Find out the best PLA for minis!

[@davidmarcelscomicbookrevie3548]

Glad to see I'm not the only one who's not so thrilled about resin

[@argy8141]

Resin, the odour, the mess, the faff. I know fdm layer heights aren't as good. I know fdm is slower. But what else am I printing. I've got terrain done, toys done, functional prints done. Repairs and new designs I'll slide in as neccessary. Go for tabletop minis being looked at from 3 feet!!

[@ondrejaxler5489]

Agree, we play with it with kids so it has to be as safe as possible...

[@Hellvine]

Unless I buy a giant resin printer that can print an entire army in one go, it just doesn’t seem worth it to me

[@CaptainBlagbird]

2:23 4th: Overture PLA 7:43 3rd: BambuLab PLA Basic 10:55 2nd: Hatchbox Standard PLA 13:51 1st: SunLu PLA Meta

[@atlasdm]

Doing the Lord's work. There's no reason not to have a cleanly demarked video. Thanks!

[@absherxc1758]

I bought both a A1mini and Sunlu PLA from watching your videos and could not be happier with it thank you

[@WanderingKumquat]

Did you have to mess with temps and stuff for the PLA?

[@guillaumebellanger9716]

hello thanks very much . i took your profile and tried directly to print a mini . the result is really stunnig i really had issues with my a1 mini to print minis now it s seems a new world of printing is open to me

[@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors]

Great! :)

[@devarionarias]

Thanks so much for making this comparison video, Tom. Those results with the Sunlu Meta filament are absolutely unbelievable.

[@tinathecrafter]

Thank you for your detailed comparison - it shows that quality is not just about the printer! I am not a tabletop gamer but a miniaturist (dollhouses and so on) and your reviews have convinced me that a Bambu Lab A1 mini is the best FDM printer for my hobby.

[@loadedstapler1459]

I found this series soon after purchasing an Elagoo. I returned it and got an A1 mini. Thanks!

[@oscarsalomonsson1093]

This could not have come out at a better time! Just got my bambu labs A1 mini as per your recommendation during the anniversary sale and still waiting on my printer. Did not think the brand of PLA would matter that much. Just placed an order for some SUNLU PLA Meta and I'm very excited to try it all out when I finally get the printer. Thanks Tom!

[@westdecker]

Thank you for all the hard work and for sharing your results!

[@toddzino58]

Thanks Tom! I don't print mini's in FDM anymore (I have all Voron FDM Printers now) as I have a resin printer. Your mini's come out great in resin also. Nice job on these and they would look great painted up and on the table!

[@oddtreepress420]

So happy I found your videos. Because of them I've seen a huge improvement on my mini prints.

[@marty4286]

Sunlu PLA Meta is supposed to be printed at lower temperature than regular PLA, but I always use regular PLA temperatures anyway because even though it (probably) makes the mechanical properties worse, it gets a really nice finish for aesthetic prints. Looks like it works out extremely well with minis

[@thefirefox7210]

I've been printing minis with your profile on my A1 mini. I've been getting great results with the bambu pla so I'm super excited to try sunlu!

[@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors]

You will love it, the difference in the minis is incredible. :)

[@Ofreros]

Greetings from the Canary Islands (Spain). Thank you very much for all the information. You have helped me a lot with your advice. A hobby that was already exciting, and now with the printers it has brought us many good things. Thank you very much. I will follow you in the future.😁

[@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors]

Thank you! :)

[@oneandy2]

Thanks for this. I don't have a bambulab but I recently upgraded from an ender 3 clone to an Flashforge AD5M. Was looking at trying my hand at minis with it.

[@tim-nolte]

I've been printing miniatures on my FlashForge Adventurer 5M for the past few weeks now. Been using the Sunlu PLA Meta with wonderful results. This has been thanks to FDG and this channel.

