3D printing for regular people!
I'm the 3D Printing Reviewer at Tom's Hardware -- check out my WRITTEN reviews here:
www.tomshardware.com/author/denise-bertacchi
Before I started reviewing, I was just a gal who loved making miniature dumpster fires with her CR10s. I love crafting and see 3D printing as the natural evolution of my hobbies.
Since I’m neither an engineer nor professional graphic designer, I approach 3D printing from the vantage point of a pure hobbyist. I’ve soaked up every how to tutorial on perfecting my prints and now I’m ready to show others that NO, you don’t need to be a geek to 3D print. You just need patience!
Before writing about 3D printing, I blogged about kid crafts, wrote for my local newspaper and a few magazines and even wrote about spaceships for the Boy Scouts. Join me as I dive into video -- this is bound to be fun!
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I might have missed it but can you tell what the print duration was for the model (A1 total print time vs Kobra 3 total print time ) . Thank you and awesome video.
Oh. Sorry... I forgot to ask, can this Bambu A1 use any PLA filament or is it picky? I have something like 30 spools of different brands. These are the ones that work well on the printer I have. They are NOT "special formula" or anything. So I wonder how well they'll work in a multi-color printer. Thanks in advance.
So here's my dilemma .... LOL *_(sorry, this got long-winded)_* I'm considering buying a new printer as the Wanhua Duplicator 9 MK2, 400x400x400 is a pain and unless I use "Fuzzy" the layer lines are way too noticeable as this P.O.S. has limitations on accuracy. But, I'm researching which is the better way to go, this BAMBU LAB P1S COMBO + 3D BUNDLE or the Creality K1 MAX. With the Max, I've seen an equal amount of positive reviews/comments as negative ones. As for the Bambu, I haven't done a lot of research, mostly due to the massive "poop" rate. LOL However, this video sure answered that issue very well. I like that the purge material can be used as infill and allowed to just flow without major purging (if one isn't picky on how that looks) and the big thing, that a purge tower can be any object one likes. I LIKE THAT IDEA THE BEST, because, my main designs are cases for electronic gadgets that I design. I could design them in such a way, where little shelves and things inside to hold components, could be "slide-in", so I could let those be printed as the purged materials as I don't care about their colors. But I do have some questions, if you (or others with this Bambu printer) don't mind answering, where possible. So, as mentioned about,, I do use "Fuzzy" for most of my case prints now. At first, it was more to hide the layer lines, but as it turns out, the settings I'm using create a beautiful texture, very much like on some electronic items already have. So, one question is, can this fuzzy feature be used when printing in different colors? One thing that i know is not part of the feature (on any printer I think) is the option to choose which "faces" to apply fuzzy too. Sure, one can select all, or "just outside", but it would be cool if the slicer had an option where you could go into the fuzzy feature options and click something where it would allow you to click which faces to apply fuzzy to.... ONLY. For example, I might want fuzzy on just the sides of a case, leaving the front face and top, normal... OR EVEN BETTER, this option, but where you can then choose different fuzzy settings on a per-face basis! So, perhaps, on the face, less effect, on the sides, more intense and on the top, in between the front and sides. I guess that's asking too much. LOL So the other thing I'd love to know, especially from people who have both this multi-color Bambu AND an K1 MAX printer, is which they find to be the least problematic. With my experience with the stupid Wanhua, I am tired of always having to tweak and retweak it, just to keep it printing. I'd love a printer that I don't have to fool with all the time. Just the usual maintenance stuff. So any opinions would be very much appreciated. Thanks
Ive been following you for sometime on twitter and only now found out you have a youtube channel lol.
Thanks this what I was looking for. Bamboo im coming.
Sometimes you just need metal 🤘
The XL now has a very very very good enclosure now.
I want the kobra 3max ace combo...
Doh, I’m waiting on my Kobra 3 in the mail and my friend got a A1
Nothing stops you from using Orca slicer which will negate the poop issue just like how Bambu slicer does it. Edit: Nevermind, apparently there is an issue using Orca slicer and the Kobra 3 with ACE. There might be a fix floating around on the internet though.
Great!
Can I mail one to you ? I didn't know about this in time to bring one to MRRF. Thanks !
What prints color faster? The five p1ps with ams units you can buy for the same price as 1 xl wirh 5 print heads. 😂😂😂
Nice video and great comparison. As you show it’s a shame about the poop issue but it will be sorted. Unfortunately quality control with anycubic has been a concern of mine for a while. How long did each print take when comparing the same models being printed? The dryer is a great idea but as with all multi roll dryers you’ll melt pla when drying higher temp filament in the dryer so mixing materials in the dryer becomes an issue. Does the anycubic have roll swap over when one roll runs out and you have another full reel loaded?
