When I think back to how my 3D printing journey started, it all began with a big box of parts and a manual that felt like it was translated by an AI still in beta. That was the Anet A8 Plus—my very first printer. It was as DIY as it gets. You didn’t just build the prints—you practically built the printer itself.
The A8 Plus was a fantastic learning tool. I learned what a stepper driver was, how to flash firmware, how to fix a failed thermistor, and that fire hazards were very real if you weren’t careful with your wiring.
Later, I upgraded to the Creality Ender-5 Pro, which felt like a huge step up. It was sturdier, more consistent, and less prone to spontaneous meltdowns. But even that required regular tinkering—manual bed leveling, frequent nozzle changes, and more “printer babysitting” than I liked to admit.
Then came the Bambu Lab X1 Carbon.
If the A8 Plus was the equivalent of building your own race car and the Ender-5 Pro was a dependable but clunky commuter, the X1C is a Tesla Model S of printers: sleek, fast, nearly autonomous, and kind of magical.
The Evolution of Setup: Screws, Springs, and… Silence?
The Anet A8 Plus was where I learned patience. Assembly took hours. Wiring felt like a bomb defusal mission. Firmware? Let’s just say I bricked it once and learned to never skip backups again.
The Ender-5 Pro was pre-assembled to an extent, but still required manual leveling and tuning. Every time I moved the printer, I had to redo everything. Good prints were possible—but they weren’t guaranteed.
Then the Bambu Lab X1C showed up.
Fully assembled. No Z-bracing hacks needed. No fiddling with springs and wheels. It booted up with a clean interface, and after a few taps on the touchscreen, that was easly mounted, it auto-calibrated everything from bed leveling to flow rate compensation.
It felt like jumping into a self-driving car after years of clutch-kicking old stick shifts.
Unboxing: From Cardboard Chaos to Premium Packaging
The Ender-5 Pro came in a box filled with foam blocks, mystery screws, and semi-labeled bags. Not quite chaos, but you definitely needed a good table and some spare time.
Unboxing the Bambu Lab X1 Carbon was a totally different experience. Think “Apple product”. Everything was labeled, secured, and neatly packed. The AMS (Automatic Material System) had its own box, clearly organized with guides and quick-start instructions.
In 20 minutes, I had it powered on and connected to Wi-Fi. No zip ties. No half-translated instructions. Just plug-and-play. And it felt luxurious.
First Print: A Benchmark Benchy, But Make it Beautiful
We all do it. The first print is always a Benchy. But with the X1C, it wasn’t just to test the printer—it was to witness what modern hardware could do with zero tinkering.
This Benchy came out faster, cleaner, and more detailed than any print I’d ever done on my Ender-5 Pro or Anet A8 Plus. The hull was smooth, the portholes were crisp, and the layers? Practically invisible.
No first layer anxiety. No extrusion hiccups. Just hit “print” and watch it go.
AMS: The Game-Changer I Didn’t Know I Needed
Back on the A8 and Ender, multi-color printing was a manual mess. Pause the print, swap the filament, purge, hope the printer doesn’t blob up the nozzle, and repeat.
With the AMS, that whole drama vanished. I loaded four filaments, selected colors in Bambu Studio, and let it run. The AMS handled filament switching, detection, and purging all on its own.
Watching it print a multicolor model—with seamless transitions—felt like magic.
Speed and Precision: CoreXY Muscle
On the Ender-5 Pro, I had to balance speed with quality. Push too fast, and the prints got sloppy. Stick to 50mm/s and you’d wait overnight.
The X1C prints at up to 500mm/s thanks to its CoreXY motion system. That’s not a typo. And somehow, it doesn’t shake, doesn’t wobble, and doesn’t lose accuracy.
A model that took 7 hours on the Ender now finishes in under 3. And with better quality.
Noise and Smell: Office Friendly at Last
Both the Anet and Ender were noisy. Stepper motor whine, fans, open-frame echoing… not something you want running next to your desk.
The X1C is enclosed and well-insulated. The AMS adds some clicking during filament changes, but overall it’s just a soft hum. No PLA smell. No ABS fumes. Finally, a printer that doesn’t dominate the room it’s in.
Slicer Experience: From Cura Tuning to Bambu Smoothness
Cura served me well, especially on the Ender. But getting prints dialed in took work—adjusting profiles, testing retraction, tuning speeds.
Bambu Studio is built for the X1C. It has presets that just work, but also allows deep customization. It connects directly to the printer, offers real-time monitoring, and even supports remote starts.
I send models from my laptop and start prints from my phone. No SD card shuffle. No hassle.
Downsides? A Few.
- Cost: It’s a premium machine, and the AMS adds to the price. Not for budget tinkerers.
- Filament Drying: AMS isn’t a dryer. You still need dry storage for hygroscopic filaments.
- Ecosystem Lock-In: It works best with Bambu gear and software. You can go open-source, but it takes more effort.
Still, these are minor trade-offs compared to the value and time it saves.
What I Still Use the Ender For
Believe it or not, the Ender-5 Pro still gets some use. It’s great for rough prototypes, quick PETG brackets, or experimental filaments I don’t want to risk clogging the AMS.
The A8 Plus? It retired with honors. It taught me everything I needed to know about 3D printing—the hard way.
Final Thoughts: Worth the Hype
The Bambu Lab X1 Carbon changed how I think about 3D printing. It’s no longer a technical project—it’s a creative tool. It’s fast, reliable, versatile, and smart.
For anyone coming from the tinker-heavy days of Anet or Creality machines, the X1C feels like stepping into the future.
Would I recommend it? 100%. If you want to focus on printing instead of troubleshooting, the X1C is the printer you’ve been waiting for.
And once you try it, there’s no going back.
