5 ms·

What are some alternatives? Ty in advance for any hint!

q3k 1y ago
My favorite continues to be hardware from Prusa. They're rock solid and respect user freedoms (serviceability/upgradability/hackability). Being made in the EU is also a big upside for me. I've had an MK3S+ for years and even though it's a primitive machine in comparison to the current Bambu hardware I see no reason to upgrade to something else. It just keeps printing whatever I throw at it and the results continue to be very good. In fact, I seem to have better luck with it than the Bambus I sometimes use at various hacker/makerspaces. If you just look at the numbers (speed, volume, ...) against Bambu hardware they're not as good, but the reliability and simplicity make up for it IMO. The main missing feature is multi-material support, but that's something I'm not really interested in due to how wasteful the current technology is.
- Gerardox 1y ago
  Thanks for the throughout reply!!
- deleted 1y ago
  [deleted]
- baq 1y ago
  Bambu AMS is useful even if you're doing single color prints - you don't have to worry about filament running out, it'll just continue on the next roll if it has the same filament loaded on two slots. It can also print multiple (small) objects in the same job with only one filament change per object.
  - q3k 1y ago
    Right, but I'm also wary of the extra complexity and whether it's worth it for me personally. (I've seen Bambu AMS systems act up, and I also know they're picky about spools).
    - baq 1y ago
      I'm using the AMS mini with an A1 together with a Sunlu filament drier - never had a single spool on the AMS itself, the filament sits in the drier and the AMS is empty on top of it. Works great with all filament brands I tried.
- fennecfoxy 1y ago
  It's wasteful in part due to Bambu's defaults for purging; they're really high, I imagine to make it "foolproof" but it means I see people (like the YTbers who made a stop motion film with 3d printed objects) waste a loooot of filament, because they have no idea it can be dropped quite a lot before colours start mixing. It would be lovely for the BL printers/AMS to use a colour sensor at the hotend and then you can run a calibration on purges to determine what is an acceptable threshold when transitioning colours and use the absolute minimum purge amount.
  - the_af 1y ago
    I suppose more complexity (like the sensor you propose) would increase the chance of failures or something going unexpectedly. Bambu Labs seems to be going for "It Just Works", at the cost of being wasteful. Seems to be working as a strategy, giving the rave reviews it's getting... I'm not using my AMS much, precisely because I simply cannot stand the waste and the additional print time.
adambatkin 1y ago
Prusa. Made in Europe, from quality components (or buy it as a kit from them and build it yourself, which is a really fantastic experience). Hardware is repairable and upgradable and the firmware is open source. But they cost more than Bambu. Most Chinese things tend to cost less than alternatives, for obvious reasons.
- sho_hn 1y ago
  Note that Prusa recently opened a US-based factory according to their blog, so in addition to EU-made they also got US-made going. As a big fan of the company I'm hoping this will make them price-competitive to Bambu (or even considerably cheaper) while the tariffs rage. I'm not a fan of the tariffs, but if it gives a boost to the Core ONE launch, welp ... good for them.
  - the_af 1y ago
    For those of us in Latin America, Prusa being US-made makes no difference price-wise. Chinese is cheaper.
the__alchemist 1y ago
Raise3D. Even the lower-end ones are expensive, but they're a step up in reliability.
lawn 1y ago
While they target a completely different audience (tinkerers and DIY vs "just works") the VORON printers are the gold standard of open source printers, and you'll get a very capable machine when built.
rileyphone 1y ago
I got a Sovol SV06 ACE a few months ago as it seemed to have most of the nice features of the Bambu (like auto bed leveling) without the closedness. The printer runs Klipper and you can ssh into it. So far there's been one issue where I had to replace a fan but otherwise it's been great. Much cheaper than a new Prusa too.

q3k 1y ago

My favorite continues to be hardware from Prusa. They're rock solid and respect user freedoms (serviceability/upgradability/hackability). Being made in the EU is also a big upside for me. I've had an MK3S+ for years and even though it's a primitive machine in comparison to the current Bambu hardware I see no reason to upgrade to something else. It just keeps printing whatever I throw at it and the results continue to be very good. In fact, I seem to have better luck with it than the Bambus I sometimes use at various hacker/makerspaces. If you just look at the numbers (speed, volume, ...) against Bambu hardware they're not as good, but the reliability and simplicity make up for it IMO. The main missing feature is multi-material support, but that's something I'm not really interested in due to how wasteful the current technology is.

Gerardox 1y ago
Thanks for the throughout reply!!
deleted 1y ago
[deleted]
baq 1y ago
Bambu AMS is useful even if you're doing single color prints - you don't have to worry about filament running out, it'll just continue on the next roll if it has the same filament loaded on two slots. It can also print multiple (small) objects in the same job with only one filament change per object.
- q3k 1y ago
  Right, but I'm also wary of the extra complexity and whether it's worth it for me personally. (I've seen Bambu AMS systems act up, and I also know they're picky about spools).
  - baq 1y ago
    I'm using the AMS mini with an A1 together with a Sunlu filament drier - never had a single spool on the AMS itself, the filament sits in the drier and the AMS is empty on top of it. Works great with all filament brands I tried.
fennecfoxy 1y ago
It's wasteful in part due to Bambu's defaults for purging; they're really high, I imagine to make it "foolproof" but it means I see people (like the YTbers who made a stop motion film with 3d printed objects) waste a loooot of filament, because they have no idea it can be dropped quite a lot before colours start mixing. It would be lovely for the BL printers/AMS to use a colour sensor at the hotend and then you can run a calibration on purges to determine what is an acceptable threshold when transitioning colours and use the absolute minimum purge amount.
- the_af 1y ago
  I suppose more complexity (like the sensor you propose) would increase the chance of failures or something going unexpectedly. Bambu Labs seems to be going for "It Just Works", at the cost of being wasteful. Seems to be working as a strategy, giving the rave reviews it's getting... I'm not using my AMS much, precisely because I simply cannot stand the waste and the additional print time.

adambatkin 1y ago

Prusa. Made in Europe, from quality components (or buy it as a kit from them and build it yourself, which is a really fantastic experience). Hardware is repairable and upgradable and the firmware is open source. But they cost more than Bambu. Most Chinese things tend to cost less than alternatives, for obvious reasons.

sho_hn 1y ago
Note that Prusa recently opened a US-based factory according to their blog, so in addition to EU-made they also got US-made going. As a big fan of the company I'm hoping this will make them price-competitive to Bambu (or even considerably cheaper) while the tariffs rage. I'm not a fan of the tariffs, but if it gives a boost to the Core ONE launch, welp ... good for them.
- the_af 1y ago
  For those of us in Latin America, Prusa being US-made makes no difference price-wise. Chinese is cheaper.

the__alchemist 1y ago

Raise3D. Even the lower-end ones are expensive, but they're a step up in reliability.

lawn 1y ago

While they target a completely different audience (tinkerers and DIY vs "just works") the VORON printers are the gold standard of open source printers, and you'll get a very capable machine when built.

rileyphone 1y ago

I got a Sovol SV06 ACE a few months ago as it seemed to have most of the nice features of the Bambu (like auto bed leveling) without the closedness. The printer runs Klipper and you can ssh into it. So far there's been one issue where I had to replace a fan but otherwise it's been great. Much cheaper than a new Prusa too.