Bambu started their Black Friday sale and are saying that this is the best time to buy. I think they’re right.
I bought my Bambu 3D printer at the tail end of an earlier Black Friday sale, and have been keeping an eye on their prices since then. This really does look to be the best time of the year to buy a 3D printer or stock up on filament and accessories.
I own a Bambu X1C 3D printer with AMS, and purchased the newer AMS 2 Pro a few months ago. I have been considering the H2D for ToolGuyd purposes, as it offers a larger build capacity and dual nozzle printing. I might wait until next year.
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I have also been considering a P1S for a contributor to test out – yes, even though the P2S is on the way. The P1S seems to have a great reputation – it’s not much different from my X1C – and is at a fantastic price right now.
The Bambu X1C is my third 3D printer, behind a model I bought and returned a long time ago as I couldn’t get it to work, and my Prusa i3 mk3S. I love that I can use it without having to waste an abundance of time. It just works.
Here are the discounted prices along with Bambu’s summarizing descriptions:
- P1S AMS 2 Pro Combo (with Hub) (All-Rounder): $619
- P1S 3D Printer (All-Rounder): $399
- A1 Combo (Open-Air Gateway Printer): $379
- A1 (Open-Air Gateway Printer): $279
- A1 Mini (Open-Air, Most Affordable): $199
- A1 Mini Combo (Open-Air, Most Affordable): $329
- H2D AMS Combo (Flagship Dual-Nozzle 3D Printer): $1,999
- H2D (Flagship Dual-Nozzle 3D Printer): $1,749
I’m also seeing a bulk sale on 3D filament – PLA, PETG, and others, with discounts on refills and spooled filaments. You can use other brands’ filaments as well – there’s plenty of info and conversations about this online regarding AMS compatibility.
Accessories and system components, such as the AMS 2 Pro and AMS, are also discounted.
There’s no need to rush, the sale ends 12/5/25 at 1:59am ET. Supplies could be limited though, as we’ve already seen the X1C was on sale, but it looks like they sold through all of the in the past 2 days. Some of Bambu’s 3D printers are already on backorder.
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Evadman
The P2S’s announced specs are essentially the same as the X1C now; there really isn’t much of a differentiator any more. I have the P1S & X1C currently, used to have a flashforge, two ender 3’s, and some others that I gave away after upgrading. I haven’t had the ability to try a Prusa recently sadly. I also haven’t had a chance to get one of Bambu’s new AMS V2 systems (automatic material systems) but that’s on the list for this season. The price difference between V1 and V2 AMS makes getting the V1 almost pointless.
If you enjoy messing around with mechanical things, tinkering to get things just right, or the 3d printing itself is the fun part, then one of the creality (such as a K1), flashforge, anycubic or similar 3d printers would probably be great for you. Ender 3’s can be had on sale for $100 decently often.
If you look at a 3d printer as a tool that you use, and it needs to “just work” then Bambu is a great option for that. I have had essentially zero issues after putting perhaps 200 spools though my P1S and X1X since I got them. setup is a breeze, the software is easy, and almost any brand of filament works (you may need to print a adapter for some brands of spools). I have no problem printing ABS on either of them in stock configuration, but it takes more setup time then other filaments.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that the firmware and software is pretty locked down for bambu now. Very easy to use, but its difficult to do things outside the bambu ecosysem. If that matters to you, do some research on software before buying a printer. The bambu slicer software and app work great for me, but I would not consider myself a power user.
If you are looking at getting any 3d printer, remember to budget for a filament dryer if the printer doesn’t have one built in. ($30-100 based on features for a dryer). sometimes, you can get away without one, especially if you use a whole spool immediately after opening or if you live in a very dry location with very low humidity. However, the vast majority of issues that I have helped friends with all come down to 2 issues: Keeping the printer clean, including washing the build plate (or replacing it when needed) or filament not being dry before printing.
