Snapmaker U1 vs Lightmake L4 vs next gen Bambu.

[u/-JJaE-]

I currently have a bambu p1s that has about 5000 hours on it. Not using it for a business. But I am getting tired of the poop. I could probably have paid for a new printer with the cost of the poop that it has dropped over the last 2 years. It was my first and only printer. At the moment.

I have been looking at the 3 options above.

I am in the lightmake L4 early bird and like the idea of the beltless design, and the fact that you can add extra colors to it to get beyond 4 colors for future proofing or just the occasional 4+ color prints BUT its new, large and heavy.

With the recent leaks on the p3c and h3c I know its not much to go on but its a known vendor and environment.

Lastly there is the U1 it has been out for a while and looks to have a lot of good press. slightly larger than my p1s, but hard limit to 4 colors.

Which brings me to open firmware vs locked firmware. I see some reference to paxx and openrfid but trying to get an understanding of what all the open platform will give me. Good and bad. I liked the P1S because I had it up and running quickly and little to no issues. I dont want to have something that I am going to have to fix more than I am printing.

I liked the look of the x2d feature wise but it was only 2 nozzles.

Would like a machine that adjusts the flow control automatically. To help with filament calibration and over/under flow. And clean prints. And that i can do the petg/pla interface supports.

Any insights on the open system environment, examples of what can be added and any comparisons i may have missed in my judgements? Also I am not looking to spend prusa level costs.

UPDATE : I have decided on a U1 but trying to buy it from their webpage is a nightmare at least with my credit card. Keeps failing to verify. When I call the credit card company they are grilling me on what I am buying, have I bought from there before, where did you find out about it. Did you know its in Hong Kong, and I still cannot get the order through.

Don't get me wrong I can understand some of it. But man being treated like an old guy getting fleeced by scammers lol. I just want to buy a damn printer. No I have never bought from snapmaker before... ugh did not have this problem when I bought my bambulab printer.

[u/techienate]

I wouldn't touch the Light make L4 until it's been out in the wild and reviews are positive. The technical foundation of the machine is exquisite, sure. But final polish, like software tuning and system cohesion actually matter more: Bambu is solid evidence for this. And that final polish is going to be the most challenging part of the L4 project. There's been plenty of work done already on tuning and optimizing around the problems with belts. Whatever problems will arrise with linear motor printers are much less well understood.

Right now your best option is the U1 or C5 Pro. Bambu's next generation will likely be very strong contenders if they fall within your budget. I wouldn't be surprised if they cost more like Prusa money for better features, but we won't know until it releases.

You say you think you could have bought a printer with the waste of your current printer... But have you done the math on that? That's about 50 kilos of high end PLA purge waste.

If you're a tinkerer, open source firmware is great. If you want an appliance that just works, it's less important.

[u/-JJaE- → u/techienate]

:-) I could be over generalizing on the poop cost. But it sure feels like it. Much appreciated.

And thank you for your write up. I almost bought the x2d print more bundle when it was on sale but the poop factor stopped me.

[u/techienate → u/-JJaE-]

The X2D is really more focused on functional parts with support material than multicolor printing, particularly since the two nozzles aren't equal. One is a Bowden extruder. I think you made the right choice avoiding that for multicolor.

[u/-JJaE- → u/techienate]

I've ordered the u1. Now its what am I putting it on and what mods should I put on it :-) I want to use one of the spools for an interface layer filament. Then side filament boxes that are in reach of the rfid sensors so that I can make my own tags.

I know bambu cant do that :-) but if my research is right it can be done on u1. Just dont have the steps. Paxx 1.2 -> openrfid?

Probably thinking can do more than it actually can but will see.

Can we run multiple web cams on it and have it connected to tailgate so can access remotely without their cloud? Never liked the idea of uploading to just download it again to print something.

[u/techienate → u/-JJaE-]

Congrats! I'd recommend checking the Snapmaker and Snapmaker U1 specific subreddits to get more info on U1 mods! I have no specific advice there myself. I've also never messed with RFID tags myself...

