Ultimaker 2+ vs Bambu Lab X1 Carbon | Which one is faster?

Recently I got myself a new 3D printer, the Bambu Lab X1 Carbon. Now I want to see how much faster it is compared to my Ultmaker 2+ from 2016 and how the print quality compares.
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Quincas Moreira - Boom Bap Flick
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00:00 Introduction
00:15 Intro
00:21 The test print
00:46 Ultimaker test prints
01:20 Bambu Lab test prints
01:53 Switching Bamub Lab nozzle
02:05 More Bambu Lab test prints
02:50 Spaghetti detection
03:05 More Bambu Lab test prints
03:46 Print quality Ultimaker
04:28 Print quality Bambu Lab
05:32 Conclusion

[@Turbo442]

Here is my brutally honest review of the two companies. I have owned an Ultimaker S5 Pro with air handler and material station. I also own the X1 Carbon. (Plus tons of other printers purchased and built over the last 15 years) There is no comparison between the two. The S5 was a nightmare for dimensional accuracy. The Ultimaker software prevents any reasonable calibration / fine tuning of dimensional accuracy. The S5 might be acceptable if you want to print frogs and Christmas ornaments but factor in the cost and there is absolutely zero upside. Multi part models with close fitting parts? Forget the S5. On the other hand the BBL X1 excels in so many areas. An AMS that works as advertised? YES! Super fast print speed! YES! Great quality prints! YES! Reliability? YES! Reliability with other filament manufacturers? YES! Dimensionally accurate parts? YES! By far the biggest difference between Bambu Labs and Ultimaker is the quality and functionality of the software. I would compare the Ultimaker software to a dumpster fire and the Bambu Labs software to a seasoned Apple product. It just works. It seemed like with every software update Ultimaker would break something else! Here is a lesson for Ultimaker that Bambu Labs seems to understand from the beginning. Software quality is JUST AS IMPORTANT as hardware quality! Thank you BBL for making the printer of our dreams and continuing to develop the firmware / software! The latest 1.03 firmware update was an awesome surprise! PLEASE BBL IM READY FOR A LARGE FORMAT X1 CARBON!

[@andrewh2593]

Agreed. Have S5 and 2 x P1P's. P1P's blow the S5 out of the water. S5 pros - you can get good quality, albeit slow prints with a lot of CURA tweaking. S5 cons - touch screen is garbage. Finicky add ons that cause failed prints due to very minor errors. Garbage UI. Garbage camera. Way overpriced. Harder to find 2.85mm filament. UM overcharges for their filament. I used to like the S5 before I tried the P1P. Now I see that I got ripped off. Ultimaker deserves to fail as a company.

[@link6032]

Really interesting to read yours and Andrew H's comments, i have a S5 and have been happy (ish) with it for 4 years, however it always felt over priced and too slow, 2.85mm filament is rubbish, Cura is messy, the UI is garbage on the printer, no print info, not even temperature info displayed without going into a sub menu... etc etc, i was thinking i would get a X1C, now i def will. Only downside would be slightly reduced build volume. How have you guys found the slicer and smaller build volume ? thx

[@Turbo442]

@@link6032 spent a bunch of time in Cura with the Ultimaker 5. Then I spent 10X more time in Cura with Ender 5, Ender 6’s, CR10s. My first experience with Prusa Slicer was on the X1C. Pleasantly surprised how easy it was to adapt. I suspect the bed leveling, preloaded filament settings, flow calibration all helps to make the slicer experience better.

[@link6032]

@@Turbo442 thanks, have you sold your S5 now ?..., the filament size is such a pain to even keep for larger prints

[@Turbo442]

@@link6032 Yes that printer is gone. 2.85 filament is unusual now. In the early days of printing that’s what everyone used.

[@jercle]

I now have two and have absolutely blown me away

[@AuroraCypher]

Bambu all the way ! Such an amazing printer

[@woofguy]

X1 carbon is hands down the best printer I have ever used!

[@enwi]

What other printers have you used before?

[@woofguy]

@@enwi ultimaker 2 extended +, creality cr-10 and ender 3 s1 pro, flashforge dreamer, formbot raptor, robo3d r2, lulzbot taz

[@michaelm4946]

Just ordered the XC1 with AMS. I had a moment where both of my Enders wouldn't print worth a damn. Can't wait till this arrives.

[@enwi]

Are they working again though?

