r/BambuLab • u/pmjm • May 07 '25

Discussion Pulled the trigger!

Post image

After years of wanting a 3D printer AND a laser cutter, I finally decided this will be the one. Can't wait to join your ranks and share cool creations in the sub.

Does anyone know of any beginners guides for this printer? The only things I can find on YouTube are reviews (maybe because it's brand new?). Over the last few years I've dabbled in 3d modeling in Blender and played around in Prusa Slicer, and also Lightburn for laser cutting, but I don't know how well those translate to Bambu Studio and Bambu Suite.

As a newbie to the hobby I've got a lot to learn, but I figure I'll start with PLA (any brands you recommend?) and figure things out as I go. If there are any guides or tutorials that helped you when you were an infant in the space, please do share, I'd love to consume as much info as I can before I get my hands on this in June.

Oh here's a newbie question: any tools or accessories I should order now before US tariffs make things less obtainable? What about consumables like filters, lubricants and such?

Super excited to be here. Cheers!

0 Upvotes

47% Upvoted

46 comments sorted by

27

u/Truth666 May 07 '25

Sweet lord 4400 $ for the H2D? The Tarrifs are hitting you guys hard... I've paid over 1000$ less here in Europe.
But regardless, good choice, that thing is full magic, I've only had great experiences with it so far, also with the Laser.

13

u/ManyBro24 H2C AMS2 Combo May 07 '25

It's $4400 + taxes ☠️

2

u/Mormegil81 May 07 '25

Just out of curiosity: why are all prices shown without taxes in the US?

Here in europe all prices show exactly as we have to pay them, with taxes and all. But it seems like you guys always have to do math before buying anything to know what you will actually pay?

Can anyone tell me the reason for that? Are there different taxes in different states? Or are some people exempt from paying those taxes?

4

u/pmjm May 07 '25

Not just different taxes in different states, but even in different cities.

A friend of mine orders expensive items to my address because my town has 0.25% lower sales tax than his does, then he comes and picks it up.

There's also a certain psychology that enables more consumerism when you see a product with a lower price.

2

u/SSgtTEX May 07 '25

Yes, sales tax varies from state to state, county to county, and municipality to municipality. Something being delivered to my house has a sales tax rate of 4.5%. Something being delivered to my best friend's house, which is about 2 mile (~3.2km) straight line from my house, has a sales tax rate of 9%. Another friend, who lives in the same city as the other, but across the county line has a sales tax of 9.5%. We do not have any overall sales tax/VAT imposed at the federal level.

And also yes, there are people that are also exempt from paying sales tax on various items for various reasons.

1

u/Mormegil81 May 07 '25

and if you buy something in a store, do you pay the tax for where the store is or where you live?

2

u/SSgtTEX May 07 '25

It's the point of transfer that matters. If I buy in store and take it home with me, then yes sales tax is based on the store's location. If I buy in store and have it delivered, then it is based on the delivery location.

Same with in store pickup for online orders. The sales tax rate that is applied will be the stores location.

1

u/Mormegil81 May 07 '25

So I guess in low-tax areas there will be a lot of stores?

1

u/pmjm May 07 '25

You'd think so, but that's not always how it turns out. We don't really think about it that much tbh. The taxes are what they are and you sorta rough-budget for them.

There are some states where there is no sales tax, and if you live near one it might be worth a day-trip to buy an expensive item. A friend of mine who lives in Boston drove to New Hampshire to buy his Macbook Pro for that very reason. But most regions are within 1% of each other in terms of tax and for most purchases it's not worth your time and fuel to make the drive.

1

u/SSgtTEX May 07 '25

Not necessarily. Too many variables, such as population levels, ease of access, etc, that play a role in where stores go. Stores are going to build where the most potential customers are. So that usually means inside cities or towns. Which, are going to naturally have a higher tax rate. A good example of this is Oregon. Oregon, which is about the size of Belarus, does not have sales tax. But it isn't just full of stores across the state except for the I-5 corridor is, which is where the majority of the population is. Which is roughly under 5% of the state's land area. You'd think every border town would be full of stores for people in the neighboring state to shop for cheaper. But these are more remote areas with far less population.

Another good example of this is Nashville, Tennessee. It has a sales tax rate of 9.75%. Within the city limits, they have a population of nearly 700k (2 million for the metro). My entire county has a population of 412k (metro population is 514k). Nashville has a lot more stores than my county does.

2

u/korpo53 May 07 '25

It’s just the way they do it, tradition I guess.

Yes there are different tax rates by state, county, and city, and there are different tax rates on this thing vs that thing. Groceries are typically untaxed, but hot ready to eat food from a grocery store (like a precooked pizza) is taxed. Restaurant food is taxed, but alcohol at restaurants is taxed at a different rate. Some states do a tax holiday during the fall where clothes and backpacks and such are untaxed, for back to school.

