Dryer for P1S?

Bambu Lab P1 Series Troubleshooting
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I want to try some of the filaments that require drying and I don’t have a dryer. The filaments I want to try are not compatible with the AMS. Can anyone recommend a dryer in which the filament can be fed directly into the P1S from the dryer?

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the sunlu dryers have a boden tube port…

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I recently got the Creality Space Pi plus. It’s been working well so far. Seems to dry well and I am able to feed the filament directly to the printer while drying.

Seems to have a large user base and there are a bunch of mods on MakerSpace. I have added feet and a heat shield/deflector.

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Where can I find these mods to print?

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You can just search it on MakerWorld.

But the specific ones I used are:

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To answer your question. All modern generation purpose-built filament dryers have a direct-feed option. Some are better than others. Read on for tips and tricks of how to choose what’s right for you.

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Here’s what I’d suggest: After looking through the various solutions, order two of the best candidates from Amazon and do your own bake-off. That’s what I did. You have 30 days to return the one you don’t like.

Your needs may differ from others. I first purchased a Sunlu and then a Creality, comparing them side by side based on what was important to me—which may not be important to you.

Here’s a link to my methodology:
:point_right: Sunlu S2 vs. Creality Space Pi Bake-Off Review

Adjust the metrics I used to suit your needs and create a grading system that weights what’s important to you.

Dryer Design Issues

If you want something without future limitations such as capable of drying ABS, you’ll want a modern-generation dryer. Don’t assume your usage will remain the same, get something that will be somewhat future proof, hotter higher end temps achieve this.

In short, all modern single-spool dryers today suck—some just suck less than others. They didn’t always suck, but now these companies are cloning each other’s designs and outsourcing the enclosures to art-house engineering companies. In fact, I sent tech support questions to both Sunlu and Creality and it was clear from the answers they didn’t own the design. And guess what? The enclosures all suck.

Take the Sunlu—its design is just awful. The Creality is only marginally better. If companies would just do a few simple things, they could fix most of these issues:

  1. Stick to a square box – Don’t get fancy with shapes. It’s impractical and annoying.
  2. Ditch the janky touchscreens – Every single one is a defective design that warps when heated, and plenty of reviews mention this. Buttons are the way to go. Previous models had them, and there was no reason to change.
  3. Prioritize function over aesthetics – These current designs sacrifice fan performance just to make the enclosure look cool, leading to uneven air circulation and potential filament damage.
  • It also makes them extremely loud because the box shape forces them to use blower-style fans. Think air dryer—air gets sucked in from the side and redirected.
  • A straight fan is quieter and more efficient, but these nimrods decided to prioritize aesthetics over engineering, appealing to uninformed consumers who judge based on looks.

Creality’s Janky Lid

One particularly janky design flaw with the Creality—which I ended up keeping because it was the least sucky—is the lid. It’s an abomination.

  • The thing needlessly swings wide open, causing it to snap back and risk breakage.
  • On top of that, it wastes a massive amount of table space.

I got so frustrated that I ended up designing a “stop” for the enclosure myself.

You can find it on Printables, but you won’t find it on MakerWorld:
:point_right: Creality Space Pi Hinge Stop

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Thanks for all the detailed info, Olias. I just ordered the Creality Space Pi Filament Dryer Plus on Amazon. I’ll post how it goes.

And I haven’t been active on this forum in a long time not because I am not 3D printing any more, but on the contrary, my P1S has been a workhorse and is going almost every day. But I haven’t had any major breakdowns in a very long time that I couldn’t solve on my own. The P1S is truly a great machine and I am looking forward to getting the H2D (assuming the price isn’t too bad!)

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So I’ve been using the Creality Space Pi Plus and it actually isn’t bad! My only complaint is i have some filament that needs to be heated to 80 degrees C but it only goes to 70 degrees C. So be it, it still works. The form factor isn’t bad, in my opinion.

I do have one dumb question: Are you supposed to insert any desiccant into the dryer along with the filament when it is drying? I don’t see anything in the instructions about that, but wouldn’t that make sense?