Although I'm reviewing the top-end X1C, Bambu has two other printers that are significantly less expensive. The P1S and P1P are just as fast and easy to use as the X1C, but with a few corners cut to save price. Many hobbyists--especially those who don't print more exotic filaments like ABS and carbon nylon--won't notice the difference. These are affiliate links.... Shop the Bambu X1C: shrsl.com/45i1o Shop the Bambu P1S: shrsl.com/45i1z Shop the Bambu P1P: shrsl.com/45i28 If you're at the $300-ish price point on a printer, the Bambu printers are simply out of reach. But bear in mind that by the time you finish upgrading that $300 printer, you might have afforded a P1P, which will unquestionably give faster, easier, better results. If you're in the $500 and up price point, there is a good chance this is the printer you should buy.
Keep in mind that in all practical reality, you're probably not gonna upgrade a $300 printer much anymore unless it's a passion project. The upgrade project printers are now $100-150. You can get a Creality Ender 3 V2 for $100 from Microcenter or say a Voxelab Aquila X2 on sale for $150. At $250ish the Sovol SV06 and the Elegoo Neptune 3 Pro have almost all the common upgrades people would do to the upgrade project printer - all metal hot end, PEI build plates, auto-bed leveling, better part cooling, direct drive extruder. If you upgrade these, it's gonna be to add Octoprint or go to klipper, and you're talking usually adding an SBC of some kind, more part cooling, and maybe a higher flow hot end to go faster. You're still nowhere near $600 probably doing that. $300-350ish gets you the same kind of printer but tricked out with Klipper out of the box with high flow hot end and stronger part cooling for faster speeds that while they won't meet the speeds of Corexy printers like the Bambu, they're faster than without Klipper. Models like this would be the Sovol Sv07 and the Elegoo Neptune 4. Let's be honest... if you're buying one of those four printers, you're probably not going to try "upgrading it" to be comparable to a bambu because it's not practical to convert it cost and time effectively to corexy. Buyers who want corexy are virtually all going to be buying a printer that already is corexy or they're building something like a voron. One other note: almost no one IMO should consider a P1P with the P1S available. There's well more than $100 in value in the P1S over the P1P between the enclosure, the added auxilary part cooling fan that's $30, plus filtration in the enclosure. I dunno... maybe if you're buying a fleet of them for a farm, but normal consumers? Just get the P1S over the P1P.
I just bought a P1P - it is hands down the best filament based 3D printer I've used to date. Other than changing what filament to use via the bambu slicer, I've made zero changes to any other setting, and I haven't had a failed print yet. That also includes TPU! Completely blown away. No doubt that Bambu has come the closest I've seen to a true press a button and it works type printer. Very satisfied with the purchase! I've also ordered the 4 color AMS and the $150 P1P->P1S upgrade kit. If anyone out there is on the fence about the brand in general or whether to get a P1S or P1P, I wholeheartedly recommend the P1S.
i got one x1C too and it prints ultra amazing with TPU. Just set the limiter in the to 2mm^3 and your print will be crisp and super precise. TPU is not a filament that likes to be printed fast
I got the x1c in February... I've printed so much stuff for friends and friends of friends for "give me whatever you feel it's worth" payment... My x1c paid itself by now!!! Even friends with printers of their own ask me to print stuff for them cause the quality is so good!!! I mostly print petg... I'm about to get into TPU now...
Slight correction. The ams can be upgraded to 16 filaments. It has many many other features. Getting the basic stuff out of the way multi color, multi materials with similar filaments, It can be used for breakaway or soluble supports It's great for pla to petg print/supports It can be used in run out mode. That means it will switch to the next roll if you are running out of filament so you can use up nearly spend rolls. You can use 4KG of filament at a time The AMS doubles as a (non heated) drybox with desiccant it has a humidity sensor so you have a rough idea how saturated the AMS is. (green, yellow red) You dont have to touch filament at all which makes printing seamless from printing locally or remotely. Downsides Do not use abrasives or softer materials like tpu but sttpu is an alternative to general tpu.
Great video - I wanted to note one thing that might be a consideration for FPV people - that AMS can't do TPU (at least as per Bambu) so you are limited to single filament for that. If you only print TPU, save the cost of the AMS.
id avoid it in general unless you have a serious need for it. swapping filaments is quick and easy with this printer anyways and the AMS causes more issues than the printer itself.