[@cobbce]

Thanks for all the advice and testing, and the great minis! I just got my bambu ps1 and downloaded your print profile. I have been using the included bambu pla basic as I wait for my ordered filament to arrive. The results have been fantastic! After watching your original video discussing speed and the risk of heat melting lower layers, I matched your quality settings but put the speed halfway between your settings and the 0.08 default profile. The results have been absolutely perfect, no stringing, tough to see layer lines even on the smooth areas. I did stick with the bambu default .22mm line width instead of your specified .2mm, with the rationale that it creates the tiniest bit of squish to help flatten the layers, and I set the filament temp to 215c (halway between default 210 vs your specified 220). Thanks again for the models, advice, and tips! Couldn't be happier with my prints and excited to keep learning :)

[@GustavoMuradFerreira]

I loved the video! This PLA Meta really seems to be an evolution!

[@shadowopal]

Perfect timing for prime day. Looks like sunlu is putting some nice deals together. Thanks for this video.

[@Michael_Greenhill]

That meta pla is awesome!!! Really night and day in those pictures!

[@heuvel8691]

Been looking at several filament reviews today as I want to switch and stick to a certain brand for printing. Just before calling it quits I see your upload.

[@mikeytom2991]

Your channel is exactly why we had bought the 3d printer! Woohoo!

[@aussum5221]

I've been using your v8 profile with Sunlu PLA Meta since April and have gotten great results. I struggle with ironing and other smoothing features and quality comes and goes. I usually rerun a calibration to get it back. I also find that Normal supports are better at getting good prints on the lower parts of the STL.

[@evone9141]

Thank you so much. I just ordered a mini and am a total newbi so I am hoping to learn from you all that I need to be successful. I have sculpted a Japanese dragon to 3d print for my son, so I am kinda freaking out lol. I seriously bought this mini for this one thing, but love sculpting and hope to do a lot more printing as I go along. Thank you again :)

[@Hellvine]

My two biggest complaints with resin are: 1) Brittle models that break if you drop them 2) Messy clean up with toxic chemicals Thank you for showing us the way, Fat Dragon

[@diverspudph]

All true. But just to let you know, there are also resins that can make resin printed minis tougher or slightly more flexible 😊

[@calebtaylor2477]

In my experience I’ve had great success with your profiles for Ender. One thing I would like to tell you is the color of the filament makes a massive difference with hatchbox. I switched from white and gray rolls to a matte black and they come out looking like resin prints with very few or no visible lines. I don’t know if it’s a different formula but matte colors come out smoother every time for me. I’m using an Ender 3 frame with the 3pro firmware and a sprite extruder

[@JulyHobbyStudio]

Thanks for all the FDM mini content, looking forward to more

[@MarkCMG]

Thanks for the video! I always learn so much from your videos!

[@rossmaclean2]

Fantastic in-depth research. Thank you for sharing!

[@Arsat74]

thx for your videos. They always help us

[@legozackproduct111]

been printin out some pretty decent models on my voxelab aquilla x2 with some of your older print vids for about 6 months now!

[@gurratell7326]

Ah you really make me want to buy an A1! Those prints looks really good! Care to show a finished painted one btw? Or maybe even do a video where you show how you paint them? :)

[@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors]

Did you look at the painted pics on our website?

[@weswortman7789]

PLA is pretty weak until a certain thickness. Usually the swords and arms break off removing supports. I uses ABS and I squirt them down with Acetone. They survive the support removal and then become strong enough to pick up without breaking. .

[@topnotchit]

I would love a video on how to print "resin based" models on an FDM printers

[@austinvickymoore3656]

Great video as always! Minis are fun to print up! I have no tabletop or game I just like minis... printing a figure right now actually im actually using creality filament and its doing really good nothing crazy so far😅

[@MingoManly]

Very useful video. Thank you!

[@albertsaxony8092]

Any chance you'd consider doing a mini painting tutorial? I know there are tons out there already but your own minis look really great and I'd love to know your method.

