First printer

TeachMeToSquirtDaddy

I've been watching Tim Hoffman for about 4 years as well as PSR and others the last couple, but getting involved was cost-prohibitive for me for much of that time. I'm finally doing it; I'm getting my first printer! I'm leaning towards either the Bambu P1S with the AMS or A1 combo (both seem to be on sale atm) so I can also do multi color toys for my son, and because of the ease of use, but I'm leery of Bambu's current and possible future policies. Are they a safe play with 3d2a currently, should I be ok in the near future if I go this route, or what would you recommend for toys and 2a instead? From what I've read, I might like to print in PLA+, PLA Pro, & PET-CF, maybe others. I'm in the south, so humidity will be an issue I should consider. I'm also a single parent, so I can't devote a ton of time troubleshooting. Will an enclosed unit be best? I'm ok with, maybe even prefer, keeping my printer offline for privacy, and loading through USB/SD. The price of the P1S/AMS went from $699 to ~$900 after shipping and everything, but I may have selected add-ons I don't need. That's probably close to the max I could spend. Thanks, everyone, for your time!

marriedwchildren256

TeachMeToSquirtDaddy I'm also a single parent, so I can't devote a ton of time troubleshooting.

I'm not a single parent but understand the demand's on your time w/ kids myself. If you have zero time for troubleshooting I'd make this the primary factor which would strongly lead me to an out of the box option with a good reputation like bambu (despite their closed source environment).

I got the anycubic kobra S1 Combo a few weeks back but haven't put any real gun parts through it yet (soon, I'm doing material calibrations now). And while its "out of the box" I'm finding it needs tweaking and tinkering. But man its a lot cheaper.

My last was a Creality 3 v2. I absolutely would not go there if you value your time.

TeachMeToSquirtDaddy

marriedwchildren256 The Kobra S1 Combo looks very appealing, especially with the display, dryer, and price. I like the features of both the KS1C and the P1S. Hoffman said the AMS dryer isn't up to snuff; so would the AMS for printing, and an external dryer (recommendation?) be better; necessary? Is desiccant in the AMS enough to keep humidity acceptable, or do I have to have a dryer? I'm leaning heavily towards the P1S based on the reviews and comments I've seen on both regarding simplicity and reliability, and will probably buy it today or tomorrow unless someone talks me out of it.

patriotpa

I second the opinion on Creality. It's NOT an OOB printer. You WILL be repairing and modding it to make it perform. Their support also SUCKS.

marriedwchildren256

TeachMeToSquirtDaddy the dryer function of the anycubic ACE is nice. Only goes up to 55 tho.

TeachMeToSquirtDaddy

It is finished. I settled on a P1S with the regular AMS, a spare hardened 4mm, a complete hardened 6mm hotend, and some of their PET-CF and PLA/PETG support material. I also ordered several spools of Polymaker PLA Pro at 35% off and free shipping. I found a Sunlu S4 on sale at Amazon for $118 to use as my standalone dryer. I'm hoping to get into easy printing right off the bat, and learn along the way. Thanks for everyone's posts in other threads, and to those who responded here and elsewhere. You've been very helpful and informative!

patriotpa

You can always pick up a cheap food dehydrator and slap a 5gal bucket on top. Works perfectly. All you need is a 1/4 vent hole in the top to let the moisture out.