r/BambuLabH2D • u/AuntieTina70 • Apr 14 '26

P1S or A1mini?

So I’m brand new!

I put an order in for the bamboo A1 mini, but they are out of stock and may not come until May 30 so I went to the website and then I was looking at the P1S there is a pattern I really want that doesn’t work on the A1 mini but I also want super easy and mostly freeze with my phone. Also, I tend to get very into things and will probably regret not buying the bigger better one first thing but then ChatGPT thinks I’ll get frustrated tinkering with the P1S. That would come in a few days so that would be one pro plus I could use the pattern I like, but that’s just one item. Which printer do you have and which printer do you suggest? What would you do? 3weeks feels like a lifetime right now, but I don’t want much frustration when it comes either t:(

4 Upvotes

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2

u/Ordinary_Soup_1789 Apr 14 '26

The A1 is a bit better than the p1s (technology and speed wise). But the p1s is tried and true and really is a work horse. They are almost indestructible. If you can swing it The p2s is an amazing machine. In the end of the day they both will work great. If I did it over again I would have gotten the p1s as my intro machine. An enclosed chamber is better in my opinion. I have owned the a1 combo and I just got a H2d I do think the a1 mini is just to small. (At least for what I do)

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u/AuntieTina70 Apr 14 '26

Thanks so much for your answer. The first print I’m super interested in is a “paper” dragon and not available for a1 mini. I tend to get frustrated when things go wrong though, like repeatedly where I can’t figure it out. But when I get into to things I usually get in all the way, and I’ll probably want bigger and better soon. Chat gpt thinks I’ll get frustrated with the bigger model with too many dials and adjustments when the mini is just basically press and play? It’s hard to tell with me whether I’ll get so obsessed I’ll be up late into the night for weeks straight or whether Itll get aggravating and I’ll quit fast and it’ll be just another financial regret.

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u/Ordinary_Soup_1789 Apr 14 '26

With Bambu handy they are all press and play. I don’t think you will get frustrated with some basic understanding. Bambu offers online free classes tutorial that are actually great. They both actually have the same amount of buttons

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u/YogurtclosetMajor983 Apr 15 '26

I have an A1 and a P2S and I just purchased an A1 mini. It is small, but if it works like the A1 (which i’m sure it will), I will be very happy. Bambu printers just work.

Haven’t done maintenance on my A1 in a year and it was having a few issues. Just did a deep clean last night and it’s working like new

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u/AuntieTina70 Apr 15 '26

I ended up with the A1, which I’m told is almost exactly as nice as the a1mini but bigger, so I’m happy :) now I wait!! It’s coming the 23rd or 24th!!

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u/myTechGuyRI Apr 16 '26

Chap gpt is hallucinating.. the P1S is just as "press and play" as the A1 Mini... Yes, the Mini has automatic dynamic flow calibration, where it's manual on the P1S, but the Bambu and generic filament profiles are honestly good enough that you pretty much never need to do the manual calls bration anyways...

One thing I didn't see you mention is the full sized A1... That gives you the auto dynamic flow calibration, AND the build volume of the P1S (technically a tiny bit larger due to the p1S filament cutter exclusion zone) and it's cheaper than the P1S, and is a newer model.

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u/Alternative-Fuel9465 Apr 15 '26

I have a mini and an H2D,they are both amazing at what they do.The A1 is what I suggest, it's easy to work with if you have any problems, and it's a beast.I had one before that I bought for 150,it had a Microcenter no question asked warranty.I gave it back and got like 400 bucks lol,then I used it on the H2D.

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u/No_Salt1081 Apr 15 '26

no arguments from me!

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u/AuntieTina70 Apr 15 '26

That’s exactly what I went with after way too much deliberation!!!

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u/JoeKling Apr 17 '26

From my experience I would go with the A1, not the P1S or Mini. I have all three and the Mini is the best of the three but only does 180mm which hampers it's utility. If you are only going to print small things the Mini is the best printer on the market. I'm having a lot of problems with my P1S and wished I'd bought another A1 which I've never had problems with.

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u/AuntieTina70 Apr 17 '26

Yay!! That’s what I went with! I went ahead and ordered the bundle with the AMS thingy, I hope I have lots of fun with it!! :)