what do you think i want a printer but i am not sure if i shoud buy a a1mini or a a1
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What types of things do you want to print and in what material? Unless you are on the tightest of budgets having a larger build surface is never a bad thing.
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i use pla & pteg so i think do not need a enclosed printer
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I’d also suggest opting for the larger model. Sooner or later, you’ll probably come across a larger model that you’ll want to print. Plus, the heated bed of the non-mini A1 is powered by mains voltage, meaning it’ll heat up much faster.
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i do not care about the heat up speed
This is an easy one to answer. The two printers have way too similar performance specs when it comes to filament support and speed. The sole differences that matter are print volume, Screen size for the touch pad and Max bed temp which you stated was not important to you.
So at the end of the day, the choice is really, really simple. What’s $100 worth to you for a larger touch panel and larger build volume?
They have a good comparison tool that should help answer your question. Compare all 3D printers - Bambu Lab
I agree with Olias. I actually was going to write pretty much exactly what they did.
If I had the choice to go back 4 weeks, and purchase the A1 instead of the A1 mini, that’s what I’d have done. The larger build volume is definitely a huge seller for me.
I’d pay the extra $100 just for the larger build volume. If you get the Mini and decide you want to upgrade later, you’re going to end up spending a whole lot more than the $100 difference.
However, if you’re certain you will never need a larger build volume, then the Mini might be the way to go if the budget is tight.
I should have also added, if you’re not married to the notion of X-Y printer-or-die and can live with any bed slinger and if you not positive on your buy decision, I’ve seen Creality Ender 3 listing on Amazon for as little as $139 during promotion, regular price $169.
If this is your first foray into 3d then with the Creality you’ll have to master far more tweaking skills with that that printer. But you’ll also come out of such an experience with more of a 3D Ninja-like skills than you would starting out with the baby-soft warm-fuzzy smooth learning curve that is what endears so many Bambu fans. You just plug it in, a few screws removed, follow the quick start guide and 15 minutes later, you got your first Benchy. What’s not to like?
But in truth, my other hobby is building PC gaming rigs which I’ve been at since 1988. You would would think that I’d be just the guy who would embrace the DIY science-project approach to 3D printing. I’ll admit, there is a certain appeal to building your own rig. But for me, I’m getting to old for that sh*t and I decided long ago as a client of 3D printing, that I would wait till the tech was fully baked. Bambu achieved that while still leaving enough tinkering to sate my inner geek. 
So whether you buy a $300 bed slinger from Bambu or a $169 bed slinger from a proven work horse like Creality, I’ll bet you’ll still have fun. But if you’re looking for a simple out of the box printing experience that is set and forget. Stick with an HP or Epson Office Laser printer. 
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If it is your only printer, the A1 is the logic option. I bought an a1 mini to complement my P1S. 99% of the things i print fit on the mini, and that printer is used most of the time now.
Was just thinking about “should i have bought the A1 over the A1 mini”
As i have a P1S, i already have the medium buildplate, and a lot of my printing cn be done on the mini platform. The A1 series is so much more refined as the P1 series (quiet, smooth, and cheap). And to me, a big bones, power consumption. when running 12hrs, the difference between the P1S and the A1 mini (because of the small buildplate) is like 1€/day, so the printer is paid back, only by using less energy, in less than 2 years.
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Get the A1. I bought my daughter an a1 mini when they released and now we both have buyer remorse since the a1 was leaked 2 weeks later. I have a feeling this will pee off a few people.
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And this is how the world of technology works. Go sell the A1 Mini on eBay, take the minor loss, and buy the Mini.
Not worth the time or fees. and yeah, everybody knows how tech works. Normally though, there are groups of releases as new generations. Guaranteed these were introduced in this order on purpose. Another p1p/p1s or x1/x1c move. If released together, the lower model would never sell because the price points are so close, yet you get so much more from the better model. Its smart for them but some customers actually notice these things. Its a rollercoaster if you spend alot of money with them.
I’d still buy the P1P all day even though the price difference is only $100. While there might be some salty P1P owners, the P1P has all of the features I need. I’m actually quite pleased with the “move” since the P1P price was lowered.
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Awesome for you. If they were released together, everybody would have the option of buying the right printer for them. Awesome for everybody. This is how you make long term, loyal and happy customers. Even when the wind blows the other way and another company takes the lead. Ever seen the prusa fan boy crowd? Or Tesla? Apple? All the way to tv’s. They come out in groups as generations so that everybody can make the right choice the first time.
Certainly. However, not all companies have the capacity to release multiple large products at the same time. Bambu Lab is certainly not as old and established as any of the companies you mentioned.
Maybe you bought a printer that doesn’t meet your needs? Either way, you have options and can upgrade whenever you want.
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I get where you are coming from but that isnt necessarily true. Imagine all the people in October of 2015 who bought the largest iPad available only to have the 12.9 released a month later. Or the people who really wanted a USB-C connector on the iPhone but also needed a new phone when the iPhone 14 came out. Now there is the iPhone 15 with USB-C.
Unfortunately whatever you buy will probably have a newer, faster, cheaper, better version shortly after you buy it, regardless of how long you wait.
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not sure about the pad 8 years ago, but the phone generations is exactly what i was talking about. Imagine they released the new iphone generation without usb-c and the 2 weeks later, released a better one with usbc as part of the same generation. Like an iphone 14USB 2 weeks after the normal 14. Without warning like a product announcement ahead of time. Theres a reason why some companies have prerelease events on some products but not others. Like the x1e just showing up in the store one day vs the a1 mini having a long slow build up and preorder. Thanks for agreeing.
Welcome to the forum
OK, so you mean like the iPhone 8/8Plus and the iPhone X being released less than two months apart. So someone could buy the iPhone 8 Plus thinking how awesome it is with the bigger screen although it is a bit hard to use one hand to swipe across the screen. Then a few weeks later, BAM! The X has almost the same screen size in a smaller form factor. Dangit! Why didn’t Apple release them all at the same time!?!?!?!
This happens in the tech industry (and most industries) all the time.
Thanks for agreeing!
" The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus were announced at that event, and released on September 22, 2017 ."
These are comparable to the a1’s
" On August 31, 2017, Apple invited journalists to a September 12 press event , the first public event held at the Steve Jobs Theater on the company’s new Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California. The iPhone X was unveiled during that keynote."
“The naming of the iPhone X (skipping the iPhone 9)is to mark the 10th anniversary of the iPhone.”
People knew about all of them before release
announced at THE SAME event. They didnt keep one a secret until 2 weeks later. Thanks for reaching all the way back to iphone 8 though. Keep researching. Youll find something that says youre right eventually.
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