After having owned many 3D printers I can recommend Bambu Lab X1C with AMS. It will be a bit over budget but does not matter, you will spend time just printing and not messing with settings or bed leveling, it’s a workhorse and just prints what you tell it to reliably, no tuning or tweaking required. When using official filaments it will automatically recognize them, switch them during print etc.
After maybe 10 years of printing this is what I initially imagined it would be, now its finally there for consumer - I want this part in plastic let’s go
Oh and it’s also fast.
Hmm, I wonder if bambu gives me a cut for the sales pitch, but if not it is also ok - i just have to give credit to good engineering when I see it
PS: no prusa or clones, no creality, dont mess with that nonsense
> I do not need to print multi material models. I would prefer something that doesn't phone home and can work offline. Opensource firmware/software and repairability are important.
And your suggestion is Bambu with AMS?
Does OP want to print, or do they want to tinker?
Bambu make excellent machines. There is nothing comparable out of the box, especially at their price points.
OP stated the requirements I quoted above, AMS definitely doesn't make sense, and I don't think Bambu makes sense either.
Before Bambu, Prusa was the 'no tinker just print' brand, though I haven't used one I agree Bambu's taken the lead now, but I think given OP's desire for more openness and repairability etc. Prusa makes more sense.
Fwiw: I have a Prusa Mini, and I'd buy Bambu today, I'm continually tempted by an enclosed model with AMS. But I'm not OP, and I don't think that's right for them with their description.
An AMS is useful just so you can have 4 different filaments ready to go at any time. Doesn't need to be for multi material models. I have an A1 with the AMS lite and a Prusa mk3s, and manually changing materials is a chore.
Fair point, I don't print enough (nevermind change material often enough) that it's such a bother that I thought of it. I expected the argument to be keeping it dry, to which I'd have said a drybox and/or dehumidifier is better and (could be) cheaper.
Not the OP, but AMS can be useful for loading and unloading filament, as well as automatically continuing a print job when you run out of one spool of the same filament. It's not just for multi-color prints, although that's obviously the primary use case.
In this case the P1S without AMS is a better starting point.
Add an AMS later if valuable.
The step up from P1S to X1C isn't worth it for someone with a budget who doesn't need the incremental improvements of the X1C.
Personally, I'd still just get the X1C (and I'm not the person above you).
The price difference is low enough now that I'd just take the upgrade. Sure you don't "need" the better screen, better wifi, quieter fan, and default installed hardened nozzle/gear. But they're nice. And OP will want the hardened nozzle/gear if they're printing CAD designed structural parts - PLA is a bad pick for those, you really need to be in the ABS/ASA/PETG/PP materials, and those benefit heavily from the Carbon Fiber/Glass Fiber additions in the filament (PETG-CF and ABS-GF are fantastic).
Back when the difference was closer to $500, sure - get the P1S. But the X1C is frankly a steal at $799. And if you catch the occasional sale, you can get the X1C + AMS combo at literally OPs sticker price ($999).