I am seeking views on whether it would be worth spending more to buy the AMS 2Pro Combo (with buffer) rather than the P1S Combo, which comes with the original AMS.
The price difference based on current UK Black Friday deals is £80. The key difference appears to be that the AMS 2 Pro comes with a built-in dryer, whilst the original AMS does not. The former is also noted to offer improvements in the feeder and spool handling, and has reduced noise.
This will be our first 3D printer so I have been on a steep learning curve the last few days. I would be grateful if anyone who has experience of these things could give their opinion on whether the dryer is considered necessary in the UK and if the other improvements may be worth spending the extra money, please.
the differences are the ones you highlighted, but there’s another very important one, you don’t need to disassemble the AMS2 when filament breaks on the path, it’s directly accessible from the interior.
opening up the AMS is not that difficult to do, but it takes a bit of time and it’s annoying having to disassemble it, as it’s something that does happen from time to time
Quite the opposite for me. Mine 2 pro has been quite unreliable. Spools not getting loaded and jumping around, grinding filament etc.
Requiring spool weights that my AMS 1 didn’t need.
Thanks for taking the time to reply. That’s useful to know.
Thanks, this is really helpful. And it highlights the problems with using AI to do research! A Google AI overview of a comparison between the AMS and AMS 2 Pro highlights the improvements noted in my original post, but when I specifically asked about the points you have raised, it seems to have contradicted itself.
That’s why it’s always good to get feedback from real live people - thanks for the taking the time to respond.
have you tried it without those mods installed? i have 3 AMS2 and they all work properly, i only had one time it jump around but it was really at the very end of the spool (i was doing a print using only small leftovers i had around)
Yup, i installed them after the fact. I hoped the different angle of the filament getting pulled it would solve it but it unfortunately didn’t.
yeah that’s pretty strange, guessing either the feeder unit or the motor are done for, you should be able to get support to replace under warranty
It’s not just that slot affected, others as well. Don’t remember if all of just some, I’d have to check again.
Bambu did replace the filament hub so far
For a different problem i had
if it’s more than one, you probably need the motor, if it’s just the one than the feeder is more likely to be a culprit - i haven’t had this on the AMS2 but i did replace a feeder on my old AMS once
Coming back to the original question, I personally rate the other improvements far higher than the included drying:
- faster and stronger motor, reducing filament switching time or handling long tubes easier
- ceramic inlet funnel, preventing wear
- all ptfe tubes accessible without disassembly (on the AMS 1 it is really a pita if filament breaks inside the AMS)
for me that was enough invest the 50 bucks each during black Friday sale to replace my two AMS1. That reminds me that I still have to sell the old ones 
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Agree with this statement! It’s a small price to pay and worth it. If you plan to use the machine a fair bit then get the upgraded unit. If only an occasional user the original will suffice. My general motto - the best best you can afford at the time, if a little stretch, stretch it 
I have decided to get the older model so i can use the EIBOS Filament Dryer.