QiDi X-Smart 3: A capable mini 3D printer with a tiny enclosure that traps heat well

[@jovid7]

Have had this printer for a week now. 400$ for an enclosed Corexy running open source Klipper seemed like a bargain and so far this little guy has been amazing. I set the Z offset once and haven't had to touch it.

[@jamesbont7052]

I have the entire x3-series here with me and the x-Smart is the printer that does most of the work. I love him ;-)

[@bowieinc]

Thank you. I can’t get over how informative and well done your videos are!

[@lesbac]

Just ordered one for $299. Perfect size for component parts and portability. Klipper too!

[@VeniVidiVici444]

Where?

[@lakkchina]

I love how her make review. One of the best channels for 3D printing. Subscribed

[@airingcupboard]

Your ability to analyse the market and the products is very impressive.

[@LisaHarsh]

Hi, nice review. However, one of your cons I am very happy QIDI does. The not online updates. Bambu printers are not allowed online for many businesses and people who are doing prototypes with non-disclosure agreements. Therefore they are not able to update firmware ever. Qidi, by having to download onto an usb stick maybe inconvenient but people who need to keep their printers offline or not connected outside their firewalled local network would be able to continue using these printers. I have the X Plus 3 and I like it more than the Bambu X1C I got rid of because of poor customer service. Qidi’s and flsun’s customer service is the best I’ve had from any company.

[@No0o0o0o0o0]

Are we glossing over the non replaceable X axis carbon tubes @ 1:00? They WILL wear and the printer is effectively ewaste. You cannot scratch them and must clean them EVERY 1-2 WEEK(s)? 🤨At least with a BL printer you can replace them. no thanks qidi. You should buy a printer that meets your needs not one whose firmware updates are not promised nor on any roadmap. It will eliminate complaints for something that was never advertised and reduces FOMO.

[@Kman31ca]

I'm loving this. So many great printers coming out in the last year. And 2024 I'm sure we're gonna see some even better ones coming out. Great review.

[@k9slover]

Very good video, as always. Your product reviews and comparison website have become my "go to" place for 3d printer info. I have to say this printer seems very attractive if someone wanted to do tougher filaments, for making tools or whatever.

[@laurv8370]

Excellent review! Very informative an well done video. Kudos.

[@even1007]

Thank you for your feedback! I will choose FLASHFORGE Adventurer 5M Pro

[@Cody_Spaghetti]

I generally look for impute from you over most youtubers twice your age you always do a great job keep up the good work.

[@RuiCardona2k]

Those bloopers were pretty funny, keep it up

[@eaman11]

At first I thought that it makes little sense to make such a small coreXY yet when I saw how the small volume behaves like a heated chamber for technical materials I was impressed: kudos for testing with ABS and PC. Actually Bambulab got it really wrong with the low temperature bed and nozzle of the A1, they should also provide a bigger bed for those not interested in AMS.

[@JonLaRue]

I don't agree. I think the purpose of the A1 was to take market share from Prusa, Tronxy, and Kingroon and their mini machines being used in print farms hence why the AMS and the prices.

[@eaman11]

@@JonLaRue The A1 is too complex, it would not do in a print farm, it would take hours to service. A KP3S is much simpler and accessible. Consumable parts like nozzle and belts are much more expensive.

[@joeltorres3202]

​@eaman11 how it is too complex? Im not bambu fan but that mini could be good for some print farms.

[@andreas.grundler]

​@@joeltorres3202 The A1 Mini hides many things that are considered ugly to achieve an appealing look. Removing and reinstalling the covers takes time. In addition, many custom parts are used. For example, the quick-change hot end is Bamb Lab's own development, so it can only be purchased from Bambu Lab. If you run a print farm, you need to have all spare parts in stock, but that is difficult when there is only one supplier.

[@eaman11]

@@joeltorres3202 Check " Bambu A1 Mini Teardown". Standard printers with open frames are all exposed, you don't need to spend hours to get to a piece and see deal with it.

