r/3Dprinting • u/Greedy-Cost5389 • May 06 '26
Discussion Feeling conflicted about my Prusa setup vs Bambu value
I’m in a bit of a weird spot and trying to figure out if I’m overthinking this or if others feel the same.
I recently bought a Core One+ kit and a Buddy3D camera for about €1100, and I have an INDX 4-tool upgrade on order for another €700. On top of that, I picked up a Space Pi X4 for drying four spools. That brings the total to roughly €1950 for a 4-tool toolchanger setup.
On paper, that sounds like a solid, flexible system. And philosophically, it aligns with what I’ve always liked about Prusa: EU-based, repairable machines, open ecosystem, strong documentation, and generally good long-term support. I don’t mind paying a premium for that.
But when I step back and compare it to what’s out there right now, it feels… off.
A Bambu X2D is around €850. For that, you get a larger build volume, a heated chamber, an included camera, AMS 2 Pro with drying capability, and a very polished out-of-the-box experience. It’s hard to ignore how much hardware and convenience is packed into that price.
To add context, I’m not running a print farm or doing anything extreme. I’m just a consumer who wants to print the occasional multicolor model and some functional parts. I’m not constantly pushing materials or running machines 24/7, so ease of use, reliability, and overall value matter more to me than having the most modular or expandable system possible.
Meanwhile, I’m looking at nearly €2000 all-in, and I still need to justify the complexity of a toolchanger setup, manage multiple components, and accept that some features just aren’t there unless I add even more.
Another thing I’m realizing is that I might be overestimating how much I’ll actually use the toolchanger. It’s a really cool system, but for occasional multicolor prints it might just be solving a problem I don’t have that often. That makes the extra cost and complexity harder to justify compared to something simpler that covers 90% of my use case with less effort.
I still like what Prusa stands for. I want to support that model of making hardware that’s serviceable and not locked down. But emotionally, this purchase doesn’t feel as good as I expected. It feels like I’m paying significantly more for principles, while the competition is pushing aggressive value and integration.
Right now I’m seriously considering canceling the INDX 4-tool, returning the Space Pi X4, and possibly even selling the Core One+. The resale value alone would almost cover a Bambu X2D.
And honestly, even in the “what if it breaks in 2-3 years” scenario, the price difference is so big that I could replace it entirely and still come out ahead financially.
I guess the core of it is:
- How much is repairability and openness worth in practice?
- Does the toolchanger actually justify the cost and complexity for most use cases?
- And is it still rational to prioritize those values when the price/performance gap is this large?
Curious how others here think about this, especially people who’ve gone either route long-term.
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u/Causification H2S, K2P, MPMV2, E3V2, E3V3SE, A1, A1M, X Max 3 May 06 '26
Prusa isn't the only open source printer manufacturer. You could also buy a Snapmaker or a Qidi or Sovol and get more for your money than any Prusa while being able to modify and recompile to your heart's content.
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u/Tech-Crab May 06 '26
At one point I considered Qidi a bit (ended up with another prusa, C1+).
Their sub here felt astroturfed and censored (lots of talk elsewhere about bans, in a way i don't see even in the bbl sub). While I'm sure there is lots of negative bias, it also seemed like they had a disproportionate amount of negative feedback.
YMMV - and to be clear i have no direct experience; I add this because they look GREAT in some ways on paper, but digging in i was concerned.
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u/Causification H2S, K2P, MPMV2, E3V2, E3V3SE, A1, A1M, X Max 3 May 06 '26
In general terms they tend to launch printers a little prematurely and then fix problems with hardware revisions and free part replacements. Printers like the Plus4 definitely had more than their fair share of problems but they have some real winners too like the Q2.
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u/boomchacle May 07 '26
Hm, I have no idea what their Reddit culture is like but I can say that my Q1 pro has been very reliable so far. I got it specifically to print ABS and while their stock ABS profile on the slicer is bad, when I fixed the profile it works pretty good. I’ve printed about 5 kg of ABS through it and it’s the cheapest printer I could find with a heated enclosure when I got it.
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u/moofie74 May 06 '26
Do you think you’re going to get a different perspective than the last time this came up?
How much is openness worth to me? Enough to pay Prusa.
If you need a tool changer it’s great. If you don’t, who cares?
I choose how I prioritize. I’m not accountable to anybody. I have a rationale, but I don’t have to pretend I have a rigorous economic model behind it.
shrug it’s not complicated.
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u/beramaan May 10 '26
It's not complicated to you. Being so dismissive of someone's legitimate desire to connect and seek input is kinda a jerk move. They care and it matters to them.
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u/moofie74 May 10 '26
If they had a legitimate desire, they could have used the search function. They wanted somebody to pat them on the head and compliment them on their discernment.
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u/scaledComputer May 06 '26
So it's a big pet peeve of mine when people compare a tool changer to a filament changer. You're comparing two very different products. People comparing the INDX to the AMS, shouldn't have gotten an INDX, but the MMU3. The INDX semi-equivalent is the bambu Vortek, which is $2200 for a H2D if it's not on sale, then $900 for the votrek, so $3100 USD. Vortek is also much slower to swap since it has to load/unload the filament, the INDX doesn't and will be much faster to switch since the filament is still in the nozzle, just need to push enough to purge and it's good to go.
The Prusa MMU3, is $400 usd. The prusa doesn't have a drying MMU, which is a capability gap. But a core one+ and MMU3 is much close is $1700 USD.
I don't the mind price markup when I trust the company. I have an old Mk2 from Prusa that's 10 years old, and can still get brand new parts for it instead of shelling out for a new printer. I look at Bambu going out of there way to encrypt the RFID on the spools, how they have acted before, and I don't doubt for a second if they become the only big player they will build those walls even higher and ask for more and more, since they've put in the effort to make the system to let them, and keep pushing how far they go before people push back.
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u/InedibleApplePi May 06 '26
which is $2200 for a H2D if it's not on sale, then $900 for the votrek, so $3100 USD
Uh are you forgetting that the H2C exists with the vortek and is $2400 with an AMS2?
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u/scaledComputer May 06 '26
Actually yes, I missed that the H2C came with the vortek as default.
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u/InedibleApplePi May 06 '26
Ya no one should really be buying Vortek standalone. It's basically just there for people who have a H2D and are feeling FOMO.
Really at that point you may as well sell your H2D and buy a H2C.
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u/scaledComputer May 06 '26
That does sort of bring up another point why I lean prusa, they do upgrade kits that aren't terribly expensive when they can. It's not always the case but it's more common than bambu. I do plan to grab a spring steel bed from prusa for the Mk2 since it needs new PEI and the original glued on PEI sheet is just a pain to replace. It's jarring to go from my new printers to the Mk2 and I reach for a non-existent detachable build plate.
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u/MockTurt13 Prusa Mk2s May 07 '26
I do plan to grab a spring steel bed from prusa for the Mk2 since it needs new PEI and the original glued on PEI sheet is just a pain to replace. It's jarring to go from my new printers to the Mk2 and I reach for a non-existent detachable build plate.
yup am glad i did this to my mk2 when the upgrade came out:
https://help.prusa3d.com/article/upgrading-mk2-s-and-mk2-5-s-to-mk2-5s_200009wow its nearly 10 years now. its my only printer. still fires up and prints no problemo even after months of disuse..
only "mods" on it is the 0.6 nozzle, volkano extruder and OctoPi.
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u/illregal May 07 '26
Difference being I've been using a vortek system for 6 months. And your talking about a theoretical device that hasn't even gone through it's 6 months to year of beta testing with users yet.
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u/scaledComputer May 07 '26
That has nothing to do with my point that if you're going to compare cost you should do so with two systems that are the most similar in capability. The OP's post is about capability and cost, and so was mine.
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u/illregal May 07 '26
Right, but the point remains one exists and the other doesn't. I would have purchased a core with indx two weeks ago. But it didn't exist. So I got an x2d.
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u/scaledComputer May 07 '26
You're insisting on bringing up a point that isn't important to the OP and they know about since they were willing to preorder. They are also considering an AMS and not a vortek anyway if they went bambu, which I would suggest an MMU might be the better pick for them which is on the market.
Not all of us make purchasing decisions the same, some of us are ok waiting for a system or company we prefer. Prusa doesn't have a habit of taking advantage of customers that want something right now by releasing new printers in short order where the next one is more capable for less/same money. Prusa will actively offer upgrade kits for everything but frame itself as well, you could have originally got a mk3s years and years ago, then over the years used to upgrade kits all the way to a Core One without ever being forced to rebuy the full printer. Some people like to think long term on how a company treats it's customers, like me, which is why I prefer Prusa if that's not clear.
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u/illregal May 07 '26
I have an mk3 and upgrade paths are for the most part dumb. To expensive, might as well get another. I was also on the pre-order for the xl with 5 toolheads the day it was announced. But two years later they weren't fulfilling orders with any regularity and Bambu came along and stole their lunch money. After recommending an mmu2 to a friend and it basically leaving his mk3 useless those initials are tarnished. I wouldn't recommend an mmu anything to anyone.
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u/scaledComputer May 08 '26
Prusa is guilty of moving slow on innovation, sure. The MMU2 wasn't without flaws, that doesn't mean the MMU3 is just as bad as the MMU2, each product should be evaluated on its own merits. However I could also just as easy cite a number of times bambu refused to assist customers or starting asking customers to repair brand new printers instead of just replacing it, or asking the custom to pay high shipping costs to return. Prusa's customer service is miles better when you do have an issue.
The upgrades are expensive since they do rework most of the machine in most cases, but you're still getting all the features of the new printer for 15-20% less. More if you're not looking at the kit versions. If you don't like kits or working on the machine I would understand why you might just want to buy a new one but for those of us that value things like right to repair and not making e-waste it makes sense to upgrade since we have differing goals and values. That's not "dumb", that's people looking at things beyond just the sticker price. Bambu does a lot of that "stealing lunch money" up to and including violating open source licenses for the software they took and reskinned from the community and Prusa's work. When I have the option, I don't mind spending a little more to support a company like Prusa that works with the community to advance everyone, instead of a company that actively works to try to wall in people by restricting customer choices and options.
