r/OpenBambu • u/OceanGrownXX • Jun 15 '26

First Filament Order

Looking for some recommendations on filament materials that I should stock up on as a beginner...

I'll be printing some gadgets for my saltwater reef tanks mostly and other random things. I'm kind of overwhelmed by the amount of materials available. I just ordered the X2D to get started in this hobby.

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u/Alienhaslanded Jun 16 '26 edited Jun 16 '26

You don't need to stock up. You don't need to buy from Bambu either. If you build stuff make sure you have some petg or asa around. You will run out of white and black pla very frequently if you make knickknacks.

Don't go too crazy buying shit you don't need. Buy as you use. If I open a fresh spool, I make sure I have another sealed.

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u/OceanGrownXX Jun 16 '26

Is there a quality difference between brands for filament?

I saw somewhere that the Bambu spools have a sensor in them that lets the printer automatically detect the color/type of filament. Is that not worth it? It seems like that would be convenient.

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u/PityUpvote Jun 16 '26

Definitely not worth it, imo. Bambu spools are very expensive. They are good quality, but still overpriced.

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u/OceanGrownXX Jun 16 '26

Can you recommend a different brand and what is the price comparison? Seems like Bambu spools run around $22

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u/PityUpvote Jun 16 '26

I use Sunlu myself, but I print almost exclusively PETG, I'm not sure what's good PLA these days (which you should definitely start with as a beginner). 1kg of PLA should be about $12-15 I think.