[@kenspaceman3938]

Interesting good guidance as usual!👍

[@pr3sidentspence]

Thanks for this!

[@riotgear9116]

This is super informative!

[@Buckr0ger5]

Thanks for the video. Just purchased an A1 mini with their grey PLA Matte. I'll try your settings with it. Then try Sunlu if I get the same results as you did.

[@losav96]

Thank you for making this video, now I know what PLA I should buy :)

[@JakeSpacey]

Great video as usual.

[@paulshutter9077]

Tom, I appreciate the comparison, but on the goblinoid shield, all four filaments have the same under-extrusion? in the upper right (when looking at it) part of the shield. I've really enjoyed your products and my A1 Mini is arriving tomorrow.

[@henriknielsen6618]

because of you i chose the meta series and that was the best choice ever! so far i have printed 300+ miniatures and only 6 of them failed and that was properly due to my own errors with having window open and such. with your settings and the meta series then the A1 mini becomes a seriously powerful printer.. Thanks alot for your epic videos and wisdom! it is very much appreciated :)

[@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors]

I'm glad they have worked so well for you :)

[@AsdasdAsdasd-xq1nr]

Same Story here. Pla meta is crazy good for my A1 mini too. Would like to point out that it's the PLA which needs lowest temperature.. maybe this is one of the reasons, it's a bit more fluid at similar temperatures . For more complex minis the supports stick pretty hard tbh. It's not easy to remove it clean, but post processing with some acetone fixes imperfections on the surface

[@mechanical_bob6591]

sunlu meta grey seems non existing on the web including sunlu page. 😢

[@henriknielsen6618]

@@mechanical_bob6591 i had to buy from aliexpress. but got it within 2 weeks without any problems. there are several vendors there who have stock even the grey one that is the hardest to get :D

[@henriknielsen6618]

@@mechanical_bob6591 aliexpress ;)

[@peggle09]

I got the profiles and ordered some od that sunlu meta. Wife gir me the A 1 mini early for xmas. Looka great next to my X1C.

[@RockinScotsman]

I'd love to see you try the bambu marble pla. There is something about it that hides layer lines.

[@johnhill437]

Great stuff all the best 👍

[@gilwenlive]

Thanks for doing this!

[@adamjosephsnyc]

This was very useful. I'd love to see what you think of Elegoo high-speed PLA.

[@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors]

A roll has been ordered! :)

[@Gregatron13]

Looks like I'll have to get some Sunlu and some Hatchbox to test on my Creality K1!

[@WaynesForge]

If you ever do another comparison video like this, consider trying Numakers

[@jim-i-am]

I think PLA Meta is Sunlu's answer to high speed filament. Have you tried other high speed PLA filaments? They tend to "flow" a bit more than the vanilla stuff. Thanks for the review....it's pretty amazing how much different the filament makes....I wouldn't have thought it'd be that way given equally tuned filament....so VERY interesting insights from your video!

[@SamuraiMujuru]

Have you tested out the Elegoo PLA at all? I bought a spool because it was absurdly cheap and at least in my experience it's printed as well a more expensive brands like Hatchbox.

[@berlinberlin4246]

I really like the eleggo PLA+ But I got bad results with the eleggo RAPID PLA+

[@kenspaceman3938]

On a whole, using a few different makes of 3D fdm printers, with a 0.4 nozzle, I’ve had often decent results with Elegoo basic pla. Wonder how it would work with a 0.2 nozzle for minis on the A1 Mini. Here in Europe it’s hard finding good deals on pla, but Elegoo has sometimes had nice prices. So for us Europeans, a test of Elegoo basic pla for minis would be highly appreciated!🙏

[@thefirefox7210]

Damn, i just ordered a bunch of bambu lab filament! I'll be picking up sunlu stuff after i run out

[@L480N3R]

I tried using the Sunla meta PLA and your profiles but I still get the best results of Bambu Labs own filament. That with a X1C printer though and wondering if the Core XY nature of the printer is enough of a variance that would cause the different outcome.

