I just bought one of these 2 weeks ago. There is a firmware update now that fixes quite a bit. I have roughly 80 hours of print time so far and I haven't had a failed print yet. I'm very happy so far. Knock on wood,.... My only annoyance is that stupid handle/latch on the ACE's cover. I'll just print a better one.
Ross, this is me talking in member chat because I don't want to discourage the general public from dipping in an supporting this product. This is indeed an encouraging sign, while also being a huge disappointment. They don't get it. You can't beat Bambu by clash of specs. This thing has all the charms of the A1+AMS plus a couple--on paper. What they don't get is that it is the thousand little things that Bambu gets right that make the user experience good. The A1 is far from perfect. I have two of them, both with over 1000 hours on them, and they have their quirks. They can clog too much printing silks and glitters. I've replaced three hot end heating elements. I've replaced and extruder and a heated bed (the last was a freebee due to the recall). They aren't really robust enough to support a print farm the way my wife uses them. But even so, they get the first layer right and the flow calibration. The chassis is sleek and there are no off-putting cables and wires scattered about or coming out of the front of the machine. They don't underextrude, and with all of the pretty-but-junky filaments my wife puts through them, I would understand if they did. They are quiet. They have a great little screen. They have an excellent slicer. They have cheap and easy replacement parts. When Bambu screwed up kind of on the strain relief for the power cord, they overreacted. A replacement bed and $120 credit? Yes please. The Bambus have polish. AnyCubic needs to figure this out if they ever want to be anything other a slightly cheaper knock-off of a better printer. Every week we some some dumb video with a title like "The new Bambu killer!!!" that makes this same fundamental mistake. You can't beat Bambu with features until you've beaten them with reliability and ease of use. You have to nail the basics so hard that people forget there was ever a chance for these things not to work properly. Let me give you a for-instance. I'm in a position right now where I could preorder the K2 or wait patiently for the larger Bambu that may never be made. I'm going with the latter because I don't want to spend another $750-$1400 for another monument to my misplaced trust like the QIDI 3X Max or the Kobra 2 Max. I have a K1 Max and it's working okay atm, but it's not in the league with my Bambus, in spite of its cost. I don't really trust Creality to get it right because they never really have. We need someone to challenge Bambu where they live with bullet-proof reliability and attention to detail. Maybe these older companies can't get there from here. Maybe they are too hidebound to their past. Maybe it will take another upstart to upstage the current upstart. I don't know. I do know that making a shoddier version of the A1 combo isn't the answer. Perhaps they stick it out like you suggested and turn the K3 Combo into a winner-although you never get a second chance to nail your first impression. I hope they do. I don't think I'll buy any more smaller bed slingers, but I hope they do. Anyway, that's my rant. Back to earning some money with these printers.
I 100% agree with you, since i wrote this I've written a head to head which literally echoes the points you make here. When I do review I focus on the model that is provide to me. I try my hardest not to speak of others in a review becasue I'm not such a shit that I'll turn an Anycubic review into another Bambu Advert. But this is why my summary at the end is that this is just the start for Anycubic and they could show us now that they will do better and improve this machine and take it seriously But I have little hope this will happen. I think they'll drop the ball they don;t even know they are holding. I have said as much in my A1 Vs Kobra video i literally just finished recording the audio of,
@@FauxHammer I've had many of the same issues, I lost access to my A1 and A1 mini a different tragic story in that. I ordered the Kobra 3 not because I hated the Bambu but because 2 reasons the filament box would make it easier to mix glow filament with regular filament not recommend on the AMS lite. However it is compatible with AMS according to Bambu's website. 2nd another multi material unit at a decent cost. I had a really nasty filament jam and it wasn't with glow filament. I had to take apart 2 different sections of the ACE to fix it. Then feed 2 stopped working. I've had filament leaks and the first layer issues are killing me I was printing up poker chips for a convention I'm going to. Which I had perfected on my A1 which I do not have access to and may never have again. I had to get 3rd party replacement parts because they are out of stock on these things. A big issue is when you do a multi color large print the purge wipe starts getting wonky and gets knocked over causing layer shifts. I thought it was the glow filament but it also happened with Anycubic's pantone filament. Why in all the gods did they put cardboard on those spools because the spools got slightly damaged during shipment. You know how that can turn out with a box Multi-material device. I see a lot of potential with this but it was so rushed out before some serious bugs were addressed main one being first layer issues and purge wipe on large models. Unfortunately because I may have lost most of my stuff due to a house issue. I can't replace or get back my A1 or mini until I don't know when.