[@KayakFishingIoW]

Another excellent video - thanks. I'm seriously considering this machine as an entry machine.

[@terosaarela4555]

Thank you for the review! I’ve had the X-Smart for a couple of months now and have been very pleased with it. I’ve yet to try the more demanding print materials but it’s good to know that it should handle them without breaking a sweat. Apparently, you can purchase a separate camera for monitoring the print, although a standard webcam connected to the USB port will work too. Just haven’t figured out a way to mount it. I probably will look into changing to a hardened print head at some point.

[@stew675]

I had a similar issue. On my X-Plus 3 I printed a bracket that replaces the grill on the exhaust fan, and adds on top a mount point for the camera, and re-uses the fan bolts. Maybe that's a option for you to try?

[@1234fishnet]

From a security perspective it's much more secure to manually update the firmware than to implement an unsecure auto update method

[@lmaoroflcopter]

From a security perspective, there is zero information that the update process is secure just because it requires you to copy a file to a storage medium. You'd want to see firmware signing as a minimum. Which would then be fine being sent over the Internet, even over http (see any Linux distribution for an example).

[@Amokhahn]

Gutes Review. Gute Markt Analyse und ich mußte wie schon beim letzten Mal über Deine Outtakes schmunzeln. Du bist sehr sympathisch. Liebe Grüße aus Deutschland

[@trunkbitz9168]

There's always a sullen feeling when you start saying "Today". Hehe Anyway, i love you all your videos. Will maybe wait for more before I buy my first 3D printer. For FDM, Bambulab P1S vs Qidi units vs Elegoo Neptune 4.

[@Jbobonline]

Aurora the brave strikes again 💪

[@arathas1979]

THX for the review. I still go for the bambu mini

[@jessehavok4181]

I'm considering canceling my A1 mini order for this. The stringing issue can be addessed with a simple calibration. I don't need that AMS as it wastes too much material for my tastes and am afraid I may get stuck with it.

[@aminorinternet]

What would you do to get rid of the stringing issue?

[@judd_s5643]

I would wait for the A1 less the AMS. I think the A1 is a much more refined system.

[@azimuth9819]

Completely different use case, if you had a strong requirement to print nylon, why even order an A1 mini which is mostly for PLA only, I call cap on the A1 order 😉

[@themountain59]

Before purchase have a look at the new adventurer M5 😉

[@jessehavok4181]

@@aminorinternet simply run a calibratio and adjust the settings

[@leosarkis]

No auto z offset sounds crazy, but handled all materiais really well

[@Cody_Spaghetti]

I said the same thing. Seems like a nice machine though.

[@oleurgast730]

Actually I would prefer Qidi to use a Tungsten Carbon or Obxidian nozzle instead. Using bras or hardend steel is outdated imho, as both Tungsten Carbite and Obxidian have about the same thermal conductivity as brass. So one better nozzle would remove the need to swap nozzles or hotends (exept for other diameters of course) - and therefore also reduce the need to recalibrate z-offset. Actually I converted my Qidi X-Max 3 to a revo hotend (I also made a video about it), so I can swap between nozzles the easy way. As all Revo nozzles have precisly the same lengh, no need to permenantly readjust z-offset after nozzle change. So the missing auto z-offset doesn't matter as much to me. However, as I do a lot of tinkering on my X-Max 3 (mainly to learn more about Klipper, starting with a functinal setup, but also to do hardware mods), I think about buying a X-Smart also. The information how hot the chamber can get even without active heating is a very usefull information. Many thanks for your video.

[@trsfc1595]

Excellent Review, as always

[@alanwood3597]

I ordered two X Smarts during last weekend's special pricing deal. I have only unpacked one so far. The WiFi won't connect despite a dialogue with Qidi support. Not sure if it is my SSID and password combination or the fact I am using a 192.168.40.x domain. Second issue is the bed only drops to half way down the Z axis at the end of a print. All other printers I have drop the bed to its lowest point to allow access to remove the print. Clearly you can manually drop it but this is a pain after every print. So some initial teething problems but that aside the Benchy print was fast and stunning quality. I really want this printer to work but slightly nervous at the moment. I have not commissioned the second one in case I totally lose confidence and need to sell it on.

