Hello 3d printer fans and makers. I currently have an a1 mini and have been putting it through its paces over the last several months. Ive probably used 5kg of filament and have maybe a few hundred hours of prints on it. I love the little machine, its a work horse. But it cannot print most engineering materials and Im looking to branch into more exotic prints and get myself a bigger build volume.
My first thought was getting the a1 with ams for multifilament printing and then I would have an ams I could use with either printer, but upon ruminating on the subject multifilament printing this way really seems to be such a gimmick and if I really want to do it there’s always stop code and manual filament switching. Plus its another bed slinger with the only real change being the larger build volume.
So that brings me to the Qidi Q1 Pro. All the reviews really talk it up, I like that its built on klipper and an open ecosystem (-1 for Bambu), the hotend max temp, the heated champer, the larger build plate, and the price? All seems like a big win to me.
My current plan is buying the printer along with a filament dryer, I dont really want to get their drybox attachment, a smooth build plate, some CF something filament, and 0.6mm nozzle as accessories.
Do you all have any thoughts on polydryer, if the 3 x-plus might be something to consider if I really want a bigger build plate than what the Q1 pro offers, or if there might be another printer for me to consider in the $500-700 range. Also, any recommendations on filaments I might want to try with a heated chamber, 100C build plate, and 350C capable hot end? Im leaning towards something nylon and/or carbon fiber… maybe PA-CF? lol.
Anyways, any input is appreciated. Thanks!
I don’t own a Q1 pro, and my only experience prior to my current printer was an ender 3 pro.
But I bought a Qidi Plus 4 a couple of months ago and have been extremely happy with it. It’s fast, reliable, and has the heated chamber and high temp hotend. Multi-material is supposed to get added via the Qidi box in the first quarter if you wanted to add it on later.
I haven’t printed any engineering grade material on it yet, but all the reviews I’ve seen say it’s a piece of cake with advanced materials.
… and absolutely yes on the engineering materials, should be easy as pie.
That plus 4 looks very nice, but it is just a little out of my price range unfortunately and it also seems like the Qidi box will not be compatible with the Q1 Pro, but I still feel like multi filament printing with a single print head is a wasteful gimmick.
Like you, I have an A1 mini but with the AMS lite, I seldom use it for multi color prints beyond some few pieces of simple signage. But, it’s very effective when you hang multiple materials or colors to do your single material/color prints. So I have to give them that point.
That said, when I bought the mini this last fall, I was all set to buy the Qidi X Smart 3-- only to discover it had been discontinued and off the website when I went to order. I just wanted a smaller and faster printer.
I see 3 reasons to save your pennies to get the Plus 4 over the Q1. It’s a bit bigger print volume, what appears to be better specs for printing those high end engineering filaments you want to print, and being a newer model it will be supported longer. The Qidi Box isn’t needed anymore than the AMS system you already don’t have. But I think you will be happier over the long run.
Ah, yes. I overlooked the budget. Well, I can at least attest to the quality of Qidi brand out of the box. Not sure on longevity, but I’m impressed so far.