Video summary
JUST NOT BAMBU - Bambu X2D Review
Main summary
Key takeaways
Product reviewed
Bambu X2D (a “non-traditional” Bambu printer with a dual-nozzle setup, but not a full tool-changer / true dual-nozzle design). Reviewer: Ross (“5-minute videos”), a strong Bambu fan delivering a critical review.
Key features mentioned
Auto-guided setup / unboxing
- QR code on the box to scan and view setup/removal steps.
- Printer performs self-calibration on first boot, with a walkthrough during setup.
Hardware design & enclosure
- Silhouette like P2S, with cosmetic changes:
- darker gray casing (similar to H2C)
- perspex windows on the sides
- non-lighted Bambu logos
- Front includes a glass door (doesn’t swing fully open) and a glass lid.
- USB port location: top behind the screen; screen tilts upward only.
Dual nozzle concept (not a full “true dual nozzle” in practice)
Reviewer emphasizes it behaves more like an auxiliary/support nozzle than an H2D-style true dual tool.
Hardware details:
- Left nozzle: uses a fixed coupler
- Right nozzle: uses a loose PTFE tube connected to an auxiliary extruder (Bowden-style)
- Nozzles are swappable like H-series/P2 nozzles, benefiting from Bambu ecosystem compatibility.
Extra airflow / VOC control + optional exhaust behavior
Internal filtration/exhaust behavior varies by material:
- PLA/PETG (cooler materials): internal vents open for fresh cool air while keeping the lid/door closed.
- ABS (warmer materials): vents close; it recirculates through a carbon filter, potentially with more passes.
External exhaust:
- Carbon-filtered external fan slides into the back.
- Runs differently: internal circulation during printing, plus external exhaust at end of print to clear remaining VOCs.
- Reviewer notes you can also connect a hose to the rear exhaust.
Chamber heater
- Heater on the left side reaches up to 65°C.
- Intended to improve layer bonding/print success in colder environments.
Camera & app features
- Camera (top left) supports remote monitoring via the app.
- With a USB drive installed, it records 1080p time-lapses (even though it has internal memory).
- Privacy: camera can see slightly into the room, but now includes a swivel privacy filter (like A1 printers).
Bed & volume changes
- Uses spring steel PEI plate, 256×256 mm, with nominal “260 mm” height claim.
- Reviewer’s critical note:
- 260 mm only on the left nozzle
- switching to right nozzle drops to standard 256 mm
- Reduced usable X dimension for right nozzle:
- right nozzle effectively limited to X = 235 mm (~21 mm unused), based on exclusion zones.
Motion / kinematics
- Uses 1.5 mm pitch belts (vs P2S 2 mm) to reduce VFA (vibration artifacts).
- Reviewer says most users won’t notice, but it’s still an improvement.
Performance & test outcomes (qualitative)
Print quality overall
- Overall quality: “great”
- PLA: solid results; benches look good.
- Multi-color (using both nozzles): dragons came out great
- Example speed/time estimate:
- 16-hour print on P2S → 9.5 hours on X2 (X2D referenced similarly; time estimates described as fairly accurate).
Material tests
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PETG / ABS / ASA
- Mostly fine bridging and smooth extrusion.
- Reviewer consistently saw a visible layer step line around the 60° overhang.
- Also affected underside overhang appearance.
- Reviewer suggests it may be machine/profile-related (e.g., beta profiles or possible lead screw issue).
-
ABS/ASA and heater value
- Succeeded visually even without demonstrating full heater effectiveness (he used room temp).
- Heater likely improves layer bonding strength, especially in colder rooms.
-
Polycarbonate (PC) and nylon
- Nylon required a brim to avoid curling.
- PC: reviewer says he finally printed PC properly on the X2D, and that it’s the only printer where he’s gotten good PC results so far.
- Nuance: avoiding curling visually doesn’t equal real adhesion strength; warmer environments and chamber heat help layers stay better bonded.
Retraction / stringing differences between nozzles
- Two retraction tests showed increased stringing from the right nozzle (Bowden/auxiliary nozzle).
- Likely fixable via slicer/manual calibration, but initial release profiles are still improving.
- Despite retraction differences, practical bench prints looked nearly identical.
Main pros (as stated)
- Bambu-like print quality and strong ecosystem compatibility (nozzles/build plates).
- Heater up to 65°C + improved belts (helpful for engineering/cold environments).
- Support interface benefits
- Slicer recognizes compatible support materials and recommends using one as an interface.
- Interface support leads to cleaner support removal:
- with ABS, normal support removal destroyed the part, while interface support removed much cleaner.
- Good UI/software experience
- UI is clean, intuitive, and “genuinely” hard to critique.
- Slicer workflow is geared toward average users.
- Camera + privacy filter improved vs earlier models.
- VFA reduction improvement from 1.5 mm pitch belts (subtle for many users).
- Price/value framing
- Reviewer calls it probably the best value printer Bambu sells financially, especially near P2S pricing at recording time.
Main cons (as stated)
- Not “true Bambu” simplicity / integrated design
- Feels like bolt-ons:
- external exhaust fan
- auxiliary extruder/parts
- Feels like bolt-ons:
- Dual nozzle is a limitation, not full capability
- Right nozzle is Bowden-based, causing less accurate retraction and more stringing.
- Documentation/material positioning shifted between versions (more strict early on; later docs soften to “supported/use with caution”).
