3D printer guides, comparisons, and workshop tools
The Crafty Catsman’s 3D Printing Hub
Everything you need to compare 3D printers, understand filament and resin, price the complete setup, and turn a first print into something useful—all in one place.
The short answer
In my shop, filament printers make jigs, trays, brackets, organizers, and quick prototypes. I do not own a resin printer; the resin guidance here follows current manufacturer instructions. Start with what you want to make, then budget for the printer, support equipment, materials, room, failed prints, finishing, and maintenance.
Printers I ownA1 + P2S Combo
Published owner reviewsA1 + P2S Combo
UpdatedAugust 24, 2026
What's in our shop
Two printers.Both still at work.
The A1 made 3D printing useful fast. I kept it when I added the P2S Combo; they solve different jobs, and both still have a place here.
Both printers are owned and reviewed here. The A1 review stays at model level; the P2S review covers the exact Combo with AMS 2 Pro.
Fresh from the 3D desk
3D Printing News
Launches, software changes, service incidents, and material news—each card keeps its original date attached.
01 / 06
- Bambu Lab Bug Bounty Program
Bambu Lab Adds a Public Security Update Log After a Year of Bug-Bounty Work
Bambu says its bug-bounty work has involved more than 100 researchers, paid awards up to $52,000, and now adds a public Security Update log. Those are process and certification claims, not proof that every printer, firmware version, cloud feature, or local-network mode is vulnerability-free.
Read the update - Anycubic 11th anniversary campaign
Anycubic Lists S1 Max and P1 Max Anniversary Prices, but the Cart Still Decides
Anycubic's September 2 article lists $599, $799, and $849 for Kobra S1 Max, S1 Max Combo, and Photon P1 Max. The checked U.S. Combo and P1 Max pages matched those named base figures; buyers should still verify region, exact configuration, stock, tax, shipping, and final cart.
Read the update - PrusaSlicer 3.0 preview
PrusaSlicer 3.0 Preview Is Not a Production Build
Prusa’s first public 3.0 preview rebuilds the slicer around projects and tabs, adds local backups, true multi-bed work, layered profiles, offline operation and an experimental Lua plugin path. Prusa calls it an unfinished alpha, not a production build, and warns that opening a 3.x project in 2.x discards the newer settings.
Read the update - Prusa XL and XL+ hardware family
Prusa Firmware 6.10.1 Adds Stable XL+ and XL Support
Prusa's stable Buddy 6.10.1 release supports the XL+ and original XL, identifies the hardware variant at startup, and carries the XL forward from its prior 6.4.2 release. Owners should use the exact official asset and notes for their machine.
Read the update Snapmaker Space Opens Closed Beta Applications for U1 Owners
Snapmaker has opened staged Space closed-beta applications for current U1 owners. It says the catalog has more than 1,000 U1-profiled models, plans an initial cohort of about 1,000 people before expanding to about 5,000, and targets open beta later in 2026 without an exact date.
Read the update- Official Bambu Lab policy announcement
Bambu Lab Extends Direct-Store Returns to 30 Days
Bambu Lab's August 17 announcement extends its direct-store return window from 14 to 30 days and says printers in the United States and Canada now receive two years of warranty coverage. Buyers should compare the current direct-store policy with retailer-specific return and support terms.
Read the update
How-tos and workshop guides
3D Printing How-To Guides: Setup, Filament, Resin, and Troubleshooting
Price the complete setup, follow a filament job from file to fit, or see what a resin print still needs after it leaves the build plate.
Materials and troubleshooting
Two deeper guides for the spool and the finished part.
Explore the printers
Put the printers side by side.
Filter by process or machine style. Flip a card for build volume, the exact setup pictured, and a link to our relevant guide or the manufacturer’s page.
8 printers
Hover on desktop. On mobile, tap a compact card to open it across the deck. Filters reshuffle the collection.