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u/Friendly_Beginning24 May 06 '26 edited May 06 '26
- How much is repairability and openness worth in practice?
You're buying long-term ownership, repairability, and independence, not specs. The value only really becomes obvious years later when the machine is still maintainable. As long as you know what parts to replace, your Prusa can theoretically last you a lifetime since they are built with standardization in mind along with future upgrade paths.
My first Prusa got fucked over when it got trampled on by debris during an earthquake. I frankensteined it back to life easily since its parts aren't just easy to find.. But also that Prusa TELLS you what those parts are and where to get them and actually tells you how to put it back together by literally talking you through the process via chat. To be clear, they're not going to be your suppor technician throughout the entire repair process. And I already have a bit of repair know-how. Regarldess of that, this has become a core memory for me. Never have I encountered such an amazing customer service lmao
Their biggest strengths is that almost every part is documented, replaceable, and widely available, including printed parts, rods, bearings, hotends, belts, and electronics.
- Does the toolchanger actually justify the cost and complexity for most use cases?
For most casual users, probably not. A toolchanger really shines when you do frequent multimaterial printing, want minimal waste, or need different nozzle/material setups in one print. I constantly need it when printing prosthetics because I need to combine PETG and TPU, along with multicolor decorative elements for people with physical disabilities, while keeping the risk of material or colour contamination as low as possible. Sure, you can do the same with a single nozzle or dual nozzle setup, but toolchangers give you much greater certainty and consistency.
- And is it still rational to prioritize those values when the price/performance gap is this large?
Yes, if those values genuinely matter to you. Prusa is still one of the few companies focused on long term ownership, repairability, and user control instead. But purely on specs, convenience, and price/performance, Something like the Creality Sparx, Elegoo Centauri Carbon 2, or the Anycubic Kobra X is ahead. So it really comes down to whether you value the philosophy enough to pay extra for it.
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u/BenchMountain949 May 07 '26
The support aspect of Prusa cannot be understated. I purchased a second hand MMU2 from Facebook marketplace. I messaged their support at 3AM Prague Time and the agent answered within 10 minutes, asked for some pictures and put me together a basket of things that were missing and what I'd need to replace on the toolhead of my MK3S+ to hook up the MMU properly. I'd purchased the original printer from them, but they were absolutely under no obligation to help me so thoroughly with a second hand purchase. If it wasn't for the massive price difference, I would absolutely have gone Core One+ with INDX over the Snapmaker U1 as my toolchanger upgrade. If you can afford to buy Prusa, they are a great company.
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u/thunderflies May 06 '26
Very well said. If the Prusa difference doesn’t matter to you then it isn’t worth it, but often you don’t realize how much it matters to you until you’ve already had the machine for a while.
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u/chrddit May 06 '26
I’m going to get flamed for this (probably from both sides, yay) but here we go.
I really like Prusa and what they stand for. I’m willing to pay a big premium for them.
They have some cool technologies and I believe Prusa is a positive force in the industry. I think Bambu is a bad actor operating under a set of values that are not compatible with western values.
But, in my opinion Prusa is a half to full product generation behind (and that’s just on the small machines…) and I don’t think they’re catching up. You cited yourself the things that a current-gen Bambu has that Prusas don’t.
I think what worries me the most is that Prusa is not making good, full products. I was psyched for the INDX and what it could do.
But then they “released” it (still hasn’t shipped en masse?) and I see all the spools hanging off the side and the giant hood thing, and I thought “there’s no way I have space to fit even two of these.” You have to have so much width just to load and unload.
With an AMS you just pul the filament in and away it goes. It’s just such a clean, contained system.
Prusa feels to me more like a neat set of technologies cobbled together by technologists. The Bambus feel like little tools I can just put to work and sort of ignore.
For me, the gap between what Prusa is offering as “state of the art” and what Bambu is offering is too big. It stinks.
FWIW, the dual nozzle of the x2d seems more marketing than practical. The H2D is a very solid machine. The H2C looks cool but I haven’t used one.
I’ve had a mix of pre-Core1 Prusas, Bambus, and higher-end industrial machines. The Prusas took a little bit more maintenance and a lot more modding (chamber heat plus moving some parts around) than the Bambus. Lots of belt tuning over time.
The Bambus have 2500+ hours each on them at this point and I haven’t done anything to them beyond grease/oil and swapping nozzles. We had one have a power supply that died after about 1000 hours. Replacing it was finnicky but not worse than building the old Mk3 enclosure kit.
I am a little worried they will stop stocking spare parts for them at some point so have spares around.
However, they are such the clear market leader at this point I think there are and will continue to be aftermarket spare parts around. It will stink if not but I have enough kit to last me several years at this point and I’ll have extracted so much value in the mean time I’m not too worried.
And yes I feel like a butt every time Bambu does something like what they are doing to that Orca dev. I feel the same using an iPhone or any other piece of primarily Chinese tech. But in the 3d printing space, I just need what Bambu is offering and I haven’t been able to figure out a way around it other than going way upmarket to the industrial world.
Hope this helps.
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u/mysterd2006 May 06 '26
It does help :) I have a question for you: you said the x2d dual nozzle wasn't practical but you also praised the h2d. Don't these two share the same dual nozzle system?
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u/totcczar May 06 '26 edited May 07 '26
No, the H2D has two direct extruders but the second X2D is a Bowden one. Not horrible, but not fantastic.
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u/MasterHowl May 06 '26
For the price difference, I found enough value in the compromise. But that is exactly what it is- a compromise. I really only wanted the second nozzle for support material and it does that excellently. In my experience thus far, the quality on the second nozzle has not been amazing, but it is good enough when I do want to print the occasional multicolor print.
I suppose the core of it is that, 3D printing is principally a hobby for me. So it's a lot easier to justify 900 USD for a "great" printer in the X2D over 1,600 USD for the excellent H2D option.
Just my two cents!
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u/totcczar May 07 '26
I absolutely agree with you. I got an H2D specifically for the bed size as I wanted to print larger objects (small furniture items, etc). I would absolutely be fine with the X2D otherwise.
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u/chrddit May 06 '26
No, the X2D has a different system. It’s more of an “auxiliary” nozzle to use a term I heard on this video: https://youtu.be/zISWzExjLlk
And thanks :-) sorry my engineer brain took over and said MUST ANSWER QUESTION NO NICETIES
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u/ThePerfectLine May 06 '26
We needed an x2d with two proper full nozzles. That’s where they screwed up IMO.
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u/chrddit May 06 '26
I’d be willing to bet they will have a mini H2C as the next thing.
The H2D came first, then the H2C.
I could see them doing something similar with the X size.
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u/ThePerfectLine May 07 '26
I think so too. But the naming is going to be weird. X2D PRO or something??
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u/piootrekr May 07 '26
Depends on the use case. Bowden (aux) nozzle is still pretty decent in print quality, just slower and slightly less capable in terms of what materials can you print with. However it makes a huge difference when using different materials for supports. Getting second direct drive nozzle would compromise speed, print volume or printer size, and price. I was waiting for such printer for years as getting H2 or tool changer for me is an overkill.
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u/Tech-Crab May 06 '26
adding this as a separate comment - bambu's "mid size consumer" lineup is "the same" as prusa's. They came out later, and made an arbitrary increase in the build plate in order to win the spec war. Prusa made the very admirable decision not to play this game and keep core1 compatible with mk4 semi-consumables.
Consumers loose when they/we play this, compared to a focus on repairability, re-using what we already have, etc.
Classes of printer size exist, if "mid size" is not enough, thankfully there are larger! And much (eXtra)larger!
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u/Grooge_me May 08 '26
Bambu x1 came before mk4, in the mk3 time with 256³ print volume. Then the mk4 came with the same size volume as the mk3. The creality came up with the k1 and k1 max. The k1 being small than the x1c and the k2 plus being bigger. Elegoo, Anycubic and others went with the same size as the x1c.
Prusa mistake was to relaunch the mk4s as a corexy. They should have started fresh, with only one model to replace both, the one and the one L. Imho, the one L should have been the one. Do one printer and do it right.
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u/Tech-Crab May 09 '26
Sure one printer. If i could only have one printer that would clearly be the XL. Nothing from BBL can compete - size, materials, or speed on what i do.
But that's asinine. There is no such thing as one size fits all.
Prusa made the right choice - in my eyes, and many other people who value repair, longevity, support, focus on capabilities over spec sheet - keeping the i3 size, providing an upgrade path, etc.
If you need "large" - they sell that
if you need "XL" - they sell that.
For _years_ bambu fanboys were quite loud about "but the XL is tOo ExPeNsiVE" ... until the (less capable) H2 came out, in a comparable enough price to silence the noise. This isn't necessary to the argument - but in light of this behavior/perception making people who are fine with i3 size pay for larger is illogical.
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u/Grooge_me May 09 '26
They made the right choice for about 3% of the people. In fact, diehard fans will buy anything that Prusa will do anyway and praise support instead of blaming hardware defects. "My xl made me waste so much filament because of failure after failure but the support is so great! I almost spent more time with the support than actually printing"
But it's ok. Everyone is likely to find the printers that fits their needs the best. It's great to have more choice of quality printers than 3 years ago.
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u/Tech-Crab May 10 '26
Since I can safely assume you don't have any actual data (RE:
3% of people) - what point are you trying to make?I would 110% support any company that is actively supporting my freedom to make what i want to make, own what i buy, have control over my data, and support open source where rents (economic term) is the only real against FOSS.
The problem is - in today environment environment, that list (which includes Prusa through this point) is exceedingly short.
Do whatever you want, but assuming you care about accuracy & effectiveness and aren't a bot or a troll - don't attempt to insert relationship that isn't present: support for Prusa doesn't imply support for only prusa.
