Which 3D Printer to begin ?

[nina4]

Hello!
I'm interested in 3D Printing but I don't know where to begin. I have a budget of $500 and I would like a 3D Printer model easy to use.
Thanks!

[nvmR]

today, Bambu lab.
If you need colors, get with AMS mixer
Otherwise regular.
Filter by build volume, but Bambu A1 (not mini) is probably the answer.
Start with PLA and enjoy.

[ataradov]

I have Bambu A1 mini and very happy with it. But I would research their recent vendor lock-in stuff they are trying to pull off. I would not connect it to the Internet and only use LAN mode.

[woofy]

The Bambu P1S would be my choice if you can stretch your budget a bit. Its a great printer, enclosed and can be upgraded later with an AMS for multi-colour printing. I have 6 of them in my small print farm and they are a solid reliable workhorse.

However you don't say what it is you want to print. If its Miniatures then you would be better with a resin printer - if you are able to deal with the smell and mess.

[DavidAlberto]

The Bambu P1S would be my choice if you can stretch your budget a bit. Its a great printer, enclosed and can be upgraded later with an AMS for multi-colour printing. I have 6 of them in my small print farm and they are a solid reliable workhorse.

However you don't say what it is you want to print. If its Miniatures then you would be better with a resin printer - if you are able to deal with the smell and mess.

Regarding the resin printers you mentioned, do you recommend any specific model for a beginner? I'm really interested in printing figures, though I'm not sure what the possibilities are in terms of build size

[MarkF]

There was just a topic discussing new printers (not sure this is the one):
   ELEGOO Centauri Carbon *Released Feb 2025* Core XY 3D printer USD$299.99

Tne Elegoo may be another option if you don't want to be locked into the Bambu eco-system.

I also believe Creality has similar printers.
I have an old Creality CR-10 Mini which has served me well for many years.

[Gyro]

I finally got pushed into 3D printing earlier this month. After watching all the reviews and advice from family I also went for the Bambu A1 Mini. I haven't been disappointed. Nicely engineered and (pre)built, auto bed leveling, motor noise cancelling, resonance cancellation etc. All clever stuff, great print quality, quiet and fast. No failed prints.

Very simple operation with Bambu Studio and also Orca slicer - Bambu security enhancements have made it necessary (in LAN mode - I'm not a fan of the cloud) to enter the printer local network address and access code each time you start up. Orca just remembers it! Most of the time, you can just take the default settings, hit 'Slice plate' and then 'Print plate'.

Some people worry about the 180x180x180mm build volume, I figured that I would get 'filament anxiety' if I was to print anything that big. Use case dependent.

The AMS lite allows 4 colour printing, it's well priced if bundled, more expensive than the printer if not. I went with basic single colour - I don't need colour (beyond filament choice / manual change) for engineering stuff, PLA spray paints well anyway. Multi colour on a single layers (ie. anything with any vaguely vertical colour component) slows down printing massively anyway - it spends all it's time purging the nozzle (same for every single nozzle printer) and results in large piles of 'poop'. With single colour, you only get 2 small 'poops' per print as it calibrates the nozzle flow (if enabled). Again, it's a use case choice.


P.S. Their Wiki documentation is excellent and spares are really cheap (in the UK anyway).

[DavidAlberto]

There was just a topic discussing new printers (not sure this is the one):
   ELEGOO Centauri Carbon *Released Feb 2025* Core XY 3D printer USD$299.99

Tne Elegoo may be another option if you don't want to be locked into the Bambu eco-system.

I also believe Creality has similar printers.
I have an old Creality CR-10 Mini which has served me well for many years.

My apologies; I did a search before posting, but I couldn't find anything that matched what I was looking for.

Thanks for the thread and the info, I'll check it out.

I use Bambu for FDM, but as you said, I didn't want to get stuck in their eco-system either.

[nvmR]

I am using the bambu with Orca slicer, offline.
Works fine. Not sure if updating it will give me more functions. Not using camera, nor mixer.
Print quality is nice, print speed is nice. Good for all my functional prints.

[kripton2035]

I don't care being "stuck" into bambulab ecosystem, as long as their printers (and software) do the job
and they do.

[themadhippy]

into bambulab ecosystem

what ecosystems that then as i have a bambu printer.The slicer works just fine standalone  and connects to the printer over wifi without a sniff of the internet.