FilamentEnclosed CoreXY
Anycubic
Kobra S1
Kobra S1 with one included ACE 2 ProFilamentOpen-bed
Bambu Lab
A1
Bambu Lab A1 U.S.FilamentEnclosed CoreXY
Bambu Lab
P2S
P2S Combo with AMS 2 ProFilamentEnclosed XY gantry
Creality
K2 Plus
K2 Plus Combo with one included CFSFilamentEnclosed CoreXY
ELEGOO
Centauri Carbon 2
Centauri Carbon 2 Combo with one CANVAS systemResinDesktop resin
ELEGOO
Mars 5
ELEGOO Mars 5 U.S.FilamentOpen CoreXY
Flashforge
Adventurer 5M
Adventurer 5M U.S. base printerResinResin system
HeyGears
UltraCraft Reflex RS
Reflex RS ComboStart with the part
What do you want the printer to make?
Choose the closest job. This does not pick a printer for you; it opens the guide, comparison, or tool that should answer the next question.
Not sure what the complete setup costs? See the seven-part checklist.
Want a little more help?Answer three practical questions
Filament or resin
Filament and resin ask for different work before and after the print.
Filament usually moves from slicing and loading to printing, removal, and fit. Resin continues through removal, washing, drying, curing, and cleanup. Use the instructions for the exact printer and material in front of you.
01Guides available
Filament / FFFJigs, brackets, organizers, and practical prototypes
Making useful parts that need size, strength, or repeatability?A nozzle lays down melted thermoplastic filament in layers. Material choice, enclosure, build size, filament handling, and tuning shape the daily routine.
- 01Slice
- 02Load
- 03Print
- 04Remove
02Guides available
Desktop resinThe print is only the first part of the job
Can you make room for part removal, washing, curing, and cleanup?The print is one stage. Finished parts leave the machine for removal, washing, curing, and support cleanup before they are ready to use.
- 01Print
- 02Remove
- 03Wash
- 04Dry
- 05Cure
Before you buy
The printer is one line in a seven-part budget.
Write down the machine and hardware, space, materials and failed prints, setup, attention, finishing and cleanup, and maintenance. Add current prices only after the list is complete.
01Printer and the hardware it needs+
What has to be on the bench before you can make the first useful part?
02Bench space, access, and room conditions+
Where will the printer live, and where will the rest of the job happen?
03Materials, consumables, and failed prints+
What will you keep buying, cleaning, or replacing?
04Work before the first layer+
What has to be sliced, prepared, checked, or calibrated?
05Watching the print and recovering from failure+
What will you do when a print goes sideways?
06Work after the printer says it is done+
What still has to happen before you can use the part?
07Cleaning, wear, and replacement parts+
What will need cleaning, inspection, or replacement after regular use?
Comparisons and workshop tools
Compare a shortlist or put a printer to work.
Open the Bambu family guide, compare four enclosed multicolor systems, or build a repeatable laser jig.
Start from the P2S owner review
Choose the comparison that matches your real constraint.
Stay at the same build size, move into a larger heated chamber, or compare one-nozzle switching with dedicated tools. Each guide keeps unknowns visible and routes back to the full P2S owner review.
What comes from my bench
Use my experience where it applies—and check the date everywhere else.
The A1 and exact P2S Combo with AMS 2 Pro are workshop machines. The A1 review stays at model level; the P2S review covers the exact Combo. Comparison facts use official specifications, and the resin workflow follows manufacturer instructions.
Bambu Lab A1
I own the A1 and published why it changed my mind about 3D printing, where it fits as a first printer, and why I kept it after adding the P2S.
Exact scope
Read the A1 owner review The model-level review does not establish the owned bundle or accessories, a numeric rating, or a verdict on every open-frame printer.
Bambu Lab P2S Combo with AMS 2 Pro
I use this exact P2S Combo with AMS 2 Pro and published the setup, daily-use notes, shop projects, and limits on the review page.
Exact scope
Read the exact owner review Those observations do not automatically apply to the P2S by itself, the AMS 2 Pro by itself, another bundle, or another printer.
Ownership and review evidence stays with the exact machine or bundle it describes. It does not automatically transfer to another model, configuration, or brand.