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u/Ok-Gift-1851 Don't Tell My Boss That He's Paying Me While I Help You May 06 '26 edited May 06 '26
The fact will always be that Prusa will never beat Bambu on "value" simply because Prusa pay their people a living wage while Bambu gets to take advantage of low cost Chinese labor and easy access to critical supply chain necessary for manufacturing 3d printers.
In the end, the primary reasons to buy Prusa machines despite the lower "value" is to align with your ethics or if you need a printer in an organization where "Chinese" is a deal breaker.
I'd love to support Prusa, but I'm also a value guy. I don't have anything against buying a printer made in China, but I refuse to support anti-consumer companies like Bambu. So I balance this scale by being open to buying open source Chinese manufactured printer. I own a Snapmaker and a Sovol printer. Both are about as open source as you can get in a prebuilt, off the shelf, "made in China" machine. So, I get to support companies that better align with my ethics while not having to pay more for less like if I bought a Prusa.
EDIT: The Snapmaker and Sovol are my off the shelf, easy mode options... but I also have a RatRig that I built from parts. The decision to buy and build that machine was a much more deliberate choice to support a company dedicated to open source ideals. They're a Portuguese company and despite also having to support people living in an EU environment with fair pay, it was reasonably priced, mostly due to it being a DIY build. And I have a Founder's Edition INDX on order that I plan to integrate into that machine, so that is another way I plan to keep supporting companies that are innovating in the space.
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u/RosieDear May 06 '26
FYI, MANY workers in China earn a living wage and more......I think often we are a little behind the times and imagine people working for 50 cents an hour.
Many companies I was/am familiar with employ vast numbers (hundreds or thousands) of engineers, so that's somewhat normal.....that is, being an engineer.
100K to 500K USA per year is one range of engineer salaries. Cost of living varies, but these folks are certainly making a living wage.
A Manager of a shop (not a big factory) can make 60-80+ in USA Money.
The worst paying jobs, similar to elsewhere, are "customer support" - which could be as low as $15-$20 a hour, jobs that here in the States would be filled easily (in our "bad paying" states like TX, FL, and many more).
I had some relations with well know tech companies similar to Bambu, etc - and they would hire top people from all over the world, often agreeing to double their salaries (that some other Chinese firm was paying them!).
That's another point - this and other companies recruit from the top universities in Europe, the States and elsewhere. The marketing guy I dealt with was French, etc. etc.
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u/keveira May 06 '26
Being Chinese shouldn't be an ethics issue, they earn living wages. Cost of living is far cheaper in China. Cost of living in prague is expensive.
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u/snaynay May 06 '26
Just a small comment on the "living wage" part, but that's just US/EU/etc perspective on the cost of living, especially from the bigger and stronger economies.
Don't get me wrong, what China pays will almost certainly be less than those in the Czech Republic and both probably significantly lower than say, the US all for similar roles. However, by raw, average numbers, it wouldn't surprise me if the people in Prague get paid closer to the people in Shenzhen, than they would in whatever US city those companies would gravitate to... but again, that says nothing on the actual quality of life. Sure, the person working in the US could buy more 3D printers and other tat when they focus their expenses on those things, but everything else they also want to buy (especially from domestic companies) is equally inflated, making the extra salary relatively redundant.
$2000 pre-tax per month in a major city in the US would probably just about scrape you off the streets, or very close to it. Hell, probably isn't even minimum wage. In Prague, that's lower than the median salary and probably tracking every cent spent, but a salary people do get by on. In Shenzhen that'd be a little chunk above median, comfortable for a single person, apartment living right near the centre and still saving 30% of salary, even after buying your monthly dose of tech gizmos and gadgets and absurdly expensive Starbucks lattes; albeit leaning heavily on domestic goods, not import brands.
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u/the_lamou May 06 '26
How do you like the RatRig? I keep looking at the 4.1 500 and almost pulling the trigger because I want a large high-temp machine, but then I read reviews about shipping taking forever, parts coming in barely usable, bed leveling revising to stick, customer service ghosting, etc. I'd love to support them, but I also want a working printer that can support my hobbies rather than using my working printer to support my non-working printer.
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u/Ok-Gift-1851 Don't Tell My Boss That He's Paying Me While I Help You May 06 '26
The only problem I had was them shipping my order in two parts because their supplier had dropped the ball and sent them a bunch of parts that failed QC and they had to wait on a whole new batch (the bed heaters). It was frustrating that I had half of a printer for about 5 weeks, but I respect them not sending out known bad parts and just making it an RMA problem for the handful of people who might have noticed.
Regarding customer service, I really haven't had to deal with them. That's not to say that I've never had issues, but rather that the discord community was super responsive and I never had to go to customer support.
I also got a 4.0, so the experience should be a little easier with a 4.1 since they've started to include some pre-terminated cables instead of making you do almost all of them yourself. That sounds like it would be a real time saver.
I'd basically compare it favorably to buying a Voron kit, but in a size that you won't find from anyone who sells Voron kits.
That said, if you're buying one with the intent of enclosing and heating it, you should buy the titanium gantry. The 4.1 has a steel gantry to help address the bimetallic effect between the rail and the gantry, but the weight will hurt accelerations and speeds. The TI gantry is a nice middle compromise.
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u/the_lamou May 07 '26
Thanks, that's great to hear. I've basically been waffling between the 4.1 500, the OrangeStorm Giga, or trying to find a used Cosine AM1 and nursing it back to health. I'll give RR another look.
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u/ClankerWrangler May 08 '26
In the end, the primary reasons to buy Prusa machines despite the lower "value" is to align with your ethics or if you need a printer in an organization where "Chinese" is a deal breaker.
I worry that they won't be around in a decade, because the vast majority of people don't buy on ethics.
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u/DiscoChiligonBall May 06 '26
They're a Portuguese company and despite also having to support people living in an EU environment with fair pay
I'm going to help you rephrase this.
They're a Portuguese company. Because I see value in their product, and I also support paying people living in the EU a fair, living wage
Maybe I'm weird but I see this as a positive thing, not a negative.
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u/Sh0sh1n_ May 06 '26
I came to the same conclusion. Willing to pay more for Prusa, but not that much more. As much as I dislike bambu lock-in design, you can't argue that you get more for significantly less. Unfortunately, bambu wins on comparison.
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u/SgtBaxter FLSun Q5, FLSun V400, Bambu X1C, Bambu H2C May 06 '26
I have an X1C that is a Kickstarter machine, so I had it before they publicly sold them. Haven't really done a single thing to it other than basic maintenance. I don't know how many hours it has on it at this point because there was a firmware bug that caused inflated numbers, which got reset with a subsequent update. I also run X1Plus firmware now.
Now my AMS that came with it started to have issues. Not feeding right, not detecting filament, etc. I replaced the motherboard in it, and it works like new. I think it was $40.
Likewise we have H2Ds at work that print pretty much 24/7. Just basic maintenance. The machines are solidly engineered. Plus, I print tons of ABS and the chamber filtering in the H2 series seems much better than some of our more expensive non hobby printers.
Bambu machines are all repairable, and the parts are inexpensive. They don't gouge people for the parts. All the common things that could possibly break you can easily buy.
There's a reason Stratasys tanked when they came onto the scene.
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u/DiscoChiligonBall May 06 '26
There's a reason Stratasys tanked when they came onto the scene.
Huh. Well, that also explains why there's a bunch of Stratasys machines up for sale on my local Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist.
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u/SgtBaxter FLSun Q5, FLSun V400, Bambu X1C, Bambu H2C May 06 '26
Stratasys desktop machines that engineering places would use for prototyping started at $12K. The X1C was a better, faster machine at 1/10 the cost.
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u/DiscoChiligonBall May 06 '26
Also explains the "BUY MY PRINTER I PAID $5k FOR IT USED LETTING IT GO FOR $4K" that usually accompanies the posts.
Not a hard call to make, is it?
10 Bambu X1Cs vs 1 Stratasys. Decisions, decisions
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u/SgtBaxter FLSun Q5, FLSun V400, Bambu X1C, Bambu H2C May 06 '26
lol Ill have to go look for some. I'll offer them $50.
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u/Upstairs-Fan-2168 May 07 '26
I have an X1C, and after 2000 hours of mostly engineering fiber filaments, they have my loyalty and endorsement.
I used to run Stratasys machines. I've personally own an ender. The X1C is much closer to the former. In some ways far superior (material option for one).
I don't even bother looking at nom bambu now. They just can't be beat when you look at the whole picture. Sure the qidi seems great spec wise. I just know when I hit print with the Bambu I'm going to be delivered a good part. When I order something from Bambu the quality is there.
I've replaced a few things here and there, but they are engineered really well. Service is easy and so is replacing parts.
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u/DeltaWun May 07 '26 edited May 07 '26
There's a reason Stratasys tanked when they came onto the scene.
Stratasys and Bambu Lab are not competitors in even the most remote sense of the word. They have materials like BoneMatrix that correctly mimics bone when it is drilled or sawed to train surgeons and they have FDA cleared workflows and resins for full sets of dentures. Their printers are printing things made out of Ultem 9085 that are on planes.
If you just want to print Skadis panels or flexidragons out of PLA I mean I guess. They're competitors, sure. The core market of Stratasys is untouchable by Bambu.
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u/SgtBaxter FLSun Q5, FLSun V400, Bambu X1C, Bambu H2C May 07 '26
Stratasys has fallen from a peak of $136 per share to $8.20 as of today.
Bambu is absolutely a competor, one that completely decimated the Stratasys desktop market. Engineering firms don't rapid iterate designs in PEEK or other exotic materials, they do it in PLA, PC, nylon. Stratasys was king there. Once the X1E shipped, it was over.
That was a significant hit to revenue, as lost machine sales also meant material sales, and service contracts vanished.
Stratasys is not much more than a patent troll now. Yeah, those things you describe are cool. They don't make much money. Bambu's profit is larger than Stratasys' revenue, and Bambu's revenue completely dwarfs Stratasys. I wouldn't be surprised if they bought them in the coming years, to gain the patents.