@@drkastenbrot That is a very interesting take. I have the X1C and almost at a year of use with the AMS. I have gone through thousands of filament loads, retractions and swaps and it has been fine with general maintenance. So I would look at a printer without an AMS a downgrade. The AMS has a bunch of other features other than multicolor though. There is a TPU alternative that works fine with the AMS if you dry it right then it absorbs moisture and softens.(you can dunk in in water too speed up the process) It's called sttpu. Prints like PLA (80D hardness pla is typically 83D) and softens into a TPU consistency(65A). As with anything YMMV.
@@drkastenbrot my ams has messed up probably oh… 10 times in a year, the overwhelming majority of those issues were filaments breaking, being malformed and clogging in PTFE tubes or in the feeder, or filament reals that were too light at the end of the roll. The overwhelming majority of the time the AMS been perfectly reliable.
I've got the P1P and it came with the Bambu Dual Sided Textured PEI Plate and I get excellent first layer bed adhesion! Also i noticed if you print on Ludacris mode on the thin tight areas the print comes out better looking. I also noticed that if a print kinda messes up a little then the next time you print the same print it comes out better as if the printer knows what it did wrong the first time! I love this P1P! Thanks JB Cheers!
Great video. Should have my X1C in a few days. Can't wait. I currently have the Prusa MK3 with the MMU, and it has always been hit or miss with the MMU, But it is a pretty awesome printer. Prusa Is really really great for a beginner, especially if they get the kit so you have to build the printer. It's a valuable experience for sure. And I won't even talk about the PITA Ender 3 S1 Plus. Thanks for the review.
Been running 15 Prusa i3Mk3s in a school lab for almost 4 years now. Seriously considering replacing them with Bambu's. I definitely do feel some affinity for Prusa and their open source machines, but the speed on the Bambu's is excellent. It is also a bit of a pain to order internationally with my school. I will say that some of my Prusa's have over 900 days of print time on them and 15km of filament printed so we've certainly gotten our money out of them. Thanks for the video.
@@muddymaker3721 Yeah I hear you on that. I'm going through and basically rebuilding all of them right now. The nice thing is that I actually *can* rebuild them, can easily get parts, etc. I'm reprinting a lot of the parts around the X axis carriage in higher temperature plastics and am hoping that will help with some melting issues we've had when large blobs form due to print detachment. The other big question is that I sometimes have over 100 students all with 24/7 access to the printers, and as you can imagine they take a fair amount of (unintentional) abuse. I'm actually a bit worried about all the features on the Bambus since in my situation that is more points of failure. I suppose in the end, it is great as a user that the technology continues to improve. Really that's a win for all of us regardless of what printer we choose.
I'm 3 years into my Prusa MK3S+ and it's a serious workhorse. It is easy to use and RELIABLE. At this point, wild unicorns could not drag me away from it.
Been running a few X1C's from the day one preorders, two of which are fully insulated and dedicated to PA6-CF no issues aside from normal things you run into with any printer. they are amazing machines but not a fan of how it handles multimaterial prints, these will remain my primary printers for most orders but got a 5 extruder Prusia XL shipping soon that i'm excited to get my hands on! they have been a total game changer though, one X1C will replace the output of 3 bed slingers and if space is a issue then clearly 4 printers is better then 12. the speed makes it much more viable to do rapid prototyping when you can litterlly get a test part off the unit in a 1/3 of the time.
For multimaterial, a mutlti-head printer is really best. Then you don't have to do purge towers and waste a ton of filament. But they're out of the price range of most hobbyists.
26:39 - I am that person. Or rather, i was. I bought the OG ender 3 a couple years ago and basically practiced the grandfathers axe principle with it. Had a chimera 2-nozzle hotend on it at one point, BL Touch and what not. When the X1C came out i thought to myself that i do NOT want a tool that "just" works, but that i want a machine i can tinker with. And that spending 1500€ for a printer is ridiculous... Then i had some down time on my printer. I then needed it for a project where i had to print quite a few parts and after turning it on after a couple weeks it didn't work properly. I had to sit down for a while, rebuild half of it, troubleshoot for hours and hours until it worked again... When it then worked like a tool again, reliably.. i realized i don't want to tinker anymore. I've built a few 3D printers, i modified the heck out of them. I did everything i wanted and i know how these machines work. And now i am at a point where i just want a tool that works reliable. I now orded the X1C combo a few days ago and i am super excited!