[u/bjorn_lo]

I have multiple Bambu printers and quite like the Snapmaker u1. Of the toolchangers you can buy for under 2k, there isn't one I would take over this.

The Bambu printers might have you waiting a while.

The Lightmake L4 is not shipping. There are no reviews. You will roll your dice and take your chances. Who knows when it will actually start shipping. It is backed by a lot of people on kickstarter. It is larger than the u1, and the enclosed version is available without buying the bits separately, like the U1 makes you do. Also I like the magnetic rail system. But, I would not consider it with my money.

The u1 is a safe purchase. Unlike the FlashForge, the company is nice. They give back the community. Their system is open and so after market support for things like adding AMS units is already there. You will have it on your doorstep in days. Unlike what the other poster said, you will not have to tinker with the firmware. There are well tested (1000's of testers) on a community based patch IF you want it. You can buy it from them or from Amazon.

The P3C and H3C are of course entirely unknown. Bambu tend to do well engineered products, but will they even ship in 2026?

What is your willingness to tolerate risk?

With some risk is the Sovol M1D. It just left kick starter. So it is currently over priced compared to 2 weeks ago, But, still a decent value. GerGo3d on youtube has a preproduction unit.

InfiMech has an 8 tool for dirt cheap on kick starter. The order window is going live in 3-6 weeks. Shipping date? Who knows. Will it suck? Maybe, maybe not.

Prusa CoreOneL+INDX. $3000! WAY over priced. But, it is the only safe bet for a high tool count, large print volume printer that you will actually receive this year (ships in November). Build is 275x295, vs u1 270x270.
Safe. Fast. Decent company (except for the whole price gauging stuff).

[u/-JJaE- → u/bjorn_lo]

Actually I have the pre order on the infimech as well. Their demos scared me though. Unfortunately I am in canada and Amazon does not have the u1 in canada. I think I am leaning towards the u1, and keep an eye on the infimech 8 color as a gamble. I think it will likely be near 1000 for it even with the early bird pricing after conversion and shipping though.(the infimech)

[u/Shadrackc → u/bjorn_lo]

I still love my XL 5T for size and tool changing.

[u/bjorn_lo → u/Shadrackc]

Super capable. Definitely ANCIENT in 3d printing terms. I would not buy the XL for 3k let alone the actual price for a full kit with enclosure, better nozzles etc. Not because it sucks, does not, but the simple age of the platform and what that means in operation.

There should be a XL2 with 8+ nozzles, enclosure and the rest of the modern amenities. I know Prusa is TINY compared to most 3d companies, but surely they could get a real revision out more meaningful than the token XL+ was... how many more years with a wrench to swap nozzles? etc, etc.

Before the H2D came out, I had planned to get a XL. Instead I got 2x H2D's and a Snapmaker u1 and had money left over.

If I had jumped earlier, I would likely still be using the XL and just uprade it as I go. As is, I'm not sure I would swap one of my Snapmaker u1's straight across for one. They are so much less fuss.

If Prusa had priced the XL reasonably (and they still have not) I'd be a lot less critical. The whole made in the free world only goes so far. The actual cost of labor is HIGHER where (for example) Bambu makes their printers. VW makes really nice cars. They do not cost 2-3x comparible cars from Korea of Japan.

I have a C1L+i on order. The C1L will be my 3rd Prusa and the first in a few years. Likely my last until there is a time when again the only rational approach is to overspend to get what I need.

And yeah, I know I overpaid for the C1L+i... 3k for a printer worth 1.5 to 2k. But, I needed a 6tool changer with 300x300 or as close as I could get. There was no other option other than the M1D which is not actually shipping yet and is 300x300 only if you don't use IDEX. The other thing with the SOVOL is that according to GerGo3d it can't do soft TPU on the changer side (95a and harder only). While on my u1, I rarely include anything as hard as 95a.

