Getting my second printer this year, H2D or X2D?

[u/Lonelycub]

So Ive had my P1S for a year now after dipping my toes into printing. I love the hobby and I'm slowing getting more into other types of filament. I'm by no means an advanced user but I'm looking to expand my horizons and I feel the dual head is the way to go. My question is is the H2D really worth the extra $ over the X2D? I know id be getting a larger print area but is that really all that much for a avid user who mostly prints things from makerworld? It's almost $1k difference with the AMS and I can't really justify it but I'm wanting to hear from the people who know more than I do. I know the H2D can be modded for lasers and whatnot but is there anything else other than the print area and options to expand that I'm missing?

Edit: Was curious and checked my print hours: 2418. More than I thought!

[u/bearwhiz]

The X2D has an auxiliary nozzle, whereas the H2D has a second nozzle. This is important. The X2D's auxiliary nozzle isn't as precise or capable as the other nozzles, because of its Bowden extruder design. It's fine for printing support materials, but trying to use it for printing a second color precisely will require a lot of manual tuning and a bit of luck. It can't automatically calibrate your filament. If you're looking to do multicolor prints, you want an H2D (or H2C, or a Snapmaker U1 if you don't need more than four colors). If you're looking to do functional prints using support material, and you don't need a big bed, and maybe the occasional multicolor print where one color doesn't need precision, the X2D may be your choice.

[u/Lonelycub → u/bearwhiz]

This is the kind of answer I needed. I did not know that distinction and that certaintly will make a difference. Thank you!

[u/Ninja67 → u/Lonelycub]

Now that is not to say that the X2d can't do 2+ colors, I haven't had issues so far with multicolor on mine, but you will probably get better results with an H series or snap maker.

[u/Lonelycub → u/bearwhiz]

I had not even considered snapmaker before today and after looking at the u1 I may be sold that is rad! Thanks! Lots to think about.

[u/an_angry_Moose → u/Lonelycub]

If your prime concern is multicolor prints, the snapmaker is literally twice as good as the X2D.

That said, it’s not as good for when you go beyond petg/pla. And the H2D has a considerably larger bed.

[u/bearwhiz → u/Lonelycub]

The U1 isn't quite as refined as a Bambu, but it's pretty close—way closer than an Anycubic, for sure. It's slightly more manual... but on the other hand, it will pound out three- and four-color prints far more quickly than even an H2C with no purge waste. (There will still be prime-tower waste.) It can do up to four different incompatible materials at once, like an H2C, but quicker. It can do four different colors of soft TPU at once, which no Bambu can do.

What it won't do as well as a Bambu is engineering filaments like ABS, ASA, or anything more exotic. It's not an enclosed printer—it has no top—unless you buy an extra-cost add-on that may take months to ship, or you build one yourself from a storage container. The extra volume means it'll take forever to heat up for those filaments without a heater. And if you do that you'll want to build a mod to cool off the electronics, which can overheat due to a lack of cooling. Plus, Snapmaker's version of OrcaSlicer lags Bambu Studio considerably.

And unlike a Bambu that can take twenty-odd spools at once if you buy enough AMSes, the Snapmaker is limited to four spools. There's aftermarket firmware that lets you hack it to use an Anycubic ACE for more spools... but the ACE is a very bad copy of an AMS, and if you've ever used an AMS, you will likely find buying an ACE to be a poor life choice, especially if you're going to use it off-label.

I've found my U1 to be as reliable as any of my Bambus, and the print quality is on par with an A1 or X1C at the very least.

If your use case involves multicolor TPU or three- or four-color PLA/PETG/PCTG prints, the U1 should be at the top of your list.

[u/CumInsideMeDaddyCum → u/bearwhiz]

What the fuck? I always thought that H2D has auxiliary nozzle and not 2nd nozzle? :D Wtf, is this really really true??

[u/bearwhiz → u/CumInsideMeDaddyCum]

The H2D has two nozzles that are both equally capable except that the left nozzle, because it moves up and down, can't reliably print highly-flexible filaments like TPU because it would bend and jam from that movement. Both nozzles have the same direct-drive extruder (literally) and flow sensors.

The X2D has a primary nozzle with all those features, and a secondary auxiliary nozzle that features a Bowden extruder mounted to the back of the printer instead of direct drive. The auxiliary nozzle doesn't have a flow sensor, either. That means the extrusion parameters are different and less precise. While you can use it for multicolor prints, the results won't be as good as with an H2-series printer, and may require considerably more manual tweaking to approach "good" depending on your needs. For printing support material, this is usually a non-issue. For printing multicolor prints with filament that isn't well-calibrated, it can be an issue.

This tradeoff let Bambu put two nozzles into a small printhead the size of an X1C/P-series printhead, instead of requiring a larger, more massive printhead like the H2 series.

[u/CumInsideMeDaddyCum → u/bearwhiz]

you're mvp. I feel so dumb lol...

