The last time I used a 3D printer was back in 2016 when I reviewed the Micro 3D Printer. Things have come a longggg way since then.
I was eyeing the A1 Mini for a few weeks, just out of curiosity since I had watched a YouTube video that had it and thought it was pretty cool for a 100KD printer. Then during Amazon Prime it went on sale for $250 and I actually bought it but then canceled the order before it shipped. Then randomly one night I was on the UK Bambu Lab website and saw it was on sale for £149, so 60KD~ or $200, I bought it right away. Shipping and customs was another 30KD but that was still cheaper than the 140KD price it was selling in Kuwait for.
Total was like 90KDish and I bought the Bambu Lab PLA Basic filament from the local dealer for KD8.750 so to get it up and running it was just under 100KD.
I’ve only had the A1 mini for around a week now, it’s plugged in and always on. There is a really great app for the phone and anytime I find something I want to print I just send to print from my phone. It even has a built in camera so I can watch the printing happening or shoot a time-lapse. The quality of the print outs is amazing, you can barely see any layering and things look like they’re store bought.
I also found it super easy to create something in Adobe Illustrator, import it into the Bambu app and then turn it into 3D. So for basic stuff you don’t even need to 3D model.
I’ll eventually do a proper review of the printer but just wanted to post about it now quickly since I noticed it’s back on sale but at £169 if anyone wants one. Link
8 replies on “Bambu Lab A1 Mini 3D Printer First Impression”
What’s the best thing you printed?
I don’t think I have a best, been printing just random things I need, kinda like an in-house Temu lol
I was looking to get one but was shocked by thr price in Kuwait through the authorized seller. What company did you use to ship it?
The local authorized reseller is SWbAC and their prices for all the items are basically exactly the same as the official website. But they didn’t have a sale locally but they did online. They sell the filaments for basically the same price as well which is great.
I used MyUS to ship it. The package weighs 17.6lbs and when I used the MyUS rate calculator it said it should cost KD21 to ship. I also had a 20% discount applied to my account but the experience turned out to be all wrong with them. When the item shipped from my mailbox they shipped it at the weight of 18lbs. I got in touch with them and told them someone must have mistyped 28 instead of 18lbs. They’re like no it’s right, MyUS uses something like volumetric weight when shipping from the UK which sucks. When I asked about the 20% discount I have in my account they also told me that doesn’t apply to Aramex who I chose as the carrier because it was the cheapest. So two things went wrong with them in one shipment. Ended up paying like 32KD
Still a bit cheaper than Shop&Ship with would have been 54kd if you have basic account of 35kd if you have premium and this is without customs.
Appreciate the quick reply! I’ll go ahead and order it now been curious about 3D printing for ages.
make sure you’re in the UK store once you click the link, it’s showing £169 for me right now and the Uk version is 220v and comes with UK plug. There will be taxes and shipping on top of that. Mine was 149 but after taxes and shipping it came to £157
I have been on the fence, can not decide between A1 Mini and A1.
Also the AMS – not sure if I should get it or not.
Right now I am in India, and here the prices are really low (compared to Kuwait).
There is a difference in the size of print between the A1 and A1 Mini – but I am not sure really what I will use the printer for (other than normal house hold small stuff like you just did).
I had the exact same issue as you but in the end its the space that dictated the printer and the cost. I don’t know if this is something I’ll use once and then never again or if it’s something I’ll be using often. So an A1 mini without the AMS is in the impulse buy territory and would leave me guilt free if I didn’t use it much. I figured if it turns out this is something I want to use often I can always later upgrade either by getting a larger printer or buying the AMS.
I discovered with the Bambu software that if there is a print that has too many items to fit on the plate, the software can split the print up automatically into multiple plates. So once you finish printing one plate you remove it and it prints the second. Only issue would be printing large items which I can’t imagine I need printed. And for that one off situation I might need a larger print I can always pay to have a shop print it for me.