This is one of the best videos on the X1C I have seen. I learned more from you than any previous videos I’ve watched. I’m looking to get an X1C probably this summer. Thank you and greetings from Farragut!
This could be just me, in the UK, but the Ender 3 S1 currently retails on amazon for £186 ($235) (that's what I paid for it) and so far I cannot fault it. Print quality is great, the print time (with a little bit of tinkering) is quite acceptable, and if you're not dead set on printing ABS, there's no need for an enclosure. Sure - it wont be as fast, but if you're doing this as more of a business, then getting 5 of them + 5 Raspberry Pi 4's + nearly 15kgs of filament, and investing just a bit of time into the setup seems like the better deal to get started mass printing.
Josua, just little correction ... P1P is working with AMS without any issues, there is also now P1S that is upgraded version with side panels and other stuff, like fans ... and it is also working with AMS. P1P is basically budjet frendly Bambu lab printer that can be upgraded to some way ( I think that upgrade kit from P1P to P1S is about 160$ or something like that). What you can maybe also try to show in other YT videos is how carbon filled filaments are maybe ok for printing some parts for drone ? And welcome to Bambu lab printer owner club :D happy printing with it.
The dual colour screw gauge is easy to do with a single extruder printer, even a basic ender 3. The text is above the rest of the print so just insert a filament change at the layer the text starts so when it prints it, it will stop at that layer and let you change colours and then print the text. This works with any print that needs different colours for different layers but it is very limited because you will need to have at least the whole layer that colour, so it works best for big block changes.
One mistake, the Bambu P1P does support the ANS system. I am running both right now! Great value, love it. It is my seventh 3D printer. By far the best of all (one was a Prusa).
They've been available for years but it's a pain in the ass to build and tune them. The value of Bambu is that it all mostly just works with very little effort.
Bambu labs are good but requiring a cloud connection (and not local network) is really a downer for me.. bit shaky on the open source stuff too.. the flow analysis and input shaping and all that is really cool though and i hope it kicks prusa in the butt to get some of that stuff in
Bambu does NOT say to use glue stick when printing PLA. Period. They NEVER have, they only recommend it for high-temp filaments to aid release, NOT adhesion, please note this! I've never used gluestick on ANY of my Bambu printers on ANY of their own build plates or WhamBam. I keep seeing these users with GOD AWFUL looking build plates because they slather on glue. did you not READ? it says to use it ONLY IF you have problems with removal.
A tip for using glue stick - after applying wipe it with a damp cloth - it'll dilute, thin and evenly spread the glue improving adhesion and bottom surface quality. It'll look like the glue has gone leaving the build plate wet, but it'll soon dry leaving a really thin residue of glue.
Hey JB, I use a mixture of wood glue and water.... 1 part and one part..... Since using this mixture I have NEVER had bed adhesion issues.. Never, not once, I apply 2 layers of glue with a brush, first one, then let it dry at 45c and then the next and fully heat, been printing for quite some time...... Yes, wood glue washes off after the print. no issues a rag and cold water deals with it no probs. The only thing I would say is watch out for those "Cloud" applications...... I have heard some bad things when it comes to cloud services..... Speed is not a selling point for me, so this does not hold water, if you have a business, totally different story though.
at 1500 dollars.... you could download and print 150 thingverse prints before you would recover the cost of this printer. if you ordered your thingverse prints in bulk and had shared setup time you could probably order even more. printer is cool, but 1500 bucks is a heck of alot of money for something the majority of people will only use to print a handful of parts for a Quad or FPV and even if your lifetime a normal person will probably not print 150 'usable' things.... I'd love to have one but I find myself just downloading models from Thingverse and just ordering a few prints I need. Still cool though and would be worth it if you were buying it for a school or a lab or you just have deep pockets....
Somebody who only needs 150 parts over the lifetime of a printer, and who is willing to wait a few days for prints to come in the mail, is not the person who should buy this printer. You're right about that.
