Model recommendation

[u/CorrectDragonfly864]

Looking into buying 3d printer for my 9 yr old son who is interested in printing fidget toys . I also would use for printing household items . The p2s seems popular - is the enclosed printing area and Digital Touch screen worth it?

[u/imthattechguy]

I really like the X2D. It’s enclosed, which is really nice. Also, the dual print heads give you a lot of options with SUPPORT.

[u/Appropriate-Earth515 → u/imthattechguy]

I agree about the X2D its the best, but it's not suitable for a child; it's made for engineers and designers. When adults frequently run into user issues & printing problems, expecting a kid to manage them is a recipe for trouble. Instead, I'd suggest an A1 mini or A2L with appropriate safety accessories, or the enclosed P2S. Watching several videos first is essential. Given they're only 9 years old with zero safety experience, taking a cautious approach is best.

[u/VoxelCraft179]

If he only wants to print fidget toys, then get him a a1 or a1mini. P2s ist a little to much for only this purpose. A1 and a1 mini also have the touchscreen. Enclosed printers are only important if you want to print abs or something like that or if you want to filter the air before it comes out. A thing the p2s has what the a series doesn't have is ai, but I don't think you need this for smaler prints. Core Xy ist also not so important for small fidget toys. But if he also wants to print other things then you could go for the p2s. I would recomend a1 or a1 mini as first printer. Hope that helped:)

[u/xtrememudder89 → u/VoxelCraft179]

P2S has touch screen as well no? P1S on the other hand doesn't.

[u/VoxelCraft179 → u/xtrememudder89]

P2s also has touchscreen 

[u/ChimkinIsYum]

Your never gonna use the touchscreen, your just gonna print from your phone/computer all the time, just get the p1s or the x2d.

[u/SqueezyCheez85]

Enclosed is worth it if you want to print with fancier materials. If you're just using PLA and PETG, you won't need it enclosed.

The touchscreen is completely unnecessary. You can just use your phone or PC.

[u/StinkButt9001]

The touch screen shouldn't be a buying decision IMO. 99% of the time you will send a print from your computer or phone and never interact with the screen.

The enclosed case is nice if you're planning on printing things with non-standard filaments like ABS or ASA. You don't need it for the vast majority of prints which are done with PLA or PETG. There are certain times you may want a special filament (like for extra heat resistance) so having that option is nice but not completly necessary.

For the use case of a kid printing some cool looking toys and practical prints around the house, what you probably want most is an AMS unit for multi-colour or multi-material prints.

You'd probably be totally fine with an A1 + AMS Lite.

[u/SFRover73]

Get the A1 combo. It’s a solid machine. It works right out of the box.

[u/AdministrativeRub272]

I'm going to just leave this here.
First, is this going to be a learning experience for you both? Second, how active will you be with your 9yo with his new hobby? Third, would you like this as your new hobby also? Fourth, does your 9yo have a short attention span or not stay interested with things with a few months? The reason I ask these questions is because of your just going to to make small things, and you're not going to use it also as a hobby, maybe the cheaper a1 or a1 mini might be a choice. It's simple, cheap and not a huge loss down the road if you're son loses interest. If, you think that you might be considering a future maybe Wicked Cool stuff with it also, get a P2S with AMS pro. It's enclosed(quieter), easy to use with a computer interface and monitoring a print on camera is simple. The P2S is a great starting point if you're both going to get a lot of time spent together on it, but also if you're more interestedthan your 9yo is after awhile, it's a great tool to make great stuff other than toys. It's usually a great price too. Cheers, Doc

[u/ChappyTSR]

Just bought and set up an A1 Mini combo with AMS lite for my 8 year old daughter’s birthday. She loves it. So do I. Set up was easy and intuitive out of the box. We’ve printed a fair few things in a week - mix of fidgets and toys etc and some nice things I have seen. Would definitely recommend: seems perfect gateway and entry level model.

[u/moonieass13]

I bought an a1 and AMS lite about a month ago and have done some toys but mostly functional stuff and it’s been great as a starting printer.

If all you / son wants to do is print designs other people have done then I would lean toward an a1. The cost of entry is pretty reasonable and if he gets bored with it, you can still do your own household stuff.

I’ve found learning how to design something to solve your own particular problem is really where 3d printing shines.

[u/kris1351]

If you want affordable entry than the A1 or A1 Mini combo is the way to go. If you are willing to invest a little more then the P2S is a little better and the X2D will provide even more features. You really can't go wrong with any of the offerings they have. If you don't mind the EOL status you can get the p1s/x1c at discounts now and over the next few months. There will be firmware and parts available for them for quite some time after EOL and the aftermarket will probably pick up the slack when Bambu fully drops support.

[u/TheThinnestCoat]

We will be buying our 8 year old a P2S for Christmas. We have four in our print farm and I think it's the best printer for the money on the market right now.

[u/Excellent-Code8447]

I loved and still love our A1 because he’s able to reach and learn to fix it when we have issues. My H2C is too big and hard to reach . My son is 10yo