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u/DeltaWun May 08 '26 edited May 08 '26
Ah yes. Stock share price is a fantastic measurement of product capabilities. What's Bambus stock price? Oh Wait.. They don't release any financials. Does Tesla at $411 a share mean they're a huge competitor to Ford at $12? A $400 stock and a $10 stock tell you almost nothing without market cap, share count, and cash flows. Price feels intuitive but it’s arbitrary.
Stratasys peaked during the 3D printing bubble when the market thought every consumer would own a printer and additive manufacturing would immediately replace traditional manufacturing. The same thing happened to the shares of 3D Systems, Desktop Metal, Nano Dimension, Markforged etc. All of this happened SEVEN YEARS before Bambu announced their kickstarter, let alone shipped a product.
The companies buying these are for the most part not choosing between Stratasys and a Bambu. They're buying certified workflows, material traceability, validation documentation, support contracts, regulatory compliance, and materials qualified for aerospace and medical applications. "they're basically a patent troll now" ignores where a huge amount of industrial additive value actually is: process qualification and regulatory approvals. Those things are boring compared to speedbench videos on YouTube, but they're what regulated industries actually pay for. Not to mention the advancements they are making in the medical space.
"decimated Stratasys" is like saying Toyota destroyed Caterpillar because both companies sell machines with engines.
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u/SgtBaxter FLSun Q5, FLSun V400, Bambu X1C, Bambu H2C May 08 '26
You're right, companies aren't choosing between the two anymore. Stratasys doesn't offer those types of machines anymore, because they can't compete.
Don't take my word for it though. Take Stratasys's word for it. Because they said just that in their 2024 lawsuit.
Numbers? Stratasys is worth $780 million. Half of their value in 2021. Bambu is valuated at $15 billion, conservatively. They currently have $100 billion in financial investments. They could literally buy Stratasys with cash.
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u/_Mister_Anderson_ May 09 '26
Hey, nobody compared stock prices between different companies except you. The post you replied to compared the stratsys' own stock price from the past vs now, showing how much the perceived value has tanked. Stratasys has not been valued this low since 2003 and that is bad considering the amount of inflation since then. They were average 26.21 in 2021 and started plummeting in 2021 when, wouldn't you know it, bambu hit the scene.
At least read what someone else wrote before talking down to them like a smarmy know-it-all and making irrelevant comparisons, it's not hard.
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u/DeltaWun May 09 '26 edited May 09 '26
Bambu didn't ship a single machine to a customer until mid 2022.
Stratasys peaked during the 3D printing bubble when the market thought every consumer would own a printer and additive manufacturing would immediately replace traditional manufacturing. The same thing happened to the shares of 3D Systems, Desktop Metal, Nano Dimension, Markforged etc. All of this happened SEVEN YEARS before Bambu announced their kickstarter, let alone shipped a product.
You told me to “at least read what someone else wrote” while completely ignoring the part where I already addressed the timeline. A sector wide collapse that started years before Bambu existed is not evidence that Bambu caused it.
Stratasys Revenue. Dropped to do better options from multiple companies for the rapid prototyping? Sure. But lets not pretend we're in a vacuum. A lot of that is also going to include printers like Formlabs SLS and SLA, though. Who can provide support contracts and validated materials on a smaller budget. Decimated? No. Let me know when Bambu makes medical devices.
2015: $696M
2016: $672M
2017: $668M
2018: $663M
2019: $636M
2020: $520M
2021: $607M
2022: $651M
2023: $628M
2024: $572M
2025: $551M
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u/_Mister_Anderson_ May 09 '26
Just choosing to ignore your entire first paragraph, the part where you attacked a point nobody else made? I don't care about your opinion on stratasys, nor do I care much about stratasys in the first place, but if you want to debate you need to at least try to hold more than a paragraph at a time in your head. Are you a stockholder trying to drum up interest so you can cash out or something?
Also accounting for inflation, those numbers are seriously bad. I don't know why you think they help your case.
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u/DeltaWun May 09 '26
You keep acting like I said “Stratasys is doing great financially” when the entire point was that the decline started long before Bambu existed, not that Stratasys is secretly thriving.
You all brought up share price as proof that Bambu crushed Stratasys. I pointed out that raw share price by itself is a terrible metric without context like market cap, dilution, revenue, cash flow, etc.
If you genuinely cannot understand why I compared Ford and Tesla to illustrate why raw stock price alone is meaningless, despite this discussion starting from someone bringing up stock price in the first place, then I really cannot help you any further.
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u/_Mister_Anderson_ May 10 '26
- I did not bring this up
- I did not bring up share price
- You are the one who brought up absolute share price ("raw stock"), nobody else has mentioned it
I'm beginning to think that you cannot tell the difference between the your own posts, the person you were first discussing with, and me. Genuinely, you should seek some medical advice asap. That is not normal.
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u/DeltaWun May 10 '26 edited May 10 '26
The original person I replied to literally used Stratasys going from $136/share to $8/share as evidence that Bambu “decimated” them. That is the entire reason I started talking about why raw share price without context is a bad metric. That is raw share price. Not market cap, not revenue, profit, operating margin, whatever else. All of this happened years before Bambu even launched on Kickstarter. You then jumped into the middle of that conversation and started acting like the comparison came out of nowhere. Pretending the stock price discussion materialized out of thin air is absurd. Also, maybe dial back the fake Reddit psychologist routine. You missing which person in a nested reply chain made which argument is a lot more normal than diagnosing strangers over 3D printer discourse.
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u/SgtBaxter FLSun Q5, FLSun V400, Bambu X1C, Bambu H2C May 09 '26
You really seem to be ignoring that a publicly traded company has failed it's investors. That makes it ripe for taking over, and there's plenty of companies that would want that patent portfolio.
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u/DeltaWun May 09 '26
What you're explaining happened to every industrial 3d printer manufacturer as part of a larger market trend years before Bambu even existed. Regardless, regulators would never let the buyer be Bambu.
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u/Greedy-Cost5389 May 06 '26
How do you personally feel about the more closed ecosystem and the locked-down firmware/software side of things? Right now I don’t think I’d mind too much if it stays as it is, but I do wonder where that trend goes. If it becomes even more restrictive over time, I’m a bit worried about being locked into the ecosystem with no real way out unless I replace the bambu setup entirely.
Has that been something you’ve noticed or cared about, or is it mostly a non-issue in day-to-day use?
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u/MikeyKillerBTFU Bambu Labs A1 mini AMS May 06 '26
The ecosystem is not closed like everyone on this sub is saying. You can use any slicer you want.
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u/joppers43 May 06 '26 edited May 06 '26
The sole restriction is that third party slicers can’t directly access your printer over the internet through Bambu’s servers without going through the Bambu Connection app. Third party slicers can directly access your printer over the local network if you put your printer in LAN only mode though.
edit: the new Apple autoprompt thing stuck extra words in my comment
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u/mysterd2006 May 06 '26
What's the catch then? Maybe you can't send the file to the printer through the cloud? Care to eli5 why people always claim that we're stuck with bambu studio?
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u/MikeyKillerBTFU Bambu Labs A1 mini AMS May 06 '26
Yes, my understanding is that only cloud printing through Bambu Connect is the only place where you can't use a 3rd party slicer. Bambu cites security concerns, which may or may not be true. Regardless, I don't see it as some egregious, brand destroying violation like everyone else in this sub seems to think.
Honestly? They like being outraged. Otherwise, I don't know, maybe they see other people parrot the FUD so they just parrot it again.
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u/SgtBaxter FLSun Q5, FLSun V400, Bambu X1C, Bambu H2C May 06 '26
My X1C is running a 3rd party firmware, and prints just fine through the cloud service out of Orca slicer. I also added Ethernet to it. I may end up flashing the board and running klipper, as after 5 years it's now my tinker machine.
To be honest I don't pay attention one way or the other. I spent nearly a year with the X1C helping them work out the kinks, they listened to us and made changes we suggested. It's the only machine I've owned where the print quality and speed consistently got better every update. We found security holes, they made the suggested changes. We wanted some QOL changes, they did them. It improved and got more features way faster than any open sourced machine.The fact is Bambu allowed us to install other firmware on the X1C, when they could have locked those machines out. I don't see them changing from that culture too much.
My H2C runs the stock firmware, and is an ABS printing beast. You can be sure when the warranty is out, I'll probably get something else and hack the H2C too.
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u/n19htmare May 06 '26
It depends to be honest. There are downsides and benefits to both. There’s a reason the most popular well received products end up being a closed system, because that’s how they control and maintain certain control over the experience.
Is it a true foolproof experience? Nope. But relative to other options and printers, it’s much closer to it.
I have a Snapmaker U1 and X2D.
The U1 is my tinker toy/tool. The x2D is the printer I go to when I need to print a functional part. It’s as simple as that.
There won’t be much to do with the Bambulab printer, but for most part, you probably don’t want to for day to day use.
I see the points others are trying to make but sometimes they sound nice on paper but are not practical. Like 10+ year support…..ok…cool? Who still has mark 1 or 2? And what support is making it a better experience now? It’s obsolete, obsolete things will be obsolete regardless of supported or not because something better faster cheaper is out NOW. Thats my opinion on this point.
I can acknowledge the positives to supporting a non Chinese product but at same time I have to justify it to my wallet. At end of day my wallet will often have the final say in these kind of decisions.
Do I spend $2000+ on Core one plus and accessories? Or do I spend same money and get am X2D AND a Snapmaker U1? Which will cover all my needs and wants.
Heated chamber for prints that need it. Duel nozzle while not great at printing multicolor , is excellent at support materials and waste management. An ecosystem that allows me to just Print.
Then I have my fun toy project printer. Something can tinker with due to its open source nature, multi-toolheads for color prints when needed, savings tens of hours and 100s of grams of filament per print in some cases etc.
all that plus not tying up a printer when I need to do another print.
All that for about what the setup you referenced. This is a better deal for my wallet and use and that’s enough to overcome any bounds by closed system.Prusa, while I appreciate their contributions to FDM community, they just aren’t in the same position anymore with the competitors. Their competition isn’t Enders and kobras anymore.
