I’m looking to buy an intermediate level printer to upgrade from a MK2, and I’m deciding between a P1S vs a MK4.
I have never considered getting anything other than a Prusa, since I’ve had such good experiences using mine, however I heard that recently they’ve switched away from their open source model(?)
That and being made in the EU was the main differentiating factor for me, however I do hear really good things about Bambu printers.
Does anyone have experience with either?
Edit: Found a lot of the information I was looking for here: https://lemmy.world/post/9500502
I mulled between the X1c and the MK4.
I have an X1C, but the hardware is the same as the P1S minus the Hardened Extruder/Nozzle which can be upgrade on the P1S. The only thing different is the Bed temp is limited to 110 and no LIDAR.
The X1C is a click and go machine requiring little to no user meddling as far as bed leveling goes. Profiles built-in are OK and you can get community tuned profiles for many different filaments that work even better.
The AMS was the winning factor for me. The purge/pooping can be tuned to produce as little waste as possible. That is the nature of the AMS on Bambu, this is no different then the MMU on the Prusa. The AMS can act as drybox. The downsides of the AMS being you can’t really run non-bambu abrasives and TPU. Certain spools don’t fit in the stock AMS tray, but there is a printed mod called the Hydra Pro that lets you fit bigger spools.
Obviously, the closed vs open source debate is a matter of preference, and if you don’t care about that this is a not really concern or a point to mention. I wish I researched this matter more carefully before I bought it and tried to connect it to Octoprint (no usb port). Also there is no Ethernet, only 2.4 ghz wifi. X1E has Ethernet, but that thing is a scam for businesses and schools requiring Ethernet.
You can run the Bambu in LAN mode which means no cloud is involved at all and you can send your print jobs to the printer from the slicer. The only downsides is losing mobile app access, and you MUST connect the device to the cloud to get firmware update, which you can bring back to LAN mode afterwards.
The bambu is a much faster printer even on the stock hotend, you can upgrade to a CHT clone hotend or the E3D nozzle to push even further flow rates. The hardware is fully capable of running at about 35-ish mm^3 before the 45W heater can’t keep up.
The biggest complaint about the printer was how loud the stepper motors were and now that P1 series get the active motor noise cancelling, it is very silent. The fan noises are the same since you need more cooling when going faster. I print ASA/PETG/PC on this printer so they don’t need much cooling at all and runs practically silent. You can always print slower on PLA and reduce the fan speeds.
Get the printer for you needs. MK4 would have prob been fine for me too if I didn’t want to wait months for it. I am building Voron Trident to fill my needs for a bigger print bed.
Edit: I forgot to mention the repairability of the printer. CoreXY machines are more complicated then bed-slingers. Most parts are replaceable on the X1/P1 with OK documentation. The XY Gantry is a single piece. The front idlers are PERMANENTLY glued. Repairing the printer is a more of a hassle on the Bambu due to how it is was constructed. I think Prusa wins in this category.