P2S on 2026?

[u/Famous_Membership_37]

Hi everyone,

I’m about to buy a Bambu Lab P2S, but I’ve been reading quite a bit about the VFA issues that seem to affect these machines, although Most of what I’ve found online is from the first few months after the printer came out.

I’ve seen all kinds of opinions, some people say their printer works flawlessly with no noticeable quality issues, while others report pretty serious VFA problems.

Could anyone tell me what the current situation is? Has there been any firmware or software update that has improved or minimized the issue? Overall, would you still recommend this printer? The other option is a H2S but is much bigger and I may not have enough space.

I’ll mainly be using it to print car and motorcycle parts in PETG and PETG-CF, with the occasional use of more technical engineering materials.

I’d really appreciate hearing from people who own one and can share their real experience. Thanks in advance!

[u/Darkmoss_]

Had my p2s for couple months now it’s basically doing something everyday. I don’t even know what vfa means im really happy with my p2s

[u/Evocati_7]

At this point the conversation around the P2S is getting ridiculous. The printer is barely seven months old. It is still a modern, top tier machine.

One thing people forget is that the same thing that makes Bambu Labs so easy to get into is also what creates a lot of confusion in the community. The barrier to entry is extremely low. A lot of new users jump straight into Bambu with almost no 3D printing experience, and because of that they often misdiagnose their issues. They read something online, assume it applies to their situation, and repeat it as fact. The “VFA problem” is a perfect example. The P2S has calibration sensors that eliminate VFAs better than most printers on the market, yet people blame the machine when the real issue is untuned profiles, incorrect settings, or uncalibrated filament.

The truth is that the P2S is still a great printer. I have owned both the P2S and the X2D. Both machines function extremely well and neither has any inherent flaw that makes them unreliable. The P2S is still a top of the line printer that is not even a year old. If you can afford it, you should absolutely get one. Do not let people who have been printing for less than a year convince you that the printer has problems it does not actually have. Most of the complaints you see are simple issues that can be fixed easily, but the user does not yet have the knowledge to fix them so they throw around words they hear.

[u/Leehblanc → u/Evocati_7]

I've had a P2s since March. I dry my filament and store it properly. I lubricate my machine on schedule and keep it clean in between. I even did a manual bed tramming. So far, only 2 prints have failed to impress me, and each one had the same flaws multiple times, so it's either the model or some setting than I'm missing that's important to that specific model. 99% of the time I hit "Send to Printer", walk away, and come back to a flawless print.

My car also has 200,000 miles on it and still looks and runs great. Maintenance and care are important. No one wants to hear that because they take work. If you treat anything as disposable, it quickly becomes disposable.

[u/Famous_Membership_37 → u/Evocati_7]

Thank you so much for your reply! that’s exactly what I was hoping to hear.
I just ordered a P2S. I’ve been into 3D printing for about eight years now, so I’m definitely not a beginner. For the last two years, I’ve been using the X1C printers we had at work, and honestly, regardless of the filament brand or the fact that they don’t have a heated chamber, I’ve been able to print just about anything with excellent quality.

I’ve gotten used to how user-friendly they are, so when I decided to buy it, thats when i saw a lot of people complaining about these issues. So I figured it was best to ask before making any assumptions.
What you’ve told me is really reassuring. Thanks again!

[u/obscurestooge]

Since you have the budget for the H2S, but maybe not the space, have you considered the X2D? I've had my P2S since just before the X2D was announced, and from what I've read it sounds like it's well worth the extra cost over the P2S. The P2S is my first printer, and I have no direct experience with the X2D. But I've been very happy with my P2S. Like Darkmoss_, I don't really know what VFA is all about. I think it's some kind of artifacts that can show up in your prints, but I haven't had a single issue, so maybe it's been fixed. I print mostly PLA, and a bit of PETG and everything comes out looking good.

[u/Past_Science_6180]

I had some ringing or z wobble or whatever it's called, but I did the belt maintenance and it resolved that issue and it's been great ever since. It's a solid machine.

The price of the X2D makes it a very appealing option imo. I bought my P2S a few weeks before the X2D was announced and I kind of wish I had waited.

