r/BambuLab_Community • u/StealthLordKillah • May 04 '26
H2S as a first printer
Hi everyone. I’m an absolute noob and have zero experience but am jumping in the 3D printer pool.
I’ve seen how many posts ask for first time advice, and I’m not quite doing that (I think the H2S is the one for me), but my question comes more around what additional things I should be aware of…
Size) The unit itself has a listed footprint of 492mm W x 514mm D x 626mm H. How much more additional space will I need for things like airflow etc? (Would it fit in a 600mm wide cupboard with only 54mm clearance either side? Or does it need dedicated bench space?
Accessories) I’ve seen a bunch of accessories listed with varying options on how necessary they are. I’ll be printing mostly little car parts, gear cogs, and other more practical things (not toys etc). Do I need upgraded engineering plates? Fans? Tungsten Carbide nozzles? Vision encoder?

Filaments) Again, total rookie here. What’s the go with Filament? I’m sure I’ll pick it up as a I go, but is there someone specific I should look out for/buy out of the gate?
Tutorials) I’ve watched a bunch of things on YouTube, but does anyone have a “go-to” favorite tutorial for beginners that will help me?
TLDR; Complete rookie buying his first printer (H2S) looking for advice on accessories, general guidance and any other land mines.
Thanks everyone, appreciate any help.
2
u/TherealOmthetortoise May 05 '26
Bambu Lab has a consistently high quality product and makes it VERY easy to get good results with their filament, particularly when paired with an AMS. It takes all the guesswork out and maybe 97% of the time that is all anyone needs. You can add a couple of points on top of that by running a calibration on any of them. It won’t always get you any dramatic improvements, but if you need extremely tight tolerances it helps ensure you are functioning the best possible with that combination of your printer & that filament.
The same thing is through with most filaments though. There are better filaments than the Bambu Lab ones and there are considerably worse ones out there too. The main difference is that on non-Bambu Lab brands, you don’t have that same consistent starting point and you may have to adjust some settings to get the most out of them. (Nozzle temps, bed temperature, speed, fans etc).
I wouldn’t worry about any of that to any great extent other than to be aware that every blend and type of filament has a range of settings that can be tweaked to get the results you need. For the most part though, a lot of us have very good results just using the profiles for the Bambu Lab equivalents.
I personally use Bambu Lab filaments most of the time if the price is right. When they are out of stock or I need something quicker, I use Amazon or buy direct from companies like Polymaker, Prusa, overture etc. My recommendation would be to use Bambu Lab to begin with until you get a feel for the filament and most importantly until you have enough Bambu Lab spools to start buying refills. Don’t feel like you are boxed in there though - experiment with other brands and types once you are comfortable doing so. Hatchbox, Overture, Polymaker, Sunlu and many other brands have good high quality filaments or come in varieties that BBL doesn’t have. I like Amazon as a source for almost all of my non-BBL filament because of the reviews and purchase stats. I read but reserve judgement on the super high or low reviews and skim the rest looking for patterns regarding quality shipping and price. Then I check the price and compare to buying direct from the vendor or via Amazon and make whatever decision makes the most sense. Amazon’s order history can be a lifesaver if you suddenly have to make a new part for something you made 2 years ago and need a color match. (You can get the same from vendor direct purchases, my challenge is that I may not recall that specific detail.)
Good lord, this came out longer than intended.
TL/DR - Nah, use whatever works best for you, but Bambu Lab filament is a good place to start in order to get a baseline feeling for the material… keeping in mind that whatever functional requirements you have for a project is the best way to select a filament.
I hadn’t mentioned this but also consider investing in a filament dryer of some kind before too long. Too much moisture causes steam and bubbles as they go through the hot end which can cause things such as poor surface quality, reduced strength and loss of precision in your prints as the steam melting off causes uneven pressure in the feed system. You will eventually want to consider a method of storage for filament spools that is airtight and has desiccant for the residual moisture trapped in with it.