I spent 5 years designing printers, after starting with a mk3 clone I made myself. I'm ready to stop making printer parts. One good resin printer, and one good fdm. x1c combo, thats what I'm talking bout.
Sounds like Prusa has it dialed in better with better plug and play settings for the widest variety of filaments. Also, what about those people that don't want the loudest printer on the block which is what the Bambu X1C is. In addition, with Prusa implementing Input Shaper for the mk4 it's a much faster printer than it was before. Furthermore, Prusa customer service is same day fast. Perhaps Bambu will get it right over time, but I still think Prusa is the better way to go for most people who can look past the shiny bells and whistles of the Bambu X1C.
[4:30] In my experience of ~5000 hours of printing with the X1C those 1st layer failures are a result of a dirty plate resulting in poor bed adhesion. Maybe an idea to give your plates a good clean. Additionally, the lidar doesn't always catch 1st layer failures, adjusting the detection sensitivity can help here also. All in all, I'm super happy with the X1C and really appreciate your content!
For PLA, I use a third party textured PEI at 65°C without anything else and is pretty fantastic with zero cleanup. I hated the standard Bambu plate with glue stick... how archaic!
Can you build a Voron or Ratrig enclosed with 255x255x255mm build volume for $700 like the P1S? I don't think you can. The P1S is $700. Also, I don't think it's a great attitude to think people who use a different printer than you aren't "serious".
@@JoshuaBardwell I’m not comparing Bambu printers to Prusa’s, I’m comparing them to Ratrig’s and Vorons. By overpriced I meant for the same price point you getting way better hardware (mgn linear rails instead of regular rods, more powerful bed and hot end, more sturdy frame) and open source software and documentation which will allow for easier upgrades and tuning. It is like comparing BNF’s (and it’s compromises) to custom builds
My paper printers have been less reliable than my Prusa. I've had a HP (broken flex cable on the print head), an Epson (clogged print heads every time it was used) and now a Brother printer while I've had my Prusa Mk3. This Brother has lasted for a few years so far, but it does get paper stuck in its duplex module every other week. My Prusa printer has so far never let me down. Safe for the clogged nozzle this one time, which was easily fixed... Now, I've also had a couple of cheaper Chinese 3D printers, these have been less reliable and caused more hassle. I've promised myself an X1-Carbon after my next project is ticked off the to-do-list: Finally converting our on-suite storage room into the bathroom it was meant to be... About the vibration compensation; look at the open source Klipper firmware. They have been doing this for many years.
Regarding the print bed, its funny Ive got a CEL Robox from like 2016 that I'm still using, its got maybe 1200Hrs of printing time on it and I have NEVER had a single print detach from the print bed during printing. I don't use any sort of adhesive, I just clean it with IPA from time to time. When the print finishes and the bed cools down, the part detaches by itself. It looks like a sort brown fiberglass like what old PCBs used to look like. I'm convinced now its the ideal build plate material. Anyway great review Joshua, I want this printer!
As an owner and early adopter of the E3D ToolChanger printers, the Bambu is very impressive simply because of the sheer amount of automation in the thing. There are ways to replicate quite a lot of the feature set with DIY and open source parts, but that featureset as a kit alone would run significantly more expensive than the X1C. So the business model seems to be to lock you into their walled garden to a degree and make the money there. However, I am not impressed by their selection of printing surfaces. Gluestick is really not something that should be necessary in this day and age, I love my custom machined PEI printbeds, no prepwork whatsoever and the prints pop right off after cooldown or you use some isopropane and let it seep between the part and the bed. Dry off, start another print. Price vs performance on the Bambu printers is completely insane though, especially when for professional use. When you compare the price of the things with what you usually pay for a pro level printer, they cost several times more than this, it is a real no brainer, so it is no surprise that these sell as well as they do, despite their shortcomings and imperfections.
