This time, FDM 3D printers were evaluated and tested by three platforms with different experts, namely All3DP, CNET and Tom's Hardware. Why are their evaluations reliable? Let's introduce them one by one below!
All3DP is the number one digital manufacturing magazine, providing professional and exciting content on 3D printing, 3D scanning, CAD, laser cutting/engraving, CNC, SBC, etc., and frequently publishes credible global product evaluations.
CNET is the number one technology media outlet, a trusted digital media publication with 73 million US page views per month, providing expert information, reviews, and analysis on consumer technology, services, and trends, and offering professional advice to help consumers make informed decisions.
Tom's Hardware is the go-to destination for tech enthusiasts of all skill levels. It's more than just a website for PC manufacturers, and is known for its benchmarking, thoroughly testing and reviewing components with a strict set of quantifiable tests, and has expanded its coverage to cater to a wider range of enthusiasts with different needs and experience levels. Tom's Hardware has received a 100/100 rating from NewsGuard, a service that rates news media based on journalistic standards.
Based on the evaluations from the three tested platforms, the P1S is the best overall 3D printer. In terms of performance, price, quality, and other aspects, it is generally better than other machines. This is an upgraded version of the previous CNET Best 3D Printer winner, the P1P. Every update, including the plastic side panels, glass top cover and door, camera, partial fans, and LED lights, makes the P1S the preferred choice for major platforms, and the model quality and printing speed are amazing. CNET states that few printers can achieve both at nearly the same price!
Overall Choice
Bambu Lab P1S
+Enclosed volume with temperature regulation
+Fast, high-quality printing and effective cooling
+Simple automatic bed leveling
+All-metal hotend
+Optional 4-color AMS
Today's 3D printers are all about speed, and Bambu Lab's P1S printer has a maximum printing speed of 500 mm/s and an acceleration of 20,000 mm/s. How fast is that? Let's just say its turbo button is labeled "Ludicrous Mode." It can print a high-quality Speed Benchy in 17 minutes, and its normal printing speed is about 5 times faster than older print beds. While it's not the most affordable printer, for beginners, with just a little knowledge, you can get great results. For experienced makers, it has all the advanced features you're looking for, making it a reliable machine for quickly getting high-quality prints.
It provides everything needed for very good, very fast printing and can handle temperature-sensitive materials like ABS and ASA. It is one of the few "plug-and-play" 3D printers on the market, with an assembly rate of up to 99.5%. You just open the box, unpack the printer, and it can even auto-calibrate.
If you're looking for a machine that simply works, allowing you to focus on the creative or business aspects of 3D printing, the P1S is an excellent choice! If you want to print in a rainbow of colors, the optional Automatic Material System (AMS) is definitely a plus, something only Bambu Lab printers can achieve.
Recent updates to the Bambu Lab software ecosystem mean that printing can now be done directly on the machine via the company's smartphone app, without the need for a computer. In short, the whole process is very convenient, making it the closest thing to a home appliance for 3D printing.
👉 Related Article: Learn How to Use Multi-Color Printing on Bambu Lab 3D Printer in One Minute!
Affordable Entry-Level Choice
BAMBU LAB A1 Mini
+Fast speed, with automatic calibration
+High printing uniformity
+Direct Drive
+Automatic bed leveling
+Low-cost AMS (optional)
+Suitable for beginners
-AMS takes up a lot of space
The Bambu Lab A1 Mini, with its linear rails, is a small machine, measuring only 180 x 180 x 180 mm, but don't let its size fool you into thinking it's lacking in any way — it's packed with smart features, including noise reduction technology, fully automatic calibration, and self-diagnosis, and it's also fast, delivering impressive print quality during testing.
If you want to squeeze as much printing capability as possible into a small space (and on a tight budget), then Bambu Lab's A1 Mini has everything you need. It's a mini 3D printer with the option to add a "lightweight" AMS (Automatic Material System), and it's the fastest bed slinger Tom's Hardware has seen, almost as fast as Bambu's larger Core XY machines.
