New to 3D printer. Received my P2S Combo in Jan ‘26 and have done a couple of basic things (benchy, scraper) all using Bambu Labs PLA. All printed fine. Wanted to print some things with PETG but Bambu is always out of stock and saw a lot of recommendations for SUNLU so I purchased some SUNLU filaments. I also went to SUNLU site and copied down the recommened settings (nozzle temp, bed temp, fan speeds, etc.) These are mostly different from the Bambu filament and generic settings preloaded on the P2S. I’ve dried the filament in the AMS 2 Pro. My question is should I attempt my first PETG print with the Bambu GENERIC settings -OR- create a custom filament based on the Bambu filament/generic filament and change settings to match the SUNLU recommendations where applicable? I’ve seen posts where temp towers for instance are recommended. Or reducing nozzle temp in some cases. Should this be first step? Also. SUNLU recommended settings are not machine specific. I would assume that running same filament in different machines (even machines from same vendor -P1S vs P2S versus H series) would require different settings for optimum printing?
I guess bottom line - am I overthinking and should just start with Bambu profiles and then trouble shoot if I run into problems??
Thx for the reply, Not sorted yet , but that being said I appreciate the advice. I am going to run a temp tower and then use Bambu generic settings for the rest and give it a try. Thanks for the insight!!
Good tip on the pressure advance and flow. I’ll search the Bambu Wiki for how to do this - other than the out of the box calibrations - not tried to do any others. I’ve only printed a benchy and a scraper so I’ve got some reading to do!
Sunlu sells two different PETG types: regular “PETG” and “High Speed matte PETG”.
Which one did you buy? As long as you print at lower speeds (up to ~10 mm³/s), both are quite uncomplicated. At higher speeds, regular PETG still works fine but surface starts to look dull, so if you have faster and slower regions, you get very inconsistent sheen.
The high speed PETG has much more consistent surface very similar to BambuLab PETG HF. But at higher speeds I experienced some defects, like gaps after seams. I haven’t looked into optimising settings yet. here is a recent thread with suggested print settings:
I haven’t tried the suggested profile yet, but feedback is very positive.
Awesome info and thanks for the link - I’ll certainly check it out!! I’ll make sure I check print speeds. Another question?? I’ve got three different colors of the SUNLU PETG (the regular stuff - not the high flow) and they all have different nozzle temp ranges. The low sides are within 10 degrees of each other where as the high sides are within 15 degrees. Should I run a temp tower on all three or pick a temp in the middle? Or am I overthinking it?
Did any of your prints look like this? This was my first attempt with Sunlu HS Matte PETG using a P2S and the Sunlu profile. I’ve since tried printing other models with it, using both Bambu Labs Generic PETG settings and another “Guaranteed to work” Sunlu specific profile, all to no avail; all the prints with this stuff look awful. BL’s own PLA and Sunlu PLA all print fine, though the BL filament has given a visibly superior finish.
Anyone hazard a guess at what I’m doing wrong? I’d like to have the option to buy non BL filament (it’s sooo expensive!), but can’t see that happening at the moment
That looks like very steep overhangs at the bottom while at the same time a very small cross section. I think the different outcome is mainly because of PLA vs PETG, not one brand vs the other. PETG just typically needs much more time to solidify than PLA. I doubt that BambuLab PETG would do that much better. To improve this model in PETG you could:
reduce layer height
increase fan speed
reduce print speed (although that probably is already taken care of by the min layer time setting)
Actually I find the price quite good when you make use of the bulk discounts. Of course that is very subjective. For good filament, I find everything under 20€ a good price and under 15€ is very cheap. Premium brands are typically in the range of 25-35€/kg (for PLA and PETG), e.g. Polymaker, Colorfabb, dasfilament. Most filaments in the 10-12€ range I have tried bring some real compromises. E.g. Sunlu PETG has many colors that are not really solid but slightly translucent. Seems to me like they cut down on expensive pigment.
That said, those cheap brands have come a long way. 10 years ago, cheap (= less than 20€) meant severe problems like inconsistent diameter, color shifts from spool to spool and more. That is all gone. I haven’t had a single Sunlu spool yet with thick spots that would get stuck.
The BambuLab filament is not in that low price range, but I think that especially PETG HF has exceptional value per price.
I have used regular Sunlu PETG quite a bit and I think there isn’t too much to look after. BambuStudio has a built-in profile for regular Sunlu PETG that probably works just fine. If you print it too fast, the surface will look dull. The profile probably has the speed already limited. I think I used 240°C and 20% part fan. Others probably use a bit more fan for better overhangs.