Thank you for this. I am a noon at looking at printers and have been learning towards this X1C but the price is right up there but then most if not all are saying this is the printer to buy. So I am saving hard to get one. lol
I am late to this video but just purchased a X1carbon and printed my first benchy. I would say that this is the printer that Apple would make if they made 3D printers (Tesla is a bad analogy as they break too easily). I am a product designer and product design is defined as arranging components in a way that makes them usable. It is not invention, you do not have to be first but it has to be highly usable, which in turn makes it successful. Apple did not invent the touch screen, or the processors or any of the cell communication chips. What they did was arrange them in a usable form which was ground breaking and ushered in the smartphone revolution and the rest is history, ( this is a quote from Paul Jacobs, when he was CEO of Qualcom) I am sure many people would say that there are better phones out there which is great, but someone has to lead the way. I regard Bambu as the shot across the bow of the industry and I can’t wait to see what they come up with as a response, especially Prusa, they have great machines, if only the UI was up to current standards. I have built many custom 3D printers and have used them professionally. I was planning on building a Voron but realized I could have the same results without the time consuming odds and ends, which I love but just don’t gave the extra time. I Also want to praise Joshua for a very informative video, I’ve watch many videos regarding the X1Carbon before and after my purchase but this is so much better than the average output from the 3DP RU-vidrs. Better questions, better explanations, thank you. Also congratulations are in order, I watched some of your very first videos when you were starting out so many years agoand glad that you are successful in a very tough market.
I donated my PRUSAs running Bambi now. So tired of all the fails that came with that printer. PRUSA was great years ago. To bad they didn’t adjust and upgrade through the years.
I'm printing TPU very nicely on my p1p using the generic TPU profile. I am using Giantarm transparent TPU. My solid lilac TPU from a different company has tons of stringing.
I am more on the enthusiast side and I like to use my P1P and Voron 0.1 with orcaslicer which brings back a lot of the helpful options for print profile tinkering!
WOW! I am quite shocked with the overhang at 13:21, WOW just WOW! My ghetto printer can't do that, it always sag. Impressive! Plus 20mins benchy! Really impressive!
At 7 mins you can see the outer wall speed set to 200 mm/s. That's fast. My Creality CR-10S Pro is maxed at (I think) 180. Never tried it though. Plus the rest goes well over 300 and 400 mm/s.
I have an p1p with some tweaks (you can buy them in the p1s pack). It's a great machine, I don't need the lidar sensor. But I need to correct something you say', the p1p CAN run with Ams. Also Bambu says don't print TPU from ams.
Getting the UV printer as it is the new kid on the block after seeing Daniels. makes the old ones look like they came from the stone age. Sounds like Betaflight lol
I've never used glue on my X1 Carbon and have had.. I think 2 failed prints in the year I've had the printer (those were due to how I placed the model). I don't print any super uncommon materials, mostly PLA, PET-G, ASA and CF variants. The only difference is I use a textured PEI plate.
I’ve been using hatchbox filament with my x1c flawlessly with the default profiles including the hatchbox TPU but making sure to use a small filament drier for 5+ hours before printing specifically with TPU but it also helps other filaments too
Great review, can I print ASA and Carbon in this? I build automotive parts and I am having a huge PITA time printing ASA, it warps on every printer I try. Also, the P1P isn't smaller, it's the same exact size, it just doesn't have the enclosure or the screen. :)
Great video and thanks for all the info. I'm a newbee at this 3D printing stuff and trying to decide what brand to go with. I'm a hobbyist and hate to tinker. I'm looking to print some external signage that can be illuminated with LED lights strips and use multiple materials. I'm aware that I'll need to learn to cut my objects into several "pieces" and assemble them after they're printed since the bed size is "small'ish". I also want to be able to print in multiple types of filaments to produce many types of prints for household products, etc... Is this the printer for me?
I want to support Prusa. I sold my E3Pro to get a MK3S+ just to do that (and I have seller's remorse over that). After chasing multiple issues for the last week I ended up buying a X1-C at 1AM. I've replaced parts on this printer once already and already need to do it again. It has NINE DAYS of print time on it. I've worked on it twice and it's only printed for 9 days. My Ender was better than that. I probably just got a shit printer but at 1AM after a week of struggle rationale goes out the window... as does over 1000 dollars.
Great video and review... I keep looking at the Bambu X1C because of the multi-colour printing but as someone who's quite happy modifying hardware and compiling custom firmware, it's possible I'd get bored with the Bambu printers.
