That was the first question someone asked when I mentioned I had just received my H2S. By the way, I ordered it on a Friday afternoon and it showed up two days later on Sunday afternoon. I was not expecting that, but I was elated.
First, I want to thank everyone who has printed, downloaded, and boosted my designs and print profiles. I truly mean it, as it helped me afford something I could not have purchased without the support of the community and also @BambuLab for creating such a fantastic creator-focused program on @MakerWorld. I really appreciate all the encouragement and comments.
Now, to answer that question: why would you buy an H2S? Build volume, price, and quality of life improvements galore. I suspect that question came from the perspective that the H2D is the more advanced printer, and it is, but the dual nozzle seems overly complex and somewhat of a hindrance, at least from what I have seen here in the forums. I mostly print functional or parametric designs I create, and aside from occasionally using an interface layer, I normally do not need to consider filament purge waste.
Initial Reaction
My reaction can only be compared to when I switched from the Creality world with my Enders to owning my first Bambu printer, the P1P. Turning that thing on and watching it do its magic is exactly how I felt when I powered on the H2S for the first time and watched it perform calibration and the first print. It is glorious and really something to behold, not to mention the machine is huge in the best way because of that awesome build volume.
Initial Thoughts
I do not like the startup noise, music, or chime, whatever you want to call it. I hope we can one day change it or that they release something more pleasing. It is almost startling. That aside, this printer is quiet, fast, and automated. The little filament purge tail it produces during dynamic flow calibration is incredibly small. The acceleration during bed level detection and overall XY axis movements is a joy to watch. Seeing the vents auto-open when printing PLA and how it performs nozzle wiping, everything about it screams refined automation. Just like the P series and X series before it, this is only the beginning. We are going to see some incredible updates from Bambu for these printers in the coming months and years.
Shipping
I was not expecting such fast shipping. I ordered on Friday afternoon and it shipped from New Jersey to the Midwest by Sunday. Others I talked to mentioned 7 to 10 day timeframes, so this was a nice surprise. The product was shipped via FedEx, and aside from one of the four plastic box retainers being missing, it arrived in perfect condition.
Unboxing and Setup
The unboxing experience was fine. It was not fun, but it was not a chore either. Some of the screws that needed to be removed were in slightly awkward spots, so I grabbed my trusty iFixit kit to speed things up instead of using the included hex L-key. This was also the first time I used a magnetic one, and it seemed to be decent quality, so I will definitely be keeping those. The setup was straightforward with only one error in Bambu Handy, most likely because of firmware mismatch. After the firmware update, which felt like it took forever, everything worked fine. I had no issues with the first full machine calibration.
Cons
At this point, I do not have any significant complaints. I hope they add more filament presets directly to the machine so I do not have to set them manually in Bambu Studio or Handy now that I have a usable screen. But I have only had minimal time with the printer so far, and everything I have printed, including one overnight job, came out successfully and was waiting for me in the morning. I set the interior light to energy-saving mode so it powers off after the 10-minute sleep mode, and I turned off the sound until they make changes.
Conclusion
The H2S is a significant step up from the P1PS in every way. Where the P and X series are Bambu’s workhorse printers, the H series feels like it is entering the realm of commercial-grade equipment that businesses will keep on hand, ready to produce something functional or prototyped at a moment’s notice with an even higher level of quality.
