this looks so much nicer and more reliable than my Elegoo Neptune. Only downside is the tiny print volume. I really wish Bambu offered printers at least 500x500mm.
amazing quality... just bought one