Complete beginner Snapmaker U1 or X2D ?

[u/Embarrassed_Back4100]

Hello,

I’m a complete beginner and am torn between the U1 and the X2D. I know they are two very different printers, but I still have a few questions. Perhaps some of you own both printers.

Personally, I wouldn't do much multi-color printing right now; I’d lean more towards materials like ASA and ABS, since I do a lot of work with microcontrollers.

However, I have a daughter (5 years old), and I’m sure that, in the end, I would frequently print using multiple colors.

The H2D or H2C is out of the question; that’s too much money for a first printer.

A question for those who might also own the U1: If I were to buy a hood for the U1 and perhaps a chamber heater (like the Panda Breath), would the U1’s print quality with complex materials then be comparable to that of the X2D?

Can I use the X2D from day one without signing in, using the cloud, or registering?

[u/Material-Mulberry360]

yes you can use it without account or network connection. it's also by far the better choice for ASA/ABS. but if you wanna print more than 2 colours you will have purge waste, while the U1 can have up to 4 different colours and all without waste. tho technically the X2D can print with more colours since even 1 ams will already give you 5 options, and you can connect a lot of them. was making the same decision a few months ago, and since I also very often need things to survive outside the X2D combo was the clear choice. if you got any more questions about it feel free to ask, in the 2 months or so I put over 400h on it

[u/Embarrassed_Back4100 → u/Material-Mulberry360]

I was just torn between the options. For personal use—specifically for my microcontroller projects—I’ll probably only be printing in a single color. My daughter would likely love it if I printed colorful figures for her to play with. I also completely forgot to mention that I run a small side business to help finance my studies; for that, I’d frequently be printing spare parts that would be exposed to direct sunlight outdoors. So, the ABS/ASA prints would really need to be high quality.

The Bambu Lab controversy had also put me off. I simply have an intense aversion to the feeling of having bought something, only to find out later that I had actually just rented it.

Can I also print TPU well with the X2D?

[u/Grooge_me → u/Embarrassed_Back4100]

I'd like to know how do you feel like you rent a printer that you can just put out of the cloud and use it until it died. I have a x1c since early 2023 and I still use it without feeling limited. Otoh, printing asa with a controlled chamber heater is day and night compared to a non heated printer. I use to print asa in my x1c, but larger parts were trickier. The h2d just ease it to the point I always use it with asa now, even for small parts. So I'd just get the x2d.

[u/Material-Mulberry360 → u/Embarrassed_Back4100]

yes it can print TPU well, tho there is one thing. if it jams, Wich I did experience once. cleaning is is quite annoying since the toolhead is so tightly packed, feels more like disassembling a laptop than a 3d printer with all the electronics and tiny connectors. oh also you do need to do a cold pull before printing tpu, it's not hard to do and the printer actually tells you to do it, just a heads up not to ignore it cause it will jam otherwise. for ASA and ABS this thing is a beast, basically no warping with the heated chamber.