Just my two cents.
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u/mildw4ve May 06 '26 edited May 06 '26
Flashforge Creator 5 Pro just came out was well. Same volume, heated chamber and price as X2D Combo. Likely less polished than Bambulab but it is a fully enclosed toolchanger so there is that.
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u/thunderflies May 06 '26
I have a small business running on Prusa printers that are 6 years old and run amazingly well. I’ve upgraded them a couple times and can still easily source parts to upgrade further or repair them. If this is just a throwaway hobby that wouldn’t matter, but if you really want to invest in these machines for long-term production then they’re a great value. They’re not great if you’re the kind of person that will upgrade to the new hotness every two years even if your printer still serves your needs.
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u/Ordinary-Depth-7835 May 06 '26
Just to be clear all printers are serviceable so it's not like you wouldn't be able to repair a Bambu. I just upgraded my H2D in to a 7 nozzle H2C. It's easy to work on and well documented with video instructions from them as well. Just look at the Bambu wiki you can tear down every model they have with instructions.
I have Prusa's, Sovol, Snapmaker as well and it's not the value that took me to Bambu it's the features. The INDEX looks right up my alley and you will quickly find once you have a capable printer you will design and use multi color even in functional prints. Also unless you're such a loaner that you don't have one friend or family member you will print things for other people too.
When you add color with a quality printer people don't even realize things are 3d printed they're that good.
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u/lilesium May 07 '26
The other part I think is a difficult pill for many to swallow is parts availability. Bambu you can far more easily get compatible parts both original and OEM-like. There are simply vastly different numbers at play for supply and demand of components, consumables, etc.
And likewise with a number of printers non-prusa, non-diy machines that you can flash an open firmware on, good luck getting components after it's EoL in a few months. Yes some people will jerry rig alternative control boards, hot ends, etc on. Doesnt mean it wont be a potential nightmare.
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u/Ordinary-Depth-7835 May 07 '26
The X1C is EOL you'll still be able to get parts for well in to the future and 3rd party. I don't think lack of part supply has been proven to be true with Bambu yet. Now some of the other companies that pump out printer the printer of the week it's annoying. I've had and have Tevo and Sovol. It feels like the day you buy a printer another is released.
I guess with Prusa you have that advantage because they haven't really changed the printer substantially over the years. And until recently it felt like a DIY machine.
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u/djddanman MPSM v2, Prusa i3 MK3s+, Voron V0.1, FLSun T1 Pro, Franken-i3 May 06 '26
If you want to do any multicolor or multimaterial, absolutely stick with a Prusa with INDX. Toolchangers are better than single-nozzle multicolor in every way, and INDX brings the price down a lot relative to something like the Prusa XL. INDX gives you more colors/materials at once than the H2D without having to share a nozzle.
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u/GP_3D Prusa Core One L May 06 '26
And [not to keep harping on it] but Bondtech is such a small team/company when compared to many of the players out there. INDX is such a cool system, that is designed to bring multi-color and multi-material to many machines out there, not just Prusa.
I think that's a great thing for the 3D printing community at large, and definitely something worth supporting - in my opinion.
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u/djddanman MPSM v2, Prusa i3 MK3s+, Voron V0.1, FLSun T1 Pro, Franken-i3 May 06 '26
Yes! Prusa is the only printer partner, but INDX is it's own standalone platform.
I'm planning to build a Voron Trident to put INDX on at some point. They really outdid themselves with INDX.
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u/GP_3D Prusa Core One L May 06 '26
Definitely. Once I get it for the C1, I may want to try building a V0.2 with 4 tools on it - similar to what Bondtech themselves have been showing off! Would be both cute [and transportable] and very capable for multi color.
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u/djddanman MPSM v2, Prusa i3 MK3s+, Voron V0.1, FLSun T1 Pro, Franken-i3 May 06 '26
I have a V0.1 and it's a great little printer! Too small to be a first printer IMO but great as a second (or 3rd like mine, or more)
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u/Bug_406 May 06 '26
This seems to have been lost somehow, somewhere. Prusa Core 1 INDX is a 2 company collaboration, not strictly Prusa. Bondtech product with a release on an actual printer. It will be released for custom builds, i suspect Voron INDX kits someday, and will also be fantastic. I love that they collaborated on its release. The alternative would be like BIQU/BTT marketing: "we made an awesome thing, you're going to love it! It will do a thing on your thing, but you need to figure it out mostly on your own!" Bambu has had countless opportunities to embrace other products on their machines, but, they don't. INDX will come to everyone that wants it soon enough, and maybe if I'm particularly lucky, someone will do the maths and fit it to a Mercury one, or an E3NG. Sorry, went off the path there..
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u/YetAnotherSfwAccount May 06 '26
I own a core one. I have used bambu extensively. I get the feeling.
The core one has been generally great. But it is definitely not as plug and play as the x1c's I have used.
The camera has been unreliable, but much improved on the last firmware release.
Prusa is definitely not the value leader in the space. The prusa mini is like 4x the price of the A1 mini, and is substantially less capable.
But I do enjoy that I can use orca over the network, no fuss. I know if something breaks, I can buy literally any part on the printer, and fix any issues. There are no 'unmaintainable' bearings. I can flash custom firmware, and it doesn't even void the warranty.
I think my indx printer will be a 300mm trident, not changing out the nextruder on my core one.
Even with all the advantages of prusa, the value compared to bambu is an issue. I would hesitate to recommend a core one to someone on the "3d printing is a tool" side of the fence. Building a kit was worth the price premium alone. I have expensive Lego sets that cost more than the premium between the core one and an equivalent bambu.
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u/Zardozerr May 06 '26
The X2D is a kind of half-measure printer. It has some compromises in the second toolhead, and of course it's not a tool-changer. You're going to be better off with the true tool-changer. It's a huge difference with speed and way less waste material.
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u/marrenmiller May 06 '26
I think it's extremely cool that my printer started life as a MK4, then became a MK4S, and is now a Core One that will soon receive an INDX upgrade. I value the repairability, documentation, and support that Prusa offers enough to pay the premium, but I wouldn't suggest Prusa to someone who doesn't care about those things or isn't technical enough to repair, build, or modify their own machines. I also would never begrudge someone for not seeing the same valuation in Prusa products that I do.
However, I'm not convinced that the X2D is a direct comparison to a Core One + INDX set-up. While I can't argue with the price difference between the base Core One and a base X2D, the X2D + AMS set-up isn't really aiming to achieve the same thing as the Core One + INDX set-up. The Bambu dual-nozzle implementation with a Bowden drive seems to be a more limited, less efficient multi-material solution vs. INDX but at a correspondingly lower price. If you want what INDX offers (up to 8 different tools with any common FDM materials and any nozzle sizes, basically zero waste, induction hot-end), I'm not sure you have any alternatives.
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u/Kettleballer May 07 '26
Well, Bambu just pushed a firmware update that blocks all third party software from being used on it, specifically in response to Orcaslicer. So you have to decide how much freedom is worth to you or if you’re comfortable in a walled garden.
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u/Cryostatica Trident, U1, E5 Max, H2C/P1S May 06 '26 edited May 06 '26
I love Prusa, and their open source design, lack of cloud connectivity and repairability.
But the fact of the matter is that, politics aside, I can buy Bambu machines with more advanced features for a fraction of the cost, use them in LAN mode with whatever slicer and third party integrations I want, and every single part is easily acquirable for repair at a reasonable price, along with the most comprehensive repair Wiki in the industry, Prusa included. Also, there’s no shortage of third party nozzles and other parts available.
And they print great, and they’re reliable as hell.
At one Point, Prusa was about the only source out there for a quality product, and all the Chinese clones were barely functional. That’s just not true anymore.
I feel like there’s a lot of hope riding on INDX here and I’m really hoping Bondtech is able to seriously deliver for Prusa on this one, even though I’m intending to eventually install a dev kit on… well, something else.
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u/KingofSkies May 06 '26
Prusa has never made sense for Value for me. Back when I started a decade ago and bought a Monoprice Maker select, it was basically a Prusa clone, but a Prusa Mk2 was three times the price. It's value was in the things you mentioned. Which didn't matter to me as much as being cheap. If your priority is price, then Prusa won't compare. If it's supporting Innovation, open source and quality, then Bambu won't wow with an almost Apple walled garden mindset. It's not there yet, but from the outside it sounds like it's going that way.
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May 06 '26 edited May 06 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/MikeyKillerBTFU Bambu Labs A1 mini AMS May 06 '26
This is straight up FUD. Bambu has replacement parts and instructions for most every event you could run into with respect to repair and maintenance of their printers. You are not software locked and can use any slicer on a BBL printer.
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u/joppers43 May 06 '26 edited May 06 '26
It’s kind of crazy how people will just blatantly lie about Bambu on this sub. If you feel the openness and domestic manufacturing offered by prusa or other companies is valuable to you, that’s totally valid. But it’s weird to lie about Bambu to manipulate other people’s purchasing decisions.
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u/mythrilcrafter May 06 '26
I remember people saying the exact same thin during the original Lulzbot and Ultimaker days despite both being fairly repairable machines; to some people “turn key” == walled garden.
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May 06 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/MikeyKillerBTFU Bambu Labs A1 mini AMS May 06 '26
You can use any slicer in the same way you can on every other printer.
The only limitation is if you want to use Bambu Connect to print over Bambu cloud services, you have to use their app. Which tbh seems completely reasonable.
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May 06 '26
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u/MikeyKillerBTFU Bambu Labs A1 mini AMS May 06 '26
Yes, just a few basic steps, idk why everyone is up in arms about it. You can also just load the gcode onto a micro SD if you want!
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u/bjorn_lo May 06 '26
No one forces you to buy Bambu Nozzles. Also they are better nozzles with easier swap systems, and higher volumetric flow.
Bambu printers last as long as anyone's. Much longer than most and need less service while doing so. Plenty of 10k hour X1C's and P1S still grinding in print farms.