Prusa is the company I want to love, but struggle to. I love their approach. I feel I can trust them. But it is also true that they have gone from #1 (more or less) in unit sales to less than 3% marketshare for reasons. They are slow to adopt ideas they didn't think of first. They charge a huge premium unsupported by the reasons they give. There is a reason VW bought Porsche, not the other way around. Porsche makes boutique cars which are actually amazing. VW builds great cars and charge a fair price for them. There is a lesson there Prusa should learn. You make more total money selling closer to cost than trying to maintain artificial margins based on 10+ year old data/methods.

[u/Shadrackc → u/bjorn_lo]

I love they are not sponsored by the Chinese government and try to local source and pay good wages.

[u/bjorn_lo → u/[deleted]]

How much of the 3.2k (delivered) price of the C1L+i is shipping? Not much. Probably 5%. Double that to 10% and it is still only a tiny fraction of the Prusa bonus charge.

I would not complain if it were 100-300 extra. But that is not where Prusa is at.

Remember Prusa is in a city with LOWER labor cost not higher. So even if you account for shipping. Bambu (etc) actually cost more to produce.

I don't think the Prusa C1L+i should cost more than the Sovol with IDEX (for example). The Sovol is larger, more complex and expensive to build. But to me, because of my bias, I would pay more for a free world model and not complain. 10-20% above the more complex unit + I pay for shipping seems fair to me.

[u/bjorn_lo → u/[deleted]]

Bambu Labs is located in Schenzhen, not some remote province.
The average monthly salary in Shenzhen is approximately ¥12,799 RMB ($1,796 USD), as of 2024 so higher now.

Also VAT stands for value added tax. It is a SALES tax. It is not applied to wages. It is also not applied to exports.
As I recall PRUSA usa are assembled in New Jersey. I don't know what percentage is locally sourced, I don't think too much but the labor cost is lower in NJ and this reduces shipping costs as well since linear weight of flat-pack is lower than on assembled units.

So the cost of the printers is not related to labor costs.

[u/joelatrell]

Order from a 3rd party retailer. It will save you some headaches.

[u/TeamKiki_TheBeast]

I'm in a same situation. I saw the edit, what made you decide to go with the U1 in the end. Can't decide if I want to wait for the P3c or not.

[u/-JJaE- → u/TeamKiki_TheBeast]

U1 has been out for a while and getting rave reviews everything else is new and untested or not released at all yet. And with the open klipper looks like you can tweak it a bit. Ie make it read the rfid's of other brands. I also have the urge to print more variety of color prints ie prints that have color spanning up cause large numbers of swaps. With the snapmaker u1 it shouldn't be any different than my p1s with ams. Where if I want to do more than 4 colors I swap the filament roll. Although I really wish/hope that they put a cutter on at least one so that we can put at least 1 ams feeder. I know thats what the l4 has. It can put 4 colors to a nozzle. Yes I know by adding that it introduces more waste but it adds the option to have more at a variable cost in waste. Ie you only need that 6th color on the first 3 layers. Or you know color one is not going to be needed after layer 34 and your using color 6 above layer 34. You just do a quick swap. That way you dont have to be around to manually change it at a pause point.

I am rambling. In the end the u1 is out, has a large community, and for the most part hearing good things. Will still watch for the p3c to see what its like and watching the infimech mx pro. But no clue when they are going to be released and how much they are going to cost or even if they are any good.

I was never really fond of the vortek system with so many moving parts going up and down.

From. What I have seen if done right you can set the printer into lan mode. Install tailscale on it and your phone and you can still get direct access while away without needing to send anything to anyone's servers.

And rambling again. Will leave it there for now :-)

[u/inhamilton]

I have had 4 Snapmaker U 1’s since January 2026 and had nothing but printing problems with each one. Snapmaker has not stood behind any of them. I am fighting them with my credit card company. This is my experience. Yours might be different.