r/3DPrinterComparison

Hello, I am a complete beginner to 3D printing and have never owned a 3D printer. I have been looking at the Elegoo CC2($910) or a base P1S(No AMS, $758). The prices I have provided are for South Africa and unfortunately I have had a ton of issues trying to find a P1S combo in stock, both of our official resellers are out of stock.

I am mainly gonna be printing PLA, PETG and PLA but having the option to do ABS, ASA, etc is a big plus and I personally just prefer the look of an enclosed printer. Based on reviews and what the community have said, I am drawn to the Bambu Lab ecosystem, their reliability, part availability and ease of use.

I 100% plan on doing multi color printing, so I will be buying an AMS separately if it comes to that (I would need to save for it separately however since it's $534 on its own whereas the combo would be $971)

I hope this is enough information, please feel free to ask any other questions. I am open to other suggestions but just keep in mind that we have a bit less options in SA (Creality is very popular here). Thanks in advance!

Yeah I know. My wife had the same reaction.

I kept going back and forth on these two for about a month and couldn't find a single comparison that actually tested both instead of just copy-pasting specs. So I caved and bought both. Here's what actually happened.

The Kobra X first. Setup was genuinely painless. I had it printing in under 40 minutes including the self-calibration. The multicolor thing is real. I printed a little articulated dragon for my nephew in 4 colors and the purge waste was way less than I expected from a budget machine. My old AMS setup used to leave a mountain of purge towers. This was maybe 30% of that.

But here's the thing nobody talks about, push it past 350mm/s and you start seeing ghosting on anything taller than 80mm. The 600mm/s marketing number is technically true the same way my car's top speed is technically 180kmh. Sure. But you're not driving like that through a neighborhood.

Then the Centauri Carbon. Heavier. Feels more serious the moment you pull it out of the box. That die-cast frame isn't marketing fluff, you can feel the difference. Ran it at 450mm/s for a week straight and quality stayed consistent. I printed a CF-nylon bracket for a drone arm I'm building and it came out clean on the first try.

The enclosure matters more than I thought. Had the Kobra X running next to it trying to print ASA and it warped off the plate twice. Same filament in the Centauri, zero issues.

So which one do I actually use more?

Honestly? The Kobra X. Because 80% of what I print is decorative stuff and my kids are obsessed with the color prints. But if I had to keep only one? The Centauri Carbon without hesitation.

The Kobra X is a better printer for most people. The Centauri Carbon is a better printer.

Happy to answer questions. Just don't ask me to justify the purchase to my wife, I've already lost that argument.

creality spark i7 vs bambu lab a1

Hey guys! I am looking to buy my first 3D printer, but I am on doubt on whether to buy the Creality K1 or the Bambu Lab A1. I want to print mostly simple stuff, such as tools/useful things for my house, decorations, gifts, parts for electronics projects, etc. Therefore, I dont really have an intent to print anything outside of PLA/PETG. at least for now, I also dont plan to buy a multi-color system like the CFS or the AMS (too expensive for now).

My first choice was to buy the Creality Hi, however I am going from Brazil to Paraguay (where eletronics are cheaper, less taxes) in a few weeks and the shop where I was going to buy the Hi doesnt have it on stock anymore. So after searching a bit, I found the Creality K1 and the Bambu A1 available for a bit more expensive than the Hi. Both printers are almost the same price (A1 is ~20$ more expensive than the K1).

There also isnt any extenuating circumstances that would restrict me from using anything, just the fact that I live in an apartment, so quieter printers are appreciated.

Thank you all in advance!

Year 2 engineering student in Romania. Currently running an Ender 2 Pro and I'm done with it. To get acceptable prints I'm stuck at 35-40 mm/s on good days. On bad days it just refuses to cooperate regardless of what I try. I've reached the point where the money I'd sink into upgrades to make it decent would be better spent on a new printer entirely.

I bought the Ender back in 2022 as a beginner because I wasn't sure I'd actually use it and I'm not someone who splurges without reason. Three years later — yeah, I use it, and I need something that works as a tool, not a project in itself. I don't want to spend 50 hours calibrating for a 2-hour print.

My use case:

- Functional parts, not figurines or minis

- Right now I have projects that need PETG, maybe ABS down the line

- I don't see myself going into really exotic stuff like PPS-CF

- Single filament mostly, max 2 at a time (thinking PLA + PETG for body and supports)

- I move between home and university dorm, so portability/robustness matters

What I'm considering:

- Bambu A1 — €259: Solid price, but open frame. Worried about moving it around and no enclosure for ABS later

- Bambu P1S — €389: Enclosed, CoreXY, AI failure detection, handles ABS. More robust for transport. I can stretch to this but it's not nothing

- P2S — €519: Out of budget unfortunately

- Open to other suggestions in this range

Questions:

1. Is the P1S worth the €130 premium over the A1 for my use case? The enclosure + AI detection + CoreXY rigidity for transport seem to justify it but I'd like to hear from people who've owned both
2. Is automatic flow rate calibration a big deal in practice or more of a nice-to-have?
3. Anyone else come from an Ender 2 Pro to either of these? How big was the jump?
4. Any non-Bambu enclosed printers in the €300-400 range I should be looking at? (Centauri Carbon, K1C, etc.)

I gravitated toward Bambu because I want a printer that just works. I've had my fill of tinkering. Convince me I'm wrong (or right).

Thanks in advance.

Hi all, first time posting here. I am considering buying a 3d printer. I have no experience at all around 3d printing and I need some help. The 3d printer I’m considering is Bambu Lab P2S. I read around that it’s a solid choice especially compared to Creality ones. Is this true? I have a car workshop and I am a car electrician, that’s where I’m planning on using the 3d printer. More specifically sometimes I need to “make” some discontinued parts for cars, such as air vents, window switch holders, hinges, latches, elastic plastic connectors, some custom brackets and wall mounts for various things etc.. Will a 3D printer be useful for me in general? Is Bambu Lab P2S a good choice for my occasion? I want a 3D printer that’s reliable and a user friendly program to start my journey. Thanks in advance!