With Sunlu PETG HF, I have a lot of problems. I really want to like it as an alternative to Bambu PETG HF but it just doesn’t cooperate.
I tried the profile from makerworld today that I shared the link in the other thread. The parts look very nice, but it destroyed one of my buildplates because it stuck so much harder than other PETGs. And strength is really low. I created a little setup to measure layer adhesion. All PETG HF brands I tested so far are weaker than regular PETG, but Sunlu PETG HF really breaks records in a negative way.
Unfortunately only Banbu and Sunlu PETG HF have that silky matte look that I much prefer to the usual shiny surface of PETG. Seems like I have to stick to Bambu PETG HF and hope that availability gets better in the future.
Finally found the issue. Amongst other things, the Generic PETG profile was way too fast. I’ve also dried the filament in the AMS at I think 60 for 7 hours and it prints beautifully now.
Followed the flow rate, print / bed temps, max volumetric speed and cooling changes, saved them as a custom profile and there was a huge difference in print quality.
I’m not an expert, still learning myself, but I have seen this issue and believe it or not they recommend using glue on the build plate; not to stick things down, but to give a surface with good release properties and protect the build plate surface.
If you can get it, I’d strongly recommend just running Bambu Lab PETG on the P2S.
I use Bambu PETG on my P-series machines and it’s honestly as close to “industrial plug-and-play” as you’ll get in the desktop space. Load the spool, select the official profile, print. No temp towers, no guessing nozzle ranges from generic manufacturer charts, no chasing stringing ghosts.
The key difference isn’t just branding — it’s ecosystem tuning.
The Bambu PETG profile is calibrated around:
Their hotend flow characteristics
Chamber behavior (closed P-series)
Cooling strategy
Acceleration + pressure advance presets
Third-party PETG (including good brands like SUNLU) can absolutely print well — but you’re now matching a generic filament to a high-performance, closed, high-speed platform. That usually means dialing in temp, flow ratio, and sometimes pressure advance to really get it clean.
If you’re new and want consistency without friction, Bambu PETG removes variables. Especially on a P2S, it’s very stable around the stock temps and just behaves predictably.
Once you’re comfortable, then experimenting with custom profiles makes sense. But for baseline reliability?
Bambu PETG + stock profile = zero drama.
Keep it simple until the printer gives you a reason not to.
I would love to use Bambu PETG but it’s never in sigh. In fact the official site only ever lists PETG HF. Any other places to get Bambu PETG currently. And that actually brings up another question. What Bambu setting do you use if you are / want to run PETG HF with a standard flow nozzle?? And I get the “enclosed eco-system” but what about the other Bambu labs printers - like the A1 - Are they print profiles for the same Bambu filament really that different?
After running 1.5 drying cycles on my sunlu black petg (non-hf) I printed a benchy yesterday and it turned out great.
I used the generic petg settings in Bambu and printed directly from the handy app.
I’m printing my first real usable item right now - a tool grid base plate for my new US General 42” Roll Cab. The print is currently 1/40 - 4h 47 min. We’ll see how it turns out.
Drying:
After one drying cycle the humidity in my AMS 2 increased from below 25% to 37%. I opened and closed the lid on the ams and the humidity dropped to around 34%. I ran about another 1/2 cycle before printing the benchy and it dropped to about 22%. At this moment the humidity in my ams is 16% and it’s raining outside.
Bambu petg:
I’d love to get the Bambu petg, but I’ve never seen it in stock. I even set up an alert and received one yesterday, but I was too slow I guess. 20 minutes after the email was sent there was no stock.
I’d all goes well with my current print I may just continue buying the Sunlu petg (non-hf). It’s super cheap and readily available on Amazon.
Been looking for BL PETG HF since before Xmas, only Black and White in stock here in the UK and I want various colours. Have bought PETG non HF Sunlu recently and this works well…
, but that being said I appreciate the advice. I am going to run a temp tower and then use Bambu generic settings for the rest and give it a try. Thanks for the insight!!
sigh. In fact the official site only ever lists PETG HF. Any other places to get Bambu PETG currently. And that actually brings up another question. What Bambu setting do you use if you are / want to run PETG HF with a standard flow nozzle?? And I get the “enclosed eco-system” but what about the other Bambu labs printers - like the A1 - Are they print profiles for the same Bambu filament really that different?