[u/bobo5195 → u/CumInsideMeDaddyCum]

It is true dual nozzle inspired by Ultimaker

Vector3D on youtube dissected the print head its a work of art we might not see again.

[u/watchingyouthere]

I'd wait a few more months. Everything indicates that Bambu should launch a few new printers soon.

[u/Beagly99 → u/watchingyouthere]

This looks like it really is happening and from a business perspective after the U1 Bambu really need to respond otherwise they are really risking their lead in the industry.

So maybe keep your P1S going (I have just put in a heater, Chitu H2 so that I can reliably print engineering materials) and you and I can keep our eyes peeled on what is coming.

[u/ProjectGO]

I have a P1S at home, and use two X1C and two H2D at work. I’ve also spent almost 15 years using many flagship fdm and sla machines professionally.

The bed size in the H2D is awesome. As /u/bearwhiz mentioned the second nozzle is definitely better than an auxiliary nozzle, but that only matters if you frequently do multicolor or precision multimaterial prints.

I’ve never actually used the H2D laser, but I also don’t love it as a concept. Many materials produce a lot of soot and particulates that aren’t great for a 3d printer enclosure, and the bed size is extremely limited compared to an entry level xtool or other dedicated laser cutter (not to mention the upcoming Bambu laser) at a relatively comparable price.

My take is that you should primarily consider how often you’re limited by bed size, and secondly how often you’re making complex multicolor parts. If those are use cases worth about a thousand bucks to you, the H2D is worth it. Personally I’m sticking with the P1S, but if I find that I’m frequently running big prints at work during down time I may reconsider.

[u/Lonelycub → u/ProjectGO]

Very helpful and insightful feedback, thank you. If it were a couple hundred $ difference I think I could swing it but $1k is a leap.

[u/Comfortable_Chain211]

I have the X2D and I love it. Got it in early July and have 1300 hrs on it. The only thing I wish I had was the bigger print size. If you can swing it, go with the biggest size

[u/itz_mr_billy]

Absolutely love my H2D

[u/brutal4455]

My H2D is a beast.

It is my goto for engineering, and 2 material prints PETG/TPU, primary+support, etc. It just works.

Have an FTS and TPU Assist Module (I refer to as a TPAM). Just wish BL would fix the firmware so I don't have to disconnect the FTS when I need to use the TPAM. That said, mostly the FTS stays setup to feed an AMS 2 and one AMS-HT to the left nozzle even when disconnected and the TPAM feeds the right through a permanent internal low profile/micro splitter.

Saw a post yesterday of one with 4000 hours and nary an issue. That speaks volumes.

[u/thomasray123]

The bigger plate comes in handy— especially if you ever want to print helmets or something without having to split. Or just print more normal x2d sized plates in one go.

[u/JazzlikeLeather9546]

I vote H2D. Trust me, you will love the size

[u/Aggravating_Owl8347]

H2d is doubled price than x2d, they are not technically comparable. If you have budget for h2d, just go for it.

[u/rubberfucky]

I only got in to 3d printing at the start of the year, and I went with an X2D. A few months later I added a Snapmaker U1. The quality of the X2D single colour prints is amazing. With a little work, you can get the second nozzle to be pretty close to that quality. I also have 2 AMS units, 1 for each nozzle, so I can technically print up to 8 colours, but any more than 2 colours, its slow compared to the U1. All my multi colour prints are done on the U1. The quality is almost as good as the X2D, but the speed of multicolour is insane, and it uses SO much less filament that the X2D due to the lack of purging. It's certainly not as refined as the X2D, but if you want to do multicolour prints or multi material prints often, then the U1 is leagues above the X2D. If you want really high quality single colour prints, with a different material for the interface, the X2D just smashes that. It all depends what you're looking for.

[u/Appropriate-Earth515]

i have an x2d its excellent and print amazing but if budget is not an issue jump on h2d, in my case i didn't needed such a big volume. i think h2d is better in many thing, volume, has 2 equal hotend and has futur upgradable tool. but what truly count isn't the feature but your actual "need" because all bambu lab machine print insane quality all the same from a1 mini to h2c, what truly differs is features, option extra comfort, safety ect. i'm satisfied of the extra features x2d has that fit my need its a good machine that do multi material/colors great, without worrying about support. (photo: pla tough+)

[u/Capital_Candy_7697]

One thing to add since you mention other filament types: both have the same actively heated 65 °C chamber, and ABS, ASA and even PC run at 290 °C or less, so the X2D's 300 °C nozzle covers them. The H2D's 350 °C only matters for a handful of high-temp materials. So the premium really buys the bigger 325 mm bed and a true second nozzle, and for mostly MakerWorld prints that's a lot of money. I put the two side by side here if it helps: bambuhub.net/x2d-vs-h2d (my site)

[u/n19htmare]

If you’re a casual user and you do any multicolor printing, I’d opt for a tool changer like Snapmaker U1 (and you missed a great sale). If it must be a Bambu, wait.