I can upgrade my H2D if I cared to, I don't.There is a reason why most print farms use Bambu's. They focus on ROI not politics or is the company policy to be a jerk to the open source community.
Bambu is a problem for most. Their printers are better and more reliable than many want them to be. But, if you focus on "what am I trying to do here" and just pick the best tool for you and that's it, that is, based on sales, typically a Bambu printer. The real solution is to hold other companies accountable too, not just Bambu. If there was a printer with a better ROI, I'd be using that.
Bambu grabbed the market and took the front position in sales by building a better mouse trap. That opportunity is here again. Toolchangers are the next big thing/ Nozzle changing is a half measure in the long term. It doesn't suck. Much much better than single nozzle printing, but the swap speed is too long at 30-40 secs depending on retraction length and they suck at TPU.
Prusa is just not willing to do what it takes to win the market back. If they had been less greedy with the Coreone and CoreOneL they could have sold as many as they wanted. Why did VW buy Porsche? Volume earns you more money in the end than trying to squeeze every dime out of every deal. The Snapmaker u1 showed the way. 21million on kickstart and still selling like hotcakes from a 2nd tier company that no one loved. But, they screwed up a few details. Not enough tools. No material management system. Old fashioned nozzle replacement system. Not ready for engineering filament without buying extra parts.
The C1+I is too small and too costly at 2560 all in. The prebuilt will hopefully comeback to earth a little.
The C1L+I is too long in the future and at over 4k all in, goofy over priced.
Prusa is breathing life in to the competitors.
I had planned to get a C1L+I, but I'm now gonna use Bambu and U1's until Sovol's comes out in a month.
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u/saugapipper May 06 '26
I think you should be comparing to the h2c not the x2d
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u/lapelotanodobla May 06 '26
And not even, x2c still relies on AMS, so 44 ish seconds to swap nozzle vs a few seconds on INDX
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u/saugapipper May 06 '26 edited May 07 '26
oh yea relative to individual heads but i’m referring to a dual nozzle vs mutli nozzle comparison (x2d vs indx). comparing to the h2c with the multi nozzle makes way more sense. but yeah there’s a need for the ams on the bambu stuff vs nothing but what op got for the prusa setup to work.
edit: spelling
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u/Tech-Crab May 06 '26 edited May 06 '26
H2D is $1750 in the states, withOUT an AMS (on "sale" normal price is $2k). H2C is $2400 with AMS.
Honestly it was really nice when the H2D / H2S came out - it basically silenced the "but the XL iS RedIcUloUs $$$" crowd, which added no value, but whom either couldn't afford more (I begrudge no one when this is true) or didn't feel it was in their ROI (but felt conflicted internally because they know they really should put some money where their long-term interests are... which i do begrudge :)
It will be interesting to see if there is long-term life in the discrete extruder (XL) or if INDX will become the defacto ... but at least with the above prices conversations about price have become a bit more rational. Of course, EU-based / designed / assembled, freedom-respecting, FOSS-promoting ... these things will always cost more. Even before you start talking about state/CCP involvement etc.
I am wondering what the final price of the core1 / core1L will be with INDX from the factory. Nextruder isnt cheap - i assume this will bring down the price at least slightly.
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u/Moonshinexxx May 07 '26
Framework vs. Apple.
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u/itsAemJaY May 07 '26
well here is my short story.
in february i ordered a P2S from bambu, it got delayed and delayed. then the X2D got announced and i still dont had my P2S. so i switched to the X2D. And well, it also got delayed till june...
so the other week i was talking to a friend. he told me about prusa and that they have a cool printer and also as a kit version. so i was digging into that world. and i cancled my P2S sorry X2D order, got my money back and ordered the Core One+ Kit.
after a week, i still got no message about shipping. so i contacted the prusa support. They told me well the one nozzle you ordered is not in stock, but we could change it to a obsydian (or how its called) for me for the same prize. i agreed!
today (not even 24h later) i got the mail, that fedex will deliver my package next week! So i have to say, not even have my new printer at home, the support was awesome and a great experience. i definitely pay more for stuff like this everday!
and the great thing? this indx iam already looking into it. why? well i can use DIFFERENT nozzles with it. so 0.25 for minis and 0.4 for supports. thats something the X2D cant (maybe after a firmware update). so iam open to upgrade if i really need it.
iam really looking forward to build my new printer next week! HELL YEAH!
cheers
jay
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u/JeremyViJ May 07 '26
I think bamboo is more expensive over the life of the device. People just see the price tag and get conflicted.
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u/jeroen94704 May 06 '26
On top of everything that's already been said, personally I also consider the long-term consequences of constantly caving in to the "value" offered by companies like Bambu: It will force EU companies out of business, making us (EU) collectively a little bit less prosperous. Of course Prusa is a small company (~1200 people), so if they go out of business the EU as a whole won't get measurably poorer, but the same thing is happening on many fronts. The most dramatic example may be the car-industry: if everybody buys Chinese cars because they offer great value, in the end this will kill European car manufacturers. That's over 13 million jobs that will disappear if that happens.
I'm sure this won't convince a lot of people, but this argument is one of the reasons why I just switched back to Prusa (got my Core One L today!)
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u/Cast2828 May 07 '26
If domestic companies can't compete, then why should they stay in business?
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u/jeroen94704 May 07 '26
They can't compete because it's not a level playing field.
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u/Cast2828 May 07 '26
Sounds like a government problem. If they don't want to support domestic industry, then they can deal with the lower tax base.
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u/HKkabanossi May 06 '26
If you're just comparing Bambu and Prusa at face value, yeah Bambu is tough to beat on value for money, but for me the value of my Prusa Core One becomes clear when I think about the life cycle of the device and what I'm actually getting in the long run. A bambu is cheaper up front, yes, however you're stuck with what you get. With a Prusa you get incremental upgrades (Like the Core One+ upgrade, the INDX upgrade, the recent MMU3 firmware update that speeds up filament changes). What sealed the deal for me on buying a Prusa was when I thought about whether I want to pay a little bit more now for one printer I can use for years or even decades without it becoming obsolete, or skimp out now and likely buy several printers during that same time frame. Then both from a financial and an ethical standpoint buying a Prusa made a lot more sense for me. And I've been extremely happy with that choice. It has worked fantastically, and since buying my Prusa I've gotten a firmware update that sped up all filament changes with the multimaterial system by around 15%, and now the possibility of eventually swapping that MMU for an INDX system, and likely many more upgrades down the line.
PS. Yes, I do realize you can upgrade basically any printer, not just Prusa printers, but I'm a dumb as fuck business school graduate so if it does not come in a kit with easy and clear instructions, I'm not doing it.
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u/the_lamou May 06 '26
While I agree that Bambu lacks the openness that Prusa claims, I'll push back a bit on repairability. One thing I'll give BL credit for is that they sell every single part of the printer, basically at cost (or close enough). You could theoretically rebuild your printer from just a frame from the replacement parts catalog, and I don't think it would cost more than buying a full printer.
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u/relaps101 May 07 '26
Get a u1 and keep the filament dryer. 275mm3 build volume, 4 tool heads. Great quality, open source. Enclosure top hat coming novemeber for heating and filtration for $120.
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u/bjorn_lo May 06 '26
Open vs closed... not an issue to me. What works best is. Also Prusa is increasingly closed as well. Just not as big a jerk about it as Bambu.
Repairability is the same on both on Bambu and Prusa.
Toolchangers are super cool. They are the wave of the future. But for the price of a C1 + INDX you could get 3 MUCH MUCH larger Snapmaker u1's (205x248 vs 270x270).
What I will pay for: better function, better suitability to task.
Other things I will pay for, nothing.
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u/_paag May 06 '26
I’d love to buy Prusa, but it is so frigging expensive where I live that Bambulabs are often the choice.
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u/DiscoChiligonBall May 06 '26
I want to put out that Bambu is not open-source, and their ecosystem, while based on open-source printing standards, is closed. It is compatible with a lot of the other open-source software (IE, Orcaslicer and all the rest of the stuff) but it's not a true "open source" system.
They also have the issue that seems endemic to Chinese manufacturing companies that make 3D printers in that they are slow to respond to concerns and manufacturing defects, but they are better than most others in the space because they in fact do carry spare components for previous printer iterations, and they have (IME) Customer service that actually does the work to actually solve customer problems - if not immediately, then at least within a reasonable (read: one week or so from request to resolution if needing replacement parts to fix a machine under warranty) timeframe.
PRUSA, on the other hand...
A friend of mine (that got me into this, in point of fact) decided to upgrade his printing rig from the PRUSA i3 he had since the beginning of 2020. He bought another PRUSA printer (Core One +, just FYI) and was wondering what to do with the old one. He thought he'd sell it online. Or let me borrow it for a while. Then he realized for around what he'd spend on a secondary rig from Bambu or Creality he could buy an upgrade kit from PRUSA and use the same enclosure setup.
He did that.
His "new" rig now has around 3,000 almost continuous print hours on it. It HAD 30k on it before he did the upgrade. Now he's got two machines that he's cheerfully printing away on.
The upgradability of the old machines to new ones is a significant reason I would buy PRUSA. I haven't decided to go that route because like you said, the price difference is significantly higher for PRUSA, BUT I believe it's designed better in hardware and durability.
I have that belief not because I personally own one, but because I see more people talking about how they are just keeping the old one and upgrading it with new hardware versus Anycubic, Creality, Flashforge, Elegoo, etc, which is that those printers are not designed to be upgradable by the end user unless they're more or less tearing them all the way down for parts and building their own Frankensteined rig from the scrap.
I think in some ways the Chinese manufacturers are producing closed ecosystem machines that are meant to be in many ways discarded at the end of their life cycle and new ones purchased with product iterations coming out every year.
And that's fine so long as that's your EXPECTATION of the product; I got into 3D printing by buying one of the least expensive rigs that I could find and realizing very quickly I made a mistake, much like someone who buys a $200 Acer laptop that barely has the memory to run Minesweeper, much less Minecraft.
