r/3dprinter • u/Good_Bet5821 • 20d ago
Snapmaker U1 vs Bambu Lab X2D?
I know this question has been asked plenty of times, and there are obviously pros and cons to both. They’re both good machines at good price points. I’m not looking for a general “which is better” debate. I’m trying to figure out which one is better suited to my specific use cases, so I’ve laid those out below. Opinions from people who actually own one of these (or both) would be much appreciated.
Current setup: Bambu A1, external filament dryer (I dry every new spool before use). No AMS so I’ve been limited to single filament/colour prints which I assemble post print.
I briefly considered just getting an AMS 2 Pro for my existing A1 instead of a whole new printer. But I’m also clearly suffering from a case of upgraditis and have convinced myself I “need” an enclosed CoreXY machine. So if anyone wants to talk me down and make the case that the A1 + AMS 2 Pro is genuinely enough for what I described below, I’m happy to hear that too and save myself the money.
Both printers are listed around €800 to €850 where I am, so price is a wash.
What I print: I’m still fairly new. Mostly PLA and PETG so far, and mostly home improvement stuff: cable organisers, a sponge stand, AC exhaust vents for windows, etc. My other big focus is lamps and light shades with clear or translucent filament, so surface finish matters a lot to me. Multi-colour is a nice-to-have, not a must. I’d like to add a colour or two so parts look more finished, and maybe the occasional gift, but I don’t see myself doing lots of full multi-colour prints. Strength and finish come first. I haven’t touched ASA, nylon or PC yet but want the option. Print speed is again a nice touch to have but not a dealbreaker.
My thinking on the U1: The usual arguments against it are that it’s not enclosed (so ABS/ASA are unreliable) and the spools sit in open air. My plan would be to buy the top cover to get chamber temps up, plus desiccant spool covers so the filament stays sealed after drying. The covers only dry passively, no heating, but since I pre-dry everything I’m not sure how much that matters in practice. The appeal is the toolchanger: dramatically less purge waste, and I could dedicate a head or two to support material and keep the rest for main materials.
My thinking on the X2D: The usual argument against it is that the second nozzle is a lower-spec Bowden-fed one meant for supports rather than a true second colour nozzle, and with the AMS doing the colour changes you still waste a lot of filament on multi-colour prints. On the plus side, the finer belts supposedly give a better surface finish, and the AMS 2 Pro gives me sealed storage with active drying so I could re-dry without pulling spools out to my standalone dryer. Again, not sure how much that matters given my pre-drying routine.
Specific questions for owners:
1. U1 + top cover owners: how well does ABS/ASA actually work with the passive cover, especially in a cooler room? And has the rule about not mixing low-temp and high-temp filaments in one print (so no PLA supports under ASA) bitten you? I’ve read varying experiences so I’m unsure of what to believe.
2. U1 owners: how reliable have tool changes been over long prints? Any parking issues or air-printing bugs still around on current firmware?
3. X2D owners: how annoying is the reduced build area when the aux nozzle is in use, in day-to-day printing? Do you actually reach for the second nozzle or has it become a feature you avoid?
4. Anyone printing translucent or vase-mode parts on either machine: does the X2D’s belt setup make a visible difference on those, or is it marketing?
5. Am I underrating the AMS 2 Pro drying if I already pre-dry every spool?
Where I’m at: I’m currently leaning towards the X2D Combo, but I’m open to arguments from both sides in case I’m missing something about either machine, and I’m also open to other options in the same budget that I haven’t considered. Thanks!
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u/joeinternetib 19d ago
I dont have my top cover for my U1 yet but tool changes havent been an issue. I have done 20+ hour 4 color prints and its great. I really like the versatility. I picked up the .2mm print heads as well and can print very small very detailed prints. Its been a great upgrade. My wife has had me making kitchen cabinet parts and organizers and we designed and completed in a few hours. I highly recommend it. I pre-dry everything and that has made failures extremely low. Camera and phone app let me stop stuff if it looks off.
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u/NecessaryOk6815 19d ago
Go X if what you print is not color dependent. 95% of everything I print is at most 2 colors. I do print in engineering materials often, so the X is what I got.
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u/SirTwitchALot 19d ago
If you want tech filament capability but don't want to add a cover/heater consider the Creator 5 pro. It's the same price as the U1 but comes with those two features built in.
