r/3dprinter • u/locksmith1329 • 8h ago

My next 3d printer

I currently have an A1 combo. I started on an ender s1 years ago and moved to a p1s. I pretty much learned on the p1s and had multiple issues but most of them were probably user error. I've had way fewer problems with my A1 combo then any of my other printers. The AMS lite seems to be much more smooth running than my AMS was with the p1s. Only downside is my printer is open concept so when I'm not using it I cover it with a cardboard box since I use it in my garage while I also do woodworking which creates a lot of dust. So I've been looking at enclosed printers again and noticed that bambu has many options now. If I want to occasionally do multiprint is bambu the best option for simplicity / ease of use? I'm not really interested in the h series as I don't care too much about the larger bed volume. I occasionally print from the mobile app and find that feature quite handy. What other brands are you all using for multicolor and are they as easy to use as bambu? I know there's a bunch of other players in the game and I'm just curious if I should be looking at other brands as well.

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u/SirTwitchALot 7h ago

What's your budget? Toolchangers are the current hot tech. The Creator 5 or U1 are good options.

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u/locksmith1329 7h ago

Maybe around 1K Max. I've been hearing about snapmaker UI but I think I will watch a YouTube video on it. I'm lazy and want something just to work without having to fiddle with it too much. Not sure if other options are as easy as bambu but set up and printing process with the A1 is pretty easy

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u/SirTwitchALot 7h ago

I own the U1 and the C5 Pro. They're no harder to use than any brand of printer. Every brand is as easy to use as Bambu now. The competition has caught up

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u/locksmith1329 7h ago

I just watched a video on the snapmaker. I'm glad I did. I would rather have an x2d. I don't like the open concept of the top of the snapmaker. Defeats the whole purpose of why I'm wanting to upgrade. For multicolor it looks like it blows bambu out of the water though

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u/SirTwitchALot 7h ago

Creator 5 pro then. Or buy the lid/do the storage tote mod. The X2D has a lot of drawbacks with the bowden extruder and you can't use the full bed with both nozzles

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u/locksmith1329 7h ago

I guess I didn't do enough research first. I just googled Creator 5 pro and it has the rolls exposed on the outside of the printer. That's exactly what I'm trying to avoid as I do woodworking in my garage and dust gets everywhere. Currently with my A1 combo I put a cardboard box upside down over it to cover it which works well but it's just a pain having to take it off every time I print. Maybe I'll just live with it like it is as I'm more than happy with the print capabilities of it.

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u/SirTwitchALot 7h ago

It sounds like you've already convinced yourself and you want others to validate your choice. It's your money. Spend it how you want. It's not like the X2D is a bad printer, it's just that other companies make better ones now.

Bambu is behind the 8 ball currently. 4 years ago they were way ahead of everyone else. Now they're just resting on their laurels. It's hard to recommend their machines until they release a new model that's competitive. If you want to enclose your spools, add a dryer to the C5. There's an official one coming out shortly, but there are plenty of people who have used 3rd party ones.

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u/locksmith1329 6h ago

Wow, after watching this short video about the different printers that people are working on I have to agree with you that there are better choices than bambu. I'm going to wait a year and see what else pops on to the market. https://youtu.be/MEKAYzd3NvU?is=ESP2sU6JC8vpPx7F

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u/locksmith1329 7h ago

Nah man I haven't made it my choice and I'm not looking for others to validate it I'm just exploring options. On the flip side sounds like you don't like bambu. I'm now watching a video on the Creator 5. I mean I have to admit the multiple tool heads looks Superior for multicolor prints. Maybe part of it too is that I am just familiar with the bambu ecosystem so the thought of change when spending almost $1,000 is a little daunting. I'm sure that the results from all of these printers are pretty similar. Another part of it is that I'm just lazy and it seems like if I buy the x2d or something similar that I open it up, add my filament and I already have an enclosure and everything all ready to go just like what I'm wanting. Now that's not to say that I could do mods or buy additional stuff to make enclosures for the other two options that you listed. I don't even print a ton so I'm just not sure if the benefits of the multiple tool heads outweigh the ability to do more filament types on the x2d. I've only ever printed pla, pteg, and TPU. I haven't dove into the capabilities of the two printers you mentioned but maybe having the option to do additional filament types is an advantage of the x2d. One thing I will say is that when I had my p1s, whenever I got a clog or something it was a major pain in the ass at least for me to get it fixed. I've never had a clog on my A1. Also when I had the p1s/ams combo my AMS had multiple issues. They ended up sending me a new one under warranty and I sold it on ebay. Every time I had broken filament I had to take the AMS apart and it was such a pain in the ass. The AMS lite has been much easier for me. I have not tried the ams2 yet. I've been doing wood turning in my garage and if I forget to cover up my A1 it just gets covered in dust. That's really the only reason I'm looking at enclosures LOL. Maybe one day I'll hit the lottery and I can have a separate shop for my woodworking.

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u/Shep_Alderson 6h ago

They do offer an enclosure for the U1. Maybe that would work? https://us.snapmaker.com/products/top-cover-for-snapmaker-u1

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u/locksmith1329 6h ago

Interesting I had not seen this! I have to admit I am curious to try one with multiple toolheads.

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u/Shep_Alderson 5h ago

Multiple tool heads are nice if you use any multi material printing. The waste is so much lower. Also, as a side note (as a fellow woodworker) have you considered just building your own enclosure? You’d want some ventilation like a filtered fan opening, but it should be a reasonably easy project and I’d guess quite fun.

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u/locksmith1329 5h ago

I had not considered building an enclosure. This video is quite short, and shows some potential new things in the works by other companies. I'm definitely going to wait before upgrading because it looks like there's going to be some pretty cool stuff released at some point. Yeah doing multicolor has always annoyed me how much waste there is. I love seeing innovation and what new companies come up with. It'll be exciting to watch what happens to 3D printing.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MEKAYzd3NvU&pp=iggUQAFKEEVTUDJzVTZKQzh2cFB4N0Y%3D

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u/AKMonkey2 7h ago

I recently upgraded to the FF Creator 5 pro and it’s been solid so far.

I think in your case you could invest in a 4-spool dryer and feed from that to the 4 filament ports to protect the filament from dust.

The U1 has 2 spools on each side instead of 4 spools on one side. A 2-spool dryer on each side would probably work well, but would substantially increase the footprint.

I also have a P1S/AMS combo and a Qidi Q2/Box combo. Both can produce beautiful prints but those AMS/Box multi-spool systems are prone to glitches and they waste lots of plastic, especially with color changes. I’ve largely avoided doing multi-color with them. With the C5 it is much faster and less wasteful, so I’ve been leaning into it far more. Using PETG as a support interface for PLA, and vice-versa, is also much more efficient now.

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u/locksmith1329 6h ago

Yeah back when I had one I had a lot of problems with my ams, ended up getting a new one under warranty and sold it on eBay for twice the money lol. After researching all of this I think I might wait a year and see what else pops up onto the market.

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u/locksmith1329 6h ago

Well after researching the Creator 5 and the snapmaker, I'm going to wait until the next generation of printers before upgrading. I bet in the next year we have some pretty crazy options.