Get a Bambulab A1 Mini (Here's why)

[@jackblack2931]

It's hard not to sound like a "Bambu fan boy" but these printers are honestly amazing. The consistency is unreal, and as long as you maintain them, they will serve with upmost quality.

[@Arne.Bornheim]

Haha I know the feeling 😉

[@slowcyclist4324]

As a complete beginner to 3D printing, my rational mind told me to get the mini, but the heart pointed me to the standard a1. Either way, I can’t wait for my A1 to arrive!

[@ingGS]

You will get the same great printer either way. I went A1 just because of the bed size, but I have the Prusa i3 which is close to the Mini and I have had no issues with the print volume.

[@Arne.Bornheim]

Yeah I would also say both are great. The A1 definitely gives some extra options for bigger prints so if you want to commit to 3d printing the A1 is a great way to go :)

[@FarmerHotdog]

Same lol

[@ronanh13]

I just ordered a A1 mini to go with my P1s and help speed up some of my projects

[@Arne.Bornheim]

Nice! Hope you‘ll enjoy it. Definitely a great second machine

[@bootchoo96]

I just did the same thing 😂 When the P1S is on a 4+ hours print, having the mini is great!

[@Arne.Bornheim]

Nice! I have 2 a1 minis by now. One in the office one at home haha

[@erikhansson9388]

My a1 combo arrived today works great , i also got a1 mini i bought without ams . But after some months i wanted ams but was expensive to buy ams separate. So i order big brother , will be fun to see which one is used the most

[@Arne.Bornheim]

Have fun with it! Ams definitely is really cool for a lot of things 😊 !

[@urasub]

Absolutely love my A1 mini

[@Arne.Bornheim]

Happy to hear! honestly it's such a nice little printer...

[@DougToppin]

Well done video and very good review. I have been using my X1C "a lot" and at times it would be convenient to have a second printer for smaller projects. The A1 Mini looks perfect for exactly that. I have been trying to resist a second printer but this looks practical. tks for the post.

[@Arne.Bornheim]

Thanks so much for your kind words 😊 Yeah I think the A1 Mini is a perfect second printer. Let me know if you end up getting one! i'm sure you'll love it

[@itsyagirlapes]

Didn't know the sale was on until Dec 3rd. Damn it. I think you've convinced me to get one and start a new hobby haha

[@Arne.Bornheim]

Haha it's definitely a good time to get into 3d printing and hope you enjoy it :) ! If you end up buying, I'd really appreciate if you used the affiliate link as it helps out the channel

[@itsyagirlapes]

@@Arne.Bornheim You're responsible for all the money I'm about to send, so definitely will use your affiliate link haha thank you

[@Arne.Bornheim]

@@itsyagirlapes Haha now I feel bad if you put it like that 😂 Thanks so much for the support !

[@binsun1587]

IM ABOUT TO GET THIS. HOW INSPIRING

[@Arne.Bornheim]

Hope you have a lot of fun with it !

[@kunalgarg2232]

I just ordered one with ams lite combo. Arriving 2nd Jan 2025. Way to start the new year 🎉🎉🎉

[@Arne.Bornheim]

Nice! hope you already got your first prints of and are having a lot of fun with it 😊

[@kunicross]

Totally agree, got myself the A1 fist and then the mini and the A1 is easy but the A1 mini is even more easy, totally a device you could give a kid or totally non tech person to setup and print. Only downside is that there are fewer print profiles compared to the A1 199 is the regular price, you get the combo with ams 50 bucks cheaper during the sale. (I'm kinda 50/50 it could become the regular price afterwards)

[@vladiiancu]

This bit of info about the differences between print profiles make undecided between the two

[@kunicross]

@vladiiancu ​it's only a real issue wirh stuff that is too big for the mini (the reduced build space is it's biggest downside overall) with everything else you have to get familiar with the slicer software (Bambu Studio) which looks more complicated than it is. (I would give it a couple of weeks through) If you already know that you might need the 256^3 space that is something you won't have a workaround with the mini, if you got the space and money I would recommend getting the mini and then the A1. Just yesterday I was able to cut the print time on a big print from 13 to 7 hours by printing the smaller parts on the mini while my A1 did the big ones.

[@Arne.Bornheim]

For me personally I would say like 90% of my prints fit on the A1 Mini (of course it's a lot less painful, if you have other printers to cover the last 10 % ;) ) really depends on how you feel. If you wanna test the waters, the A1 mini can do so much already. if you're quite sure you really wanna get into it it's probably better to just invest into the A1 for the bigger size :)

[@citizenrico42]

Ive had my Mini as long as this video had been out and I love it. Its been frustration free with no knowledge of 3D printing. I wish more things on Handy had Mini profiles, quite a few I have found rearrange just fine on the mini, but my chromebook is very picky with Bambu studio.

[@Arne.Bornheim]

Really glad to hear that you're happy so far! Interesting that there aren't that many Print profiles for the A1 mini yet. I never had problems finding one so far but hopefully that get's better with time 😊

[@wewyllenium]

convinced mate :D Many had recommended this to me.

