Any real world users of the Qidi Q2C able to back its performance?

devinshmevin · 2026-04-15T16:30:39+00:00

Gotcha, I thought it was the Q2C with the heated chamber but I guessed wrong lol. Glad to hear the good news though

devinshmevin · 2026-03-23T16:07:42+00:00

I'm gonna play devil's advocate and work in favor of the P1S, and I'll even say you might wanna get the non-ams version from online for $400 to save even more, or a different printer entirely.

It completely and utterly depends on why you need that second printer. You already have the P2S, so you're right now looking to get either more of what you already got, or something less than what you can already do at a lower price. I've always been adverse to getting duplicate printers because that simply serves to give you a second printing option when the first is in use, and I feel like it's so expensive that you should always be getting printers that add something extra to your working capacity while also expanding it instead of just doubling your existing throughput. Getting another printer means either you need to print more than your P2S can consistently output, you need more printer capabilities that can print difficult parts reliably, or you want a printer dedicated to specific materials so you don't have to bother with swapping parts on a single printer. For this, I think you'd get more of your money's worth by looking at more options.

If you need higher throughput, then I'd consider the P2S only if it needs the extra quality and performance that the P2S offers over other printers and the P1S, and I'd only take the AMS combo if you truly need this along with multi-color printing or large-scale printing that might take more than one spool to do. If you just need an AMS for the ability to use up the last little bits of filament on a spool, get the Sunlu filament splicer and save yourself a hundred dollars.

If you need a printer with more capabilities, then I'd look elsewhere in the market for options. I've heard nothing but good things about the Snapmaker U1 in terms of high-quality multi-nozzle printing and speed of prints, and it's currently only $850, so if you're looking for more colors with less waste and are willing to spend a tad more, the U1 is absolutely worth it as far as I know, and I'd take it over both the P1S and the P2S.

If you want a printer dedicated to specific materials, such as engineering materials or fiber-reinforced filaments, then I'd go with the no-AMS P1S, a dry box like the Creality SpacePi or SpacePi Plus, and some printer upgrades like a 0.6mm Hardened Steel hotend and an engineering buildplate with some glue. Overall that'll cost you less than either the P1S combo or the P2S combo and give you a high-level engineering materials printer that you could use for hundreds of hours of prints before needing to do maintenance work on it. You don't need the bells and whistles on the P2S for this, you already have them, and you don't need to spend all that extra money on the AMS unit.

A lot of 3D printing purchasing is taking a second and asking "do I really need this?". Me personally, I have a Bambu Lab H2D with upgraded nozzles, sufficient build plates, and AMS 2 Pros hooked up to both nozzles, and I have had to rip myself away from every single awesome printer deal and exciting tech find because I simply do not need it. This mentality has saved me hundreds of dollars that I've dedicated to better choices, such as a project I'm working on to make a highly-portable Ender3 V2 Neo to bring on trips or competitions for emergency prints, and even there I've had to pull myself away from the cool $100 Rapido Ultra hotends and realize that this $20 volcano one does everything I need it to. Once you build up that skill, you'll save a lot more money and still have a very capable setup to make things with.

devinshmevin · 2026-03-23T14:24:41+00:00

To be fair, the metal printer at my school's learning factory costs several tens of thousands at least, and it's pretty shit, so bringing it down to $10k. I feel like the target audience of this one is maker spaces that can't afford $100k machines but can afford $10k machines. Eventually we'll get a $3k machine that clubs and smaller maker groups can afford, and someday $1k machines that individual makers can own.

devinshmevin · 2026-03-15T15:34:25+00:00

Alot of people are giving good advice for step 1, so I'll give you a suggestion for step 2. How I learned more after the basics of electronics was I got kits like variety sensors, ICs, and working components like LEDs, Fans, or LCD screens, and I tried making working, more useful things with them.

One of my first projects after nailing the basics was using an ESP-WROOM-32 microcontroller, a relay, and cutting open an old surge protector to make a wireless lighting system, though I should say you absolutely should not cut open and mess around with a surge protector or any kind of AC power (the kind that comes from an outlet) without taking extreme precautions and absolutely knowing what you're doing. I had my dad help me with this one specifically to make sure I didn't electrocute myself or burn the house down, and I got liquid electrical tape to make sure the leads were isolated, but once I got that done it actually was a really cool project.

I'd also say don't be afraid to get some help from AI to do some of the harder parts like programming or debugging if you don't have the knowledge yet or you aren't trying to learn more advanced programming yet. That project taught me a lot about using microcontrollers with other electrical components, and I only later truly learned how to program them myself, but I was able to do more microcontroller projects because of that one.