Great review i appreciate you pointing out theses things, i have never seen a 3D printer in person and i just bought a kobra 3 combo and should be deliver in the next few days. As a newbie I would be very disappointed not knowing where to go. You went straight to the point and the best of all you brought out the points to the manufacture to fix and and not talked them bad i appreciate your review bringing flows and contributing to a better machine. way to go !!!
does that mean your the 5th element? I've never considered fdm printers due to the layer line in prints, but the element stones you printed look really smooth! im impressed how FDM printers have come on and may even consider getting one for larger prop prints. 'Anybody else want to negotiate?' Keep up the great honest reviews!
Kobra 3 Combo $449 “on sale” , Bambu A1 Combo $489. But the Bambu actually works, and quite well. It is nice that the ACE is enclosed. I opted for the X1C Combo and I’m in love. It feels at home next to my Saturn 4 Ultra. This reminds me of someone’s DIY hack of a Bambu.
I am genuinely curious about this printer now. My first and a few other printers were Anycubic. My biggest gripe with the company was longevity, SO PLEASE keep updating. Not that you have space and time to do everything but a 6mo update would incredibly helpful. Or in time for the Holiday sales 😉.
Hi Ross - thanks for the specific and focused review. Speaking of Loot Studios, I'd love to see you tackle an FDM print of the Fantasy Taverns from September's release.
First thing you want to do when you get your printer is go into SETTINGS and update the FIRMWARE, they are shipped with the original firmware, so make your life easier right from the start
Wondering what do you think of the printer now after some firmware updates, apart from the hardware issues you were having? I'm hearing a lot of mixed things about it.
This is such a great printer. I got mine during pre order. Not as easy to set up as a Bambu A series printer for new people. But the ACE is miles ahead of the AMS.
I have a Kobra 2. I love the build quality but when I had a blob of doom that took out my fan shroud…. I contacted them asking for the STL for the shroud (since it was 3d printed)…. They wanted me to purchase one….. for $12.00 … ummm no. I just need the STL and I will print one. And they would not. I unplugged the machine and will just use my Bambu until I have some spare time to model a replacement.
Without having seen the video yet (I'll add a reply or another one after if I have anything to add), I bought it and it arrived about a week and a half ago, it's been amazing... when it prints, it seems some of these have a bad/warped heatbed (mine included), where no matter what and how I tried to calibrate it, only the center would print and the corners would just either not stick or lift from the bed while printing, thankfully support were super quick to reply and after sending them all the proof, trying to calibrate it with their help and seeing with a leveling ruler how bad it was, they're sending me a new bed, so at least that's a good thing We'll see how it does when I can use it to it's full potential
If you want your prints to stick to the build plate without having to clean it regularly, you might want to stop touching the build plate with oily fingers/hands all the time. You can pull the bed forward and remove prints without touching it ...
I love anycubic's filaments and I think the ACE is better than bambu's AMS and AMS lite, but "good, but not good enough" sums it up for this printer. Too many small issues that add up and hinder the user experience. The bambu A1 still holds the crown in this space. Like you said though, the progression is good.
Been waiting for this review I’ve had mine for days, loving it so far prints so well. I had also bought an Neptune for Pro while on sale with the intentions of running composites through it because I could get a ruby nozzle for it and honestly, I think I should’ve just bought two cobra threes
8:33 Literally just bought this combo and now I’m seeing this video… I literally haven’t really seen many pros over cons here. I’m seriously considering canceling my order now. I got my combo got $379 after tax, but it was going back up to $579 after the sale so I was sort of pressure buying but to be fair I did so much research (I thought) and now I still bought something it sounds like I’ll be disappointed with. I can’t afford much more than the price I paid, but the multicolor printing is what got me on board in the first place.
Honestly, you'll probably try multicolour printing and when you realise how much money you're wasting in filament you'll get over the fad quite quick, so many of us have. check out my Kobra 3 Vs A1 video. It may not help, but it may save you some $$$
@@FauxHammer it’s a pleasure to hear from you Sir! Unfortunately my order was delivered and in its box it still sits lol. I looked into this topic more after I saw your video and you’re absolutely right. Anyone who’s had the experience, HIGHLY recommended single color printing. I’m so disappointed to hear this. Bearing in mind that I have never even seen a 3D printer in person before, except for in the box lol, I’d like to ask what is probably a silly question, but are you able to just pause a print, swap out the colors and continue printing? Or would you want to print the pieces separately and assemble them, if possible? I’m surprised at the amount of things that can be printed fully preassembled, but I also don’t mind doing it myself if it’ll save on filament in the long run. I believe I have seen the video you’re referring to, but I’ll have to check to doubly make sure. 👍 I truly appreciate you reaching out. I’m a newcomer trying to design accessibility devices for my two neurodivergent children and I’m starting basically from the ground up. Had I know all this before hand, I’d have likely not went for the ACE add on, or the Kobra 3 either lol. But I am where I’m at now, so I suppose I’ll try my best to make do with what I’ve got. Thank you for the advice thus far, I sincerely appreciate it!