[@Arne.Bornheim]

Great to hear :) ! I hope you'll love it. If you end up buying, I'd really appreciate it, if you used my affiliate links since I get a small kickback :

[@bubbabillybob-c7v]

Nice video, I am justing starting. Figuared I would wait until 3D printer companies advance. i jumped in and purchased a X1C with an AMS, two weeks later I ordered 3 AMS and hub. I would like to have 16 AMS 😂😂😂. The XIC only had one time problem printing Mono and going to PLA, had to reach in and pull the resdue of the tip once. It probably would clear on it own but, I seen it was spending a few minutes clearing. Didn't request a service ticket since I've put 283 hours printing Mono and PLA. Can't be happer with the X1C, regreted not getting the X1E.😢😢😂😂

[@Arne.Bornheim]

really nice to hear your expierience! You definitely went all in with getting the X1C as first printer. love it too! And yeah the X1E looks interesting ;) Hope they carry over some of the newer updates (super easy nozzle switching) from the A1 line to their other printers soon !

[@anatoliibaryshnikov2758]

great video!

[@Arne.Bornheim]

Thanks so much !

[@letemcook96]

I just got one. Its my first time with a 3d printer.

[@Arne.Bornheim]

Nice ! Hope you enjoy it ! 😊

[@therealzar]

First like, love your videos keep it up man !

[@Arne.Bornheim]

Thanks so much :) !

[@mandibarcena6667]

Can you pack it small enough for taking along for out of town trips?

[@Arne.Bornheim]

Sadly it's more difficult than I thought. I had exactly this in mind but the A1 mini can't be taken apart (like the A1 that goes into 2 pieces and can be laid flat) So it's still very small to put in a car but not very packable in like a suitcase...

[@mandibarcena6667]

@Arne.Bornheim Thanks for the info. I still bought it because of the price and I need one in the garage.

[@Arne.Bornheim]

@@mandibarcena6667 good choice haha 😉

Which printers come with watches? I didn't get one, but that would be a great idea. At $10, that's a cheap way to promote their filaments.

[@Arne.Bornheim]

Yeah it seems I was wrong about the swatches ! I definitely got them with one of my Bambu printers but it must have mixed that up… definitely still worth getting

[@Markus_Rühl_MTG]

i also think bambu is amazing as the printers, but they stole all of the open source of prusa and is making it for the masses at lower prices! But great vid! Keept it up

[@Arne.Bornheim]

Thanks :) ! I don't think you can steal open source 😉 But I get your point... I can't really judge on that but feel that Bambu has also added tons of stuff that make their printers unique

[@Markus_Rühl_MTG]

@@Arne.Bornheim agreed maybe ive been a little to aggressive! thanks for the answer!

[@adeharris4457]

I like your videos but don't get caught up with other content providers who think because the printer is small amongst other reasons it's a good first printer I absolutely agree it is a good first printer but so is it's big brother the A1 just as much & possibly more because some people who might watch this video may think I'll get that then quickly realise it's too small build size then have to spend even more money on the bigger one. Personally I would say the A1 is the the ultimate first printer it has everything Bambu offers for a beginner & has a good build size which for most people is important

[@Arne.Bornheim]

Thanks for your input! I totally understand and I think it really depends on your space and budget. If you have a space where you can always set it up ( and the budget) the A1 is obviously a bit more versatile because of the size. On the other hand, as I said, I love that I can just store the A1 mini away. And honestly 90+% of prints I do easily fit onto this one as well 😊

[@martyn_b_jones]

Agree with this around the A1’s being a good additional printer as opposed to a first. I went with a P1S with AMS for my first and considering a A1 or mini as a second printer to have two printing as the same time e.g. the P1S to do a large gridfinity base while the mini did a small bin

[@Arne.Bornheim]

Definitely really love it for the affordability and most models still fit on the a1 mini. I’m actually testing something right now that allows you to automate the a1 mini and keep printing many print plates after another. With that int becomes a real workhorse for Gridfinity and stuff like that

[@ezra366]

Hey I just into 3d printing and am wanting to learn how to 3d model my own tool and slice them. What software do you recommend?

[@Arne.Bornheim]

I made a whole video on learning how to 3d model. Maybe that might help. My favorite software for modeling ist fusion 360 and then for the slicer I love Bambi studio or orca slicer!

[@TheAndrewBen]

5:00 Interesting how the sale today is the exact same price a year ago. How worth it is the added $150 AMS unit? Can you 3D print an AMS unit? lol

[@Arne.Bornheim]

It really depend what’s important to you. I love the ams. Mostly I don’t print multicolor prints but it’s just an easier was to change colors in between prints since the printer does everything for you

[@Franek-s9o]

I didint get swatches with my a1m

[@Arne.Bornheim]

hmmmm maybe I was mistaken here. I'm pretty sure I got one with my regular sized A1 and not really sure about the A1 Mini bundle. If not you can easily order the swatches on their website for cheap

[@Franek-s9o]

​@@Arne.Bornheim Actually I don't need it because I don't buying bambu filament

[@Franek-s9o]

@@Arne.Bornheim but i bought my A1 mini in may so maybe it changed

[@Praxox]

Too late, i alredy ordered one lol.

[@Arne.Bornheim]

Nice! Have fun with it 😊

[@SidjEOS]

I have ordered the A1 combo, waiting for delivery. Based on the estimated print times of my proposed designs I may also order an A1 mini (non combo). I can certainly see a use for the A1 mini while the A1 is running other jobs. Black Friday pricing is good (even in Canada).

[@Arne.Bornheim]

Yeah it really depends on what and how you print. If you just print single objects and not masses of the same time like 90% of the models I print also fit perfectly on the mini.... (If you're looking to produce a lot, you should check out my newest video on automating the A1 Mini with swapmod)