Is HF PETG Actually High Flow? (And What Are The Trade-offs?)

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Models used in this video:

Bridging test:

Overhang test:

Veroni cat:

In this video, we dive into Bambu Lab's brand new high flow PETG. This is the first high flow PETG I've tested so I was really curious to see how it compares to a standard PETG. We'll go over its specs, run through a series of test prints, and see what this material has to offer.

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[Dwayne-hv]

I have never had a video drop at a more perfect time than this one. I'm literally working with their PETG-HF for the first time right now and got a notification that you posted a video about it. Thanks for the data. I recommend checking out what happens when you try printing multiple organically detailed objects at the same time, because it seems like the default filament settings lead to some serious Z-Banding caused by varying flow rate (which can be visualized after slicing by switching from "line type" to "flow" in the upper right corner of the slicer), which was in turn caused by the "slow printing down" setting in the cooling tab. I ended up copying the filament profile over to OrcaSlicer (since they haven't updated to include it yet), leaving "slow printing down" enabled, and turning on "don't slow down on outer walls" as well as "precise wall" in the quality tab to fix it.

Apologies if this is all self explanatory information to other viewers, but I thought I'd leave it here in case anyone had a similar issue in the future and was having trouble finding a solution.

[TheFishingHobby]

I print and sell rod building jigs for people who build fishing rods. These are functional prints that need the mechanical property advantages that PETG offers over PLA. This HF PETG seems more like a step backwards. If you want to print faster for functional parts, the better move is to increase your nozzle size and layer height and keep the mechanical benefits of regular PETG. I print with a .8mm nozzle and .4mm layer height at 40mm/s which doesn’t sound like much, but it really speeds things up due to the increased line sizes and layer heights. I have a small print farm made up of Ender 3’s and I do not use Bambu Labs filament, but I really hope other vendors don’t follow their lead and get rid of a filament with fantastic mechanical properties just to reduce print times. It is not a good trade off for people who print functional parts that need to be able to handle some abuse.

[DavidsDProjects]

I've been using Elegoo Rapid PETG and I love it. I just turned up the temps and it works great! on the K1 Max. It is also sold in multiple and quad packs. The colors look good after printing.

[joeylopezdesign]

I'm in the tank for it, I switched from elegoo rapid to BBL HF completely, been through about 20 spools since it came out and loving it. love the near matte sheen

[chrislambe]

The main reason for PETG instead of PLA is that you can drop it and it does not shatter easily. Bending temperature and UV are of course important for many applications but surviving a fall is pretty important. HF PETG seems pointless.

[Shenandoahleather]

Agreed on offering both instead of just the inferior (on toughness) HF.

[OhImKiCkiN]

I love their new PETG-HF. I use it for the majority of customer orders (unless they request otherwise) in place of PLA. That way I dont have to worry near as much if they leave their print in a hot car or something.

[hobbyistnotes]

I got 10 spools of this filament right when it came out, and so far, it's been much better than regular PETG in a lot of ways. I don't dry it at all, and I'm printing from the AMS on my Bambu P1S printers. It prints fine, even considering that I live in Florida's humid weather and the printers are located in the garage. Less stringing and easier support removal are two game-changers for me, especially since I sometimes want prints to hold up outside for a while.

[jamesfrost]

Daniel, a note on your overhang test models all failing: I think this is a firmware bug with the A1 mini. I started having issues with my A1 mini running the nozzle into prints above a certain height after the last firmware update. If you watch closely, you can clearly see the nozzle starts to run into the part, knocking the print loose from the bed if there isn’t a wide base for lots of adhesion. A number of other folks have reported this and so far the only workaround people have come up with is changing (in Orcaslicer) the Z-hop type setting to Normal instead of Auto, and disabling the Reduce Infill Retraction setting. This does stop the nozzle knock, but increases stringing in many cases. I know a few people have submitted this issue to Bambu Lab, but I haven’t seen any response from them other than saying that it’s just a simple bed adhesion issue or just curling or warping of the part. Doesn’t explain why it only started after the last firmware change. It would be interesting if you could bring this up with Bambu and see if you can get any answers.

[RedsDPrinting]

Great video ModBot! Thank you for making it clear and easy to understand for anyone who doesnt want to spend the money on the new PETG right now but also wants to know whats goin on with this new HF PETG!
I really hope they keep both materials, I dont see why they wouldnt as the OG seems a bit stronger. I used to only use PETG for its strength but PLA+ has been doin the job for me for quite a while now, and if Im not printing pla im usually printing something way more abrasive

[BA]

There is a new profile for petg hf now. You have to press the update configuration button in the bottom left of the slicer.

[cluebin]

I've been playing with PETG-HF and the only issue I've seen is very pronounced seams. I've tried all the options for hiding seams including using scarf seams, but just can't get them to disappear. I can get them to be quite a bit less than Bambu's stock filament settings though. Pressure advance settings can be used to reduce the seam as well. I've had zero issues with using the filament sans the drying requirement. I dried one roll in a commercial dryer at 10% RE for two weeks and left another unwrapped roll sit out on a table for the same two weeks-- both rolls printed with the exact same quality. So I don't even bother to dry this stuff and have had no issues. The drying requirement initially kept me away from this filament, but now that I see it isn't even a requirement it is only Bambu's inability to keep it in stock that is the down side. It took 3 weeks for them to ship my most recent order of this material.

[TS_Mind_Swept]

I'm definitely with you in that I feel like they should keep both since each one has its strong points, but if it's a case of you have to pick one, I feel like the high flow is the better choice since it probably has a wider range of applications

[Barbasnoo]

For my use case, PETG is simply a higher temp resistance version of PLA. So the closer they can make its printing characteristics to PLA - the better. Their high flow PETG makes sense to me, but I know for sure it won’t necessarily make sense to everyone. I agree they should have kept both HF and Basic around due to this fact.

[eeropehkonen]

Great video! When they released the HF filament I suspected that it might be better suited for Bambulabs faster printspeed but the material qualities must have some drawbacks.

[florianmaslofski]

i just finished some PETG basic prints and started switching over the the PETG HF, and once its dry it feels the same. The one thing i do like about the HF is that it seems to stick a lot less to the nozzle, as ive had barely any boggers to deal with, which was a bigger issue before

[aaro_n]

Unfortunately the mechanical changes are pretty much a deal breaker. Plus the requirement of drying pushed me away right away. If the ams was a dryer I wouldn't care. But since it's not they should keep the basic petg also.

[SilvrDragon]

Just picked up a bambu A1 mini and intended to use PLA for most stuff and PETG for the high temp and other better properties but with the decreased layer adhesion of the HF i will be looking at another brand of PETG or another type of plastic for higher heat resistance. Kinda wishing i got the A1 now for ABS but didnt intend to print with ABS anymore due to the hassle.

[mattgavioli]

a good high flow PETG is also eSun's: can be printed with full fan, stays glossy way longer than standard eSun PETG even with active cooling, has pretty comparable physical characteristics and runs really fast, like 9 mins benchy fast

[xethknight]

I agree with keeping both Hf and Regular variants