Any Bambu Labs X1C Owners - my experience thus far - I hate it
Hi guys - just wanted to see if there was anyone else out here who also bought an X1C and either loves it or hates it. I did buy one, I will admit it, I fell for the influencer hype and the AMS. BUT after my mixed results and being partial to Prusa, I wish I never bought it. I love my (4) MK3(s) printers - hardly ever had any issues - yes there are the normal maintenance things like hot-end and nozzle replacements, bad thermistor wires, learning about bed adhesion, first layer calibration and the occasional stepper motor failing along clogged nozzles - but those for me were normal and few and far between over the past 5 years, Nothing like I am having with the X1c and I only bought it in Nov 2023 - especially when it comes waste and and the number of failed prints - OMG so many failed prints because they don't allow you to adjust the Z and their auto-leveling fails at times - only to print above the bed and walk into a spaghetti mess. AND god forbid you have a piece of oozing filament that does not get wiped off by the wiper forget it, it screws up the auto calculations - and the print is stuck to the bed like cement or barely touches the bed - and you need to start over. It has been a very frustrating experience for me. When it does work - yes the multi- color prints are fantastic - but I am no longer in need of that capability as I have other tech for my projects. I am not new to 3d printing, but when you start using the X1c - and go into it after using a Prusa you have certain expectations. You think you are going to get the same prints BUT faster. NOPE! There still is a learning curve and the slicer they provide, though a fork from what we know and love - is a bit buggy and could be confusing - but it is not bad. In summary I hate it and soon will be getting an Prusa XL. BTW Bambu's support is horrendous as well. Asking for STLs, 3MFs, Logs, videos, pictures and when you provide it they say "clean the bed with alcohol and try again" - I am exaggerating but you get the idea. To this day I can still send an email to Prusa support and get a thorough response with suggestions that actually work.
Here is one more reason I hate it - after much waste and testing I found it is impossible to print a black enclosure with through holes AND GET a consistent GLOSS outer wall sheen. If you are using a standard filament (such as PLA Black Overture) which prints beautifully with a nice sheen on a Prusa MK3 - it will come out Matte on a Bambu. This is due to speed, cooling, temps etc. No matter WHAT I adjusted (trust me - cooling, walls, infill, layer, temps, etc) - I could not get a consistent outer wall sheen - always had some sort of banding. I opened a case with support and posted in the their community and though many good members provided suggestions - no of them worked because of the through holes - again there was always some inconsistent banding in the areas of the through holes because of the way the nozzle travelled back and forth etc vs in a continuous circle. (attached image) - OH and support took all my files and said - NOPE YOU CAN'T DO IT - they said "print a solid enclosure and drill the holes yourself." The other reason I hate the X1C is the auto leveling fails a lot too and the inconsistency of prints - you will print successfully one time and then go to print again and it fails.
Anyway I am rambling - Just was curious of other's experiences IF they have an X1C -
Thanks all
RE:
I ordered an MK4, but that was when it just launched, so there was quite some waiting time. Anxious to get started, I ended up canceling it and got an X1C with an AMS that could be delivered immediately. Mostly because of the availability at the time, bling factor, big shiny screen, automatic filament swaps, and apparently very fast. I find many features on it pretty useful, but most of them are more nice to have but definitely something I can manage without. People all have different opinions naturally because their preferences and needs are different from mine.
I have my printer in my garage, so it is convenient to swap filament and begin printing without having to go out there and manually swap, but it is nothing I really need, and I barely print multi-color anyways. Mostly done it to try it out because it is possible. However, I get that the AMS is a game-changer for many people doing lots of multi-color prints, waste a side, it is a well-made system that hasn't failed a single time for me during these 6 months. And if you really want convenience, you can hook up multiple AMS and have all your colors ready to print with the click of a button.
I haven't really had any issues with it, so I don't regret buying it. I think it is a very capable printer that brings some new stuff to the table. But for my use case, even if I haven't tried it yet, I think I would really prefer having the MK4. I am also interested in the XL naturally since I plan on doing some architectural models, and with the scale I am using, I would be able to print the model in one piece which would be really nice.
So if I look at myself objectively and try to answer why I would want the MK4 over the X1C, it is looking like a combination of things. I really can't stand toxic people; it is just so unproductive and really drains all energy without achieving anything useful. Perhaps it is not fair towards the company to get all the blame for that, but it looks like that might be the outcome. Not saying there aren't any in the Prusa community, but I really feel there is much less, so for one, I miss the community. The second would be familiarity; I previously had the MK3S+, and it really was a workhorse, a solid capable and trustworthy printer, so I am guessing the MK4 would be all that and then some. The third reason is probably a sense of brand loyalty; I was trying to rule that out in my initial decision-making, but I have come to believe it is more important to me than I previously wanted to admit. I want to support a company that I feel has similar values as myself, with exceptional customer support that stands by their customers and overall seems to have a high standard and moral. You know, a company you would ask out on a date and have a drink with 😊.
I have used the X1C for about half a year now and I can't say that I am unhappy about it, but I am considering trying to sell it and get an MK4 and try that out for the next 6 months for all my reasons above. It all depends if I can sell it without getting too punched in the stomach economically, I am getting somewhat excited just writing about it thou so I might even accept a fairly small beating if that's what it takes 😁.
FDM 3D Printer
RE: Any Bambu Labs X1C Owners - my experience thus far - I hate it
That was well said!! I agree with the brand loyalty and the toxicity of the community I have experienced some of the negativity and abrupt replies and I’m not a fan. And in regards to the Support process I think they developed it that way to reduce the amount of support request because some people don’t even wanna bother with all the steps. I agree with you on some of those points about the system and the usefulness of it and the filament changes in the bells and whistles. I also want to sell mine I have three AMS units one still in the box I had some big plans but I started to do Designs using industrial printing technologies and no longer need the multicolor gimmick. And also agree it also depends on what it is you’re making my projects are fairly simple and for the amount of money I paid it can’t print a simple enclosure with a consistent sheen in gloss black That’s like 101 when I brought this up support team they didn’t care to even attempt to fix it or tell me what I could do. I don’t want to ramble on again but just wanted to that I agree with all of your points and thank you for your reply
RE: Any Bambu Labs X1C Owners - my experience thus far - I hate it
So a week has passed but I have made no effort on trying to sell my current printer, I actually got a renewed sense of experience and started using it more frequently and I am happy by the result. I also connected with some awesome people in both communities and once my immediate somewhat erratic feelings cooled down a bit I suddenly realized the fact that it's just a tool, and nobody cares what tools I use. I also realized I don't have to pick a side and will probably have to save up and get additional printers rather than replacing them, the more the merrier right? 😉
FDM 3D Printer