[ataradov]

The slicer works just fine standalone  and connects to the printer over wifi without a sniff of the internet.

This is the part they are trying to remove. Newer printers do not work without internet connection. Or at least they are trying to make them not work, I'm not sure what happened after people complained.

[kripton2035]

Newer printers do not work without internet connection

where did you see that ?

[ataradov]

where did you see that ?

Official corporate BS spin: https://blog.bambulab.com/firmware-update-introducing-new-authorization-control-system-2/

Random news source: https://www.3dnatives.com/en/bambu-lab-at-the-heart-of-a-controversy-an-update-that-divides-the-user-community-220120255/#!

This was widely reported back then. I personally will never connect my printers to the cloud and will not do any firmware updates and re-evaluate the situation when I need a new printer. But it is certain that I will try my best to not buy their products.

[themadhippy]

This is the part they are trying to remove. Newer printers do not work without internet connection.

Think they backed down a bit ,i bought my printer  (p1)well  after the announcement ,part of the set up did require phoning home and updating stuff,but thats the only time it got to see the internet.

[ataradov]

Well, yes, but this is a standard approach - restrict a lot, back down some, then restrict a lot again, repeat. Once trust is broken, it is broken forever. If your hardware can't be setup without phoning home, you don't own that hardware.

[Gyro]

...
Very simple operation with Bambu Studio and also Orca slicer - Bambu security enhancements have made it necessary (in LAN mode - I'm not a fan of the cloud) to enter the printer local network address and access code each time you start up. Orca just remembers it!
...

Just closing a loop. Getting frustrated with the not remembering the printer in LAN mode issue, I did some searching and found that opening Port 2021/UDP in my Linux firewall resolves the problem. Apparently Bambu Studio uses it as part of device discovery - presumably  Orca Slicer doesn't(?). From what I've read, this issue can occur under Windows too.

Might help somebody.

[abeyer]

opening Port 2021/UDP in my Linux firewall resolves the problem

My 2c on that is:

• That's the type of thing that will make me yank a device off my network entirely, or at best put it somewhere isolated and well locked down. Weird custom protocols that need to drill udp ports are seldom a good security posture.
  
• That's also the type of thing that reminds me why I'm uninterested in their hardware with their push towards being a walled garden platform, and don't listen to the chorus of "It's fine, you can work around it, they're fast, they're easy..."

[Gyro]

They do, at least, document the ports they use... https://wiki.bambulab.com/en/general/printer-network-ports

[gamalot]

I'm using a Bamboo A1 mini, but honestly, if I could redo the choice, I'd pick the full‑size A1.

[DavidAlberto]

I'm using a Bamboo A1 mini, but honestly, if I could redo the choice, I'd pick the full‑size A1.

The mini version is great for starting out or for certain specific uses, but after a while, as you get more ambitious with your designs, I think it falls a bit short.

[Fluxhunter]

I went with the Bambu A1 and it’s been pretty much plug-and-play, which is great for a first printer.

[lichurbagan]

You can go for Bambu Lab A1 Mini. It is super easy, near plug-and-play 3D printer with auto calibration and excellent quality. Almost no setup required It supports Auto calibration and  smart features .If you want something that feels like using a normal printer (not a DIY machine), this is the easiest option. Another benefit is that if you face any problem, Bambulab has a great community to help.

In case you are looking for something faster, you can choose Elegoo Neptune 4.   

[Psi]

I recently got a Bambu H2S.  It has a multi-feeder AMS thing so it can print multi-color stuff but if you actually want to do multi-color per layer, which you probably do if you're printing figures (unless you are going to paint them), then I recommend a printer with dual nozzles or some tech that reduces the number of nozzle purges/waste.
If you have to purge the head on every layer it's really slow and wasteful.
But that will cost more, so up to you.

For me I mostly don't need color so it didn't matter, and the fact that I 'can' do color but it's just wasteful/slow is ok for me.

I'm pretty sure the future of 3D filament printing will be in mult-extruding-chamber systems. Where you have N (probably 4-8) filaments all going into the printer at once and into their own extruding chamber and then the printer selects the one it wants as needed.

[Tictac]

Looking at the Bambu P2S as a first printer.  Is everyone happy with theirs ? 

Mainly printing simple items like lens adaptors.