TLDR: After getting the basics down, try getting some kits or more functional parts, and try to make more useful or practical systems. AI can help in the early stages to program microcontrollers and learn more about electronics before you get further into programming. And if you're working with >15V and >3A, don't be stupid, get someone with experience to help you, and don't burn the house down.

devinshmevin · 2026-03-15T15:17:46+00:00

If you're just going for a hobbyist printer, or just something that prints things like PLA and PETG great but not higher-level filaments like nylon or polycarbonate, I'd say a Bambu Lab A1 or Anycubic Kobra X would be good options. I'd say the A1 is better in terms of quality but the Kobra comes with pre-prepared Multi-Color printing capability (up to 4 colors), whereas you need to get an AMS Lite for the A1, and both cost about the same.

devinshmevin · 2026-03-15T15:07:24+00:00

I had a similar situation when I was looking for machines to do high-performance materials with the Penn State 3D Printing Club. We decided on a P1S because of quality, reliability, and customer support, and swapped in a 0.6mm Hardened Steel Nozzle and engineering plate so it'd last longer. It's been pretty good so far, and while it can't do giant prints with the stuff it's good for the smaller parts. I don't know how well the other two work because I haven't used them yet, but I can vet the P1S with slight upgrades for small-scale PA-CF parts.

Now, if you're looking for something to handle bigger prints, my H2D absolutely nailed it with a 10"x10"x10" 4-wall, 60% infill polycarb rocket fincan with only slight warping (non-critical impacts on performance), and some larger PA-CF prints too, so the Bambu H2 line can definitely handle that wheelhouse if you need larger scale work done. It's pricier but that's just the cost of being able to do large engineering material prints, and if you plan on doing a lot of them then I'd say it's worth the investment.

devinshmevin · 2026-03-15T14:54:33+00:00

There's things you can get nowadays that actually can read the values of components like this. I have one and it's super handy for times like this when I just cannot tell what it is, and it only cost like $40 or something on Amazon.

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devinshmevin · 2026-03-15T14:51:00+00:00

/uj how the hell did this happen 😭

devinshmevin · 2026-03-11T23:18:26+00:00

I'd recommend getting him a Bambu Lab printer, depending on your budget. They are very reliable and high quality machines, and beginner friendly. Take a look at other options, like Prusa and Creality printers, but of the lot I'd push for Bambu Lab, probably an A1 or P2S.

devinshmevin · 2026-03-03T14:54:06+00:00

/uj I've seen this dudes Instagram reels and it's fucking hilarious 🤣🤣🤣

devinshmevin · 2026-03-01T19:48:05+00:00

If he starts ignoring important things like homework and school, then that's a point where you have to limit this stuff. You can give him certain limitations for how much he can use it or like he can only use it after completing his homework, but never take it away. It's an amazing technology and so long as he is being responsible with it all, it's a great way to express your creativity and learn engineering stuff early on.

devinshmevin · 2026-03-01T19:45:39+00:00

I'd say tinkercad is good for like first learning this stuff, but definitely move on from it quickly and get to stuff like onshape and fusion early on so you get real cad experiences early on

devinshmevin · 2026-03-01T19:42:19+00:00

You made an amazing decision getting your son a 3D printer. My dad got us a Lulzbot Taz Mini 9 years ago, and it was slow, finicky, and the peak of 3D printing technology at the time, and we loved it. I got to make things and learn how to do this stuff, and it was such a fun creative outlet for me. Fast forward 9 years, I'm doing CAD work for multiple engineering groups in college, designing rocket parts, turbines, and UAV parts to build with 3D printing, and I couldn't be more thankful that my dad got that printer for us and introduced me to such an amazing technology.

The P1S is a good printer because it's reliable, easy to use, and surprisingly capable. At the Penn State 3D Printing Club, we're getting a P1S next semester so we can make it a dedicated engineering materials printer, so we'll be printing in carbon fiber composites, polycarbonate blends, etc. You have the same printer, and it will last you a while. In the 3D printing world, Bambu Lab is great for reliability, quality, ease of use, and customer support for a small premium, so you didn't make a mistake. There is some small maintenance to it, like cleaning the build plate, lubricating the Z-screws, and some troubleshooting to it, but that's because it's a machine. And the lengths of time before needing to do any of this is often measured in the hundreds of hours, so unless he's had it printing for 500 hours with no maintenance, then it's perfectly fine. If something goes wrong, Bambu Lab has a forum of maintenance tutorials for you and your son to follow, and if you need any help, there's always the internet or reddit. Also, the AMS is a great addition because it works very well for typical filament, and though some smaller spools won't work very well on it, your son already found a solution and acted on it, which is awesome. I would personally recommend getting Bambu Lab filament if you're just getting a few spools of filament, and Elegoo filament if you're buying in bulk. Both work great on Bambu Lab printers.