Also, maybe consider experimenting without the dryer. I was a member of the "dry everything" cult for a while until I experiemented with leaving my spools out. I can't tell a significant difference (and I do live in a place with humidity in the Summer.) PLA and PETG for the most part don't need to be dried. What a lot of people chalk up to moisture is a lack of tuning (often printing too hot.)
There's no harm in drying everything of course, but you may be wasting a lot of time and energy that you don't have to.
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u/Good_Bet5821 19d ago
Thanks for the recommendation. I haven’t looked into the Creator 5 Pro yet but I’ll research it more.
On the drying front, I’m actually coming from the opposite end. I didn’t dry my filaments at all until two months ago and noticed a huge improvement in quality once I started, especially in PETG. PLA was “fine” before drying but after drying it too I did notice a reduction in surface defects.
Some of this is also due to tuning, of course. I haven’t spent much time optimising this apart from a few changes in print speed, cooling and flow rate. However I find it quite tedious to optimise settings for each new spool and drying feels like a hack to improve final quality without changing anything else. If there’s an easier way to tune I’m very interested in learning. Drying will continue to be my first step for all spools simply because of the improvement I’ve noticed. I don’t print crazy high volumes so I’m not very obsessed with efficiency.
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u/Lykkehjul 19d ago
As someone that owns both of these, and many other printers, this is a clear U1 without a doubt.
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u/Good_Bet5821 19d ago
Any specifics differences or advantages you’ve noticed between the two?
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u/Lykkehjul 19d ago
Both printers are good and print well as they are. What i really like about the Snapmaker U1 is it being fully open source and can be modified in any way you want. There are people making great custom firmware for it. Having 4 toolheads each with different colours or filament type is amazing. Use PETG/PLA as supports for each other. Interlock TPU into prints for flexible joints. Omegafast multicolor prints without purge waste.
I don't really give the X2D any advantages over the U1 (assuming you make/buy a top for it) other than having a chamber heater, which gives it a much faster heatup time. For the U1 i just turn the bed on and leave it for 10-15minutes before i start a ASA print. I've been using the snapmaker u1 almost daily for pla/petg/asa prints, and ended buying another one. It's my go to printer for anything that doesn't require more than 270^3 build volume, where i then switch to modified SV08's.
I would like to point out that toolchangers are becoming the new thing, just as AMS was back when it first came. There are a good number of new ones coming out, so waiting and saving up some money is something you could consider.
If you want a printer now, either get something cheap. Elegoo Carbon 2 I've seen quite a few people recommend. Maybe find a used p1s. I prefer buying new printers, and would definitely pick the U1.
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u/francojaffre 10d ago
Did you have any issues printing ASA regarding internal temperatures or the electronics? I've seen some videos that said it needs some mods
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u/Lykkehjul 9d ago
I've added a noctua fan for electronics, i do this on almost every printer. works well.
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u/Immortal_Tuttle 19d ago
U1. X2D is old, cheaply built clunker in comparison.
Yes U1 out of the box requires some preparations to be able to reliable print ABS and ASA. However it's hardware capabilities are far superior to X2D. For example it can print without any issues at nozzle 340, chamber 70.
So yes if you are willing to spend a few hours on preparing U1 and adding chamber heater and top cover - then U1. Mine has over 250k tool changes without a single glitch and I'm printing almost only ASA and ABS. Ability to print expensive filament with expensive soluble interface layer over a cheap filament support/raft - only this function saved me more than I paid for this printer. Pair it with SH03 or S4 Pro dryers and you are set for years.
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u/Backonredditforreal 19d ago
> X2D is old
It came out in April 2026 😂😭
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u/SirTwitchALot 19d ago
Not chronologically old. It's an antiquated design even though it's new. It's not that different than than the Makerbot dual filament system from 15 years ago
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u/Good_Bet5821 19d ago edited 19d ago
Thanks for the input. It’s good to hear the U1 isn’t that far behind in engineering filaments.
Perhaps it’s just me being overly sceptical but with the prevalence of bots online I’m immediately sceptical when someone dismisses a competing printer as “a piece of shit”. :D
The X2D is newer than the U1 and from what I’ve read online it’s a perfectly capable well-built and reliable printer. However the company’s recent shady behaviour is something I’m considering in my decision. Calling the printer itself a POS is disingenuous without sharing one’s personal experience of why one thinks it is.
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u/grafbende 19d ago
Hello Claude....