I am a huge fan of Prusa, not just their products, but the company and their values. For example, their leadership and commitment to open source (as outlined in their mission below).

“Make enjoyable machines for everyone to use. Open-source is our heart, we strongly believe in the community and in sharing how we do things so others can learn and create. Our goal is for our printers to remain moddable, easily repairable, and produce amazing prints even decades after their initial release. Reprint the plastic parts, flash custom firmware, read through our circuit board designs, or completely modify our printers to meet your specific needs.”

At home and work, I have been using Prusa 3D printers since 2021, most notably the Original Prusa MINI+.

Recently, I was in the market for a new model with three key requirements.

  1. Automated Multicolour Printing
  2. Larger Printing Area (above 180x180x180)
  3. Auto Bed Levelling (ABL)
  4. Integrated Camera
  5. Wireless Connectivity
  6. Mobile Application (iOS and Android)
  7. Integrated Enclosure

This led me to explore the popular Bambu Lab product range, specifically the Bambu Lab P1S 3D Printer with Automatic Material System (AMS).

Based on my analysis, I believe the Bambu Lab P1S 3D Printer with AMS is the best fit for my requirements, especially with the recent discounts.

Unfortunately, Prusa and Bambu Lab are very different companies. Bambu Lab has a more controversial position regarding how they design and build their products, with an emphasis on proprietary hardware and software.

For example, the differences between Prusa and Bamby Lab can be compared to the differences between macOS and Linux, each offering positives and negatives.

macOS, like Bambu Lab, is proprietary, built with vertical integration (software and hardware tightly coupled). This results in a highly opinionated product (minimal flexibility), with the benefit of being fast, reliable, as well as easy to configure, maintain and use.

Linux, like Prusa, is open and therefore highly versatile and flexible. This provides maximum power to the user (right to repair/modify/upgrade), but can be more complex to configure, maintain and use.

I am not stating one is right or wrong or better or worse. The approaches are simply different. As with macOS and Linux, I use both regularly, as each offers unique benefits depending on the use situation and/or use case.

Philosophically, I prefer the open nature of Prusa. However, 3D printing is an area where I am less likely to “tinker”, therefore I certainly value the “it just works” benefits that come with vertical integration.

Therefore, I decided to purchase the Bambu Lab P1S 3D Printer with Automatic Material System (AMS).

3D Printing Evolved

Following a few days of testing, I can confirm the Bambu Lab P1S 3D Printer is excellent. Everything feels incredibly polished and refined, with high-quality hardware and intuitive software.

The Auto Bed Levelling (ABL), integrated camera and wireless connectivity are everything I had hoped they would be. It makes printing a trivial task; simply select the model from the mobile app and tap print.

At which point, the Bambu Lab P1S 3D Printer does everything else, without any pre-configuration, etc.

The inclusion of the Automatic Material System (AMS) is also a great feature, allowing for effortless multicolour printing.

I still love Prusa and am excited to see how their products evolve. At work, I plan to continue to use Prusa, as the versatility, alongside the ability to easily repair, modify, and upgrade, are valuable features. However, for personal use, I cannot fault the elegance of Bambu Lab.

Where Prusa has always felt like a product for enthusiasts, Bambu Lab feels like a product for the masses.

hardware 3d_printing josef_prusa prusa_research prusa prusa_mini prusa_mini_+ prusa_mini_plus prusa3d prusaslicer bambu_lab bambu_lab_p1s p1s automatic_material_system ams open_hardware open_source