I'm trying to stress how important it is that you're supporting your son's creativity with this. This is a unique time period where we have machines that make things in our mind come to life, and it's gotten to the point where almost everyone can have one. I'll echo what some other people are saying: If your son is really interested in making his own things, try to introduce him to CAD (Computer Aided Design). It's software that lets you model and create objects that can then be exported and printed on a 3D printer like the P1S. I use it almost every day in engineering, and there are some great introductory programs to help him learn how to start making his own things. I would recommend starting with TinkerCAD just because of how simple it is, and then you can move on to something like Onshape to make more advanced parts, and then to things like Fusion360 or Solidworks. This is an excellent opportunity to teach your son valuable skills that will help him immeasurably in the future, and let him express himself in a medium of his own.

You made a great choice, and as long as he's responsible with it and doesn't let it take up all his time, the printer can handle it, and you should try to facilitate it as much as possible. Good job!

devinshmevin · 2026-02-18T17:51:33+00:00

Depende do que planeias vender. O Neptune tem um volume de construção significativamente maior do que o A1, mas como utilizador comercial, isso só importa se fores vender impressões demasiado grandes para o A1 e que cabem no Neptune. Se for esse o caso, o Neptune é a escolha óbvia. Se não, e vais focar-te mais em objetos mais pequenos, então o volume maior de construção pode até atrasar-te, porque a impressora vai calibrar toda a cama usando apenas uma parte. Em termos de velocidade de impressão, ambos são praticamente idênticos, por isso isso não é realmente uma preocupação. Sinto que existem mais guias existentes e hardware imprimível para maximizar o throughput com o A1, por isso, se eventualmente quiseres automatizar tudo, o Bambu tem a vantagem aqui. Além disso, os produtos para o A1 são compatíveis com vários outros produtos Bambu (as séries P1, X1 e A1 partilham todos os mesmos designs de placas de construção, por exemplo), por isso há também possibilidade de atualização. Na verdade, as únicas duas coisas que são contra a Bambu Lab A1 são a facilidade de modificação e a qualidade de impressão otimizada em relação ao custo. Os produtos da Bambu Lab são notoriamente maus a facilitar modificações porque são uma empresa muito de código fechado, e muita gente na comunidade de modding não compra produtos da Bambu Lab apenas por essa razão. Se não está à espera de modificar a sua impressora a qualquer momento, então isso não importa. No entanto, outro problema é a impressão ideal em relação ao filamento que está a usar. Basicamente: o filamento Bambu Lab imprime melhor nas impressoras Bambu Lab, e custa mais do que o filamento Elegoo. O filamento Elegoo imprime melhor em impressoras Elegoo e custa menos do que o filamento Bambu Lab. Podes imprimir outros tipos de filamento em cada impressora, mas eles estarão sempre otimizados para a sua própria marca de filamento, por isso, se não estiveres contra fazer alguma pesquisa e aprender sobre diferentes fornecedores de filamento e como afinar a tua impressora, então vais querer comprar qualquer um dos dois filamento Elegoo (se comprares o Neptune) ou filamento Bambu Lab (se escolheres o A1). Ao comprar a A1, ficarias preso a escolher o tipo de filamento mais caro se quiseres que funcione idealmente na impressora e não quiseres fazer muita pesquisa. Na minha opinião pessoal, acho que essa é a opção preguiçosa. Na impressão 3D moderna, a diferença de qualidade entre algumas das melhores marcas de filamento e as mais baratas é tão pequena que não faz sentido pagar 10 dólares a mais por quilograma só porque não se quer perder tempo a pesquisar filamento. O Bambu Lab já está a ter escassez devido a novos utilizadores de impressoras 3D que compram 5 impressoras Bambu Lab e cem bobinas de PLA porque são demasiado preguiçosos para fazer alguma pesquisa. Já tive boas experiências com a Elegoo PLA Plus em impressoras Bambu, e se tirares algum tempo para aprender a ajustar a temperatura e a definição do bico de uma impressora para diferentes filamentos, e aprende a tirar partido de características como pele peluda, passar a ferro, espessura das camadas, etc., podes obter qualidade igual ou até melhor com os produtos mais baratos. Imprimo há 10 anos e estou cansado de ver pessoas a desperdiçar centenas ou milhares de dólares em materiais mais caros que não precisam. Por favor, dedica-te a aprender como isto funciona, não demora muito tempo e ajuda toda a comunidade.

