Bambu Lab A1 mini

[...] Every other video or review I've seen, from multiple enthusiasts who use other brands, makes it clear any other printer (at least 2 years ago when I bought it) was "a hobby into itself", most definitely what I did NOT want. [...] I wanted something plug and play, zero fuss, and the A1 Mini delivers. [...]

[...] I’ve had an A1 Mini for a year now and it has been my favourite purchase in years. Like when I got my first mobile phone, I feel like I’ll have some sort of 3d printer for the rest of my life. [...] I’m completely against bullying and attempts to lock out open source software from using 3d printers directly; if they locked out OrcaSlicer from direct control I’d have a big problem with that. [...]

I was in your shoes about a year ago with an A1 mini, getting into OpenSCAD to make my own keycaps. If you're getting into OpenSCAD I'd highly recommend getting Belfry ASAP. I wouldn't really consider using OpenSCAD without it

[...] I’ve gotten into 3D printing in the past six months with an A1 Mini. [...]

How do I find it: Daily driver for 9 months now, no regrets, love the board, and I've probably paid more for mine than anyone other than the creator :). [...] Comfortable: It isn't your normal board... You make it what you need for comfort. [...] (I have 2 around, an A1 Mini and P1S.) Join the discord... [...]

Last year, I bought the entry-level Bambu Lab 3D printer, the A1 Mini. A few weeks ago, I finally anchored a shelf to a few wall studs and set up a stable, solid platform for the printer, which is helpful for cleanly printing large things. I put it to use for Christmas.

I bought a bambu lab a1 mini a few months ago. It’s pretty much set and forget and very cheap for the quality. Highly recommend

[...] The A1/A1mini are still two of the best budget beginner printers IMO, though some clones come close, and I do recommend them if asked but with caveats around potential lock-in later and not believing promises due to a history of changed online posts, deliberately excluded from the WayBackMachine, and what to my understanding is an AGPL breach] -------- [1] “There is a way to use the feature, so it isn't an attempt to permanently deprive”, or “you agreed to the possibility of such changes in the EULA”, and so on.

I have the A1 Mini as well. Mostly having sat unused since I bought it a few years back, I'm now wondering if the thing will function normally again. [...]

I don't know about other brands or even models, but I can attest that the Bambu A1 Mini "just works". [...] 3D printing as a hobby doesn't appeal to me, I just wanted something that solved the problem and was relatively cheap. [...]

I love the thoughtful response. I feel you on every point, but I'd point out that they sell VERY reasonably priced replacement parts for basically everything on the A1 Mini that I have that is worth repairing.

[...] Compared with one button press and coming back to a print in a few hours, it’s a constant nightmare of debugging, print issues, and manually changing filaments that aren’t stored in an airtight container and get wet. It’s not even competition, as much as I would like to support open source tools the Prusa stuff is an order of magnitude more expensive than a A1 Mini that will make a reliable print every time. [...]

I bought a Bambu Labs A1 Mini. [...] Previously I bought an Ender printer for around the same amount. [...] And if my Bambu printer breaks I can generally buy a new one cheaper than paying someone who knows what they are doing to fix it. [...] For what its worth, I'm basically printing out puppet mechanisms and art figures. [...]

[...] However the time and money I spent into my ender to keep it barely alive is all wasted compared to these machines that just run perfectly out of the package. [...] I didn't regret it once, and have 3 printers at this point (2 of which free thanks to Bambu points) Also I am still amazed that my $150 A1 mini is basically just as good as the X2D or P2S.

I have to say the Bambu A1 Mini has been a game changer for me. [...]

[...] I unboxed an A1 Mini and it's been like an epiphany. [...] I just send from my phone and it just works. Everything has been nearly flawless until last night where half a batch of mini utility knife frames started to spaghetti, probably my fault for not fully cleaning the build plate in a bit. [...]

[...] Truthfully these organic shapes are more of a use-case for 3D modelling software like Blender rather than CAD, but I'd be keen to hear if you end up giving OpenSCAD a go. My Bambu A1 mini has been reliable despite the challenging geometry; pretty sure your P2S will work just as well if not better. [...]

I wouldn’t call the A1 build plate small, more like average/typical sized. [...] Then you’ve got the A1 mini being ao popular that many times people will make variants just for the small plate on that machine.

All of this was on a Bambu A1 Mini? These are the types of things I want to print. My Ender 3 was so finicky, I only got a few out before I gave up.

An A1 Mini requires a smaller nozzle, a customized profile, specific filament, and quite a bit of work in Blender and the slicer to successfully print 32mm figures (approx. [...] I don't think my A1 Mini would have success trying to print at 1/72 at the same detail as an injection molding process. [...]

Just got a 3d printer (Bambu a1 mini) and my girlfriend brought home a whole bag of plant cuttings. Thought I would give a modular plant pot (i.e with elements that allow for expanding the pot) in fusion 360 a shot.

I got a Bambu A1 Mini a few weeks ago and it's practically easier than 2D printing. Printed a whole tabletop game that I played with friends, and replacement parts for a gun that held up at the range.

i've never own a prusa printer, they are too expensive for me. [...] Now I own a bambulab. They are as cheap as the one from Anycubic, but much more reliable and easier to setup. I honestly don't know how can they make it so cheap, even my a1 mini, cost less than $250, has wifi, a camera for timeplase. [...]

