I finally bought a Bambu Lab 3D printer, and it changed how I think about the hobby

There are many 3D printer brands out there to choose from, and, in 2026, it's fairly hard to make the wrong choice. I picked Bambu Lab as my 3D printer, and I am so happy I went that route, even though I was initially very skeptical of the brand. Here's why I love my Bambu Lab 3D printer, and how I think it completely changed how I see the 3D printing hobby as a whole.

I was initially very against the closed Bambu Lab ecosystem

Until I finally gave in and bought an A1 mini… it was cheap, okay?

When Bambu Lab printers first started taking the 3D printing world by storm , I was extremely skeptical. The thought of moving away from open source printers, like the Ender 3 and Prusa, was appalling to me and many others.

However, the company's marketing strategy of being the most talked about 3D printer for months on end did eventually pay off, as more and more print farms, and, by extension, end users, began adopting the printers en masse.

Though initially extremely skeptical, I, too, gave in to the marketing hype and decided to try a Bambu Lab 3D printer. I started with their cheapest printer, the A1 mini , which cost me $299 a few years ago and now can be picked up for well under that price depending on what sale is going on at the time. When the A1 mini arrived, I was instantly hooked.

3D printing used to be frustrating, but now it's fun

Who knew less tinkering would mean more enjoyment?

Originally, I was using Ender 3-style 3D printers. I had to manually level my bed with one printer, and my other did technically have auto bed leveling, but it required a manual setting of the Z offset, which was a pain. Pressure advance, flow rates, and other crucial 3D printing settings were also completely manual, requiring a lot of tinkering to dial in high-quality print profiles.

Because my bed was constantly going out of level—even after I deployed OctoPrint and Klipper to the 3D printers—I honestly didn't 3D print a ton. I'm a tinkerer at heart, but I prefer my manufacturing tools to simply work without much fuss, and Ender 3-style printers simply didn't deliver that.

The Bambu A1 mini 3D printer changed all of that for me, though. The bed didn't offer any manual leveling options, it just automatically handled it start to finish . Flow rate and pressure advance settings were automatically calculated on the fly, too. Everything that used to be frustrating for me about 3D printing was suddenly no longer a problem, and I began to 3D print more.

Bambu Lab didn't just make a better mouse trap, they remade the mouse trap from the ground up with all the changes I had been wanting, but didn't want to spend thousands to get. The moment I no longer had to tinker with my 3D printer, the enjoyment factor went up tenfold, and that's true across the entire Bambu Lab lineup.

At this point, I think 3D printing as a whole is simply a more approachable hobby than it ever used to be, and I fully believe that Bambu Lab is one of the main reasons. Before Bambu Lab entered the market, the hobby was screaming out for a fully automated 3D printer with a gentle learning curve.

Now that Bambu Lab has been around for a few years, there are many other options on the market to choose from, but Bambu Lab definitely paved the way, and I am so glad that the hobby is way more approachable now than it ever has been.

I don't see myself buying any other printer now

The ecosystem is great, the machines are reliable, and I have found my 3D printing home

At this point, I've upgraded from my A1 mini to having both a P1S and P2S in my office for 3D printing. Bambu Lab's machines are just the right systems for me.

I'm already deep in the ecosystem, using Bambu Studio , I have the AMS, and I've just gotten used to how the machines work. I'll likely try out other ecosystems in the future just to see what they have to offer, but it'll take a lot to get me to fully switch away from Bambu Lab at this point.

There's a benefit to sticking to one ecosystem for 3D printers instead of using a bunch of different brands: the workflow is consistent between all machines.

While I do have to re-slice a file if I want to switch from printing on my P1S to my P2S, the process remains exactly the same. It's all done using the same software, and I have full access to all Bambu Lab features on all of my printers. If I were to deploy other printer manufacturers in my fleet, then I wouldn't be able to say that.

I can technically use a Creality printer with Bambu Studio, but there's a chance that some features could become only available in Creality Print . Likewise, I could use Bambu Studio for an Elegoo machine , but some features might be exclusive to Elegoo's in-house slicer .

By keeping the brand consistent between all of my printers, it simplifies my workflow in all the ways that I care about, and that's enough for me.

---

Bambu Lab printers are simply the best for beginner 3D printer users

At this point, I'm convinced that Bambu Lab printers are the best for those who are just getting started with 3D printing. The printers have all sorts of automated systems on them, are reliable, and there's a fantastic community surrounding the printers.

When my A1 mini came in the mail, I was up and printing in less than 10 minutes. My P2S took slightly longer, but only because I was taking pictures of it during the unboxing.

If you haven't picked up a 3D printer yet, you can't go wrong with Bambu Lab. I regret not switching to Bambu Lab printers sooner than I did, but I am glad I finally made the switch.