- Reduced effective print volume (major practical complaint)
- Right nozzle limits:
- X effectively shrinks to 235 mm
- build height drops to 256 mm
- Slicer auto-layout treats exclusion zones as unusable even for single-material prints, wasting space and shifting models.
- Leads to workflow burdens:
- manual rearranging
- splitting jobs into multiple print runs
- possible incompatibilities with features depending on placement.
- Right nozzle limits:
- Software feature limitation
- Printer “doesn’t work with” add-ons including:
- pen plotter
- drag cutter
- laser add-on (strongly criticized as a missed opportunity)
- Printer “doesn’t work with” add-ons including:
- Reviewer’s philosophical dissatisfaction
- Feels like a “messy stopgap” toward a proper tool changer.
- Suggests Bambu may be avoiding a clean tool-changing approach.
- Camera privacy concern remains minor
- Improved with swivel privacy filter, but originally could see into the room.
Comparisons made
-
Versus Bambu P2S
- X2D = P2S chassis + heater + improved belts + bolt-on exhaust fan + auxiliary nozzle, with limited coverage/function.
- Reviewer suggests that if you were considering P2S at the right price, you might instead end up buying X2D.
-
Versus Bambu H2/H2D
- X2D is contrasted against a true dual-nozzle tool like H2D, which is more accurate.
-
Versus other brands/tools
- Workarounds are compared to voice assistants (Alexa/Siri): it works, but if it isn’t seamless, you stop relying on it.
-
Head-to-head mention
- Reviewer delayed a P2S review to compare it with the X2D, then focused on printing results and value.
Unique points list (consolidated)
- Review re-uploaded for “accuracy”; critique largely unchanged, ending adjusted.
- QR-based setup; first-boot self-calibration.
- Packaging includes guidance and correct screw/unclipping steps; combo units include AMS setup steps.
- Design resembles P2S; external changes include darker gray, side windows, and non-lighting logo.
- Perspex windows; rear ports differ; refers to two P2S rear panel revisions.
- Rear internals: waste chute and dual feed buffer.
- Dual-to-one buffer detects filament tension and adjusts AMS feed speed to reduce gear wear.
- Buffer has six-pin ports; dual filament inlet ports exist.
- X2D has dual nozzle, but it’s support-focused rather than true dual nozzle.
- External carbon-filtered exhaust fan included; connects via six-pin port.
- PTFE tube system: - left fixed coupler for left nozzle - loose PTFE tube + auxiliary extruder for right nozzle
- External fan/extruder look like bolt-ons rather than clean integration.
- Build volume differences: “260 mm” mainly left nozzle; right nozzle uses 256 height.
- Right nozzle further limits X to 235 mm; exclusion zones waste space even for single-material prints.
- Heater up to 65°C chamber heat.
- Material-dependent air management: - internal venting for PLA/PETG - carbon recirculation + more passes for ABS-like materials - external exhaust mainly at end of print; hose connection possible
- Camera remote monitoring; 1080p time-lapse export requires USB drive; swivel privacy filter added.
- Tool head: smaller dual nozzle tool head for lighter/faster movement; max movement speed 1000 mm/s (movement only).
- Nozzle swaps compatible with H-series/P2 nozzles; third-party options exist.
- Right nozzle stringing higher due to Bowden-style auxiliary extruder; likely needs manual calibration; initial profiles are beta/pre-release.
- Practical prints may still look similar despite retraction differences.
- Slicer/support workflow supports compatible interface materials for cleaner peel removal (ABS especially).
- Slicer recommends interface material like PETG for PLA.
- Printer doesn’t support pen plotter/drag cutter/laser add-on (laser called out as undesirable).
- Software/UI is clean; wishlist includes more stored files/time-lapses without USB and better job queuing.
- Print results: PLA great; multi-color dragons great; example time reduction (16h P2S → 9.5h X2).
- PETG/ABS/ASA: mostly fine but consistent layer step at ~60° overhang (may be machine/profile-related).
- Heater impact: improves layer bonding strength; more critical in colder rooms.
- PC and nylon: nylon needs brim; PC printed well here versus other printers (with adhesion/curling caveats).
- Motion improvement: 1.5 mm belts reduce VFA.
- Max nozzle temp 300°C; some third-party high-temp use cases may be outside coverage.
- Revised conclusion at republish time: X2D costs $100/£70 more than P2S; bundle likely worth it, but still not “Bambu clean.”
- Biggest annoyance: inconsistent usable bed coverage and exclusion-zone workflow friction.
- Overall verdict: good value (financially), but a messy stopgap vs a proper tool changer.
Speaker / perspective notes
- Single primary speaker throughout: Ross.
- “Multiple views” come from:
- correcting his earlier P2S review mistake (misread filtration/exhaust behavior)
- referencing documentation changes
- contrasting test results vs expectations.
Overall verdict / recommendation
Recommendation is conditional.
The reviewer frames the X2D as:
- A very good printer with strong print quality, a useful heater, and genuinely beneficial support-interface capability,
- but not a fully “integrated” Bambu experience, mainly because the auxiliary nozzle reduces effective print volume and forces practical workflow workarounds.
Who should buy
- Users printing mostly within the workable zone and wanting:
- the heater
- support-interface benefits
- Bambu ecosystem compatibility
Who should avoid / consider alternatives
- Users needing full-bed multi-nozzle coverage
- Users planning large models that hit exclusion zones
- Users who want accessories like laser/plotter/cutter
Bottom line
Good value, but described as a stopgap rather than the “must-have Bambu” equivalent to the X1.