[@mrbilginc]

Another great review! Pls give us a review of Flashforge Adventurer 5M Pro! It will help people to decide among Creality K1, Bambu Lab P1S. Merci.

[@AuroraTech]

Yes, I will review the Flashforge Adventurer 5M Pro in November.

[@sergiussmol3998]

Can you share the profile that you used to print PC filament ?

[@ericroman9126]

Hello I'm new to everything 3d printing. You mention that the printer capability is 175*185 (just like their website states). I'm confused why the plate itself says 185*185. Can the printer be programmed to go edge to edge. 20:37 seeing that little empty sliver breaks my heart haha.

[@Kotaztrafee]

I would like to see how it does with Text on ASA. Looks like it shakes around a lot and I wonder about Ringing/Ghosting.

[@F.DoctorGT03.]

Superbe vidéo et surtout avec des super comparatifs d' impressions , super et merci....

[@TMS5100]

@AuroraTech seems the qidi i-fast is missing from the 3d printer price tracker. its still on sale and price has dropped significantly.

[@planckstudios]

So many great reviews! Thanks again for being consistent, def helps see the differences printer to printer. At 5:30 might be less confusing to call it a PTFE tube (even if exact material is unknown) vs Bowden. I think Bowden is only applicable when there is no direct drive. Unless there's also an extruder on the back of the enclosure to aid in loading filament given the enclosure?

[@Raytenecks]

People often call that a "reverse bowden tube" as well, to differentiate.

[@laich2]

thank you for the excellent work. do not feel pressure to do it. enjoy your life with your family first :-)

[@AwestrikeFearofGods]

Interesting that this machine is capable of such high chamber temperatures with a bed heater. I like that you include so many measurements and tests. Your reviews are thorough, but using a Kill-A-Watt or similar electricity monitor, please measure power consumption at idle, average during PLA printing, and peak during PLA heat-up. For capable machines, also measure the average and peak when printing high-temp filament (e.g. ABS). This information is useful for print farms. Any chance you'll review the MR-1 CNC mill?

[@AAE-cg1il]

I see your QIDI has a fan on the rear wall of the enclosure. I saw another review from two months ago where that persons printer doesn’t have the fan. If I order one, will it have the fan or not?

[@AuroraTech]

Yes, you will get one with a fan, the old version without the fan is no longer available since late 2023.

[@AAE-cg1il]

Cool…….Thank you.

[@AAE-cg1il]

Update………I saw the price special and pulled the trigger. Again……thank you. @@AuroraTech

[@AAE-cg1il]

It’s sitting on my work table already. Set up was a breeze. I am quite impressed with what I got for the money. Fit and finish are well done and the print speed and quality blows the doors off of my Davinci printer. This video inspired me…..so Thanks.

[@AAE-cg1il]

I have been using this video like a Bible to get started. You have created the most comprehensive instruction for this printer on all of KZbin. Again….Thanks. @@AuroraTech

[@Scriven42]

No link to the glue in the thingie!? ;)

[@GieroseRoussell]

how I can click the detect thin walls?? This is important to me

[@archemity]

Which do you recommend between this and the Bambu Lab A1 mini?

[@bartacus3521]

At exactly 7:47, I saw a decibel reading of 66.6db. I automatically interpreted this as a sign from Satan than I should buy this printer, so I ordered one. Assuming it ships quickly and in decent shape, hail Satan!!! 😀 Thank you for the usual detailed review, you are RIDICULOUSLY thorough!! Keep up the great work, and pat your parents on the head for raising awesome kids. 😀

[@royhi1809]

Another great review.

[@McRootbeer]

Hope to see a review of the elegoo Neptune 4 plus. Bigger build volume, ABL, 300c hotend, klipper out of the box, and $50 cheaper at $350. Is there a better printer deal than that for anything except high end material printing?

