Video summary

I Switched From Bambu to Snapmaker U1- 6 Month Honest Review (2,700 Hours Tested)

Main summary

Key takeaways

Product Review

Product Reviewed

Snapmaker U1 (multi-color tool changer printer)

The reviewer, Ryan, tested multiple U1 units over time—totaling ~2,700+ hours across printers and thousands of color changes in a small print-farm setting.

Key Test / Usage Statistics

  • First U1: ~2,100 print hours, 75,000 tool head changes
  • Second U1: ~530 print hours, 20,000+ color changes
  • Third (most recent): ~100 hours, 4,000 color changes
  • Print farm use: creates multi-color models (animals, fidgets, dragons, toys) for festivals and online.

Main Features Highlighted

  • Automatic multi-color tool changes with a prime tower purge during swaps
  • Build volume: ~270 × 270 × 270 mm
    • Compared to reviewer’s Bambu P1S: 256³ mm
  • Supported materials mentioned: PLA, PETG, TPU (including multi-color TPU), and PVA
  • Slicing workflow: uses Snapmaker Orca (described as very similar to Bambu Studio)
  • Toolhead switching behavior: swaps tool heads, purges a small amount into the prime tower, then continues printing

Performance & Output Comparisons (vs. Bambu P1S)

Multi-Color Prints (Strongest Comparison)

Example: mechanical Gengar

  • Bambu P1S
    • 90 hours
    • ~0.5 kg material waste
  • Snapmaker U1
    • 27 hours (~3.5× faster)
    • Waste primarily limited to the prime tower, described as effectively near-zero aside from the tower

Reviewer conclusion: multi-color prints are the Snapmaker’s “far superior” use case—especially where the P1S becomes inefficient due to color-change overhead and waste.

Single-Color Prints

Reviewer tested the same “ball fidgets”:

  • Snapmaker
    • ~7 hours (both prints)
  • Bambu P1S
    • ~5.5 hours

Reason given for Snapmaker being slower: Toolhead setup for color swaps plus ~20-minute bed leveling calibration (when performed).

Print Reliability / Issues Encountered

Generally Reliable

After extensive use, Ryan reports failures happen occasionally on any system, but Snapmaker has had fewer serious issues.

Most Notable Mechanical / Electrical Issue

On the second U1:

  • Pogo pin error while attempting to grab the tool changer

Steps taken:

  • Troubleshooting and moving parts
  • Contacted support; replacement part sent
  • The error stopped occurring before the replacement arrived, so Ryan did not replace it.

Print Failures (Mostly Support-Related)

  • Failures were reported mostly when printing with supports, especially on higher models
  • Ryan uses very thin supports
  • When he added more supports, the print succeeded

Material-Related Issue

  • TPU incident: printer stopped extruding at one point (unclear why)
  • Color continued for the multi-material scenario, but Ryan hasn’t repeated TPU tests since

Build / Process Usability Notes (Loading / Unloading)

Filament Loading

  • Uses feed motors: reviewer feeds filament with a clean cut
  • Then selects the desired color on the printer
  • Load time: roughly 30 seconds to 1 minute per filament

Filament Unloading

  • Uses heating + reverse extraction
  • Leaves a filament stub requiring snipping/chopping off

Size / Enclosure / Environment

  • Snapmaker is described as having a more open design
    • Ryan mentions J1 is fully open and implies openness concerns for Snapmaker as well
  • Ryan doesn’t currently use an enclosure
    • A nearby mini-split reduces moisture
  • Notes enclosure options:
    • An enclosure “top hat”
    • Third-party enclosure retrofits
  • Ryan is considering an enclosure for summer humidity

Software & App Experience (Pros / Cons)

Slicer: Snapmaker Orca

  • Described as similar to Bambu Studio (forked lineage)
  • Practical setup steps: switch printer profile and plate type (e.g., “smooth cool plate”)
  • Example planning: 301 color changes estimated 5h 33m
  • Tower waste described as ~12 g in that example

Software Weaknesses (Common Frustration)

Ryan calls the slicer/app a weak spot:

  • Bugs have been fixed over time, but issues remain
  • Loading 3MFs made in Bambu Studio sometimes triggers:
    • “Invalid values” / errors (e.g., first layer expansion)
    • It may still slice and run, but errors are annoying
  • Sometimes 3MF loading doesn’t fully transfer default settings (e.g., infill/settings)
    • Ryan creates a baseline printer profile to compensate

Mobile App Issues

  • Ryan says the mobile app is not very good
  • Notifications only arrived after ~4 months
  • App can error when trying to view
  • Sometimes it doesn’t work reliably

Price / Value Remark

Ryan notes price changes:

  • From Kickstarter price to current $899

He still says it’s worth it, particularly due to productivity and savings in his print farm.

Pros (Unique Points Mentioned)

  • Excellent for frequent multi-color prints
  • Much faster multi-color compared to his P1S example (90h → 27h)
  • Low material waste relative to P1S (main waste is the prime tower)
  • Large build volume (270³ mm) enabled a specific 10.5-inch-type part
  • Handles many print hours and color changes reliably overall
  • Multi-material support: PLA / PETG / TPU / PVA
    • PVA may require drying
  • Orca slicer feels familiar to Bambu users

Cons (Unique Points Mentioned)

  • Slower single-color prints vs P1S (~7h vs ~5.5h)
  • Prime tower waste still exists (though Ryan considers it minimal vs P1S)
  • Software issues/bugs, especially:
    • Bambu Studio 3MF imports sometimes causing “invalid values”
    • 3MF loading not transferring all defaults (infill/settings)
  • Mobile app is weak (errors + delayed notifications)
  • Support-related failures when supports are too thin
  • Occasional material/toolhead quirks:
    • TPU stopped extruding once
    • Pogo pin error once

Overall Verdict / Recommendation

Recommended for users who do multi-color prints frequently (small business or hobbyists), or for anyone wanting one capable printer for multi-color work without the inefficiencies of Ryan’s P1S setup.

For mostly single-color printing, Ryan notes it can be slower and may be less attractive.

Final recommendation (as stated): Snapmaker U1 is his “gold standard” and likely his general printer going forward. He’d consider future Snapmaker upgrades only if they bring improvements (mentions possible H2C or smaller variant).

Ratings / Numerical Scores

  • No formal star rating or numeric score was provided.
  • Numeric comparisons and stats included:
    • Hours: 27h vs 90h
    • Single-color: ~7h vs ~5.5h
    • Build size: 270³ mm vs 256³ mm
    • Waste estimates: ~12 g tower (example) and described purge differences on Bambu (e.g., tower 20 g and purge 162 g in one comparison)

Speakers / Perspectives

  • Single speaker: Ryan (reviewer)
  • No other contributors’ viewpoints appear in the provided subtitles.

Original video