Bambu Lab has taken the 3D printing world by storm with its range of easy-to-use and affordable printers. The filament sold by the company is dependable and available in a wide range of materials and finishes, yet it somehow still manages to be a source of frustration.
It’s never in stock when you need it
I’ve had no issues printing Bambu Lab filament on my P2S, though so far I’ve stuck to PLA basic and PLA matte. I’ve had a few failed prints that I’ve chalked up to bed adhesion issues and one “bad” model, and I take care to dry the filament out before I use it. So far, so good.
The problems usually arise when it’s time to order some more, which has so far been an exercise in frustration. For once, it’s not just because I live in Australia, where shipping can be a nightmare. Buying filament from this company in the U.S. can be just as frustrating because it’s always sold out.
There’s a lot of speculation about where Bambu Lab sources its filament. You’ll find forum posts and Reddit threads speculating about a wide variety of sources. I can’t find a single instance of Bambu Lab confirming anything; it’s very likely that the company uses the full gamut of filament providers to feed its insatiable customer base.
Whatever the case may be, there’s not enough of it, and I’m not the first to point this out. Right now, as I write this, the problem seems to have come to something of a head, at least on the U.S. store. A third of all PLA basic colors are currently out of stock, while only 11 of 25 PLA matte varieties are available. Half of all basic PETG varieties are available, most of them as refills without spools. Four of the 11 ABS colors are in stock.
Unsurprisingly, the more expensive, engineering-grade filaments like PPA-CF and PLA-CF don’t suffer from this issue. Most people stick with PLA and simpler filaments, since these are good enough for most uses and are cheap.
Why this matters
Speaking as someone who entered the world of 3D printing with a Bambu Lab P2S and a few rolls of the company’s PLA, it’s easy to stick with Bambu Lab despite the small premium you pay for more material. The store incentivizes larger orders by offering a bulk discount of up to 35%, with free shipping when you spend over $89.
Bambu Studio, the company’s slicer, has print profiles for all of the company’s filament types. The roll that your filament comes on has an RFID tag on it, which is scanned by the printer and automatically identified when you load it. Some filaments, like AMS-friendly TPU, are produced specifically with Bambu Printers in mind.
There’s a decent range of colors available, and if you take a particular liking to one shade, then you’re more inclined to stick with it for consistency’s sake. You can use a website like FilamentColors to match shades, but I won’t blame you for just ordering your favorites in bulk when it’s time.
If you’re creating and sharing models on MakerWorld, you’re able to collect credits based on how many people download and use your models. These credits can be used within the Bambu Lab store, which makes stock issues all the more frustrating for creators who would rather part with credit than cash.
Stock issues aren’t just limited to filament, either. Many printer customers who ordered their printers during the Black Friday window were waiting until January or February for their orders to be fulfilled. I decided to buy Bambu Lab’s fan attachment for my P2S and, after opting in to stock notifications, the part had sold out by the time I’d seen the email. Eventually, I ordered it when the next batch arrived a month later, but it’s out of stock again at the time of writing.
It seems that these supply problems are a direct result of a brand that’s built an ecosystem that has proven to be a massive hit with everyone from casuals to hobbyists to print farmers.
Though this can be frustrating if you’re not willing to play the waiting game for your favorite shades and materials, at least the community and support are there if you need them. Spare parts should also be fairly easy to come by for a long time, given the number of printers out there in the wild.
There are plenty of other filament brands out there
Thankfully, there’s nothing tying you to Bambu Lab filaments. Brand loyalty isn’t doing your wallet any favors, and you shouldn’t let a month-long wait delay your next project when there are other brands to choose from. For some, buying brand-name 3D printing filament just isn’t worth it.
SUNLU is a popular stand-in for name brands like Bambu Lab. eSun is often seen as a budget option, as is Elegoo with bulk deals like 4KG of black PLA for $50.
In the other direction, there are premium brands like Polymaker, which has exotic filaments like PolySmooth, and Prusament, which is all manufactured directly by Prusa.
Bambu Lab’s latest stunt is the launch of the X2D, an upper-midrange printer that’s priced more aggressively than any they’ve ever released.
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