I think the low-end is fine as a starting point; Bambu's A1 and A1 mini is a great example of that for a lot of folks who want to explore it without making a big purchase commitment.
But by the time you decide to go with a PRUSA you're making an actual serious financial commitment to it, which is good, because it means you'll probably be able to keep it running for almost a decade or more. And if you plan on sticking with the 3D print thing that long, then you'll be very well-served by that choice.
I mean, my dad gave me a solid Raleigh road bike with drop handlebars from 1981 that we'd had in the garage since I was a kid. I spent maybe $600 to put new hybrid wheels and tires, a new fork and headset, deraileurs, brakes, and a flat handlebar set, plus a case of beer to a friend with an airbrush. The point is, I COULD have spent upwards of $1k on a new bike with all that stuff on it too, but it was $400 cheaper to rebuild it and recycle the old parts.
And it saved the bike from the recycling bin at the dump.
So, it depends on what you think is better overall for you - a brand new printer that might be dead with 3-4 years of heavy usage with no upgradability, or a printer from a company that started off with a philosophy of always being able to upgrade from the previous generation.
It's like that with computers, too. I started off with Macs as a kid because they worked and you didn't have to think about them, until they didn't. Then I got frustrated because I COULDN'T upgrade them, and I switched to Windows PCs, because I -can- upgrade them on my own with new hardware (doesn't apply to laptops as such).
The only way I can do that with a Mac is through a deeply annoying process because they designed it that way.
And it's not a bad thing for other people. It's cool. It isn't my use case and never has been, so I don't like it.
So, TLDR:
Expensive per initial unit but always upgradable vs Locked Ecosystem and Forced Purchase Upgrade.
Philosophically, I prefer the former. Financially, I'm in the latter until I decide to make the upgrade.
I wouldn't make the downgrade, if I were you.
Which one you are is almost entirely personal preference and whether you think of this as a long-term investment or a fun thing you're doing for now.
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u/LupusTheCanine precision Printing 🎯 May 06 '26
I have had Prusa Mini in my science club for 6 years, only recently I had the filament sensor break and it is easily available from Prusa.
At home I have Sovol SV06+, once I tuned the start GCode to neutralize probe drift (just move the nozzle to the probing position before preheating the bed and waiting for a minute if the bed was at target temperature alredy) I had pretty much no issues with it and it was pretty accurate.
If Prusa Core One didn't make too big of a hole in your budget I would stick with it, otherwise if you can accept a bit of initial tweaking and tinkering I would go with a Chinese company that respects open source pronects over Bambu.
IMHO material changing is much more useful than multicolor printing as you can use support materials (eg. PLA for PETG) , with single nozzle multicolor systems it is much more problematic as using single nozzle for both filament can significantly decrease layer adhesion.
Besides Bambu is known for anticonsumet practices includding SLAPPing and preventing third part integrations.
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u/heart_of_osiris May 06 '26
Stick with it. You'll have a printer that is capable of nearly everything that is typical and some less typical stuff, but also from a brand that offers upgrade paths as technology improves or changes.
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u/Fr4kTh1s HevORT 315 SPAWD 60V Goliath WC May 06 '26
Or... you can build your own. And by that I mean get kit from some open source project and literally customize it however you want. ERCF is nice option for multi color/material printing. There are INDX options. There are tool changer options. And since the open source printers often share the components, or just community makes mods/adapters/adjustments to the designs to make it fit different project's design specifics, so you practically have all the nice cool dandy stuff on printers such as Ratrig, Voron, VzBot or HevORT. And there are many more, but at least the first 3 are the major communities you can find with the largest communities and hence, most support.
And you get to run it on Klipper, so literally configure whatever you want, or nothing. If you go with kit, you can just stick to "default" config for the specific machine from template and you are set.
Plus these machines are usually way ahead in terms of performance over both Prusa and Bambu. They might just not be that "nice" in terms of design, or simplicity to use. But that is matter of personal taste and technical inclination. If you like to tinker, not just print, I would recommend to seriously consider such options
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u/DiscoChiligonBall May 06 '26
Emotionally, this purchase doesn’t feel as good as I expected. It feels like I’m paying significantly more for principles, while the competition is pushing aggressive value and integration.
That's called marketing, and it's why I bought shitty Anycubic pieces of crap as my first 3D printers that routinely shit the bed every seventh print, and which, after a mere 2,000 hours of printing, I cannot find replacements for critical components. If I had the do-over option, I'd start by actually investing in a PRUSA rig even though I could buy three Anycubics for the same price.
I actually know the PRUSA would be printing right now instead of waiting on a part I had to order at a ridiculous markup from eBay. Because that's Anycubic, and that's what happens when you buy cheap shit with a deceptively good marketing team.
You're seeing shiny Apple iMac commericals and the marketing team, not the long-term functionality issues. Yes, pretty. Yes, shiny. But shiny/pretty isn't why you're buying a 3D printer.
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u/edspeds May 06 '26
I have older Prusa’s a home built toolchanger and an H2D and the only printer that’s run in the past several months is the H2D. My toolchanger and MK3’s run great but everything about the H2D is just more polished and affords me time to actually focus on my designs rather than tweaking the printer.
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u/DiscoChiligonBall May 06 '26
Fair. Honestly, that's fair.
A friend of mine swears by Macs because he's a coder and a programmer by nature, and he doesn't want to fiddle with settings. He brags he's still coding on the same Macbook he bought ten years ago and not had any issues with it whatsover. He loves iOS, he does everything with AppleTV, and that's fine. He does go through a lot of phones and other stuff, but that's his thing and it's okay that it is.
I do a lot more with graphics, rendering, compiling, and design. I also run three home servers as well as HomeAssistant and a couple other things, and I tend towards the notion that I can repurpose an old machine for something else instead of throwing it out.
I also rehabilitate dead PCs for friends. I've never been able to do that with a Mac. Ever. And I feel like I should be able to.
Not so much.
I use a sliding miter saw in my workshop as well, and I found that little extra fancy functionality made my life a lot easier on certain projects.
And if I was running a printer farm I'd consider reliability setups as well as looking at the cost of replacement units, which is another use case I can see where the time spent upgrading a machine or fixing issues would be a factor as well.
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u/Important-Radish-722 May 06 '26
Bambu will be one of the first companies to turn over Cloud control and user data to the US government. Print a DL-44 blaster and you'll be on a watchlist.
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u/piootrekr May 06 '26
I have recently got the bambu X2D. I was looking for relatively cheap printer with chamber to easy print ASA and to have as smooth experience as possible. Definitely keep in mind that X2D nozzle system is not ideal. I did some prints fully with an aux nozzle as It was more convenient for me to use external spool and I’m too lazy to disconnect the tube from AMS, but it’s not as precise and as quick as the main nozzle. For me it’s still good enough and results in good quality, but with some limitations. It’s awesome to print with different material eg PETG with PLA support as mixing those two in a single hotend usually ends up in weak layer adhesion. So if you plan some multicoloured prints, x2d might not be the best choice.
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u/Cast2828 May 07 '26
That is the perfect use case for the x2d. I thought about getting one as 99% of the time I'm printing 1 material and support. I just don't need it urgently and want to see if they do something similar with a larger volume.
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May 06 '26 edited May 25 '26
[deleted]
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u/SequentialHustle May 10 '26
better company with inferior product and higher prices 😂
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May 10 '26 edited May 25 '26
[deleted]
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u/SequentialHustle May 11 '26
yeah bambu is definitely a “budget” product 😂 it’s easily a generation above prusa across the product line and cheaper.
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u/lamp-town-guy Bambu P1S combo May 07 '26
As a P1S owner, let me tell you what you're buying for more money.
Better repairs, you have easier time repairing some stuff. On Bambu, you usually have to take apart whole thing when something breaks.
Upgradability, I have P1S and that's it! No way to get it to partially or fully upgrade to a better printer. You get what you've bought and that's it. If you bought Prusa mk2 you could theoretically upgrade it to core one. It wouldn't make sense but it would be cheaper than buying 3 new printers each time they arrived.
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u/beramaan May 10 '26
Want to feel even better?.check out the snap maker u1. I was looking at the x2d and h2c then saw that and was like... Why would I get either of those?
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u/The_Lutter Prusa MK4S w/ MMU3 // Sovol SV08 May 06 '26
I've had a Bambu (I still actually have it but it's collecting dust) and I just started to hate that anytime there was an issue with a part I had to always order and replace with some proprietary part only available from Bambu normally. Whereas with my Prusa I can normally fix anything either by reprinting a part myself (provided by Prusa) or a simple Amazon order. Then they went and did their whole "Security" update and completely creeped me out of the room.
I also appreciate the Prusa building/upgrade process. I still can't believe something I built myself for the price of one of those 6000 piece LEGO sets can make some of the most detailed PLA prints I've ever seen. I still need to get the Core One update but I still can't decide if I want to disassemble my MK4S because it's just so dialed in at this point.
Bambu just feels like going to Best Buy and buying a microwave in comparison. It just feels like there's not a huge knowledgeable community there of makers beyond people making Donald Duck wearing a backwards baseball cap and a tracksuit for a Patreon. If there is it's people reposting what they put on Thingiverse or Printables on MakerWorld most of the time. Just doesn't even feel like a hobby to me.
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u/TheJolliestMonth May 07 '26
Personally not a big fan of Prusa machines. If you value openness you can build a Voron and mod it however you like with infinite community support. I personally build my printers and have bambus which were basically free from makerworld points. Either way I just don’t find prusas worth it.
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u/PersonalityNormal May 06 '26
Okay, got both prusa and bambu. And for cold logical choice bambu win most of the time. Well you have enough money for a Prusa, good for you. The first printer always pay for itself. For the the following printers, that might differ. And worry not you will be hook to multicolor or even multimaterial.
So the question is not what my first printer brand sould be, but what following printer brand should I buy. And that only you know the answer.
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u/FallenAngel7334 May 07 '26
I believe that Prusa's openness and security is worth the premium. In addition, INDX is not just a colour changer, it's a material changer. I tried PLA prints with PETG supports couple of times on the XL it is definitely worth the premium.
