Bambu Lab X1 transparent test - Finally the 3D printer customers want?

Finally, a 3D printer that is truly innovative. The Bambu Labs X1 (Carbon) has been in development for years with the aim of being a game changer. It features sensors not seen on a 3D printer before with the aim of automating calibration and some parts of the printing process. Is this the innovation the community has been craving?

Based on my experience, I’d say this printer is at least 90% there. Bambu Labs aims to have the final features in place and the bugs ironed out by shipping time, as well as documentation and support. If you consider backing, please remember that Kickstarter has no guarantees and there is always inherent risk.

This printer was provided free of charge for the purposing of testing, after Bambu Labs agreed to my review policy. All opinions expressed are my own.

0:00 Introduction

1:02 What is the Bambu Labs X1?

3:03 Unboxing and assembly

4:10 AI and advanced feature testing

6:58 Slicer and other software

9:37 Print tests and quality

14:52 Automatic material system (multi-material)

18:13 Is this beginner friendly?

19:49 Problems and my concerns

21:58 Conclusion

Models shown in this video:

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[lavafree]

Even if this fails, it’s a massive wake up call for other 3d printer manufacturers. They’ll be forced to massively upgrade the specs and/or lower the prices. Great for 3d printing space then 👏🏻

[FilamentStories]

Excellent video, thorough as always. Thanks for the time you took to share your thoughts on this new and exciting leap forward in 3D printing. I've backed the Kickstarter and hope the rollout goes smoothly for them as well. I am looking forward in seeing how the rest of the industry steps up to meet the new advancements Bambu Labs has made and can’t wait to see what the future holds for Bambu Labs. Thanks, Michael!

[andrewwilliams]

Although I backed from the beginning, this is the review I have been waiting for, proving that the smarts can be transposed to other slicers via gcode. Thanks Michael. 10/10 👍

[drewpd]

I backed it. The dude running it spearheaded the Mavic for DJI and that led to near perfect drones for consumers. After hearing that and seeing a few reviews and especially at that price it was a no brainer.

[chronokoks]

I'm a Prusa essentialist, but I would switch to this in a heart-beat. Manufacturers have been milking the same designs FOREVER and weren't forced to innovate. This might breathe some fresh air into the whole industry - although I'm super skeptical about some of the movement elements used in this printer. But still... the competition is ON!

[CircsC]

The killer feature is the lidar calibration for linear advance. I'd love to see a closer look at that.

[masonshaffer]

Just got one for our lab at work. I've worked with a lot of printers and this is already my favorite. Super easy setup and printed the most flawless benchy I've ever seen in 17 minutes without any manual calibration. Bambu Lab is the new leader in the game IMO.

[ThantiK]

Glad to finally see someone I inherently trust covering this machine.

[oddzc]

As printers get more cloud functionality it would be good if you went over their privacy policy as part of the review because it does affect how comfortable many companies would be using systems like this.

[richarddumas]

I have a new version and I must say, I love it. I had many different 3D printers in the past and it was more tinker than print. As of now, I can send an item to print with this unit and walk away with the idea of 99% it will finish correctly. Great review and Bambu had done much of the improvements already and every update is a big step forward.

[EJTechandDIY]

Placed an order this week, really looking forward to get mine

[dprintgreatgrimsby]

I would like to see some more prints relating to overall tolerances / accuracy and how the increased speed copes with this for engineering purposes etc

[rbyt]

Seems a great printer. Lots of positive reviews; did the KS. Hope the production units work as well as the review units, and Bambu can wrap a successful company around a good printer

[bujin]

I honestly think this printer is a game changer. When you consider the fact Bambu (who is ran by a bunch of DJI engineers who know what they are doing) has made huge investments to make a truly mass produced product, you realize they are only going to recoup their investment if they sell a LOT of this printer. Which means they are incentivized to stand behind it, and to continue to improve it (so they can sell more units) and the fundamental design has given them a LOT of leeway to make a lot of improvement without physical changes. That means, over time, it is very likely that this machine becomes much much more capable, far exceeding the current design objectives. It also means, at some point, as they recover their cost, they are likely to be able to drive their prices even further down, as they only really have to cover their inputs plus profit margin. This also means, changes to the platform are likely to be incremental in nature, as they aren't going to want to have to completely retool, and so it's unlikely your unit will become obsolete anytime soon.

[andrewshrapnel]

In all honesty, I had cancelled my pledge a couple of days ago, not because I don't like or trust Bambu Lab but because I really can't afford it at the moment. I wish I could & after watching this review, I'm really happy that the printer is as solid as promoted. Hopefully I can pick one up down the track. In the meantime, thanks again for another quality video

[reasonablebeing]

Great Review. I like all of the innovations I'm seeing from the "new kids on the block". All of my current printers are tuned and working. I'm going to let the community wring out these new printers and features and then buy when they are stable and mature. It will be nice to someday buy a printer and have it work out of the box without several hours of tuning and upgrades. These look like they are getting there.

[QKGLH]

I almost pulled the trigger on the KS. Had your review been around then, I would have done it. You're reviews are 100% trustworthy. Thanks for that Michael.

[helicrashpro]

I just received my X1 Carbon with AMS. Very impressed so far with the printer. I have 3 Prusa printers and a Voron 2.4 and the X1 Carbon is by far my favorite. I do think it's a game changer and makes some printers obsolete. Makerbot and Markforge are obsolete IMO. I would almost say a Prusa MK3 is almost obsolete, It's still a bit less expensive so not really obsolete but anything over $1000 and under 10K with the same work envelope is most likely obsolete because the X1 Carbon does it for less and faster with equal or better reliability. With all that said, my AMS is not working at the moment and I'm working with Bambu to figure out why. I have little doubt they will get it working as it should but out of the box it did not work for me. The printer it self seems to work flawlessly and I'm honestly impressed with the speed and quality of the prints. No failed prints yet and I threw some of my more challenging models at it first. I really love my Prusas but I have to admit, the X1 Carbon is now my favorite printer (sorry Josef) and will be the one I recommend to anyone that wants to print with bare minimum issues. I'm not getting rid of my Prusas but I don't know how much I'll use them. I'm probably going to buy a couple more X1 Cabons first quarter of 2023.

[markortiz]

Game changer....whether it is successful or not. It raises the bar and so changes the game. I don't care if Bambu wins. I care if a significant number of other companies rise to the challenge. Rising tide.... Well done Bambu...And for the reviewer whose name I didn't catch, very well done indeed! Impartial and thorough. I have subscribed.

[AndrewRS]

Bravo Bambu labs for bring a truely awesome printer to market!