Taking away existing functionality is bad. My printer is paid for but not even shipped yet and I find out it may already have had the firmware kneecapped and functionality I count on may have been removed? Is there a way to find out which firmware version I am being shipped? Can the older one be installed over the new piece of ■■■■ version?
Given that the firmware with these undesirable changes is still in beta, it’s safe to assume that you’ll receive a printer with the ‘old’ firmware. Just isolate it on your LAN from internet access and set it to LAN-only mode and you’ll be fine. You might or might not have to give up continued support and updates, pending on how BambuLab wants to play out this hand, but otherwise all should work as expected.
I reviewed Bambu’s response and slept on it. Its seams that they are gaslighting us. It’s unfortunate they went into attack mode calling out the spread of “misinformation”. I think customer’s were simply responding to the information they provided.
Lesson learned, if your hardware has to phone home to work, its not your hardware.
I will use my two air gapped X1C’s until they need maintenance and then dispose of them. I will stop buying filament from Bambu.
Wow… so instead of Bambu apologising and recognising their mistake, they change their website and now blaming us for this mess… Wow…just WOW!!.
Bambulab - “We didn’t write that…nor did you see it…right?..right!?”
I’m planning to get the A1 Combo. Is the current situation really that bad? I just want to turn on the printer and print something—no more tinkering or troubleshooting. I’ve had enough of that with my Neptune 2S.
Hold off for now, you could purchase something that you can’t use.
Can you recommend comparable alternatives that offer a similar level of quality?
I’d let others recommend as Im unsure sorry.
In all seriousness, I’ll try to offer as balanced an answer as I can—coming from a once-loyal Bambu enthusiast who is now fed up with the gaslighting, arrogance, and openly customer-hostile stance.
1) Should you wait?
That depends on the kind of person you are. If you don’t mind being pushed around in your purchasing decisions and accept that you have no control over the direction of the ecosystem, then no—there’s no need to wait. The A1 is likely the best option in its price range.
2) Should you change course?
Again, this depends on how much you value having a trusted vendor that doesn’t engage in questionable tactics.
While Bambu has repeatedly stated they will not enforce draconian measures like blocking third-party filament, their recent decision to block third-party access contradicts that assurance. They’ve also been caught altering their website after the fact and misrepresenting their prior statements. For more details, check out Louis Rossman’s coverage on the topic.
I really appreciate your honest and balanced take on the situation. It’s frustrating to see a company with so much potential adopt an increasingly anti-consumer approach.
- Should I wait?
You make a valid point. I don’t necessarily mind a closed ecosystem if it remains functional, reliable, and transparent about its limitations. The A1 Combo still seems like the most hassle-free option in its price range, but I do worry about long-term support and unexpected restrictions. - Should I change course?
This is where I’m really torn. I want a printer that just works without endless tweaking, which is why the A1 initially seemed ideal. However, the way Bambu is handling third-party access is definitely concerning—especially if their past statements don’t align with their actions.
Grow up and read the updated news or complain to your third party vendor. Drama queen.
Then I would just pull the cord and go with the A1.
One question to consider that may help you decide is this: Are you an iPhone or Android user?
If you’re an iPhone user who upgrades every three years and doesn’t mind Apple forcing customers into proprietary chargers and expensive cables that must be discarded every upgrade cycle, it suggests you prioritize ease of use over freedom of choice. In that case, a $400 purchase every three years likely won’t bother you, even if you’re forced to change course in three years. You probably won’t mind paying twice as much for filament in a closed ecosystem—you might just accept it as inevitable or not see it as worth your time.
Either way, the choice is personal, and it shouldn’t be based on what others think.
The one that Bambu clarified is not the end of everyone’s little dream world.
I’m fine with “dev. mode” actions not being warrantied. But, give us a real dev. mode for advanced users who want it.
-API docs for the MQTT protocol
-Local security, including locally generated API keys
-Open and Documented filament RFID protocol (in dev mode only)
-Offer this mode on new printers
There is one very crucial difference in comparison with Apple-way-of-doing-things - for a clearly anti-consumer company, so far they have an excellent track record when it comes to security and privacy. BambuLab, not so much, to put it mildly…
The default mode of operation is (absolutely needless) uploading everything you want to print to BL cloud and then this gets delivered back to your printer to actually print it. This obviously has huge privacy, but also ownership issues - BL cannot really guarantee that nobody will be looking at what you want to print or steal your designs, but even if they handled this part properly (and based on how they treat the rest of their security that’s highly unlikely), what happens when their servers go off, or your connection goes off, or PRC (or some other governmental body) decides that some filtering on what is allowed to be printed has to be applied?
That’s precisely the reason why all of this uproar happened - at the moment, there is at least a way to completely sever the printers from their BL mother-ship while retaining almost all of their functionality. The (initially) proposed changes were threatening to remove this and people (like me) who find the ability to control our own hardware and value privacy wouldn’t have ever bought anything from BL if there wasn’t a way to do it down the line. I made quite a bit of research to ensure I will not be locked in before jumping onto the BambuLab train so if they want to remove this option, one way or another, my BL equipment would become expensive paperweights.
I appreciate the analogy, but I don’t really think my phone preference has much to do with this decision. I’ve used iPhones for years—starting with the iPhone 4, then the 11 Pro, and now the 16 Pro—but I upgrade when I need to, not because Apple tells me to.
With a 3D printer, my priority is simple: I want a reliable machine that works when I need it, without constant tinkering. If the A1 delivers on that, I’m fine with the trade-offs. That said, I do understand the concerns about a closed ecosystem, and it’s definitely something to keep in mind. Either way, I appreciate the input!
Then the A1 (or any BL printer, really) will fulfill your requirements. You only need to be concerned about the discussion going on here and what BambuLab says, promises and deliveres if:
- You don’t want your prints to go to their cloud first before they get printed on your device
- You don’t want for anybody to has the ability to prevent you to print whatever you want on your printer (within its physcial limits, of course)
- You don’t want your printer to depend on an active internet connection
- You don’t want to be prevented to print when BL servers go down
- You don’t mind the possibility of eventually getting nickle-and-dimed or further locked-in (only approved filaments, only approved 3rd party HW/SW) because the cloud has operating costs whereas the printer is a one-time-purchase
If those things do not bother you or are not high on your list of importance when choosing a printer - go ahead and grab any BL printer in your budget. They are excellent machines for what they do, certainly the most hassle-free ones in their price ranges. It’s everything around the hardware (and the software that executes on the G-code, which is excellent) that is questionable, at the very least, and downright concerning in its current operation.
BambuLabs are showing values of deceit by changing the terms on us and creating an unbearable temptation to lock you into a costly to escape trap. The insight they gained from us we would want sent to a trustworthy company instead. Still, I hope I’m wrong. Not too late to backtrack and show trustworthy business practices.
I just don’t believe the whole “Only Bambu doesn’t need tinkering”. My A1 is an awesome machine, don’t get me wrong, but my other 3D printers have been working fine without maintenance and tweaking for over 5 years now. Yes, that was not cheap Aliexpress stuff, but as far as I can tell other printer manufacturers are currently churning out comparable machines to Bambu in price and quality.
They mostly don’t have the polished app with cloud service and MakerWorld like integration, but on the other hand that is what most discussion is about currently.
So yeah do your research. If you decide you’ll get a Bambu it will be a great machine and if you decide on another comparable brand you’ll most likely get a great machine as well. But most likely a different user experience
Thank you all for your input! I’ll keep an eye on the situation. If things improve, I’ll stick with the A1. If not, I’ll look for an alternative.