I just rolled 880 hours on the X2D I received on June 2nd, 2026 and it has been nearly flawless. A couple false positives, but you still have to track them down, to track switcher issues (but that was due to it’s horizontal mount, and that all I had going into it was a single AMS), and lastly, one plugged hotend after TPU, but it was not actually plugged, as my cold pull had nothing on it buy my pull color filament.
This was my first foray into 3-D printing, and while I appreciate the traditional “Start Small” suggestion of the A1/A2 argument, I don’t have the same opinion. You buy the A1/A2 and have measured success, so then you buy the P or X variant, but that simply fosters more success, and a better understanding, and then you buy the H2C. The only part of Apple that Bambu has nailed, is the upgrade, or for a few dollars more (you could get this feature) business model.
Granted, I’m only barely over 10 weeks into it, but when I was making my purchasing decision, I did what I’ve told myself never to do; i.e. let budget concerns drive bad decisions. While my X2D was anything but a bad decision, it was not the right decision for me, where I should have simply bought the H2C. As it turned out I ordered my H2C less than 4 weeks after I bought the X2D. On the flip side I now have 2 printers that run day and night, and I’m eying the Sovol M1D and or the Infimech X series IDEX printers. I’m also in both Kickstarters, so I can get the pretty steep discounts.
Lastly, I’ve read and commented on several recent Facebook (what should I do or buy) posts that ask “I’m buying for an 11 year old, what should I get.” My first question is will it be a budget driven purchase? Second, what current sit still hobbies does he or she have? Third, what is their technical aptitude? If they have more than a few functional brain cells, they will outpace both the machine and your expectation of their abilities, possibly within the first week. Most kids nowadays are so tech forward, that they consume any device they are given within days, and are teaching family members how to use them. The same will be the case with any 3-D printer you get them, because the rewards (successful prints) are realized with minimal efforts. Plus it opens the door for physically painting models, painting within the Slicer, making custom print models, sparks an interest in CAD, and might actually lead to an interest in writing or participating in code dev.
Staying with the advice model.
Whatever you do, make certain you buy the variant in the combo package. Do Not Short Yourself for the $100-230 combo difference. I also tell them to buy 10 spools right out of the gate for the best pricing.