[@tomashornik4542]

Though older video, I just have to add my experience. I am also printing only on FDM (Voron and Prusa) and hands down the best filament for FDM Minis I have ever used is PM PLA+. PM is Plasty Mladec (it is a Czech company, I have zero affiliation with them) and their Army range has matte colour and printed literally flawless every single time. Matte color always shows layer lines far more than any shiny one and PM PLA+ almost literally knocked my socks off. Just my 2 cents anyway...

[@dosdont]

I'd appreciate it if you'd consider making a video of how to adjust A1 MINI belts. I've read you possibly get a notification and sometimes it just needs to be done without notification but a how to would help as the page I looked at wasn't clear.

[@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors]

If mine ever require it I will definitely record what I do to resolve it. :)

[@dosdont]

@@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors 👍🏻

[@snbrown100]

I am enjoying the videos, thanks. I'm curious what environment you have the printers in? My A1 Mini starting printing badly when I started using the AC, and I wonder if you or others have seen similar issues. With the AMS (which I don't think you use) its too big to stick a box over it to minimize the issue.

[@r.girouard5886]

Got into this because of your videos. I'm loving this. Thank you! I did have a quick question, what temp are you running the Sunlu stuff at? I've had some strings and I've been tweaking it but haven't done multiple prints for a heat test. Just curious what works best in your experience. Thanks!

[@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors]

220˚, but that is to work with my custom profile, all of my settings are in my custom profile linked in the video description.

[@Hero1117a]

Very informative, thank you

[@tereg5]

Subscribed for the maintenance videos on the A1 mini, you helped in my moment of frustration. I’m New to 3D printing, for functional applications . You mentioned Sunlu meta is better bc the A1 printers print faster. Is the PLA meta what you recommend in general for these printers or just for miniature prints?

[@shadowforcelaws274]

Have you tried any other filaments from SUNLU like their PLA + or PLA + 2.0? Just wondering if those would have similar clean results like the META but provide more strength to the minis.

[@juantanamera4725]

I'm quite satisfied with EasyPrint PLA from Prima Creator, good quality and nice finish. It's a European brand, so I don't know how available it is across the pond.

[@mattiareggiani2237]

settings bambu studio for sunlu pla?

[@lcarterc]

This info is extremely timely for me. Thank you very much.

[@catholicpatriotusa1507]

Does the color of the filament make any meaningful difference?

[@ToddRumbach]

I'm assuming the .2mm nozzle. I get good results with BL Matte PLA on my mini.

[@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors]

Yep!

[@berlinberlin4246]

Can you please test the eleggo PLA+ Filament? I work with a nice finish for me

[@FarawayPictures]

Have you tried elegoo or did it not even make the top 4?

[@kawkaventura-smith1886]

How much of this is filament or settings or printer errors?

[@Contractkillamax]

Hello and thank you for your video. I bought the PLA Meta and also got your printer settings today. The test print with your Dwarf looks absolutely stunning. However I still am having issues with the supports.. do you have any settings for these as well?

[@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors]

Nothing I design requires supports, so I do not spend time developing settings for them.

[@Contractkillamax]

The supports are not for your files :)

[@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors]

@@Contractkillamax then you need to ask whomever you bought your files from for their recommended settings. :)

[@Contractkillamax]

@@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors Okay, thank you again! :)

[@shadowops62]

Nice prints. I may look into a bamboo

[@hovistocose...5075]

Is the bambu lab mini still the best option?

[@ace2ersatzhandy383]

Liked, subscribed and commented! 🙂

[@ForgottenLabyrinth]

I've been using Anycubic High Speed, and have found it's a great filament. Would love to see what you can do with it. I would guess it is comparable to the Sunlu Meta.

[@deanm375]

Thanks Tom. Where are the Dwarf with the Hammer and the female cleric from? I cannot find them in your webstore.

