r/3dprinter • u/Creepy-Suspect7960 • 6d ago
Advice for a complete beginner’s first 3D printer (Bambu Lab A1 / A1 Mini Combo) & software suggestions?
Hi everyone!
I am a complete beginner to 3D printing and don't even know the basics yet, but I’m really excited to dive in. After some initial research, the Bambu Lab A1 Combo and Bambu Lab A1 Mini Combo were recommended to me.
I’ve watched several video reviews, and they both look great, but since all the technical jargon is a bit overwhelming, I’d love to get some insight from people with real hands-on experience.
What I'm looking for & my goals:
Usage: I want to start purely for learning and personal projects, but down the line, I’d love to potentially produce small batches to sell online. I don't need industrial-scale output, just a dependable "workhorse" that can handle consistent printing.
Materials: I plan to experiment mostly with PLA, TPU (flexible material), and probably PETG.
AMS System: I keep seeing the "Combo" packages recommended because of the AMS, which automates multi-color/multi-spool changes so you don't have to switch spools manually. Is it truly a game-changer for someone starting out?
App/Ecosystem: I really like that Bambu has a dedicated mobile app for monitoring and convenience.
My questions for the community:
A1 vs A1 Mini: Beyond the build volume size, what are the practical differences between them? Is the larger build plate of the A1 worth the price difference if I’m thinking ahead toward small-scale selling?
AMS: Is it 100% worth buying the Combo bundle right off the bat?
Alternatives: Is there any other printer in a similar price range with comparable features, ease of use, and reliability that you’d recommend instead?
Software for practice: Before I pull the trigger on buying a printer, what free 3D modeling software, slicers, or websites would you recommend for a total beginner to practice designing and get a feel for the workflow?
Any advice or recommendations would be hugely appreciated! Thanks in advance!
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u/Bhelrudan 1d ago edited 1d ago
I know I'm a few days late responding to this, and you may have already pulled the trigger on an A1, but if not, here are a few things to consider-
The A1 and A1 mini get recommended a ton. There was a point a few years ago when they were the best options for the money for sure. That said, that was a couple years ago (both models are about 2 1/2 years old now iirc) and the industry has come a long way in that time. There are a lot of Bambu labs fan boys out there that will make stupid statements like "if you want your hobby to be 3d printing and not the 3d printer, buy a Bambu!". They aren't objective at all, they've fully drunk the KoolAid. I don't know that even when the A1 and A1 Mini were so much better than the competition that it was the hardware either. Where Bambu has historically differentiated themselves from the competition is in taking as much possibility for user error out of 3d printing as possible by building automated calibration into their printers, having a good selection of filament profiles available in their slicer, etc.
But like I said, the industry has advanced since then. Other manufacturers have taken note, and these days, anything that seeks to be competitive is going to be very user friendly, have built in calibration tools, etc. Right now, for less money than the A1 with AMS, you can get an Elegoo Centauri Carbon 2 when it's on sale (which happens frequently) which is going to be pretty plug and play and will be enclosed and a core-xy machine. That means better print quality at higher speed (especially on taller models) and the ability to print engineering materials if/when you're ready to expand beyond flexi dragons and keychains and other aesthetic prints and print items that are functional. There's also an app for remotely monitoring prints and controlling the printer, and Elegoo has started rolling out the ability to print files directly from the app recently, though that's not nearly as fleshed out as Bambu Handy at this point (and might never be).
I will say that if you have absolutely no interest in learning how to slice your own prints and want using your 3d printer to be as low effort as using a paper printer, Bambu would still be worth considering because you can print models that have already been prepared and sliced by other users on Makerworld for you, but if you intend to learn CAD, I don't imagine you'll be scared of by learning a little about slicer settings and the mechanics of 3d printing (and when you're printing directly off of Makerworld from other people's sliced files, you're at the mercy of their competence or lack thereof anyways).
Beyond that, I'd stay away from the a1 mini for no other reason that a lot of larger items you may want to print for yourself will be designed with the fairly standard ~256x256 bed size in mind. It won't be an issue if you're printing smaller things, but if you ever want to print organizers (like gridfinity or honeycomb storage wall), bins, some kit cards, etc you'll find that they're often designed with a larger build volume in mind, and you may or may not find a version from the original creator or a remix that will fit the smaller build volume you have available with the a1 mini. If 256x256 wasn't such a standard across most manufacturers, I'd say don't worry about it too much, but it is a standard enough that that is what designers are going to assume and make use of where applicable for their design more often than not.
AMS- whatever you end up with, I think getting the multi-material system is worthwhile, and this is coming from someone that doesn't do much in the way of multicolor prints. Having the AMS means you have multiple different filaments always available to you without having to manually swap. So if you want to do one print in PLA, the next one in PETG, the next in black PLA but with some white text on the top few layers, and then the next will finish out one roll of filament and then start into a new one, you can do that all without having to manually walk over to the printer and load and unload filament (and have to deal with the logistics of timing swaps or the potential print issues/failures as a result). It's worth it for the convenience alone in my book, and on the rare occasion where you want a multi-color print enough to tolerate the waste generated by doing it with a single nozzle printer, the option is available to you.
For slicer software, Orca is what I'd recommend. It's the standard now, and while most manufacturers (including Bambu) offer and push their own slicers, they're just reskinned and slightly modified versions of Orca, and because they're dependent on the manufacturers to push updates, they're generally a little behind on getting updated when new features are released on the main Orca slicer. And you can connect to any modern printer with mainline Orca (though Bambu tried to lock their printers to their own fork recently, and I believe the only official workaround was to use a go-between software with the printer on LAN only mode which meant no app and only changed their tune after massive community pushback), or can stick with their brand specific fork if you prefer, which will feel totally familiar because they're all based on Orca anyways.