You're right about the dryer, you can only do one material at a time -- the printer can only handle one temperature setting at a time too, so you're not going to mix PETG & PLA in one print anyway. I wasn't able to track the time on those prints accurately because both machines were being silly--the Anycubic got a clog and a spool fell off the A1. I did a little editing on the time laspe to take out the boring parts. Anycubic's slicer was off, it thought it could print a dragon in 8 hours, but it was more like 12. The A1 did it in about 13, so it was a tad slower. And last, yes, if you tell the printer all the spools are the same thing, it can automatically swap to the next spool when it runs out.
@@stldenise thank you for the update and the information, I love my Bambu lab printers but they are not the final solution to 3d printing and I am always interested in what comes next. I wish someone else would take a design leap and not so much copying going around. Thank you for your great comparison videos and it nice to seen these machines being used side by side as everyone talks about how things compare but real world comparisons are very limited. As ever though hardware often outpaces software especially when it comes to slicers, I know I owned a Creality Halot mage pro for about 4 months before the slicer issues were resolved that I could get decent prints out of it.
I don’t have a prusa XL and it’s not for the cost, I found prusa an arrogant company to deal with when you get issues out of the box so I stay away from them as a whole and the only prusa printer I own is sat in the corner as a reminder not to trust the hype. I didn’t trust the hype over Bambu lab either and was a slow adopter and though not perfect they are the closest I have found to what has been said in “review” videos than most. The big advantage on a multi tool head is handling very different materials in a single print such as tpu and abs. Other than that multi tool head can also be a limiting factor and maintenance costs are considerably higher than single extruder units with a multi material system, oh can you print me a 6 colour object on an XL without manually pausing the printer. Unless you have a specific reason then the XL is a waste of money. As far as poop producing printers I seriously don’t like the waste filament issue and the industry must take responsibility for an issue that is going to grow with creality, anycubic, phrozen and most likely every other manufacturer out there joining the Bambu lab train. I think the first company that produces a machine that is economically viable to turn poop into new filaments should be given a noble prize for saving the planet from 3d printer waste from printing dragons and little trinkets.
Try orca?
I did and got an error. But I'm told a British KZreadr got it sorted out, so I'll have to go bug him for insight. @123-3D-UK
Have you had any luck? Also how is the camera? I know the software isn't quite there yet but is it worth it. I believe it is.
@@kennykobi Orca doesn't know what to do with the ACE, and they didn't send a camera so I can't tell.
If the printer is pooping anyway, why do you have a purge tower? If you turn that off, you are only left with the .6 multiplier poop.
I don't see how anyone can compete with Bambu's printers except for Prusa. My Prusa printer prints a little better prints than my Bambu printers.
Yeah the compatibility with orca is a must
How is the printer if you only use it to pringt single color prints?
you currently have 2x A1 with AMS on the Bambulab website for the value of MK4.. What do you want to solve. Prusa is totally OUT 🤷♂
Video too long. "Flushing Volume" option found under "prepare" tab next to "Filament". She recommends setting multiplier to .6 to start - you're welcome
But there is a Anycubic Cobra 3 profile for Orca Slicer... It works very well, and can optimize color switching.
Anycubic announced to open the source code. I think that will solve most of the poop probleme. There are solutions out there to get nearly rid of it...
Such a good review! Thank you and congrats :)
Why are they going backwards? Most of us know that core xy printers are better. Bedslingers are a thing of the past.
The A1 has proven this is not the case. Core XY is fantastic, but more $$$. Bed slingers like the A1 and A1 Mini are amazing values for those who want to get into 3d printing without breaking the bank or requiring a mechanics degree to get the thing working.
They have a corexy coming. Corexy isn't all that much better, worse in some case, than a bed slinger. My kobra 2 pro prints better than my k1. The k1 however isn't the same lvl of print quality as a p1p. Klipper bed slingers are just as fast as corexy. I prefer the bed slinger due to it being cheaper and easier to work on. I prefer open source firmware in any case.
@123-3D-UK channel did a review. He made his own profile for orca and it was pretty much the same as the A1. waste wise.
That’s awesome! I hope he makes it public, when I tried I just got an error code. 🤦♀️
Thank you for the helping Jeff!
What's the point in multicolor prints, if we still have to deal with layer lines?
Wdym?
Do you think that this issue will be fixed in the future? The price is very good for the overall features
Great tip, thank you
Thank you for this video. It's very useful to know these subtle details
Great Review
Did you have some issues with Anycubic’s slicer ? I connected everything but I can’t painting objects. Slicer see ace pro and kobra but at workbench every labels looks blank / black without description and filaments. Version 1.4.3 and below also.
Wow this is such an underrated video. Everyone needs to watch this and reduce the filament poop. Liked, shared, subscribed and downloaded for better reach 🍻 wish you the best.