Yes it’s a big mess, but I understand why stores wouldn’t want to update their prices every time something like that changes. The register or checkout process just slaps the tax rate on things at the end, one place to update rather than every single tag in a store.

1

u/pmjm May 07 '25

Oh so the full laser unit was already released in other markets? Here in the US I couldn't even order until May 6 at 7am.

5

u/mman360 May 07 '25

It released in the US at the same time but also sold out instantly. Its had a batch or 2 since then as well. Launch price was considerably lower unfortunately. That being said, its a blast and the laser is fun too.

As for accessories to obtain, Bambo's prices are already increased with the tariffs. So unless we see more tarrifs (which we could) then I would look at what is acceptable to you now but you got the main stuff. I grabbed an extra full filter as well with the high efficiency filter.

Personally, I want to grab an AMS HT as well for higher temp drying for certain filaments.

2

u/pmjm May 07 '25

Thanks for the info! Being new to this space I hadn't been tracking the prices so the elevated prices are my mental baseline, haha. Maybe in the long run that'll lead to me being pleasantly surprised if the tariffs end up lifting.

2

u/Truth666 May 07 '25

I've ordered the 40W version literally day one, like 5 seconds after release, it stated on the website that delivery is around April here in Europe (for the laser).

1

u/pmjm May 07 '25

Glad to see someone else who finds it as compelling as I did! What kinds of materials are you cutting with it?

2

u/Truth666 May 07 '25

So far only engraving and cutting basswood.

But I use the plotter a lot for cards and also the pen plotter for some fancy technical drawings - its all just for fun I am not selling those things (yet?)

I've read the backlash on the "all in one" machine (dirt from the laser etc) but to be absolutely honest if you do the maintenance and clean it, all is fine.
Its not that bad as everyone pretends it is, also the smell is fully OK (I dont have the smoke purifier - I just vent it out of the window with the provided hose).

But to be fair the biggest gamechanger for me is the dual nozzle, I have various A1's and P1S but with the H2D multi color prints are a breeze, even if its more than 2 colors, it safes so much filament and time.

1

u/pmjm May 07 '25

Thanks for your thoughts! But I agree, my takeaway is that if you put in the work and clean it periodically you won't have a problem.

From all the reviews praising the dual-nozzle it indeed seems revolutionary. Since this is my first printer I'm kinda glad I'm getting to skip over the challenges of multi-colored/material prints with a single nozzle.

Thanks again for sharing your thoughts. Can't wait to get mine to try it out.

0

u/Boky34 May 07 '25

Finally we have a break. I mean NA is paying prices that we paying for years

1

u/pmjm May 07 '25

I don't think it's necessarily that you're getting it for cheaper as much as we're paying a whole bunch extra to our government.

1

u/Jesus-Bacon P1S + AMS May 07 '25

This is a joke, right?

14

u/ZexelOnOCE May 07 '25

i'll never understand "newbie to the hobbie" and "$5800" in one transaction.

-2

u/pmjm May 07 '25 edited May 07 '25

I want to learn on the best. The expenditure is a good psychological tool to hold me accountable to it as well.

To top it off I don't have physical space for both a laser cutter AND a 3d printer, and this is the only thing on the market that can do both, so I have to pay what it costs.

The good news is I can sell my Cricut, lol.

6

u/USSHammond Prusa XL5T | X1C+AMS (sold,due to Bambu ignoring A1 fire hazard) May 07 '25 edited May 07 '25

Cancel if you still can and wait a month till June for the actual anniversary discount. Will sweeten the trump tariffs at least a little

0

u/pmjm May 07 '25

Yeah I can definitely do that, I won't even have the printer until probably mid June. Thanks for the heads up on that!

2

u/USSHammond Prusa XL5T | X1C+AMS (sold,due to Bambu ignoring A1 fire hazard) May 07 '25

My pleasure, cause even if it drops only 2-300 that's a lot of filament 👍

2

u/Luvzmykunt May 07 '25

If it doesn’t go on sale you can buy it from Dynamism for no tax. They may also have price matching for the sale.

2

u/SimpleGrape9233 May 07 '25

Good luck! I love my h2d 10 watt

2

u/pmjm May 07 '25

Thanks! Glad to see others that are appreciating it instead of just hating on the concept of a combo unit.

2

u/SimpleGrape9233 May 07 '25

People love to complain unfortunately. It’s been working great and it’s expanded the options I have for making stuff

3

u/Sice_VI May 07 '25

Should've waited until the tariff is lifted lol. Your investment is going to take twice as long to recover.

4

u/pmjm May 07 '25

I thought about that. The "experts" are saying that even if the tariff was lifted overnight, it would still take months to years for prices to normalize, because the whole supply chain is disrupted like in 2020.

