Summary of "After Hundreds of Prints… These Are the Printers I Actually Use"
Concise verdict
Overall the creator’s go‑to ecosystem is Bambu (referred to as “Bamboo”) for day‑to‑day reliability and ease of use. For abrasive/composite printing he prefers the Cheetah Q2. Several other printers provide useful niche capabilities or value for the price, but they are not his daily drivers.
Summary by printer — features, pros, cons, user experience, comparisons
Anycubic Cobra X
- Main points: Surprising value and capability; Ace Gen 2 tool head works well; fits a unique multiplexer/tool‑head niche.
- Pros: Low price (around $279), reliable in his testing, good tool‑head design.
- Cons: Bed‑slinger format is less stable — not ideal for beginners/intermediates seeking maximum bed stability.
- Use: Semi‑regularly; still testing.
Anycubic P1S
- Main points: Not used recently due to a clogged nozzle he never cleared.
- Pros: N/A in this video (plans to apply BigTreeTech “Panda” upgrades).
- Cons: Currently out of commission (clogged nozzle).
Carva Air (CNC)
- Main points: Sent to him; well engineered and approachable for non‑CNC specialists.
- Pros: High build quality, easy for a normal user to operate.
- Cons: He doesn’t do much CNC work, so it’s used only occasionally.
Snapmaker U1
- Main points: Foreheaded tool‑changer; enables multi‑color printing with no waste and can print TPU multi‑color (a rare capability).
- Pros: Reliable; trusted for long prints; good for PLA/PETG/TPU.
- Cons: No enclosure — not suitable for ABS, ASA, nylon, or carbon‑fiber composites that require a hot chamber.
- Use: Semi‑frequent, more than many machines but less than main Bambu machines.
A1 Mini Combo (Bambu A1 Mini)
- Main points: His first meaningful upgrade from an Ender 3; rock‑solid workhorse but small build plate limits throughput.
- Pros: Very reliable; he owns three; great entry to the Bambu ecosystem; AMS (spool system) reliable for feeding.
- Cons: Small build volume — not ideal for larger or stacked production.
- Use: Reliable but used less now because of size limits.
AMS vs AMS Light (Bambu feeder systems)
- Main points: AMS Light (spoke‑mount) avoids spool‑roll problems and is more reliable for feed; trade‑off is loss of sealed/drying capability provided by the sealed AMS canister.
Cheetah/“Cheety” Q2
- Main points: Go‑to for abrasive/composite printing (nylon, etc.). Includes chamber heater and hardened components; rated for hardened materials.
- Pros: Strong for composites; hardened/higher‑temp setup; reliable (he had a pre‑release unit that worked very well).
- Cons: Community reports of variable quality and some horror stories — buyer beware for certain units and multi‑color setups.
- Use: Frequently for abrasive/composite prints.
Cheetah Q2C (soft variant)
- Main points: Non‑hardened variant; he experienced print stops and unreliable results.
- Pros: About $100 cheaper than the Q2.
- Cons: No chamber heater, less reliable for composites; he recommends getting the Q2 instead if you plan composites.
AD5X (Flashforge)
- Main points: Better than expected after modifications; originally not hardened so he fitted a hardened extruder.
- Pros: Good print results when working; capable of printing enclosure parts with fiber‑filled PET.
- Cons: Mid‑print stops on some jobs; not intended for abrasive materials without modification; not in regular rotation.
Bambu H2C / H2D
- Main points: Primary workhorses for him and his wife; extremely user‑friendly with low tinkering required.
- Pros: Reliable, easy to use (wife prints on them), good uptime. Logged heavy hours on these units.
- Cons: More closed ecosystem — less flexible for tinkering.
- Use: Daily; main production machines.
“Centauri / Centuri / Carbon 2” (transcript references vary)
- Main points: Testing a Carbon 2 variant for ABS/ASA. Lacks a chamber heater and shows warping on thin‑wall ABS/ASA geometry.
- Pros: Good value for composites in general and reliable for many prints.
- Cons: Chamber heat handling not ideal — warpage on difficult ABS/ASA prints; still evaluating for high‑temp composites.
- Use: Testing; not yet ideal for ABS/ASA without better chamber control.
X1 Carbon (Bambu)
- Main points: Longstanding go‑to; used with an iBoss filament dryer mod (individual drying per bay).
- Pros: Hardened capability; pairs well with a filament dryer (game changer); very reliable (about 2,000 hours on one unit).
- Cons: Dryer UI a bit clunky; for composites Cheetah Q2 is preferred, though X1 Carbon is solid.
- Use: Regularly; long hours logged.
Honorable mentions / other machines
- Creality K1 / “Creality High” (friend’s): used to have excellent bed adhesion; adhesion declined with hours.
- Centauri / Carbon 1 units (lent to friends): still working fine.
- Cobra S1 (Corey’s): stands up to neglect/abuse; he and Corey made a comparison video listing four likes and four dislikes.
Numeric details and specific notes
- Anycubic Cobra X price referenced: around $279.
- Hours logged on Bambu machines: ~1,800 hours on one H2C/H2D unit, ~970 hours on another.
- X1 Carbon: ~2,000 hours on one unit.
- AMS Light: recommended to reduce spool‑roll problems; trade‑off is losing sealed/drying capability.
Pros across the fleet (overall themes)
- Bambu ecosystem: highest day‑to‑day reliability and user friendliness; great for low‑tinkering, dependable printing.
- Cheetah Q2: best for hardened/abrasive/composite work because of chamber heater and hardened components.
- Snapmaker U1: unique niche for multi‑color TPU and multi‑color soft‑filament printing without waste.
- Cobra X: strong budget pick for tool‑head experimentation and multiplexer setups.
- Carva Air: well‑engineered CNC for occasional milling needs.
Cons across the fleet (overall themes)
- Cheaper or non‑hardened variants (Q2C, non‑hardened AD5X) can have reliability issues and are not ideal for abrasive materials.
- Machines without chamber heaters struggle with ABS/ASA warping on challenging geometries.
- Some units have UI quirks (e.g., dryer UI) or intermittent mid‑print stoppages reported on certain models.
Recommendations and takeaway
- Dependable, low‑maintenance daily driver: choose Bambu (H2C/H2D/X1 Carbon). The creator describes himself as a “Bambu fanboy.”
- For abrasive/composite filaments: get a hardened, chamber‑heated machine like the Cheetah Q2.
- For multi‑color TPU or low‑waste multi‑color soft‑filament printing: consider the Snapmaker U1.
- For value tool‑head experimentation: Cobra X is a strong budget pick (≈$279).
- Avoid non‑hardened soft variants (Q2C) if you plan to print composites — spend a bit more for hardened versions.
Other voices / contributors mentioned
- Jonathan (Next Layer): discussed content‑creation gear; agreed expensive gear isn’t required to start producing content.
- Corey: long‑term Cobra S1 user; collaborated on a four‑likes/four‑dislikes video.
- Paul: owns the Creality unit (bed adhesion anecdote).
- Wife: actively uses the Bambu machines — anecdotal validation of their ease of use.
- Community/comments: several “horror stories” about Cheetah boxes; buyer beware cautioned.
Final short verdict: For general daily printing and low‑maintenance production, go Bambu (H2C/H2D/X1 Carbon). For hardened/composite work, pick the Cheetah Q2. For multi‑color TPU or niche tool‑head experimentation, consider the Snapmaker U1 or Cobra X respectively. Some mid‑range machines (AD5X, Q2C) can be useful but may require tweaks or suffer reliability issues.
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Product Review
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