While offering great value, it does have its drawbacks. All3DP found that it wasn't as refined as other Bambu Lab products: the interface was a bit laggy, and the user interface had some minor bugs. However, overall, these flaws are few, and the machine comes with a variety of features that are worth trying for cost savings and improved quality of life.
Compared to other Bambu Lab printers, the A1 Mini's printing capabilities are slightly narrower (more or less limited to PLA, PETG, and TPU types), but the A1 Mini's horizons are broadened when it's compatible with Bambu Lab's AMS lite (a four-color filament system for multicolor and multi-material printing), allowing for fast, clean prints. The A1 Mini can level the build plate and set its own Z-height at the touch of a button.
The A1 Mini's AMS slightly detracts from its compact footprint, as it has to be mounted next to the printer rather than on top, but it more than makes up for this inconvenience compared to a full-size AMS, with its sensors that can detect tangles and a spool holder for each spool that can accommodate oddly shaped or cardboard spools.
In short, the A1 Mini is simple and easy to use, and on top of that, Bambu Lab's new MakerWorld 3D model library enables one-click printing with the A1 Mini. Overall, the Bambu Lab A1 Mini is an ideal beginner 3D printer.
👉 Related Article: Bambu Lab A1 Mini Combo: A Multi-Color 3D Printer with Excellent Value for Money!
Best Professional/Advanced 3D Printer
The Bambu Lab X1-Carbon with AMS system is a powerful machine, and its price positions it at the high end of consumer market printers. Although the X1-Carbon is not cheap, every detail impressed AII3DP during their review. It will likely continue to be a popular choice for high-speed multi-material desktop FFF 3D printing!
Bambu Lab X1 Carbon
+Excellent design and build quality
+Fast print speeds
+Simple, smooth, and user-friendly experience
+Robust steel frame, aluminum casing, and CoreXY motion system
+Lidar-assisted auto-calibration and detection
+High-speed multicolor printing with AMS
+Enclosed build volume
Excellent hardware quality and quality assurance, combined with an overall experience that inspires printing confidence and reduces user burden, is what constitutes premium 3D printing for AII3DP. And now, the Bambu Lab X1 Carbon is the best example.
A quick glance at the Bambu Lab X1-Carbon's polished aluminum casing with AMS immediately reveals that this printer stands out from the competition. With a build volume of 256mm x 256mm x 256mm, a 300°C hotend, and a four-color AMS, the X1-Carbon brings a new level of polish to the consumer market. The first-layer detection feature alone makes this printer worth the investment for professional users, with other features being icing on the cake. If anything suspicious is detected, it sends an alert directly to your computer or via the Bambu Handy app, so you can resolve the issue before losing time and filament!
In addition to using carbon fiber rods in its CoreXY motion system for extreme lightness, the X1 Carbon also features an all-metal hotend that heats up to 300°C, as well as wear-resistant nozzles and extruders, allowing it to safely handle carbon fiber and glass-filled filaments.
Furthermore, the X1 Carbon features stable Wi-Fi connectivity (albeit only 2.4 GHz), a vibrant and responsive touchscreen, and thoughtful extra features such as a "filament drying" menu option, which guides you through drying selected filament rolls using the X1 Carbon printer's print bed and enclosure.
👉 Related Article:Bambu Lab 3D Printer Comparison: Introduction to Features of 5 Models!
The optional AMS (Automatic Material System) adds multi-material capabilities, supporting four different filaments. Multiple AMS units can also be cascaded to print with sixteen filaments.
In summary, the Bambu Lab X1-Carbon's lidar flow calibration, automatic bed leveling, and first-layer detection features all deserve to be listed as "best." With these features, plus a four-color AMS system that automatically changes materials during printing, a fully enclosed build volume, and an intuitive slicer application, a powerful and intuitive machine is born, which is why it was rated as a "premium" 3D printer by AII3DP and the "best professional-grade" 3D printer by Tom's Hardware.
👉 Click here to download the Bambu Lab Five-Printer Comparison Chart
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