5:15 😂❤ " THIS THING IS FAST AS 💩 " Love it. Man with all the upgrades I'm doing to my ender 5 plus I could just bought one of these and did nothing 😮💨 (📍3D printer hell)
I think we are going to get the canned content for a few weeks. Still gonna watch. Glue isnt just for adhesion, but also a release agent, especially if you are printing TPU wit a large base. they will rip the PEI right off your print bed, so it always gets a thin layer of glue.
Great review JB! Reminds me of my college days when i used an ultimaker. Bambu X1C is such a step up. Jeez this model is priced double in India. Moments i wish i was in the States😂.
The gluestick is for releasing the print. If you didn't use gluestick you'd damage the surface removing it. Also, you should clean the build plate every now and then and use less gluestick. It just needs a thin layer to release. Use a damp paper towel to smear the gluestick around until you can't see it and that will be ample.
@joshuabardwell I got my X1C about a month ago, I print daily and have had zero failures to print. I've used the Cool Plate and the Engineering Plate (two sides of the same plate). I use the Bambu Lab glue stick and my prints have never lifted from the print bed. I've printed TPU, PLA, ABS, and ASA using Bambu Labs and Matterhackers filaments, all without any issues at all. The Matterhackers TPU was printed using the Bambu Labs TPU95A profile. I've printed bunches of TPU stuff, and all have come out just fine. After printing, I always wash the plate using dish soap and water, just as the text on the plate says! The TPU filament spool from Matterhackers does not fit the AMS, which is fine, as TPU is not supposed to be used in the AMS (Automatic MEDIA System!). I put the spool of TPU in my Sunlu S1 Plus filament dryer and it feeds the X1C from there (I drilled another hole in the dryer at the back of the lid to make this even easier). The Matterhackers spool doesn't sit well on the external spool holder, so using the Sunlu S1 Plus dryer is a fantastic option.
Great video.. I just got a p1p to try it, i was curious. I have a farm of Prusa's, they are great but damn this p1p took a few of my products to a new level of quality and time savings...
I had a MK4 kit on order, I can't tell you HOW HAPPY I am that I canceled the order (would have waited 4 months for a "kit" ) and got the P1P.. SO GLAD..
I completely agree. Prusa has done, and continues to do, so so much for the community. They're worth supporting, especially since they also make amazing filament. Open Source has been a blessing for FPV, too. Support the Betaflight, ELRS, EdgeTX, HDZero, OpenVTX, FreeCAD etc. developers ❤ Edit: What Bambulabs has done with this printer is impressive. But it doesn't give *anything* back to the community that built it. That's sad, especially because the result seems to be so good. Prusa shares their advances and Bambulabs just goes and copies them into their Slicer. That's how innovation dies.
The Bambu slicer is open source and Prusa and Orca Slicer have taken things that Bambu did and implement them into their slicers. But you mean that their printer hardware and firmware doesn’t give anything back and to that I have to grant you. Personally I don’t have a problem with them protecting their IP. I am on the side of the argument that states that open source can stifle advancement because there is little financial incentive to innovate. This is why 3d printers for the last like 6 years have had almost zero innovation and all we have gotten are cheap clones. But Bambu came around with top tier engineers and made huge strides. Lastly, I do feel that even that Bambu Lab protects their IP it still helps to drive the industry forwards because other companies want to make a printer as good as theirs so they hire good engineers.
@@c0mputer Weeellll... I'll leave my comment because I still feel that they should open up their AMS to Open Source - perhaps make it a non-commercial license? But yeah, their printers are amazing and I see how I was wrong about the innovation aspect. Clearly other manufacturers are finally getting off their butts!
@@The_1ntern3t I understand the feeling but for me, in any other industry, sharing your IP would be insane. It’s just in 3d printing where people expect it. Horrible example, but let’s say I was a window washer and after 2 years of experimentation came up with the single best soap solution that left zero streaks and cleaned the windows much better and quicker; if I was required to share that soap solution with all other window washers I would be pretty pissed off. For me, since the X1C came out and then QIDI and Creality came out with decent competition shortly afterwards, I am very mad at Creality and QIDI because they HAD THE CAPABILITY all this time to make next level printers. Yes, they’re not great but they were too scared to even give it a go until they realized they could make more money. It’s like they can only make copies of printers that already exist, not come up with anything new.
