Hello,
I returned my FlashForge 5M because of various issues, and because I wanted to move to Bambu Lab. I am wondering if I should buy the P1P now or wait until May for a A1? If you asked me now and both were available I would get the A1, but is there a difference between the two? I mostly don’t need an enclosure but, do like and like the screen, Ams Lite, and flow calibration on the A1.
Kinda a dumb question but thank you for any suggestions! Should I throw the mini in the picture or is that too small to consider. I do like to print bigger things, but I would like multicolor. A P1 is too much for multicolor for me.
I have used both the A1 and the P1P, and because of the failure with the connection in the A1, I personally don’t trust the A1 much. I would shoot for the P1S and AMS instead, since you can print more diverse prints on the P1S. Still has an AMS, and if you ever want to print better or bigger, I would go with the P1 over the A1.
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Assuming you don’t need to print materials like ABS since you don’t need an enclosure, I’d agree that the A1 is a winner. Except that it’s not available due to the heatbed redesign they are doing.
The hard part is that the A1 is now an unknown quantity; I have a lot of faith in Bambu Lab but they, like us, are just humans; in particular delays can happen pretty easily. So not an easy question by any means.
If it helps, I’ll share my thought experience and see if it helps clarify your thinking.
When my A1 was put out of commission because of the heatbed issue, I considered upgrading to the P1; not only was it the same build volume, but it would let me try out more upgrades; up to 16 color printing, special nozzles like the E3D Obsidian, etc.
But at 950 bucks, it just did not feel right for me (even with the $80 discount for an A1 return). Granted, I have a lot of faith in Bambu Lab to come through on my A1.
So instead I purchased an A1 mini; it prints just as great and I’ve been super delighted. The only real annoyance is not being able to print out larger models; for example I wanted to print an airplane launcher only to realize it was too large.
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Yes, I definitely agree with what you are saying. I may just get the Mini - but the build volume holds me up. I also did not make this clear in my original post, but I meant to say I like the Flow Calibration, AMS Lite and the other things. It would also be annoying to wait a few months and have them sold out, and then wait for another or two. Regarding the A1 Mini, does it also have the same calibration methods as the A1? And do you find yourself daily wishing for a larger build volume?
I also think $1,120 (with taxes) is a lot for my hobby of fun multicolor printing. I don’t have a huge purpose for the enclosure, or a better AMS for moisture. So all in all, I won’t be paying 1k for a P1, I would just buy a X1C for 400 more!
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I’ve been using the X1C and P1S for quite a while now and just recently the A1 until I sent it back. I regret sending it back now though as it was a great little printer.
I’d say if you didn’t need an enclosure and the ability to print the other materials it was way better than both of the more expensive printers. The screen is great, and the fact you can swap nozzles with ease is something the other printers should have! It’s pretty quiet as well, I’d say it’s more quiet than both of the other printers just mainly the fan noise you can hear. The AMS lite worked great and never had an issue with that unlike the AMS on the X1C, I’m forever getting issues with it. The camera on the A1 is terrible though so that was a bit of a disappointment, although the better printers don’t have great cameras either.
The P1S is just as good as the X1C I really don’t see the point in spending all that extra unless you are worried about failed prints, the X1C does detect them but I’d say only about 70% of the time, so it’s not something I totally rely on.
If you need one now I’d say get the P1S the screen is naff, but you just use your phone for most things anyway. If you can wait I’d say wait for the A1 or the upgraded P1S which I imagine is in the works, but no idea how long you’d be waiting for that for.
As far as I can tell it has the same calibration; when I see it startup it goes through the same steps my A1 did. As far as I can tell, it’s identical to there A1 in terms of features except for build volume (though someone else correct me if I’m wrong).
I do sometimes wish I had larger build volumes; especially when printing out stuff like organizers; like boxes, wall mounts, etc. A lot of those models are designed for 256x256x256; same applies for especially tall builds.
For me I’ve been printing a lot of smaller trinkets for gift giving, with some functional prints for my devices (e.g. a keyboard stand) so I haven’t really missed the larger build volume. Even when I had the A1 I would only sometimes do larger prints. So for me it hasn’t been a big issue.
Not sure if you have a sense for the size of prints you want to do; but if you will be doing mostly larger prints, the A1 mini is for sure not gonna cut it.