Whether you’re a tinkerer interested in prototyping or a tabletop-gaming enthusiast seeking to expand your arsenal of tiles and terrain, a 3D printer might be just the manufacturing tool you need.
Top pick
The Bambu Lab A1 Mini stood out from the other 3D printers we tested as the easiest model to use, while maintaining competitive print quality and speed. Its guided setup process doesn’t require fiddling with any settings, and Bambu Lab offers both a mobile app (to help set up the printer and monitor print progress) and desktop software (to prepare and send files to the printer). The A1 Mini has software similar to that of its more expensive siblings in the P1 and X1 lines, and it’s lacking only in upgrades meant for printing the trickier materials ABS and carbon fiber. If you need that functionality, check out our upgrade pick, the Bambu Lab X1-Carbon.
Upgrade pick
The big sibling to our top pick, this printer adds an enclosed print space, a tougher nozzle, and other features for printing engineering-grade materials.
The Bambu Lab X1-Carbon is the company’s flagship printer. It produces prints about as quickly and reliably as our top pick, the A1 Mini, but adds features for people who want the reliability of a heated, enclosed printing area and the option to print with stronger materials.
The X1-Carbon has an upgraded screen, an enclosed print bed for better temperature control, and a lidar sensor to scan your first layer for printing errors. Along with a hardened-steel nozzle, these features make the X1-Carbon a versatile printer that can work well in schools or industrial prototyping labs. It also comes with a camera that allows you to check in on your print.