If you plan on printing PLA and PETG, which is probably the huge majority of what everyone prints in for a while, then almost any dryer will be fine; they will usually all hit the 50c/120F temp needed. If you plan on printing parts for your car using higher durability filaments like ABS, then you will need a dryer that hits 80-85c, which is on the pricer side.
Stuart
I have a Sunlu heater (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09XMT9SVX/?tag=toolguyd-20 ) – it’s fairly inexpensive at under $50 (I spent more 2 years ago).
Nick
Having had a couple of Ender 3s the fact that my P1S just works was a game changer. I just picked up 3 AMS 2 units on the current sale to go with my existing P1S with the original AMS.
I’ve got a P1S with the AMS 2 at work and the biggest difference between them for my purposes is that the AMS 2 is sealed which will help keep moisture out. I don’t care about the drying function because Bambu won’t let you dry and print at the same time so I didn’t buy the power supply to enable that feature. I’ve got a separate dryer for that.
I mostly went with the AMS 2 for future proofing in case Bambu suddenly decides the original AMS won’t be compatible with the H2C when it finally launches.
Doresoom
I currently run an Anycubic Kobra 3 Combo. It’s the first printer I’ve had that just works. As long as it’s powered on, I can just hit print from my laptop and don’t even bother watching the first layer go down. I just rolled over 1000 operating hours with it.
Up until that point, my Ender 3V2, Kobra Max, Kobra 1, and Kobra 2 all needed tinkering with print profiles and lots of setup time pre-heating and loading filament before each print.
Also a Cryogrip cool plate made a huge difference for eliminating failures due to bed adhesion.
John804
I use an old food dehydrator as a dryer for PLA and PETG. Right now I dry one roll at a time, but I’m going to build a plywood box and mount the dryer in it so I can do multiple rolls. It works very well and was essentially free since I had it sitting around.
If you do get a dryer make sure it has a vent. Some just drive the moisture out and let it condense inside the dryer.
Nathan
What is ams? The 400 dollar p1s is intriguing
Stuart
“Automatic Material System.” You load up to 4 filaments, and the printer can auto-change between them.
Dave
Unless you really value multi-color prints, I don’t see the value in AMS. Increases print times 2-4x and wastes a lot of filament purging.
Doresoom
I rarely use my color changer for multi-color prints. Where it really shines is switching colors once or twice a print for highlighting top layer text in a different color, or loading a different filament color or material before each print automatically without having to wait for the printer to heat up.
I wasn’t sure how much I would use it, but it’s definitely been a game changer.
Albert
I frequently use the AMS to switch to another spool when one runs out.
Bonnie
Same. I only print in one color and my A1 is great without the fancy addon.
JohnBCS
It’s a great sale. I added an AMS lite to one of my A1s. I used gift cards from makerworld points to get it with zero out of pocket cost.
A lot fo things are priced so the more you buy, the more you save. An amazing sale all around.
Frank D
Very early X1C owner here. I am very intrigued by their upcoming model that will have 7 nozzles and a no purge waste … even though it will likely be cost prohibitive for my use level to upgrade. But I’d love no purge and at the same time being able to have different size nozzles, and no more fiddling with small screws and tiny wires.
Stuart
The Bambu H2C will be announced sometime soonish, but will take a while to launch. Other brands have similar plans for multi-color 3D printers – https://toolguyd.com/snapmaker-u1-multi-color-3d-printer-launch/ . I’m curious; it’ll be an interesting couple of months as the industry likely pivots a little.
Rob H
I have zero regrets on my P1S purchase. It’s really nice that the limiting factor on my ability to create things I need around the house comes down to my ability to model it in the software. There was nothing more disappointing than working on something for a couple of hours and then trying to print it on my old Ender 3 and having to spend another couple hours working on the machine to get it set up “just right” again.
The other day I needed sliders for some 1/4” plexiglass. One short metric conversion and 5 minutes modeling later and the parts were printing out on the P1S.