[@AuroraTech]

Neptune 4 plus video will be posted in early November.

[@McRootbeer]

@@AuroraTech thanks 👍 hope it's favorable, I've already bought mine 😆.

[@tinkerman1790]

U are amazing!!! Without your introduction, tbh I won’t check up this machine. May I ask if English pronunciation practice is one of a key reason why u started your channel in YT? U did great btw 👍🏻

[@jessehavok4181]

It's on sale for $300! I already had one, but just ordered 2 more!

[@nikivan]

I bought one of these back in May and I had nothing but problems. The WiFi connection screen doesn't support some characters like dash, so I was never able to connect to my network. When printing PETG the hot eng clogs, usually after about 30 minutes of printing. Qidi sent me an 'upgraded' hot end, which visually looks the same and has the same problem. On a few occasions the bed crashed into the print head. There is a tiny cooling fan on the bottom of the case, which is extremely noisy. Qidi finally issued a refund after failing to solve the clogging issue..

[@eaman11]

The input shaping for the X axis is pretty bad: recommanded 3_hump_ei with 0.21 smoothing, 2.8k accel. Maybe it's because of that (sloppy belt or whatever) that there's ringing in many prints. That accel an smoothing is bad.

[@OscarOliu]

oof, I still have no idea what those tiny build plates are for, takes forever for multi-part prints due to the miniscule size. It is small at least.

[@jessehavok4181]

How do they take longer? The same machine at a different size would print at the same speed. You are just printing multiple files. Are you talking about larger pieces that have to be cut in size? Then you would have to print more surface areas.

[@OscarOliu]

@@jessehavok4181 yes, for instance printing like a grill for a voron, you'd have to print one at a time, sure, it's fast, but it's still more time consuming because of the constant clearing of the bed and reheating, obviously there must be a niche for em though. I just don't get it personally

[@jessehavok4181]

​@@OscarOliuon the other end, it's more efficient. You don't have to heat up the entire bed for smaller parts. And if you had 2 of these vs one X-max, you could churn out small pieces twice as fast. Small printers are generally more useful that larger ones for that reason and why they are better for print farms. They both have their place.

[@f1hotrod527]

I don’t understand the high temp hot end statement. Brass nozzles are limited on temp? The printer has a 300 degree hotend, is this not high temp? Can you go up to 300 with the brass nozzle?

[@AuroraTech]

Yes, a brass nozzle can go up to 300°C like a hardened steel nozzle, but it can't print abrasive filaments such as Nylon Carbon Fiber, Glass Fiber, or other fiber combinations.

[@themountain59]

@@AuroraTech of course it can but not for long😳

[@f1hotrod527]

@@AuroraTech Thanks for the clarification.

[@bran3209]

Do you get to keep machines you test?

[@huzzygam1]

So……….. buy this one and upgrade the hot end and we’re good to go 😁

[@milosdjordjevic8272]

You're the best👌

[@Condamine123456]

Hi aurora tech do you have the pliers link thanks

[@dddlll2772]

it now sells for 200eur on their website

[@woltervandenberg]

Why was the benchy printed at 235 degrees when the default settings for generic PLA are 210/220 and the recommended printing temperatures for sunlu pla are 200-230 degrees. No wonder it had some imperfections. Not really fair to judge the quality of the print when using the wrong settings.

[@Shark00n1337]

More speed needs more temp or high-speed PLA filament

[@stew675]

​@Shark00n1337 the Qidi hot end can fairly easily push 16mm^3/s volumetric rates at regular temperatures for every PLA I've tried. It only needs higher temps if you want to push faster than that. The review showed that the volumetric rate was set to 14mm^3/s. That still would not explain the need for 235C

[@AuroraTech]

I have all three QiDi new Klipper series printers with the same hotend. They require at least 10°C higher temperatures to print with the same filament to avoid under extrusion. Even the temperature is set to 10C higher, it won't cause imperfect layer, it was caused by the z-seam.