[@michaelm4946]

@@enwisimple answer is NO. The E3V2 has an error on the sonic pad. My new 2 month old E5P has never worked right. I've been fighting with Creality over it. I've been replacing parts to the BL touch , swapped out the springs for silicone spacers, installed anti back lash nuts. The bed won't stY leveled, one side drops . So I'm not real happy with Creality at this point.

[@enwi]

That really sucks, so far I didn't have any issues with the X1-CARBON, but time will tell. On the Ultimaker only the bed temperature sensor broke once, but that was a 5€ fix.

[@workingTchr]

I never heard about Bambu until a few days ago (not being into 3D printers). I needed a 3D printer and my research drove me to an an Ender-3 Max with the sprite pro and Cl touch. That was 3 weeks ago. I could never get it to work right. Reddit and Creality were no help. So I'm returning all my Creality stuff to Amazon and ordered the P1P.

[@enwi]

The P1P does not have the laser scanner right? Though it is a stripped down version of the X1C

[@acero_5146]

Currently, Ultimaker printers are not recommended at all, they are very slow and expensive, a 400usd bambulab (the a1) is much faster and achieves better quality and more automatic

[@outshotdarts]

Thanks for this video . I am thinking about purchasing the Bambu Lab X1 Carbon. I too have an ultimaker 2+ ( bought in 2016), which I like because it almost never fails to print and I have done 24 hour print time too. The print volume is not much different. The ability to print at a faster speed is always a positive, The nozzle change to a different size seems easy enough although more expensive than the UM2+.(UM2+ simply unscrew the nozzle only). What is that printer build plate you are using?, It is difficult to find one that fits the um2+.

[@enwi]

I already sold my UM2+ and don't regret it. I like the X1C much more. The print surface I was using on the UM2+ is this one amzn.to/42SAjFN

[@AndrewAHayes]

I have been trying to find out what the difference between an X1 Carbon and an X1 is but cant find anything about this, even the Bamboo lab website doesent say, does anyone here know?

[@woodwaker1]

I ordered the P1P on Friday, will be interesting to see if it does as well as the Carbon

[@enwi]

Yes the P1P is very interesting at its aggressive price point

[@SangheiliSpecOp]

How have you liked it so far?

[@woodwaker1]

@@SangheiliSpecOp It has been OK, but think the X1C is worth the extra money. The screen and camera along with the enclosure and lidar.

[@virajingavale2166]

Great review !

[@Humpalumpur]

Did you try different temperature settings for the nozzle? On the Bamublab the prints have a very matte finish. I had the same finish with my E3D Revo and 0.8 mm nozzle when printing too fast with 0.4 mm or 0.55 layers. Therefore, I had to adjust the printing temperature slightly or reduce the printing speed. In my case +5 to +10 °C made a huge difference. I also noticed the same issue with the seam, when the printing temperature was too low. This could also explain why some of the layers didn't stick to each other. Overall, I think the Ultimaker 2 is still a capable machine. Print speed is not everything. I don't care if it takes a little longer to print, as long as the printer reliably produces good prints.

[@enwi]

The tip with the temperature is very nice, I will try that for the next print

[@Humpalumpur]

@@enwi In the meantime, i got my X1 C and had the same issue with the matte finish using the stock settings. In my case I had to increase the nozzle temp to 240 °C for PLA (rated for 200 - 220 °C). I guess, we will see an update of the hotend in the near future. It just can't hold up to the print speed.

[@tijuanaetmezcal]

I saw if I open the doors the finish is glossy, if I stay doors closed the finish is matte

[@Kman31ca]

Ya when printing at higher speeds, I always up the heat especially with silk or shiny filaments.

[@randystevens2710]

Sorry guys, iam not very knowledgeable about these settings but if thr X1C does so well with the 0.4 would a 0.6 nozzle be worth a try. My X1C should be here this week Best of luck to all

[@terryclair2914]

I use my X1C with a .6mm nozzle everyday and it has been on it since day 1. Having owned both the Ultimaker 2+ Connect and the Bambu Labs X1C. The Bambu Labs is so much better in speed and print quality right out of the box. If you don't need to print in a enclosed chamber I would recomend the P1P it is the bargain of the century.

[@araiza444]

I have two of them and love them

[@Gunner0352]

this is not even close to a fair comparison. over all print speed is not enough to get the data. You will need to increase the acceleration and jerk settings of the ultimaker to get it close. none the less it wont matter. the ultimaker it not built for speed like the bambu. The hole you had in the print is likely a bad slice with broken mesh. changing the seam position just resliced the file getting different gcode These seem to be completely default settings right? Adjusting your wipe at the seam so that it turns into the inside of the part. this will make a completely clean seam - testing of course for other materials.

