Hello again everyone. I have been wanting for sometime to learn and purchase a good 3d printer to complement my art, cnc, laser and other tools. But there are so many options and I have noticed many here on the forums own one. So here is the question: If you had a $4000 dollar USD budget what would you like to own and why? Do you use more that two colors? What printing speeds are your most wished for? Do you use a scanner? Thank you in advance for your input, it will be of great help.
Bambu H2D hit the sweet spot for me. I don’t print toys, so two color switching was plenty for me. I mostly print custom jigs, fixtures, and tooling, so having the ability to add text and other information in another color easily was worth it to me. Also leaves the option open for multicolor foolish prints with a bit less waste if friends or family want something on the odd occasion.
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I have 3 printers, none of them Bambu. If I was starting from scratch I would get a Bambu printer but I have lots of spare parts for relatively ‘open source’ printers so that isn’t likely to happen. Bambu uses proprietary slicer software and there are lots of proprietary parts on it and that is a big reason I don’t have one.
The Bambu has lots of new technology that I would love to have … but again, I like how my less advanced printers all use similar parts and a single slicer (PrusaSlicer). At my age, having to learn/use yet another piece of software (slicer) is a big hurdle for me.
One of my printers is a Jubilee with 4 extruders. I love the ability to run a multi extruder printer simply for the fact that I can have multiple filaments loaded (mostly PETG and PLA). I only occasionally use multiple colours but it really does open up the possibilities. Having multiple print heads is also MUCH more efficient then one print head with a filament switcher.
The Jubilee is 300x300, I have a highly modified Creality (300x300) and I have a large 500x500 Creality (also highly modified) printer. It is surprising how often I end up using the large printer and I really appreciate having that printer available.
The Creality printers only use the original frame and motors. Both of those are ‘bed slingers’ and are not as accurate as the Jubilee but if you are not into speed (or very tall prints), a bed slinger is fine.
To sum it up, I would suggest a Bambu or possibly a Prusa Research printer to start out with. Having a filament switcher on it is nice too until you get more into the hobby. The switcher can be added at a later time too.
I can’t recommend a specific model of either manufacturer as I don’t know enough about them.
Forgot to mention, I print jigs, fixture4s, replacement parts, Gridfinity boxes (currently printing LOTS of Gridfinity stuff), electronic project boxes and functional replacement parts if they can be made from plastic. It is really a life changer to have 3D print capability even at a fraction of your budget.
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Kind of like @Jens I had multiple printers that I had modified and extra spare parts. I decided to buy the Bambu X1C when they were launched… A year later I gave away my non-Bambu printers and all the spare parts.
It’s been 3 years since I got the X1C and I’ll likely get one of the newer models in the next year or less. Sure, I wish it was open source and not as proprietary but since I print 20-40 hours a week and sell items, I would prefer the consistency, hassle-free dependability of the Bambu over the constant tinkering with the other printer brands (in my experience).
Constant fiddling is unfortunately an issue 
If I was printing stuff for sale, I would probably invest in a top end Bambu unit.
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I have a Bambu Lab X1C for about 18 months and have 2200 hours with no issues! If you look around, all the 3d print farmers most use Bambu, and that’s what made my mind up.
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I have a Bambu Lab X1C printer with about 1,800 hours and no issues. I understand the X1C has been retired so I would look at any of the H2 series along with a AMS 2 Pro Filament Feeder.
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If your interested in multi-color printing I think something that uses the new Bondtech INDX system seems like a good way to go. Prusa is coming out with the INDX for the Core1 in spring 2026 so that would be soon, I would hope.
I am a fan of Prusa and have a i3 MK3.5S with the MMU3. I also have a Bambu P1s with one AMS. The Bambu is faster but the print quality is better on my Prusa. It could be that I just haven’t got the settings right for the Bambu. I’m not a Bambu fan because of the closed ecosystem but that’s just me.
I honesty don’t know what’s available in the $4k range. The Prusa XL was/is in that price range but it’s mostly because each tool head is $500. Something like the INDX system is less expensive per tool because it’s pretty much just the nozzle as opposed the Prusa XL where each tool head has it’s own motor etc.
I can say that if you want multi-color then a system that has multiple nozzles/tool heads is a big plus because they don’t have to purge filament for every color change. Both of my printers have one nozzle so they waste filament changing colors because they have to flush the previous color out. With multiple tool heads you only have to purge when loading the filament as opposed to the possibly hundreds of color changes in a multi-color print.
I’ve sliced some prints that actually had more filament as waste then what would be used for the model. I tend not to print those because it just seems wrong to me.
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I think a lot depends on what you’re hoping to print and the materials you plan on using.
If you don’t really know yet, start with a Bambu Labs A1 because you’ll get good prints using PLA and PETG. Adding the AMS lite gives you a taste of multicolor prints. The whole setup only sets you back about $400 right now, which is insane to those of us that started more than 10 years ago.
Like @_Michael, I’m a fan of Prusa machines, but I think sometimes you need to just get printing to learn what you’re missing, if anything. Like @_Michael also suggested, we’re on the verge of some really cool breakthroughs in multicolor printing.
@Karver_One Do you know what your end goal is?
Somewhat related, if anyone has a need for 2.85mm PA-CF filament, I can get you a good deal…pm me.
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I agree with this comment here. The world of 3D printing has really spanned many different hobbies at this point and different brands cater to different needs.
What are you making? What materials do you need to use? What will you want the ability to do, even if it’s not very common? Do you want the printer to be its own hobby or do you just want a tool like any other?
Once you answer those style of questions, and others in this thread, you’ll likely be able to get a more tailored answer.
For me, I wanted easy two color printing, the ability to print engineering filaments, and I want to spend exactly zero minutes playing with the machine itself. I want a tool, not another hobby. That ended up in me getting the H2D which checked all those boxes.
I’ll second what @NeilFerreri said about the Bambu Labs A1. My stepdad has a pair of them and the bang for buck really is amazing.
I also wanted to mention that I’ve found all3dp.com to be an excellent resource for learning 3D printing and staying informed about new developments.
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I own several Bambu printers and they’re all great. I also just got a Snapmaker U1 and it seems to be pretty cool too. Four tool heads for under $1k.
Honestly you don’t need that kind of budget. If you want to do a lot of multicolor I’d suggest the Bambu H2C ($2200) or the Snapmaker U1 ($850). If you just want to do single color with the option to do multi-color I’d suggest the Bambu H2S ($1500) or a Bambu P2S ($800).
If you really want to spend $4k get two or three. 3D printers are a lot slower than CNCs so most prints take many hours or even days if you get crazy with size and color, so having multiple can be handy for sharing the load.
Dear All,
Thank you everybody for your wonderful tips, suggestions, and experience. It seems that most here tended towards the Bambu brand. After doing some research I have to agree with the consensus. I did think about spending the money on a ATC for my Altmill or even going up to the 4x8. Truth be told, and I am sorry Sienci, but it is just to high in price for four feet more table space. The price is actually now in the range of a used mid 4x8 industrial CNC complete with a full metal table. And the ATC is almost the same price as a whole 4x4 machine. But maybe someday…
So I have decided to purchase the Bambu H2C! Very exciting and I think it will make a great complement to my CnC, Co2 Laser, and other tools. Thank you all so kindly for your help. You made me much more confidant about my decision.
Looks very fun and BTW, who needs some filament?
Cheers!
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