Just an FYI, it was never, and will never be $579. That is a fake price, the countdowns on their site are always fake as well. They falsely advertise everything all the time, it's my main problem with anycubic. The regular price is actually $449 for the combo, and that's before any coupons, which they always have active. Side note: If you message them asking to return it for a refund, they will likely offer you a partial refund just to keep it. I was going to return it, submitted my request and they offered me 2 rolls or $50 to keep it. I refused, then they offed me $100 back, I refused again, then they offered $150 back... I probably could have gotten even more but I accepted the partial which ended up being over $160 back after tax, making it a $235 combo. For the price, the printer is unbeatable. Don't worry too much about it, if you do end up having problems, they're at least pretty good about sending free replacement parts.
@@Berrr_Is_The_Word the pause between layers is done in the slicer. Color change between layers only works if the print is designed with the whole layer to print as 1 color. Prints like upright clowns, teddy bears, dinos etc wont work with manual color changes, at least not look right..
I have this printer on order, but all the completed models that I see online are just...eh. Like I could get better results from a stock profile on an Ender 3. Lots of uneven walls, gaps, blobs(?), and other layer issues. I hope I'm wrong, but it seems like I'm going to have some work ahead of me trying to dial this thing in.
Small update for anyone still crawling the YT comments: After an initial adjustment period, the Kobra 3 is printing great. It’s at least as good as an Ender and prints 5x faster.
@@shawnrains4047I have some Ender 3 S1 kits, so thank you so much for the follow-up. My roommate just ordered one of these sets on their anniversary sale. I might get one as well ^^
Great review! I've been looking for a review of this that went in-depth. Most of the other reviews I've seen are basically just unboxing and first-impressions after a print or two. I'm really tempted to get this as it's 20% off on eBay at the moment, making it $359. Really hard to pass up at that price. The USB ports being on the front annoys me as well but I imagine you can neaten things up with an angled USB extension and running the cables underneath.
Same boat. Saw it for that price and got me thinking. I wish someone would stay on top of videos after firmware updates and such to show improvements or changes to the audience.
@@zsells9758 Yeah I've heard people say there have been firmware updates to fix some things but I can't find any on the Anycubic site. The only thing under the Kobra 3 in downloads is the user manual. The one thing that kind of worries me is I see a lot of people mentioning that their bed was warped out of the box. That would certainly account for bed adhesion issues.
Ive contemplated this machine because its 379$ currently. But even at that price it seems meh. I have 6 bambu printers already but price point is decent. Thanks for review.
Timelapse works if you start the print from the UI - I haven't figured out how to get it by doing a remote print...likely because it just saves to the USB stick (in .MP4V format, which doesn't play natively in Windows...had to download VLC Player)...some tweaking here would be nice.
The AMS is very appealing but the printer is no doubt the same quality as my Kobra 2 that sits in the closet. The only printer that beats my Bambu printers is Prusa and they're not worth the higher price, IMO.
AZIZ LIGHT! excellent vid. been looking at getting a decent extrusion printer after the absolute blast I've been having with my resin printer. was thinking Bambu A1 but might need further consideration after this.
@@FauxHammer Ya, after checking the prices in canada it really is a question that answers it's self. good to see some companies stepping up and at least trying to take on bambu tho. it truly is lonely at the top.
I'm surprised you haven't mention that you have you home the print head before you can move it. So if you have a print fail and need to move the print head and have issues removing the failed print you cannot move the print head via the controls as you need to home it before it will allow you to adjust the z axis which will then try to lower the print head through your failed print. You have to physically move the print head :(
If Anycubic would just hire a few decent Software Engineers instead of whatever intern/junior squad they're running (and yes, I'm informed to speak on this, I myself am a Software Engineer), their printers would be winners. I have a Kobra 2 Pro, it's awesome. I got it for $120 and it prints insanely fast and at as good of quality as any of my more expensive printers. But it's hampered by software that works, but is just buggy enough to be VERY annoying. It's little things like the camera deciding to stop working randomly, slow servers, etc. and the fact that they've locked everything into being proprietary with no option to install better firmware that take it from an amazing product at a good price, to a "good sometimes" printer. And I'd be a lot more okay with the proprietary firmware if what they are forcing on you was actually well made. Anycubic knows how to make good printers. But what they don't know how to do apparently is hire good programmers that aren't pasting in spaghetti code from ChatGPT.
that ace connecter sticking out the from really had me face palming. if it was a cable that you need to connect and disconnect frequently. front would be a good choice but id don't see it needing to be disconnected hardly ever.
❓Q: ❓in this printer, when it prints in multicolor, does it do 1 color at a time per layer? I was thinking of adding 1-2 color only on some layers and starting and ending with different colors to reduce pooping. ie. in minies having a green grass base, but not having any other greens.