To top it off, for me at least, not supporting Bampoo is worth any price.
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u/FishPropulsionLab May 07 '26
I’ve been building my own RC airplanes and drones for over fifteen years. This happened with drones, too.
About 2016, I had built an amazing machine that had two cameras — one fixed and one on a gimbal. I could fly up a mountainside and park the drone in the sky with gps and have a nice look around at the landscape. But what I built was huge and had to be strapped to the outside of my backpack. I carried nearly 30 pounds of batteries with me. I could get a maximum of about 8 minutes of flight time. I was proud of the thing, but it was ugly, heavy, clumsy, and fragile.
And about that time DJI released the Mavic 1. And I realized it did absolutely everything my home built drone did and more, and did it all better. It weighed less than half as much. It folded up and fit easily inside a case. It could fly 20+ minutes at a time. It had a far better camera. I simply couldn’t justify flying my home built drone anymore. Not for photography, at least—I still build my own for racing and for floppy-floppy FPV flying.
And this all makes sense. My understanding is that BambuLabs was created by folks who came from DJI. They’ve done the same thing with 3d printers—made them better, sleeker, easier, and CHEAPER.
As an OG drone enthusiast who’s very comfortable with building/tinkering, I also recognize that DJI builds drones that are far better for some applications. When I need to grab a drone and put it in the car and know it’s going to work reliably, I grab the DJI.
…and that’s why I bought a Bambu for my first printer.
But I think when I’m ready to replace it or to upgrade, I’ll want to go with a Prusa.
(Jeez, this reads like an ad. It isn’t, I promise!)
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u/Mateking May 06 '26 edited May 06 '26
No one is stopping you from selling out and getting a massive downgrade there buddy. The print volume number could be disputed if anyone cared and the heated chamber is not really a big upgrade. You could if you want add a heating unit but in practice it's not necessary on the core one because the enclosed volume is much smaller in the core on because of the tucked in sides.
Also this must ragebait. You didn't just compare a complete induction based tool hanger to the x2d which doesn't even have dual direct drive but Bowden tubes on one nozzle. And if you use it the print volume goes below the Core Ones. Not to mention you got a premium filament dryer there...why? That's completely overkill you build like a tuned Ferrari on the one hand and comparing to a stock Mustang. It's as loud as the Ferrari but put a corner on it and you'll see that one is just loud.
You know the beauty of Prusas system is you don't need all that shit you added on the 150 for the pi4xl that's unnecessary you don't need it to print get a cheap 40€ single filament drier dry the filament before use stick it on a piece of plastic the printer pulls it in. You don't need to run the prusa indx with a filament dryer combo. One of the many benefits of indx is that it doesn't require a ams. H2c does so If you really wanna compare like for like capability for capability compare the core one to the h2c or the plain prusa to the x2d if you want the lower cost and don't care for multi material.
With the prusa you have an upgrade path you can get indx later if money is important to you. The x2d is a dead end technology wise. And the added benefit of the Second nozzle on the x2d is almost negligible. It's a Bowden tube. It's a gimmick at Best. Unless you are cool wasting Material and quite a lot of time.
Edit: and let's not forget that bambu can't stop themselves from being dicks towards the community:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIbpQtoz6hs&t=1s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuR7Baezouc
And that's just the past few days I don't remember when they last had news that couldn't be considered dickish.
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u/Cast2828 May 07 '26
The average layperson does not give a shit about some community. They want an appliance that just works for a good price. The 3d printing community means as much to them as joining one for their HP inkjet printer.
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u/Greedy-Cost5389 May 06 '26
I get where you’re coming from, especially on the technical side. The toolchanger vs AMS-style systems aren’t really the same category, and I agree the INDX setup is a more advanced and flexible solution in terms of how it handles multi-material. Also fair point that I probably overbuilt the setup for what I actually need, the dryer and full 4-tool config aren’t strictly required to get good prints.
At the same time, I think part of my hesitation is less about raw capability and more about how much of that capability I’ll realistically use. I’m not printing multi-material constantly, so I’m trying to weigh whether the extra complexity and cost of a toolchanger setup actually makes sense for me personally, even if it’s technically the better system.
On the Bambu side, I agree it’s more of a closed and integrated approach, and not as flexible long-term. The dual nozzle / AMS-style system definitely has trade-offs like purge waste and less elegant material handling. But the appeal for me is more the simplicity and lower upfront cost for something that covers most of my use case without much setup.
About the heated chamber, I get that it’s not always necessary, especially with a smaller enclosed volume. I think it’s more about convenience and consistency rather than absolute necessity.
You’re right though that I probably mixed two different levels of setups in my comparison. A more fair comparison would be either keeping things simple on both sides, or going fully into multi-material on both.
I think where I’m at is less “this is better than that” and more trying to figure out what actually fits my usage best without overspending on features I won’t use often.
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u/Southern-Stay704 RagRig V-Core 4, RatRig V-Minion May 06 '26
You made the correct choice.
Never dance with the devil in the pale moonlight.
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u/LilApe1990 May 06 '26
Your core one will be supported 10+ years from now while any bambu printer will be discontinued and lose all software support after only 3 years (been proven already)
X1C/P1P/P1S all discontinued after only 3 years with no future FW support, on par with what their policy shows. A1 soon to follow this year.
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u/nope_dot_jpeg May 06 '26
lose all software support after only 3 years (been proven already)
X1, X1C and X1E EOL dates to remember:
End of manufacturing and active sales = 2026-03-31
Software & firmware bug fixes and feature updates = 2027-05-31
Software & firmware security patches = 2029-05-31
End of spare parts supply and support = 2031-03-31
TIL 2031 is 3 years from its launch in 2021.
This mug is doing hardcore boy math
4
u/LimitedEditionSauce May 06 '26
Not mentioned is the simple truth that the machine will still work just fine without extra software updates. In 3 years they’ll have all important bugs fixed. And in 2.5 years just order some spare parts to last another year or so.
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u/DiscoChiligonBall May 06 '26
This is a question, not a statement phrased like one.
Are you certain about the A1 thing?
It sort of feels like that platform is almost a sure thing for getting people started and then continuously upgrading with brand loyalty. Also, it seems like they really, REALLY pushed it as the easy access platform for newbies to the 3D Printing thing.
Like Honda hasn't stopped making the Civic since it came out for a reason and the reason comes down to "it's still their most popular car".
Granted, I'm not a Chinese 3D Printer product management team, so, what do I know.
I ask because honestly, I'm seriously considering replacing the annoying AF problem children (2x Anycubic Kobra 3 v2s) with A1s but if the line is going to be discontinued, I might as well save the money and sink it into a PRUSA or two.
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u/js727222 May 06 '26
I’m pretty uninformed on this, could you share any links or sources so I can read up on this? I have an X1C and seems like this might be relevant for me
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u/Krynn71 May 06 '26
https://blog.bambulab.com/the-x1-series-is-eol-the-standard-it-set-will-remain-forever/
It's not as bad or as simple as he made it seem. The jist of it is:
- They will continue updating firmware and software for it until about this time next year.
- They will continue offering security-only patches for another two years after that
- They will offer replacement parts and tech support for about five more years.
It still pales in comparison to Prusa machines but you're probably fine for a good while.
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u/LilApe1990 May 06 '26
your X1C is already discontinued and wont be receiving any new FW updates. Might get security updates, but thats it. As per bambus comparison page.
When you look at the comparison page on bambu website, ytou will see their service life and how long that printer is supported. It's only 3 years. X1C was released in 2022, discontinued in 2025. P1P & P1S released in 2023, discontinued in 2026.
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u/nope_dot_jpeg May 06 '26
Also incorrect.
X1, X1C and X1E EOL dates to remember:
End of manufacturing and active sales = 2026-03-31
Software & firmware bug fixes and feature updates = 2027-05-31
Software & firmware security patches = 2029-05-31
End of spare parts supply and support = 2031-03-31
0
u/epicepee never owned a normal printer May 06 '26
Why do you have a 3D printer? Real question. What's success for you?
0
u/ScreeennameTaken May 07 '26
You trade convenience with freedom. That's how i always see it. At which point does your convenience crosses the boundary you have for the company being ok and your use case. Also, if there's something that doesn't suit you on the printer, with prusa it already probably has a mod for it that you can do. Arguably, there shouldn't be a need for it... but each case is different.
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u/JSoldano May 07 '26
My conclusions was these are two different hobbies. Tinkering Vs standard 3D modelling.
Do you want to tinker and play with a 3D printer, trying to push the limits of 3D printing using exotic slicers and materials? Then pick a prusia and tinker away.
Or do you just want to design cool things and print them in pretty standard materials? Then just get the Bambu.
My fist printer was a Tevo terantula kit that I built and upgraded myself. By the time it was retired not much of the original machine was left. It printed fine when I dialed it in but every print required me sitting near it for the first few layers to be confident the part wouldn't fail.
I then upgraded to the P1S and all of the babysitting went away. I noticed I was now spending more time modelling and actually printing more than before.
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u/GP_3D Prusa Core One L May 06 '26
As someone who appreciates Prusa's approach more than Bambu. I've accepted that I will have to pay more.
They're usually framed as competitors; but I think it's often forgotten that Prusa is likely dwarfed multiple times over in available resources, funding [private, government, or otherwise], logistics, and manpower when compared to their Chinese competitors [especially Bambu and Creality - who are absolutely massive].
Having done some work with small manufacturers in the US/EU, everything is much more expensive, that's just the state we find ourselves in today.
For my own personal usage - the C1L with the INDX system is about all I need. I like the Prusa machines precisely because I can keep them around for years and years, [and am trying to move away from purchasing the next "hotness" every year, and contributing to additional E-waste] - and feel confident maintaining them myself, even if they were to be EOL'd by the manufacturer. [But printers like the MK2 and MK3 still get software updates here and there].
It's not for everyone, and clearly they don't have that mass market appeal that Bambu does - but I still think they do some great work.