Chris T
Sorry for being off topic; can anyone point to a good buyer’s/ dummies guide for 3D printers? I’d like to get my son one for Christmas.
John804
If you want to get one as a gift you can’t go wrong with one of the Bambu models on this sale. Which one to get will depend on what your son wants to do with it. Also consider what you want to do with it because you will want to use it.
There are two basic types of 3D printers: resin and filament.
Resin involves a vat of UV-cured resin that is toxic and has to be handled carefully. You print, remove the print from the build plate, wash it in IPA or water, cure it with a UV light, and then use it. Resin printing is much more complicated than filament. It does, however, give really highly detailed prints. Resin printers are best for gaming miniatures, sculptures, and other small, detailed items.
A filament printer, like the Bambu machines, uses a roll of plastic that is melted at the nozzle (often .4mm wide) and deposited on the build plate. There’s no curing, washing, etc. It’s not toxic with basic filaments, but you should use it in a ventilated area. Filament printers are much easier to use, generally have larger print areas, and can still give great detail.
The A1 Mini is cheap for what you get, but it has a smaller build plate and is extremely quiet. The P1S has a larger print bed, but it’s definitely more expense and it is much louder.
The questions then are 1) how old is your son and would a resin printer be suitable; 2) what do you think you’ll both want to print; and 3) how large of a printer do you need?
Check out makerworld.com, printables.com, and thingiverse.com. Those sites all have lots of free models. Search for some things you’d both like to print. For workshop use, look up router templates or tool organizers, for example. (Look up Gridfinity and Multiboard if you want to blow your mind with possibilities in the workshop.) See what size the models are and that will give you an idea of what size printer you need.
As far as brand go I have been extremely happy with my Bambu printers. They just work. My first printer, many years ago, was a Creality Ender 3 Pro. I spent as much time tinkering with it as I did actually printing. I gave up on the hobby for a few years after it broke. The Bambu printers are totally different; they let your hobby be printing instead of tinkering with your printer.
I hope this helps. I’ll try to check back if you have more questions.
John804
If you’re just getting into 3D printing the P1S combo on this sale is a really good way to start. If you don’t want to spend that much right away, the A1 Mini without the AMS is a good way to try it out. Just know that you’ll be upgrading to a second printer with a larger print bed fairly quickly.
I didn’t think the AMS was worth it when I bought my A1 Mini, but I did get it later on and I ordered one right away with my P1S. I think it’s worth it at $550 for the P1S/AMS combo.
I’ve found all kinds of uses for the AMS. I add text or designs to a print, like labels for a tool box. I’m going to start printing Gridfinity organizers for my tool box, and having the AMS will make it easy to add red or blue borders to socket holders so I can distinguish between SAE and Metric at a glance. The AMS also lets you automatically move to another spool of the same material if one runs out, and you can use special support filament to get near-perfect overhangs. (You can also use PETG as support for PLA, and vice-versa, but I haven’t experimented much with that yet.) I’ve also done some coasters and other fun gifts.
The Bambu system is also great. Some people complain about it being locked down, but you can put the printer in “Developer Mode” and run it all locally. You lose the ability to monitor it with the phone app, but you can get around that with Home Assistant or OctoAnywhere. I just don’t bother with the app for anything other than looking for new models. I prefer to slice and arrange my prints on my own, either with Bambu Studio or Orca Slicer.
The P1S is an absolute workhorse. I love mine. The A1 Mini is a gateway printer, but it’s open air. Having an enclosed printer makes life easier; it cuts down on dust inside the printer and reduces warping of your prints from drafts.
I will get the H2C when it comes out, give the P1S to my kids, and move my A1 Mini to my office. The H2C will have automatic nozzle changing, which will reduce wasted filament when you change colors. It comes out later this year or early next year.
Jeff
My sources say that the P2S won’t release till 1st quarter next year, at least here in the US. I’d get the H2D now since it will have an upgrade path to the H2C.