I’m a proud owner and user of the legendary X1C and I find it strange that for quite some time now, there seems to be no more discussions or new topics in the X1C section (actually, in the entire X1 section).
Are there no longer any users still printing with X1 series ? And if there still are, are there no longer tech or printing issues to be discussed? Are there no longer users coming up with new mods and add-ons for the X1s? Is there no longer any interest for this printer model? I don’t believe, even for a second, that there aren’t out there plenty of other people still relying on their X1s to print.
Despite being (unfairly) discontinued by Bambu, it’s still an awesome legendary printer, it still delivers great prints (yeah, I know, it poops alot), and, next to P1, remains one of the most reliable and remarkable 3D printing machine that Bambu has ever produced to date.
So, for all the X1 users out there, please prove me wrong, and bring back to life this section. I’m looking forward to seeing you back and show Bambu that the legendary X1 series are still alive and kicking.
X1C was a great machine at time of release, no doubt about that.
But Bambu did leave it at a high price point for too long. Once P1P was being sold for $400 and P1S for $550 (If I’m not mistaken), there was no reason to sell X1C for over $1000.
Right now Bambu has X2D, that at least in theory should have all the abilities of X1C, in addition to a double-nozzle, and costs almost half.
So X1C has no place (especially at it’s price point) in the Bambu lineup anymore…
I use my X1C all the time - it’s still seeing similar print hours to my H2C.
I don’t think we’ll see much in the way of development or modifications going forward - if I was going to be developing something new for the X1C I’m definitionally targeting a shrinking audience - there are never going to be as many X1Cs out there as there are today.
I’d like to see development efforts shift to the H2 series - there’s so much unrealized potential in that platform.
X1C owners simply do not have much to talk about. Most have had the printer for a while and are familiar with its operation, features, capabilities, and limitations. It’s pretty reliable, so there are few faults to discuss; the solutions for the few that it does have are well known.
Well, at least some of the X1C owners began reacting to this post. That’s an impressive improvement from the prior total silence.
Now that we’re starting to gather once more, let’s just bring back to life the X1 topics again. Issues, improvements, hacks, tricks, tips, everything goes as long as we keep these topics alive.
I got the same experience as @lkraus . At least once my initial X1 had been replaced under warranty.
The one thing that sets my X1 apart is the Lidar. I am just not able to get anywhere near its calibration precision.
Definitely not by manual calibration and every once in a while, my H2C auto-calibration has a hickup.
When I got my initial X1, I had high hopes for all kinds of calibration options using single layer patterns and the Lidar based on physical principles at the nozzle.
Flow and flow dynamics are present, but how about printing temp effect lines, retract effect lines, fan effect lines or just doing a max flow test on an initial layer print and measuring line width for where it starts to thin?
This kind of stuff would probably be even easier with a nozzle pressure sensor… if it was precise enough. And the data accessible…
A real shame Bambu panicked when X1Plus was released. Embracing that could have made a big long term difference for them. I wonder how long it’ll take for them to react to PrusaSlicer 3. And how.
The reaction will be quite typical: rip off what they can and add into Bambu slicer.
I think it’s fair to say that Bambu don’t have quite capable SW team that works on the slicer. By now, Studio is overbloated very slow slicer that has quite the number of issues. Pretty sure various nozzle diameter support is missing due to the simple fact of the absence of SW engineering qualification there. BL likely will wait till Prusa add this in their slicer and then integrate it in Studio.
the X1C is a proven platform, runs for ages, but with it being EOL and a number of newer, cheaper options available to new users the only folks that are using them are legacy users who know what they are doing and are not jumping on the forums to seek advice… that’s just my take
I’m still running an X1C and will continue to do so as long as it will go.. it’s a great machine but is a bit dated compared to some of the newer platforms i’m also running in parallel. If something beyond a simple replacement were to fail on this thing I’m not sure that I would spend the effort to get it running.. but with only 5k hours on it I think I just got it broken in lol
Was actually just considering making a post seeing if anyone "up"graded from the X1E to another printer and what their thoughts have been. The X1E seems to print PAHT-CF like PLA and has been unstoppable…except for when I accidentally tried to swap nozzle with printer still powered on…
There was recently a firmware release that claimed to fix the pesky “user information expired” error when powering up printer, I was so excited as this has been my only gripe, except it still happens
The X1 is a most capable machine. Never let me down. It works straight out of the box. I’ve encountered very few products like that. Reliable, dependable and of top quality.
I have very little criticism to offer. Maybe slightly noisier than the newer models and the internal lighting could be better (I’ve upgraded since).
It’s a pity Bambu Labs have decided to discontinue it. Thankfully they still support it.
Hopefully it will continue to give me a long fuss free service.
I’m still happy with my X1C. Some time ago, when there wasn’t yet a really good ready-made solution from Panda, I installed a DIY chamber heater. That allowed me to make fairly full use of what the X1C can do, and since then I’ve also been able to print more demanding filaments that require a higher and stable chamber temperature reliably.
I also came to the conclusion quite early on that, at least for me, it is not a good solution to run different filaments through the same nozzle during the same print. I saw this particularly clearly once when switching from black ABS to white TPU: even after the white TPU had already been printing for quite a while, black residue still came out of the nozzle with a significant delay and discoloured the part. Apparently, material residues can remain in the hotend much longer than one might initially expect.
That’s why I focused quite early on avoiding support filaments as far as possible. It was a learning process, because since then I have consistently designed my parts so that they can be printed without support. Even so, today I would no longer buy a printer with only one nozzle.
I still use the X1C from time to time when I need it. By now, though, I’d like to take the next step and get into metal printing. For me, that will probably only happen once the price of a usable complete system, including a sieving unit, gas generator, etc., has fallen into the four-digit range. I suspect that may still take a while.
I guess because it’s still absolutely rock solid? It’s my faithful workhorse and I still love it (alongside my 3 other BL printers.)
Saw someone mention recently on a different forum that their AP board had just failed (after ~8000 hours) and they were distressed to find out a replacement was £130. Other than ordering some spares now, I’d happily pay that to keep my X1C going for another 8000 hours!
Personally, I do not have a X1C, I have only heard good things about them. I do however have the P1S, and for calibration, wished it had that lidar on it. The good news is you could get an X1C still (refurbished) now, but still way above the price many will pay.
I have also purchased a H2D and while I love that machine too, I still print a lot with my X1C too. It just works, no issues to post to the forum and by now I also know exactly what it is capable of and it’s not, so also no reasons any more to ask for help and tips 'n tricks.
Generally my X1C has been quite trouble free except when it’s my fault for not doing something. It worked out of the box; no nonsense setup. minimal maintenance.
Aside from a recent issue where every single filament is under extruding regardless of how much calibration I do and what parts I’ve replaced, it doesnt help. But if I submit a job from the Handy app, no under extrusion issues; zero.
I’ve been considering getting a second X1C to replace my heavily modified K1 due to the highly restrictive build area and tend to keep it around for “nasty” filaments like ASA/ABS/TPU because I built an exhaust system for it. Now that the X1C is EoL I’m worried parts will dry up and having a second one will be pointless. I dont trust aftermarket enough after dealing with so many defective “upgrades” for the K1.
But what else I’ve given up on is the whole “security” firmware BS (which continues to annoy me due to slicer issues). Its not worth the complaints any more. They’re not going to change anything and i’ve resigned myself to that fact.I’ve stopped updating, but there will come a point where even the handy app will stop working unless firmware is right version.
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