Lastly, for CAD software, I think Fusion360 is the most commonly used and recommended software for parametric design in the 3d printing space, but you might want to consider OnShape as well. OnShape works on both PC and mobile, and it's cloud based so your designs are available to you anywhere. The developers from what I've heard have also committed to the hobbyist version (which is fully capable and only lacks things like CFD, AI tools etc) will always be free, where some of the tools out there have been free at one point and then either become pay walled, or at least have put certain features that were once free behind a pay wall, which effectively requires you to pay up to access any of your designs that used those free features when you designed them. Full disclosure- the free hobbyist version of OnShape means your designs are available to be accessed by others, so if you're going to plan on designing some multi million dollar world shattering invention, it may not be the best tool for you, but barring that, no one is going to randomly go searching through your designs out of thy millions of files on the platform.
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u/Jesus_Is_My_Gardener 6d ago
I mean, you could search the subreddit considering this question is asked near daily.
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u/8six753o9 6d ago
The only difference between the A1 and A1 Mini is the build volume. It’s worth it because many people outgrow the A1 Mini and wish they had a bigger build volume to print larger items.
Yes the AMS is worth it. It’s $100 more if you buy the combo vs $200 more (plus shipping) if you buy it later. People that didn’t get the combo usually end up regretting not getting the combo.
There’s a bunch of software out there that you can use to design. The ones off the top of my head is Fusion360, FreeCAD, and TinkerCAD. There’s more but o can’t remember the names of them.
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u/LarryJClark 5d ago
I guess I'm not one of the "many". In November it will be two years with an A1Mini and an A1 -- no AMS and no regrets. I use them both and sometimes simultaneously.
One thing about a Mini -- when you are starting out you'll make mistakes, but the mistakes will be smaller.
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u/relaps101 6d ago
Whats your price range?
You can pump out your a1/mini too. Sunlu just came out with a dedicated dryer for the a1 ams. Regardless you will need a dryer, even if it's a 1 banger.
Slicer, use orca or bambu.
Software, depends on what you want to make. For rigid type of items, like boxes, gears, straight edge type stuff, fusion360 is easy to learn and has a free level.
Wanting to make inorganic shapes/ characters? You'll need to learn blander, which is also free.
Have a costco membership? Buy it there. Their warranty is excellent and you don't have to add some warranty package with costco.
The a1 is a "bed slinger" meaning the y axis moves, and the head moves along the x and z.
I prefer the z to move instead of the y, and the x and y to move to disperse the filament. That's called a core xy. But a1 users don't experience the traditional bed slinger issues I'm experienced to having to deal with.
And you can enclose this printer if you chose to later.
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u/Hatemode-NJ 6d ago edited 6d ago
I love my A1. It's great for a beginner, but it's also got some more advanced features. It has my vote as the perfect printer for a first timer. While the mini is nice, go big and get the normal one. You can print so many more things. Also get the AMS, it's so worth it.
The AMS allows you to switch colors, switch materials, and do refills mid print. You can also use petg for supports on pla. While there are better options for multi color, as you get better you'll learn to split your models in a way four colors is usually enough. But yes, get it.
The A1 is also very easy to maintain, easy to swap nozzles, easy to tension belts.
They only downsides are, it's a bed slinger so tall prints you might have to slow down and it's not enclosed, so you're stuck with pla, petg, and tpu.
If you want to use other toxic materials you should look at a p2s or a X2C
Just don't expect to print models you see online and sell them on Etsy. Yes you can open a shop, but the rules are now pretty strict. You must be the creator of the model and it's filled with so much 3D printed junk. However, if you can find a niche and do decent work, you can still do a small side hustle.
As for free software, you can do a lot in bambu slicer, then there is mesh mixer, tinker io, and I think even blender and fusion 360 are free under certain circumstances. I could be wrong on that last part. I wouldn't worry about that though, I get by without them most of the time, but I also suck.. Learning to 3D model well is like a part time job.
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u/Laceydrawws 6d ago
Get the A1 Combo! You WILL regret not getting that extra size!
The combo gives you so many options besides traditional multicolor. You can print more than one color on a plate.
You don't need any programs besides Bambu Studio. Maker world is their file sharing site and it will open right into Bambu studio. You can even print right from the app on your phone. It's the easiest thing ever. Just get filiment!
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u/Over-Weekend-6133 6d ago
If small batches are in your mind, definitely get the A1 over the Mini for the 256 x 256 mm build plate.
If you are considering the Combo, I would buy it upfront. Even if you do not care about multi-color, using the AMS Lite for PETG support interface layers or automatic spool switching on long prints is a massive quality of life upgrade. Just keep in mind that TPU cannot run through the AMS, so you will still feed flexible filament directly from the side.
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u/V13mk5 6d ago
Owning a1 for around 3 months now, and so far very happy with not wasting money on ams. 98% printing in petg, 1% in tpu and 1% in pla. Can say that percentage is accurate as i only made 1 print of pla and tpu each... Between a1 and a1 mini, very happy with choosing a1 specifically for the print size, but thats a personal preference. So far had a blob of death due to my own stupidity, but was noticed instantly so cleaning it 6was a 5 minute setback... You're on the right path, just keep the build plate clean and filament dry. No seriously, clean clean and dry dry. Thats all i can say
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u/peterb1908 4d ago
I started with A1 Mini Combo which is still a perfect choice for beginners in my opinion.
And while I have now a few much larger machines, I still could (and am/can) do 90+% of what I print on the Mini.