Is the bambu slicer kid friendly?
Well the bambu printers are more kid friendly than what was available before it came out. Just keep in mind all printers no matter the cost will have some issues and "quirks"
Depends on the kid and what you're trying to slice. The default settings are pretty reliable these days, it wouldn't be too hard to teach the basics. You can also set up custom profiles, so you could have a "Bobbie Sue PLA for Action Figures" setting saved. My kid learned Tinkercad & Cura way before he was comfortable changing a roll of filament (which on an old Ender required a lot of thumb strength.) He was 10 when he learned Tinkercad at school, and about 12 when we got a printer of our own. By 15 I was tired of printing things for him and gave him the Prusa Mini. 🤣
Lol I just got a qidi xcf pro as my first printer and felt like the slicer for it might intimidate my daughter lol
@@PatrickDG Hmmm, this might be a video idea! I have a Q1, so I just opened Qidi slicer. If you put it on "simple" mode and make the kid a go to profile that has things set up the way you like it, I think it will work. You do have to slice it before it will tell you it needs supports, which is annoying. File management might actually be harder!
With a Kobra 3 on order, I've been waiting for more reviews of the Kobra 3 to come out. What specifically got me to go for the Kobra 3 over the Bambu A1 was the drying function of the ACE. Being able to not only dry while printing, but to actively dry multiple spools of filament at a time without an additional piece of equipment is what really interested me. I have yet to see an in-depth dive into the ACE as its own piece of equipment, with a point-to-point breakdown between it and both the AMS and AMS-lite. The sole downside to the Anycubic setup that I've seen is the slicer situation... but software is much more readily changed than hardware, and the ACE is currently (if what I've seen can be believed) the top-end in multi-material management systems. The margin is narrow, but the dryer function is, I think at least, enough of an addition that it tops any minor downsides at the moment.
The only thing that really annoys me with this is the slicer, and as you said, that can be fixed with an update. The ACE is a true filament dryer, it has settings for everything from PLA to ABS .
Like poked :)
Can you provide information on the plastic recycling place you mentioned in the video? Thanks you.
Sure! printeriordesigns.com is their website, they're located in St. Louis.
@@stldenise Thanks
Denise sounds like a really good human being. Never subscribed this quicker ever.
Came here because of Jeff G and subscribed, some great videos! Rainbow filament one from a while back was very useful. Working my way through! Thanks
Thanks for stopping by! I review printers for Tom's Hardware -- I'm getting more content posted over here very soon!
Mr Geerling sent me here. Thank you Denise
Thanks for visiting!
L mark rober
Great tips, I can't wait to get my A1 this week!
What is the best printer for tpu? I have been printing since 2012 and have had my Tevo Tornado since like 2014 It’s still doing its job but it’s time to get something new Any suggestions?
Oh wow, send that Tevo to the front porch with a rocking chair and glass of iced tea! You need a good direct drive for TPU and I think everyone has made the switch now. Creality, Prusa and Bambu have all done great with TPU (you may need to tweak a setting here and there). TPU doesn't work in an AMS or ACE, it needs a plain old spool holder. If you want a machine JUST for TPU, pick something with a short distance from the spool to the toolhead, which is pretty much all the bedslingers. And no matter how fast they claim to be, it doesn't apply to TPU, so use a nice slow print speed. Again, if you're JUST wanting a TPU machine, go ahead and grab an older machine running Marlin & you'll save some money too. Think Ender 3 S1 Pro, or MK3+.
Awesome comparison and review Denise!
Thanks so much!
Or you could print the two parts separately then just glue them together , using two different filament colours
Bamboo labs Prints beautifully out the box . Clearly any cubic have copied it
Anycubic is good at one single things: resin printers. They should focus on that and leave FDM to who is really capable.
if you get a Chance check out the flsun S1.
It's on the table right now! What should I compare it to?🤔
Other flagship printers such as the X1C
You do realize that Bambu Studio is also based on the core Prusa Slicer code base. Since Orca is directly taken from Bambu Studio it also is a re-skinned Prusa Slicer. So those observations we all invalid… Additionally “pop” to infill or to purge block or to an unneeded extra print are all still waste. This was very disappointing to watch, borderline a waste of time.
How is purge to infill a waste? Also it doesn't matter if bambu slicer is based on prusa slicer because they actually added the features unlike the anycubic.
The only waste of time was reading y0ur comment btw...
So you didn't watch the whole video? Okdoke.
And prusa slicer is based on something else, hence it has to be open source
@@_Richard_F___ Prusa Slicer is based on Slic3r. Original Prusa Slicer was Slic3r Prusa Edition. They have never hidden this fact. On the contrary. When you start Prusa Slicer, the window title says "based on Slic3r".