[@thespiritualoni7196]

can you do the elegoo neptune 4 pro or sovol svo07

[@AuroraTech]

I reviewed the SV07 a few months ago, for Neptune, I will skip 4 Pro and review the 4 Max in a few weeks.

[@hood1148]

@auroratech Which mid range (£800 avg), core xy, enclosed printer do u recommend?

[@AuroraTech]

Please visit auroratechchannel.com for my recommendation list, 3D printer price tracker and comparison tool.

[@hood1148]

@@AuroraTechgreat thanks

[@Fat1413]

Good job man

[@f1hotrod527]

I don't know if Bambu is that far ahead in R&D. I think if the Qidi machines had auto Z offset they would be better than the Bambu printers in all respects (other than multi material option). I don't know if there are really any gains with the lidar etc. I get why they did not include the hardened steel hot end, they were trying to really get the cost down on this model, and if you print mostly PLA, then it does not affect you. I am glad it comes standard with a 300 degree hotend. I can see them adding a strain gage at one corner of the bed soon, and adding auto Z offset. I was looking, and you can buy the strain gages for a couple dollars each. Thanks for another great review.

[@Tom--Ace]

In what way is this better than the Bambus?

[@f1hotrod527]

@@Tom--Ace xmax3 and x plus 3 are bigger. 350 degree hotends. Active chamber heating. They don’t hold you hostage by forcing you to give your files to the CCP, they all have color touch screens, they are cheaper, I think they look built better, looks like you have access to the firmware.

[@Tom--Ace]

The ccp stuff is bullshit and you can easily do lan mode on bambu, youre talking out of pure paranoia and lack of knowledge there. I could just as easily say that the disgusting US government demands access to all Google and iPhone phones, but I don't hear you complain about that! The fact remains that if you don't want cloud features and you're after a fully offline machine, the bambu can easily do it via a lan only or offline mode. 350c, bigger print volume and heated chamber are nice, but the machines don't work nearly as well out of the box and have NO multimaterial or multicolour, which is a HUGE negative. Given the x1 prints asa, abs, PC etc beautifully, and 350/60 is not peek territory in any case, youre not getting much for being able to do 350/60 but losing a LOT by not having multimaterial/colour. I'd say the bambu is still easily the better choice, with the proviso that the qidi machines are a good option for single material/large print requirements. But to say they are clearly better than the x1? No I don't think so at all, if anything it's clearly the other way around in most respects as the Bambus just work and work very well all the way up to mid range engineering materials. The only thing I think they're missing that I'd like are peek, but that's a pipe dream outside of 100c chamber machines

[@f1hotrod527]

@@Tom--Ace CCP theft of intellectual property and gathering tracking peoples information is paranoia? Hahaha OK. I know a lot about the CCP. I did not mention the USA collecting information because Bambu is not an American company. Your quick comment defending the CCP is telling, you a part of the 50 cent army? I take it you are a Bambu owner. Your response and bias is childish. We have an X1 carbon at my work. It has been good. But it has not been perfect. Also it looks like it is not built to last. 350 C hotend is a good feature as many mid grade engineering materials are close to and over 300. For printing structural parts it would be nice to try printing at temps over 300 to see how it affects bed adhesion. The X1 is is clearly the better machine, i don’t see it at all. I did not say the qidi was clearly better, I just said I thought it was better in many areas, but I am not a fanboy like you. I actually bought the flying bear reborn 2 and it is crazy value. It is rough around the edges and lacking features. I will tinker with it to improve it. If I were to buy a ready to go enclosed core XY right now, there are lots of great options, but I think I would go with the Qidi. It seems to have the features I want and great value. The X1 carbon is a great machine as well, and I would be happy with it. Happy printing, say hi whinnie the Pooh for me.

[@TMS5100]

conversely it's bizarre that qidi would release new machines with such an antiquated and backwards system of inductive sensors and manual z. adjusting manual offset with slips of paper under the nozzle was cutting edge in 2013. everyone has moved on to nozzle probing. bambu, prusa, even bottom tier creality uses nozzle probing now.

