Comment on Need help with printer recommendations
sbeak@sopuli.xyz 3 days agoI have a Bambu A1 too, and it prints great. However, in hindsight, I would not recommend Bambu’s printers. I don’t like that they’re locking down on their software ecosystem. It’s not just third-party slicers, but they also broke third-party accessories like the Panda Touch display which isn’t very nice at all. I use OrcaSlicer, so I have to set my printer in LAN only mode with the firmware still on v4.0.0.0. If you have the newer firmware, you have to toggle the “developer mode” which for some reason is different to the LAN only mode. I use Tailscale to access my LAN only A1 remotely. LAN only mode also means I can’t use their mobile app, which I think is a silly restriction for the sake of it.
Third-party slicers and accessories are only the beginning. I’m almost certain that in the future they will make it required that you use Bambu’s own filament, they already have the RFID tags in there so all it takes is a firmware update. Who knows, maybe they’ll implement more restrictions similar to Apple like pairing parts to the printer and blocking things like third-party nozzles. I really hope they don’t do that, but it looks increasingly more likely…hopefully Bambu doesn’t become the HP/Apple of 3D printers.
For now, I would stay away from Bambu and go with other options (see Elegoo’s Centauri Carbon/non-Carbon, the Creality K2 Plus, Qidi’s Q2 and 4 Plus, Sovol’s SV06 ACE, and of course Prusa…)
daannii@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Most people don’t want to use a 3rd party slicer or switch out the screen.
The Bambu studio slicer and screens that come with the printers both work well.
I really doubt they try to restrict filament brands. No one does that.
Their brand nozzles are the same price as 3rd party ones.
And personally I’ve used both and the Bambu brand ones are better. They are also designed to break instead of destroying the entire print head if there is some big obstruction.
Most people don’t want to tinker with their printers constantly to get them to work.
Or install 3rd party firmware.
They just want the printers to work. Bambu just works.
So many hours have I wasted trying to fix hardware problems on my ender 3 v3. Or tweak settings in the slicer that never fixed the issues.
So much time spent on reddit and YouTube, troubleshooting.
The Bambu just works. It always just works.
If I want to tinker with something, I’ll unpack my ender I’ve put away. But I don’t see that happening.
Sounds like you are someone who wants to tinker with the printer. In your case , no, a Bambu probably isn’t the right choice.
But for 90% of people looking to get into 3d printing, bambu is the right choice.
Most people lack mechanical skills or knowledge and get frustrated with sub par printers and don’t stay with the hobby.
Bambu allows more people to get into the hobby. Which means more unique filaments because there is a market for it. More creators. Because there is a market for it.
It’s a win win for everyone.
sbeak@sopuli.xyz 1 day ago
You see here, blocking third party accessories people bought with their own money and blocking third-party software that many people use (not everyone, but certainly many) is not very nice. I’m not saying Bambu should stop making their printers user-friendly, or that Bambu should stop making printers altogether. What I’m saying is that you don’t need to actively block third party software and accessories to make a 3D printer easy to use. Offering good first-party software is great, but that doesn’t mean you need to block all the third-party options altogether. The two can coexist. The first-party option for those who don’t want to tinker, and third-party options remain available for those who prefer it. Don’t think OrcaSlicer, the Panda Touch display, or OctoPrint is going to break the printer, esp. for OrcaSlicer being a fork of Bambu Studio.
I really hope they don’t restrict filament, but at the rate they’re going, they might just do that. HP did it with 2D printers and ink, and Bambu’s already halfway there with the RFID tags, so it’s a matter of a firmware update to stop the printers from working with third-party filaments.