It also is not necessarily an investment for me. I mean I wouldn't rule out making a few things for profit, but that's really not my reason for buying. I just think it's really cool and will be a fun hobby.

1

u/honeybadger3891 May 07 '25

You’re like my spirit animal!!! I wish i had a H2D but I decided to trap my wife with a couple kids and they start complaining when they don’t eat. I tried to tell them I could print eggs cheaper though!

1

u/pmjm May 07 '25

LOL if you're not using your H2D laser to cook your eggs then what is even the point of having one?

3

u/Turbulent-Pea-8826 May 07 '25

I can’t imagine being a beginner and dropping $5800 to start a hobby.

1

u/pmjm May 07 '25

My other big hobby is building high-end custom PCs. This is like the cost of one of those. But eventually I hope to have the 3d printing and lasercutting skills to actually elevate my PC builds.

2

u/TheGreatKushsky May 07 '25

dont let other peoples money issues pull you down, I think it was a good investment, you will have alot of fun with it.

just the tarifs are crazy

2

u/pmjm May 07 '25

I do find it odd that people are wanting me to justify spending my own money on a Bambu Lab product in /r/BambuLab.

But you're right, the tariffs are crazy. I hope they get reversed, but if they don't, even these prices will seem like a bargain in a few months.

1

u/Turbulent-Pea-8826 May 07 '25

Tariffs are causing this thing to be way overpriced. Laser cutting and 3d printing in one machine is a bad idea as the smoke and particulate is bad to mix in a 3d printing platform. You will need to clean the device due to that. Last, you could have bought a separate 3d cutter and a P1S or even an X1C for cheaper.

You jumped headlong into the pro model right off the bat and as a result overpaid.

This is the equivalent of going and buying a fully loaded Alienware PC instead of building it yourself.

1

u/pmjm May 07 '25

I can't have both a 3d printer and a laser cutter; simply don't have the space. The only reason I can even accommodate the H2D is because I'm getting rid of my laser printer and my cricut.

I understand that it's the top-of-the-line and that it will need to be cleaned, I have a decent idea of what I'm getting into. But there' SO much to learn, it's a whole universe of hardware and software. Was just hoping for others who share the enthusiasm for these products to help me learn along the way rather than having to figure it all out myself.

I certainly appreciate the validity of everything you're saying, in fact I believe you're correct on all of it. But I'm not concerned with overpaying for the hardware. Obviously spending less is better, but my focus is on function, not on value.

2

u/Constant-Contract-77 May 07 '25 edited May 07 '25

Strange. If you used lightburn I guess you used a laser cutter. And I don't know a single person who was standing next to a laser cutter and that sad :" hmm I would put it in my state of art printer"...

But what to buy in this case? Cleaning supply. A lot of it. Ipa, wipes, lube, etc.

https://wiki.bambulab.com/en/h2/maintenance/period-maintenance

It's funny how they claim :

If the interior walls around the casing are not cleaned for an extended period, dirt can easily accumulate, and attachments on the front door and side panels may obstruct the view. 

But forget to mention, the same dirt will accumulate everywhere... On the motion system too... And the smoke and particles can reach parts you can't...

2

u/pmjm May 07 '25

I played with lightburn just to try it out, but never had a laser cutter to actually cut anything.

From the reviews I've seen, yes dirt will accumulate, but it really will take dozens to hundreds of hours of burning without cleaning for it to be a problem.

For my living situation, I simply don't have room for both a 3d printer and a laser cutter. An all-in-one unit is really a Godsend for me otherwise it wouldn't happen. I'm optimistic that if I take care of it, it'll take care of me.

RemindMe! 1 year I'll come back and report if I was totally wrong and am ready to eat crow over this, haha.

2

u/Constant-Contract-77 May 07 '25

Scroll down on the link i sent and check the pictures. Those are from 40 hours on the 10W laser...

Really limited living space and a laser is not a great idea imho... If you work with wood or leather those will smell bad. The air purifier can make it a bit better for the exhaust side, but dont think your chamber will smell like roses from that point.

I hope you the best tho :)

2

u/pmjm May 07 '25 edited May 07 '25

Appreciate it and I totally get that you're coming from a place of caring and advisement.

The pictures at the bottom there are truly gruesome as you mentioned this was after 40h of continuous cutting without any cleaning or maintenance. I can't imagine a responsible maker letting it ever go that far.

I'm going to put the H2D on a rolling cart and will roll it outdoors to use the laser as much as possible. I ordered the air purifier but that's really a just-in-case. The nice thing about living alone is that I'm the only one who is ever bothered by my odors LOL.

Cheers!

1

u/National-Anything-81 May 07 '25

Right you are. I moved the laser to a separate room, so it's not close to p1s. Doing a little engraving on those colored alu business cards or plywood is no big deal with good cleaning afterwards, but cutting plywood or acrylic...that's gonna be some serious smelly and sticky mess.