Hello Braintrust.

I read some older threads about 3d printers, but there are newer options available than what were in the old threads. Looking at getting an entry level printer for the kid for his birthday (and for me to tinker with as well).

Lots of options, but I think I've narrowed it down to either the
Creality Ender 3 V3 KE or the Bambu A1 mini.

It sounds like the KE has eliminated a lot of the manual calibration and tinkering that the older models seems to require. I like the open source aspect and being able to buy a variety of parts.

I also like how the Bambu is basically plug and play and self adjusting. Not as thrilled with proprietary parts and cloud software.

Anyone have any input, or other alternatives?

Following, have been wanting to dip my toe in on one of these for a while.

Ender models seem well regarded for the entry-level market.
I think last I browsed, I was looking at the Ender 5

A couple friends of mine 3D print and have gone through at least a few printers each. Both told me to skip the other brands and just get a Bambu, any model, doesn't matter, but a Bambu all the same.

A coworker purchased the Bambu A1 mini. I've been very impressed with it. Seems pretty easy to use and lots of downloadable files for many objects along with the option to custom design parts.

I bought a Creality Ender 5 a few years ago. It does fine for my simple jobs. It's been stone reliable for me. I can't print ABS well, as it's not got an enclosure, but PLA and PETG prints are good to go.

At work, though, we just got a couple of Bambu Labs units to add to the "Fusion farm." **

We got one P1S with the filament magazine, and a few weeks later an X1 Carbon with the magazine. We love them! Friends at a nearby company have the A1 and a couple of P1S units, and they run them just about 24-7. I do recognize that the P1S and X1 units we got are more expensive than the A1.

I haven't had to work on either of the Bambu units yet, so I can't address any repair issues. The filament they offer comes on spools with RFID tags, so the magazine knows what's on the spool, so it can change from an empty one to a fresh one without any user intervention. Neat trick: you can reorder the material without the spool, as the spool is a two-piece reusable thing. Pretty slick! Heck, you can even download the model and print your own spools, if you need to.

We downloaded and printed a lizard skeleton model on the X1 -- very similar to (this) -- fully articulated, and printed without support. Absolutely incredible.
(There's a fully articulated "Trumptopus" model out there, too.)

ETA: If I didn't already have my Ender 5, I'd probably buy a Bambu.


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** Fusion farm: four big ol' (and expensive) Fusion industrial printers currently in use.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: vthoky,