[@enwi]

Yes it's kind of unfair, but also shows how fast 3D printers can get

[@enwi]

Also thanks for the tip on adjusting the wipe, I will try that

[@MuRaT_C]

Hast auf dem Ultimaker Klipper? Wenn JA könntest du die config dateien teilen? Danke!

[@enwi]

Nein, habe den Ultimaker aber auch schon verkauft

[@jai7094]

what is the cost

[@pat7777100]

Yeah the carbon X1 hands down I've never used the other there's nothing like the X1 carbon especially for the price

[@Gorilla_Jones]

Qidi x3? Thoughts?

[@patrickwasp]

I wonder how much better the S7 is. That's about 10x more expensive than the bamboo but is it 10x better?

[@Turbo442]

I have not used the S7 and I have not read anything about it. I feel that I am 100% qualified to answer your question though. The S7 is not 10X better.

[@viper2788]

We just bought an S7 and 2 Bambu X1Cs at work... so far I'm not too impressed with the ultimaker lol

[@martinriiser5523]

It would be great to know some stories about your experiences printing, conclusions about bambu and ultimaker.

[@kaisarantonn7225]

Bruh, u know the contact point surfaces to the bed is minimal why dont activate the brim feature? Its been there ever since… Also your Ultimaker is completely obliterated, sell it 🤣

[@enwi]

I will keep it just in case and also two 3D printers print more than one, but I am thinking of making another comparison regarding power consumption

[@TheEtbetween]

Excellent

[@tadhgd350]

Working on getting my voron printing considerably faster than even the x1c

[@enwi]

What are you aiming for?

[@tadhgd350]

@@enwi 30k at 500mm/s. Running 48v high torque motors

[@enwi]

I thought the 250mm/s on the Bambu Lab where pretty fast, but doubling that is insane 😂

[@tadhgd350]

@@enwi 48v motors go brrrrr

[@pat7777100]

The bamboo X1 carbon is a smart machine it's got its own AI and gives you suggestions on your the supports are so easy to take off my spaghetti run out work just on some hair ask me if I wanted to resume and I did and the print came out

[@moroit1]

I swear that every damn company and clueless user is throwing "AI" as a buzzword into all topics and systems. It's damn annoying and misleading. LLMs are one thing (still not AI) , but calling these detection algorithms that are being used here as AI is just sad. That said, these detection algorithms are a nice upgrade to have on your printers.

[@solasauto]

well, bambu is fast, but I get better results on my ender 3, so if I have the time I use that.

[@cutty02]

it probably heavily modifed right@?

[@viper2788]

try the bambu in "silent mode"

[@hegbertwruns]

It is not convincing… I prefer to pay more and have constant high quality

[@Dave-ni4vg]

Ultimate parts suck printer parts suck would never get one of those

[@enwi]

What 3D printer do you have?

[@EgHD-y9r]

It’s absolutely valid to compare a 2016 printer with a 2022… makes total sense. Not.

[@harrybouch7907]

The Utlimaker is still double the price of the Bambu though so yeah totally does make sense to compare them 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@wayn3h]

my friend is selling an ultimaker for around the same price I'm looking to spend on a new p1p. So this comparison is great for me.

[@RPista]

i mean, the ultimaker is a fossil compared to the latest and greatest bambu lab or diy like the voron ratrig etc so it would only be fair to have ultimaker update their model & test that but at the same time ultimaker is still selling their fossil still for 5x the price? that’s insane. they can no longer charge insane peices for the “ease if use to schools” you can get away with high prices if it rivals moat competitors and at this point it’s comparable in performance to a ender 3.

[@enwi]

Couldn't have said it better. The Ultimaker 2+ when it came out costed 2300€ and the X1-CARBON only 1700€ with a 4 filament changer

[@yayinternets]

The best part of all of this is Bambu pushing the whole industry forward. I have been on the sidelines for many years waiting for a jump in 3D printing tech to something faster and more reliable before investing my time and money into it. My first 3D printer, the X1 Carbon will be delivered in 2 days. 🥳

[@harrybouch7907]

​@yayinternets same here! I've been using the Ultimaker S3 at work for years but could never have justified spending that kind of money on one for myself. I knew one day though I'd be able to get something in the same league for just a fraction of the price and it seems that day has finally come 🥳