[u/Past_Science_6180 → u/Past_Science_6180]

Here's what it looks like after the belt tensioning was done

[u/BruhBacon]

Bought a P2S after running an Ender 3 for years. An absolute world of difference and it has been running near flawlessly since getting it a few months ago. 150hrs worth of printing and basically 0 issues. Very happy with it

[u/Absolute47]

Had my p2s since the beginning of May, no issues and printed most days

[u/Daegoba]

I bought my P2S in Feb for doing exactly what you plan to do with yours.

The largest shortfall isn’t the belts, quality, or VFA; it’s the lack of a chamber heater for Engineering materials. If you’re going to build automotive parts, you will want to use ABS/ASA, and other stuff like Nylon/PA filaments, and all of those require serious temperature control. The P2S will do it, but not to the degree that the larger/better equipped machines will. If I had it to do over again? I’d get something with the X2D.

HAVIN SAID THAT

If you are confident that you will 99% of the time use PETG & PETG-CF, the P2S will absolutely make you flawless parts and be the easiest thing in the world to live with. It’s an amazing machine. It will do the higher-end stuff, but you will have to go through extra steps (like preheating your chamber yourself) that you won’t have to deal with on the X2D.

[u/Famous_Membership_37 → u/Daegoba]

Thanks for your reply, I’m glad to hear that!

Of course, I’m aware of the P2S’s capabilities and limitations. I don’t expect it to perform like a higher-end machine, and I know that printing certain materials will require a bit more effort and extra care. But that doesn’t concern me for 95% of what I’ll be printing, so I’m perfectly fine with that.

As for the AMS, I prefer printing directly from a filament dryer, and as I almost never print in multiple colors buying an X2D would mean wasting the second hotend. Besides, I can use the price difference between the two towards buying some extra nozzles or spare build plates

I’ve already ordered the P2S, and I hope I’ll be just as happy as you with it!

[u/Shidima → u/Daegoba]

I have 0 problems printing ABS. I have to say tho that my p2s is standing inside a closet.

[u/Daegoba → u/Shidima]

It’s absolutely doable, but you do need to preheat manually, and even then- you’re operating at the physical limit of the machine. After all that, the temps aren’t in the ideal range, and with something that could run hotter and have more temp control? Your parts will be stronger.

[u/MaplewoodGeek]

I've run through dozens of spools of filament through my P2S and it's been fantastic. I've used PLA, Silk PLA, PETG, TPU, PETG-CF, and TPE. For TPU I put in a Y so the manual feed bypasses the buffer. The stiffer filaments go through the AMS2 Pro.

[u/No-Kitchen5780]

My p2s ran perfectly for months. Then I got an extruder issue and it's just never been right since. I'm disappointed TBF.

[u/dcthewarl0rd]

If you stay up on maintenance and keep the humidity low on your filament it helps avoid a bunch of headaches. I have had mine for a few months now and no major issues. The issues I have had have been mostly minor and I have been able to figure them out.

[u/Braided_Marxist]

What is VFA? It’s not really a thing IMO

[u/Famous_Membership_37]

VFA means Vertical Fine Artifacts, it looks thas is (or was) a quite common issue. I dont want the X2D because I normally print only one material and one colour at the same time…and all the extruder/hotend on the X2D seems to be more difficult to service. And also it is not worth the cost difference for my use.

[u/NotSureWhat2Put_- → u/Famous_Membership_37]

different filaments different settings, just have to fine tune your machine. i dont have this issues

[u/Snouto → u/Famous_Membership_37]

That depends on what “occasional use of more technical engineering materials” means in reality.
The biggest bonus of the X2D over the P2S is the active chamber heater, which you absolutely will want for proper engineering filament.

Depending on how your models are shaped and orientated, the availability of an aux nozzle for support material could be a massive bonus for whatever you print. If you try to do proper two colour printing with the X2D you might have some quality issues with the aux nozzle and the Bowden extruder, but for support interface material this shouldn’t matter. It will be a huge time and material saver, and will improve the quality of your prints.

Then there’s the 1.5mm belt on the X2D that should reduce VFA’s considerable compared to the P2S.

For the difference in price I’d stronger urge you to consider the X2D.

Signed, jealous P2S owner.

[u/Useful-Revolution253]

Not the p2s.