[@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors]

They are coming in our upcoming supportless miniatures Kickstarter :)

[@deanm375]

@@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors that's what I thought.. LOL Look forward to it!

[@tomohalloran5217]

Can u do a video on supports for minis on the bambu printers?

[@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors]

None of my designs require supports so no reason for me to spend time developing settings for them. If you are buying minis that require supports from someone else then they should be supplying you with recommended support settings for their products.

[@tomohalloran5217]

@@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors that's very cool and impressive that ur minis don't need supports. They've got some decent overhangs.

[@mikechavez7844]

How well will the settings translate to a P1s?

[@manuellaslo1282]

this video was exactly what i was looking for. thx for the video. is sunlu pla meta also good for terrain?

[@innui100]

It's funny how different the filament can be from printer to printer. The pla+ esun was absolute trash on my e3v2 and prints acceptably on my e3v3. Overall I've found the bambu labs filament to be pretty decent. At least on the A1. Sunlu meta is quite expensive around these parts unfortunately.

[@FrogWizard224]

The sunlu meta i've gotten has really bad stringing issues for every roll. Hopefully they didn't change everything up.

[@Surodhet]

Great videos and resources! Does the custom profile also work with the P1S, or is it very specific to the A1? Sorry if this is a stupid question, i am just getting into 3D printing and am looking at printers. Edit: Just realized that there are some customer reports mentioned in the video to the effect that it works well with the P1S and X1C, but still happy to hear more from people who have tested it!

[@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors]

No clue, I don't use the P1S. :)

[@tp6498]

Hey I just wanted to thank you for your series of videos on the Bambu Labs A1 mini, i enjoyed them so much i subscribed so a big👍. My question to you is this... As someone who doesn’t own a PC or a laptop is it possible to acquire and use the necessary software required to own and operate the A1 mini using just my smart phone? Thanks.

[@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors]

AFAIK not at this time.

[@rccarlson660]

This is great info. I know these are your minis, would it be possible to do some fdm prints with different minis that are designed for resin and supports?? how well do some of these filiaments work on different style of minis?

[@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors]

Nothing I design requires supports so I will not be developing/testing support settings.

[@IgnusFast]

I've actually had REALLY good luck with Creality HP Ultra PLA (gray) on my A1 Mini with a .2mm nozzle; I think I was using the .08mm Ultra Fine setting, though I could be wrong (I've since reinstalled the .4mm nozzle for other prints.)

[@ipolytyakaites]

Probably 0.6 mm on 0.2 nozzle

[@striker81796]

I got the Sunlu Meta PLA to go with my A1 Mini. So far the models look great with it. I am, however having bed adhesion issues. I've only had one case where the model itself broke off, but I have had at least one support break loose on every single print. Anyone have any advice for settings to tweak to try and improve adhesion? (I'm new to 3d printing so most of my troubleshooting is educated guessing at best). I know none of FDG prints use supports but for many of my models that won't be practical.

[@johnwatrous3058]

Thanks

[@Vurt72]

Looking at the photos its about how it looks with my mini and the 0.4 nozzle + sunlu meta, so that's a bit disappointing perhaps because i did think the 0.2 would make a really huge difference (ordered one a few days ago). But i will say i've not printed mini's, more like 3" figure stuff, but I've printed some stuff where i just can't see any layer lines at all, so the filament is definitely really, really good. I think i might be disappointed in the new filaments i've bought (i bought bambu labs and some others).

[@davidprice875]

Very helpful study, have you tried the Bambu/Sunlu Meta with smaller scale figures, eg 15mm? I've managed to print the smaller figures on an Ender 3 S1 with a 0.215 Revo nozzle and Sunlu PLA. The results aren't as good as resin but certainly good enough for the tabletop. A figure takes around 90 minutes + so I'm interested in a faster printer and your work is certainly pushing me towards the Bambu A1.

[@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors]

Yes, 15mm scale figs came out great with Sunlu Meta.