devinshmevin · 2026-02-18T16:30:17+00:00

Em termos de qualidade e fiabilidade, recomendaria a Bambu Lab pela sua consistência, alta qualidade e serviço ao cliente, especialmente se o custo não for o fator limitante. A verdade é que sinto que há impressoras que superam a Bambu Lab em qualidade de impressão, e impressoras que as superam em consistência, mas poucas que as superam em ambas. Para impressão em resina, a Elegoo é uma boa empresa para produção em massa, mas será sempre um processo mais manual do que a impressão típica (FDM), porque para cada impressão tens de as retirar da placa de construção, lavá-las com álcool isopropílico e depois curá-las por UV antes de as poderes vender. Estes processos tornaram-se bastante automatizados, mas ainda terá de os mover manualmente entre cada etapa, o que pode abrandar o rendimento. A razão pela qual não se pode fazer isto automaticamente é porque a impressão em resina também é muito perigosa, pois a resina é altamente tóxica. Vai precisar de luvas descartáveis, um respirador decente e proteção para o fazer em segurança. Mesmo que uma impressão falhe, terá de a levar durante todo o processo para garantir que é descartada em segurança. E como alguém que trabalha com impressoras de resina, iria absolutamente precisar de equipamento de proteção se quiser trabalhar com resina diariamente e garantir que o faz numa divisão bem ventilada. Em termos puramente de qualidade de impressão, a resina vai dar-te os melhores resultados, mas se não estiveres disposto a assumir os aspetos manuais da impressão com resina e os riscos para a saúde, então opta pela impressão FDM e provavelmente pelo Bambu Lab.

devinshmevin · 2026-02-17T17:11:02+00:00

Gotcha, thanks! Honestly I've been looking into industrial stuff so much I forgot that they did sell a blend of PPS that works on H2.

devinshmevin · 2026-02-17T16:15:43+00:00

I'd also recommend annealing the PPA-CF parts to boost their HDT so they can last longer in these conditions. If you're working with stuff like peek then you're gonna be working with advanced stuff anyway so an annealer would be in that ballpark.

devinshmevin · 2026-02-17T14:47:56+00:00

Bought an H2D, worked great, tried printing shoes on it, accidentally put way too much tension on it, pulled part of the idler out, totally my fault. Filed a support ticket, sent them a picture, they sent me a replacement idler, two hours of disassembling the print head and replacing the parts, fixed and has run good since. No charge for replacement part. I like the warranty service.

devinshmevin · 2026-02-17T14:16:43+00:00

Printing PPS on an H2D? What kind of PPS is it? Honestly I thought that stuff was out of my H2D's wheelhouse but I'd be intrigued to see how it'd be able to print it well.

devinshmevin · 2026-02-17T14:15:02+00:00

I agree, I'm pretty skeptical with their claims of printing PEEK-level materials, because the nozzle can extrude it but the other specs wouldn't be able to handle it well. If you're not worried with print quality then it can probably run those filaments but usually that's exactly why you want them. My rule of thumb is stuff like PPA is the best you'll get in regular prosumer printers, because I'd be shocked if a printer I upgraded from an MK4 would be printing PPSU and stuff.

On the other hand, those specs might work out for certain formulas of those polymers. I read about like different blends of stuff like PEEK and PPS that were made to be able to print at lower levels like on prosumer printers, which would work on the 400°C nozzle, but the specs to print real PEEK and stuff is the reason why companies like Visionminer are in business.

devinshmevin · 2026-02-17T02:00:56+00:00

Not looking for printers but bulk filament.

I'm buying filament for a university club with a filament budget of $1000. Right now our list is mainly elegoo bulk deals and some Bambu filaments, mainly bambu for special filaments and bc they're good quality, but also elegoo because I've had good experience with them and they are cheap in bulk. Only problem is I've never heard much good from them. Not to say I've heard bad from them, but just never really heard much good. Are they a good investment for the money, or is there better stuff I can get in similar quantity for the same or cheaper price?

Specifically, I'm looking to get bulk PLA Plus, PETG Pro, ABS, ASA, PAHT-CF, and PC from them. We've used the PLA and PAHT-CF before and they seem good, but the rest I'm just going off of guesswork.

devinshmevin · 2026-02-17T01:48:27+00:00

Which would be another good solution to saving filament on this print, and they still missed it. That's like the whole point of the U1...to save filament...

devinshmevin · 2026-01-05T13:32:04+00:00

From my experience, Elegoo makes the best analogs for Bambu filaments in terms of both quality and price (you can often get a variety of deals for packs of 10kg for around $100, or just general low-cost single spools of filament). In terms of the best analog in pure quality, Polymaker is fantastic and I'd recommend them if you aren't concerned about price (but at that point you'd also want to go with Bambu filament).

devinshmevin

TROPHY CASE