Same here - switched from Ender 5 Plus to BL a1 mini (to trial if I liked them) and as mentioned in another comment, I'm actually printing now and not endlessly tinkering.

I gotta say the A1 Mini is the only printer I see myself using, unless something better comes along that is even easier to use. [...]

[...] To me, the best offering they have right now is the A1-Mini with the AMS-Lite. [...] At $389 for the combo of the AMS-Lite and the A1-Mini - I can scale this up as needed without a ton of concern for my bank account. [...]

I walked into my company hardware labs at the right time and was gifted a bambu labs a1 mini with 350 printing hours on it. [...] Stick to some matte pla to begin with and with the a1/a1 mini it's as close as you can get to plug and play. [...]

[...] I bought my A1 mini over the Christmas holidays and couldn't be happier with it, it's my first 3D printer. [...]

[...] But it's twice as expensive as a Bambu P1S and lacks various features that are optional on the prusa but included on the P1S. [...] I have a P1S + AMS and also an A1 Mini, I think it's amazing how much value you get for your money at 180 euro. I actually use the A1 Mini more lately when I have something small to print due to the easily exchangable hotend (I often print small high-detail stuff on it with the 0,2mm nozzle). [...]

[...] Now I have an A1 + A1 mini too. [...] I did get me Ender 3 working eventually but the print quality isn't as good as any of the Bambu printers and it's super slow. The new CoreXY Prusa One is also a very good buy when it comes out but the A1/A1 mini in particular are just such a good deal at the moment.

I got the A1 mini for £169 and it's just unbelievable value. My only regret is not just getting the X1C. The mini was for me to trial the brand and it has exceeded all expectations (at least for PLA).

[...] I picked up an A1 mini during their recent sale and unfortunately after using it...I don't think I'll ever use my Ender 5 Plus ever again (poor thing)...when I have enough space I'll just buy an X1C. [...]

Totally agree, I used to muck about with a couple Creality ones and was totally spending much more time tinkering with the printer than actually printing. Got an A1 mini in the recent sale and it's been so refreshing being able to just focus on what I actually want to do, which is printing stuff.

I have a Prusa i3 MK3S+, used it for years, a recent Prusa XL, a Bambu X1C and a Bambu A1 mini. I would pick a Bambu any day, except if you need large prints and need the XL's area/volume. Otherwise the Bambu printers are quite simply better on every possible metric.

[...] i personally have a bambu a1 (full size) and the prints are nearly perfect every time.

I already got an A1 mini to trial the brand, looking at replacing my Ender 5 Plus. Not bad Bambu, not bad at all.

I got my bambu lab a1 mini on sale and it's like a whole world opened up for me :)

I got my daughter a Bambu Lab A1 mini 3D printer for Christmas and I'm definitely not sure I'm gonna make it till the 25th to get into this-- I really doubt it :)

It would have been so easy for Bambu to embrace freedom and privacy and continue to enjoy our loyalty all the way to the bank, but apparently they've got to burn down what they've got. I've got an a1 mini myself, and I'm not aware of anything comparable on the market, but there's a clear need for some competition now.

I bought a Bambu A1 Mini to replace an Ender 3, thinking it would just be for occasional printing. [...] I found them harder to justify on price, but I also understand why people choose them for that reason. [...]

But maybe the worst part is that BambuLabs printers are actually really great and popular printers, for an affordable (but not cheap) price. [...] This is the only part I was aware of: I own an A1 Mini and having lots of fun with it. [...] I was aware about the update (which is optional so far) and wasn't too concerned about it, but I understand why other people may be. [...]

on the understanding it was reasonably hackable and open While this lock down doesn't seem right it is far from unexpected, I question the amount of research done prior to your Black Friday purchase (BF and well-thought-out-decisions often do not go hang-in-hand!)… I bought one (an A1 with the multi-material add-on) some months before that in full knowledge that the company would prefer to funnel people into a walled garden because if you look anywhere you'll find proponents of other makes warning that exactly this is possible & likely, with the "must take many steps to print without talking to their servers" being the key evidence in those warnings. Good reasons to buy a BBL machine (at least my reasoning when I did): They work out of the box more so than many of the competition (many will say "X is better or better value, if you spend Y amount of time tuning" which while often correct, I wasn't looking to spend that time tuning), certainly more so than others at similar prices. QoL features (good auto leveling, dynamic flow control) that weren't exactly ubiquitous on similarly priced or cheaper machines. Certainly in the case of the newest A1/A1-Mini line: a working MMU option cheaper than you find in other ranges (some manufacturers have started addressing this and the out-of-box experience, in their product lines, 2025 could be an interesting year), and very easy nozzle changes (useful if you want to both do detailed minis (without going resin) and mostly larger items). [...] There are regular complaints of slow support response more generally, but there are for other printer manufacturer

I got an A1 mini about a month ago and so far it’s been decent as a beginners printer. I transfer models to the printer via the microSD card and refused to install their networking software on my machine because I don’t trust it’s safe enough. Im also very reluctant to get updates whenever they’re pushed. [...]

[...] I think if you need a budget, you a probably best sticking to a Prusa Mini, Bambu P1s or A1 Mini. [...]

As a precaution, I've blocked my A1 mini from Internet access on the router, and will not apply any firmware updates anymore. I will also not update Bambu Studio anymore (or completely switch to Orcaslicer). [...] Kind of annoying, but I'm not desperately waiting for Firmware updates, everything works fine so far.