[@albinbergkvist6805]

Just bought the A1 mini and been using your custom settings with SunLu meta PLA and I love it. One problem I have run into though is there is a decent amount of stringing from my printer/environment. Do you have any tips on what to begin tweaking on your settings to reduce the stringing? Thanks for amazing videos!

[@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors]

You can try raising and lowering the temp in 5˚ increments (and yes, raising the temp can sometimes eliminate stringing.)

[@albinbergkvist6805]

@@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors wow what a quick reply, thanks I will try that! Im guessing the lower you go in temperature the more visible the layers will be?

[@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors]

@@albinbergkvist6805 somewhat, but the lower you go you increase the risk of a clog and under extrusion.

[@DragonSinged]

Which filament would you use for LED lit flames, crystals, etc? Translucent coloured filaments?

[@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors]

I have them linked on my website in the recommended supplies section.

[@HaevyGlow]

I'm having issues with supports using Meta PLA - they're incredibly hard to remove as plastic is really, REALLY sturdy. It might be because I'm printing at 1:256 (aka 6mm scale) but I never had issues with Bambu Lab Basic PLA. Meta renders much crispier details at 6mm scale, but supports might be a deal break for me. On the other hand, Bambulab gives a very nice 'matte' finish and supports pretty much fall off without much force applied.

[@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors]

None of our models require supports, so cannot advise on this issue.

[@HaevyGlow]

I’ve found great settings for easy to remove supports and they’re worked great with Sunlu PLA and your settings! Super crispy details at extreme scale!

[@peggle09]

Do you use Supports when you print your minis? if so what kind?

[@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors]

Nope, none of my miniatures require supports.

[@topnotchit]

Can you test non-FDM STLz model ob the Bambu? Maybe from Epic ot Titan Forge?

[@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors]

Everything I design/sell at FDG is purposely optimized for FDM printers so there's no need for me to do so. There's nothing stopping other companies from conducting their own tests and making videos for their customers on how to print their products, just like I do for mine.

[@DevildudeEMZ]

Recommend the esun pls + HS

[@aaronmather4863]

I have recently bought the Grey Sunlu PLA Meta, so far, I have only had 1 successful print out of about 6. While using your 0.2mm profile for minis, I have had no problems with my Elegoo grey pla and they all look really good, but I cannot for the like of me get the PLA meta to adhere the base of the mini properly with or without brims. The only one that has correctly printed was when I used a raft with a few layers and printed completely fine. I tried manually reducing the cooling and increasing bed temp slightly, but it didn't seem to change anything, I even stuck it in my E-sun filament dryer before even trying it out. Is there anything that I can try that wouldn't mean I have to print everything on a raft?

[@EmptyBrainWasTaken]

Hey, I’m considering getting an a1 to print minis. If I used dry brushing and contrast paint to paint them, would that work? Or would the layer lines show up

[@nagromnewo]

I am planning to order either the A1 or A1 mini. Is there any reason to choose the A1 mini over the bigger A1 for minatures?

[@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors]

The A1 Mini does SLIGHTLY better, but the difference is only noticeable under magnification now that I have released my v12 minis profile for both machines. When using Sunlu PLA Meta the two now print virtually identical, with just slightly more stringing on the full size A1. I will have a video soon showing comparisons.

[@charon5032]

My A1 mini just came today, from what i see FDM printing minis is the future. I wont to hawe Resin printer but to expensive for now and i wont to do somthing more than minis so FDM was my choise. Resin maybe in future if i hawe more space for that.

[@lucasclauson3779]

These settings seem pretty good, but do you have any advice for supports? The minis you've shown look thick enough to not need supports, but I'm guessing a lot of other ones, including the STLs downloaded from Heroforge won't be so lucky. Any tips on getting good results on minis that need supports?

[@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors]

Nothing I design/sell requires supports, so no reason for me to spend time developing custom settings for them.