[@colinmsmall]

Do you ever review resin printers?

[@AuroraTech]

Yes, I have reviewed a few of them, check out my playlist (just created).

[@andrewkandelAK]

Just ordered mine for only $279 no ones touching what this has for that price

[@stew675]

I have a Qidi X-Plus 3 myself, but it's the updated model, not the model that this Aurora reviewed 6 months ago. I'll happily admit that Qidi's stock filament profiles aren't the best, and doing filament calibrations while using Qidi's stock profiles as a starting point is pretty much essential to get the best quality prints out of their machines. Does Aurora Tech Channel do any form of filament calibrations before printing the demonstration models? I ask because it seems that would be essential to get the fairest possible comparison between each printer that's reviewed. I ask this not in defense of Qidi. I think that this would be great for all printers that are reviewed. It is a bit of extra work though. Anyway, thank you for your content.

[@joeltorres3202]

All machines are capable of making great prints but not everyone wants to mess with print profiles or upgrades. That way of making the reviews you know what to expect when you open the box and hit print.

[@stew675]

​@@joeltorres3202exactly, which is why I asked if Aurora Tech Channel does this or not. Also, not all printers will always give great quality after dialing in. Some just have issues that can't be dialed out due to actually poor cooling for example, as opposed to just a poor setting for "filament X" that a reviewer happened to use. All filaments and even colors within the exact same brand can behave differently in significant and unexpected ways. I've had different colors from the same brand/filament type require up to 25C different temperatures, and retraction tuning just to get quality prints. I think you can see where I'm going with this. How well something prints with the default profile can be hugely impacted on which filament and color is chosen.

[@tweekFPV]

👍🏻👍🏻

[@DggddfDcct-w9e]

Veum Extensions

[@woltervandenberg]

Todayyyyyy

[@bajcsyzoltan74]

230 is to much for Sunlu PLA...

[@AuroraTech]

Not on QiDi machines, I print SUNLU on other fast printers at 215-225, but I have to print at least 10 degrees higher on all QiDi new klipper series to avoid under extrusion.

[@ruudsmits907]

@Aurora Tech: As usual a very good review, which by its standard format is my favorite way of comparing 3d printers! I wonder if you would consider adding a test to determine the print accuracy specifically of the diagonals, which would give an impression on the alignment of the X and Y axes, such as described in the video of Program Thoughts kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y6PPgKJ9gb-XpdE where it seems that functional parts cannot be accurately printed on an Elegoo Neptune 4 Pro. It seems to me that measuring the slider that you print in all your test anyway would give us relevant extra information.

[@AuroraTech]

Yes, you are right. We currently have a range of tests, including retraction, clearance, decorative prints, and various material tests. I will include an accuracy test as a standard benchmark print, you will see that soon starting in the next 1 or 2 video.

[@ruudsmits907]

@@AuroraTech GREAT!!!

[@theglowcloud2215]

Qidi hosting firmware files on Google Drive? 💀

[@JustinEdmonds-r9u]

Sigurd Flats

[@WilliamLuce-g5c]

Godfrey Cove

[@FortniteGamer-jh3wc]

Wait, i swear this is the tech teens 101 space is it not?

[@BertieTom-m5p]

Beahan Curve

[@stephan.scharf]

Your family car is parking outside because there is no more space in your garage, filled with unopened boxes. Am I right?

[@rmtvrmtv1135]

299€ ajd

[@BertramStacey-e2d]

Armando Summit

[@VeronicaMaxon-d4c]

Iliana Park

[@TerryYoung-i9u]

Oran Rapid

[@MargaretGreen-n3q]

Hal Ridges

[@CassandraQuinn-d6x]

Genesis Camp

[@LeighAdair-m4g]

Rafael Villages

[@legobuildingsrewiew7538]

First@35sec ago

[@FunkyMind]

I like your reviews, but sorry, your print comparisons are pointless because you used different filaments. For such tests, you have to etablish a protocol and strictly follow it. Each filament can behave differently (even on same brands/materials), that's obvious.