Maybe if it was $150 cheaper or 25% bigger... but the exact same price and identical print size as an A1? I cant see any appeal to this machine. Maybe someone who bought one over the A1 can tell us why?
@@mtcrabtree The filament is enclosed so won't get damp and also has a heater so you can dry it. The price was lower than the a1 as well. Not having an A1 i do have a P1S with AMS that has had constant problems some due to filament having issues ie dampness. bambus are not 100% reliable like some people would like you to think. As for the price I got mine for £325 as ebay were doing deals and I cant see them raising it now since bambu reduced the price on the website for the A1 from £509 to £419
@mrfoameruk So the real difference is the multicolor unit. I was only comparing printers because that's what matters to me. Never had humidity issues myself, but I can see why that would be important depending on where you live. Bigger price difference in the UK too. They are both $339 US.
I would have the same opinion, but Im currently looking for clones cause Im from Puerto Rico and the shipping is an extra 140$. I believe it's the same for Hawaii and Alaska cause we get similar shipping rates.
Definitely seems a bit clunky, which is a shame; hopefully, like you said, they get things worked out. Kind of makes you wonder why everything was released like this, but oh well I guess 🤷🏿♀️
The quick release looks fiddly. I have only ever bought Anycubic even if it has caused nothing but pain. The Bambulabs A1 series looks far more apealing especially with Fat Dragon Games FDM mini settings
I really hope I have an answer, what king of “grinder” are you using to grind filament poop ?? Look like a paper one Sorry I may be off topic. But still, seems a nice machine but to little to late to compete against Bambu Lab .. but a big step ahead from creality!
Hi everyone! I live in Argentina, everything is overpriced af around here 🥺 for example: the Cobra 3 combo costs about $1.200 us dollars. I know, is a lot, but the bambu lab A1 costs double as much! I have a Biqu B1 right now (It's worth $300 usd here). Knowing that, is the cobra 3 a good option? Thanks! 😃
The reviews good but i think youve done them a bit dirty. I watched this 12 days after you made the video. But ive had the printer for over a month. Since i got it, there a way to turn onnthe filament box from your phone/slicer. The reduce poop is also on the printer settings. Its the drop down arrow when you are printing
It’s not about having ways to turn it in and off mate. It’s about the fact that this is not just automated. I’m actually somewhat “for” this printer overall. But they simply do… have a long way to go to match the competition And I hope they step up and deliver.
Couple things. First, the ACE can handle cardboard spools. Bambu’s v2 does not like it. I generally have to use ring adapters if I want to use cardboard spools. Second, screw Anycubics slicer. You know it wont take long for Orca to have a profile. There is no way to adjust the waste. They had the machine ready way before the slicer is. I hate it when companies use their customers for beta testers. I’m curious to see what Elegoo does with their new Core XY printer.
"Gimme da caaaash" Fifth Element jokes aside this just feels like a company that was told about Bambulab but in a document that was translated twice before being read. The A1 produces great prints straight from the box. Newcomers that want all appliance, rather than a hobby, will not accept the print quality seen in your review.
Bambu lab user friendly experience is an exception. Any 3d printing companies from China live in their own world with their own weird rules and apparently diffrent physics as well. We have 3d printers for a decade now, but they still do so obvious mistakes etc. Like every company have capabilities to do amazing anycubic,creality, elegoo etc but non of them even trying. Is almost as the have no memory of previous mistakes whatsoever and just trying to replicate the printer that is higly in demand in that specific time, like it was ender3 now bambu lab printers. Non of them making absolutely new thing to make amazing printer, they just copying of what already have success. I highly doubt that anyone besides bambu lab in its price range will deliver user friendly experience. I can print files from phones as makerworld have presliced items and print quality is beyong most printers i have used. P.s. is it me or i saw severe ringing/ghosting on purple fire stone print? At 7:46
@@westernaustralia_ oh yeah. but my point was that MakerOnline sounds stupid. whereas MakerWorld is just that little bit more sensible. MakerOnline just sounds like a daft derivative of MakerWorld
The issue was nothing to do with layer offset as it was fine on one side of the bed just not the other. and I tried running the cables underneath. but the point was, they shouldn't be on the front anyway. They were too thick and would raise one corner of the printer up.
I don't like only positive reviews and a good and honest look is more needed. , but in this case I see several things that are very unreasonable to mention because of your own clumpsyness 🙂
Fair enough, Let me know what you have spotted? and I'd address it or correct myself in future. I always welcome critical feedback when posed without hate.
Discovered by Professor Massimo Pacoli in 1914 indeed. and Damn Ross! you are never satisfied with usb port placement are you? You complain when they put them on the back, AND the front.
I’m satisfied when they put them in an appropriate place for the thing that they are used for. Frequent access required… front Plug in one and never touch again… back, side, bottom… somewhere out if the way
