3d Printer Choice (Multi Colour)

[walshymyster]

Hi all,

I'm new to 3D printing and looking to buy my first printer. I’ve got a budget of around £600–£700 (though I’d love to spend less if possible).

What I’m after:

• A reliable and beginner-friendly printer (dont mind a bit of tinkering but dont want to go mad)

• Ability to print in multiple colours

• A decent-sized print bed (average size is fine – nothing tiny, but doesn’t need to be massive)

After doing some rookie-level research, I’ve narrowed it down to these two options:

• Bambu Lab P1S – Link

• Anycubic Kobra 3 Max Combo – Link

I haven’t seen too many other contenders in this price range, so I’d love some feedback or suggestions if I’m missing anything obvious. 

That said, I’m a bit concerned about the recent controversy with Bambu Lab. I know they’ve responded to it, but as a complete beginner, reliability and peace of mind and future use are pretty high on my list, so I’m not sure if it’s worth the risk.

Lastly – is it actually worth going for multi-colour printing? Or should I stick to single-colour for now and save some money? For those with multi-colour setups, how often do you realistically use them?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

[FlyingPotato_is_taken]

BambuLab P1S with AMS

 

An interesting alternative would be the Cetus 2.

[HanZie82]

I dont do pre-orders, so im patiently waiting for the Elegoo Centauri Carbon.
Also cus im cheap.  
But i also want some independent reviews, as the ones out now are a bit biassed.

https://eu.elegoo.com/products/centauri-carbon


I cant in good concience pay for anything Bambu anymore, they have made their intentions pretty clear and its not consumer-friendlyness.
Even tho their hardware is top-notch.
Just saying.

[TVwazhere]

The P1S is $650 but doesnt come with the AMS. The AMS puts it to $850.

 

Bambulab  has the A1, which if you include it's AMS comes out to $520 USD. It has the same build volume as the P1S but without the enclosure. 

[walshymyster]

17 minutes ago, TVwazhere said:

The P1S is $650 but doesnt come with the AMS. The AMS puts it to $850.

 

Bambulab  has the A1, which if you include it's AMS comes out to $520 USD. It has the same build volume as the P1S but without the enclosure. 

I'm working in £ so the p1s and AMS come in at £699 I'm just reluctant to go with them due to their newest practices.

 

Has anyone tried the Anycubic Kobra 3 Max with their ACE system?

[TVwazhere]

5 minutes ago, walshymyster said:

I'm working in £ so the p1s and AMS come in at £699 I'm just reluctant to go with them due to their newest practices.

 

6 minutes ago, walshymyster said:

I'm working in £ so the p1s and AMS come in at £699 I'm just reluctant to go with them due to their newest practices.

 

Has anyone tried the Anycubic Kobra 3 Max with their ACE system?

The only thing I would say about the kobra 3 max is that it's a huge build volume, perhaps too large for a beginner suggestion (the added size poses bed leveling and flatness issues)

 

Bambu's practices dont affect the beginner enthusiast as much as they are likely to just stick to Bambulab studio software and not branch out into Orcaslicer or any third partry monitoring software.

[Sanedish]

On 3/28/2025 at 12:57 PM, walshymyster said:

Hi all,

I'm new to 3D printing and looking to buy my first printer. I’ve got a budget of around £600–£700 (though I’d love to spend less if possible).

What I’m after:

• A reliable and beginner-friendly printer (dont mind a bit of tinkering but dont want to go mad)

• Ability to print in multiple colours

• A decent-sized print bed (average size is fine – nothing tiny, but doesn’t need to be massive)

After doing some rookie-level research, I’ve narrowed it down to these two options:

• Bambu Lab P1S – Link

• Anycubic Kobra 3 Max Combo – Link

I haven’t seen too many other contenders in this price range, so I’d love some feedback or suggestions if I’m missing anything obvious. 

That said, I’m a bit concerned about the recent controversy with Bambu Lab. I know they’ve responded to it, but as a complete beginner, reliability and peace of mind and future use are pretty high on my list, so I’m not sure if it’s worth the risk.

Lastly – is it actually worth going for multi-colour printing? Or should I stick to single-colour for now and save some money? For those with multi-colour setups, how often do you realistically use them?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Maybe a Century Carbon [iirc it can do multicolour] ? but if it's in budget, certainly a P1S with the AMS 2 Pro, or even a X1C with the AMS 2 Pro.

I do find BambuHandy questionable, and the support experience that they are giving me is groundbreakingly horrific, but you'll be fine with the controversy [just locking you to BambuStudio [they're own slicer] if you wanna use they're cloud].