Printers
Bambu Lab P1S
The machine most readers of this site already own, the best-supported printer in the range for upgrades, and usually the one to keep.
By Michael W. · Published October 5, 2026
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The short answer for a P1S owner
Keep it. The P1S is a well-sorted machine, and every complaint people have about it has a cheap fix that is not a new printer:
- No touchscreen → a third-party screen
- Slow nozzle changes → a quick-change hotend
- One color → an AMS 2 Pro
- Abrasive filament → a hardened hotend
Replace it only for build volume (H2S, H2D) or an actively heated chamber (X2D). Those are the two things no part adds.
What the enclosure actually gives you
It traps the heat the bed is already making. The chamber is passive — nothing is actively heating it — and that passive warmth is enough for ABS and ASA most of the time. It is a real capability and it is why a P1S is a materially more versatile machine than an A1.
It is also not the same as an actively heated chamber. If tall ASA parts split on you partway up, that gap is the reason, and taping the vents does not close it. What actually helps: letting the chamber come up to temperature before the print starts, drying the filament, and turning down part cooling rather than up. Chamber temperature in detail.
The honest limits
No touchscreen. Every print starts in an app. This is the single most-complained-about thing on the machine and the main reason the P2S exists.
Nozzle changes are a hotend job. Not a 30-second swap, which in practice means most owners run one nozzle size forever and never use a 0.2 mm for detail or a 0.6 mm for bulk. A quick-change hotend genuinely changes behavior here.
Passive chamber. Covered above, and the one limit people most often try to fix with tape.
256 mm class build volume. Fine for most things, and an absolute wall for the rest.
How it compares
P1S vs P2S is the comparison most owners need, and it concludes more often than not that the P2S is a workflow purchase rather than an upgrade. X1C vs P1S covers lidar and the aluminum enclosure. P2S vs X2D is where the materials argument lives. And upgrading from a P1S is the full decision tree.
What to buy
Stock photograph of this product class, not of this specific unit.
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1. Best machine to keep
Bambu Lab P1S
A well-sorted printer with no glaring flaw and the deepest third-party support in the lineup.
Released July 2023 as the enclosed P1P — adding the enclosure, an auxiliary cooling fan and an air filter — the P1S is the machine this entire site is implicitly written around. It is enclosed, it is fast, it takes an AMS, and almost every third-party upgrade worth buying is made for it first.
The enclosure plus auxiliary fan is what makes ABS and ASA realistic rather than aspirational. The remaining irritations — no touchscreen, a hotend-level nozzle change, a mediocre camera — all have aftermarket answers costing a fraction of a new printer.
What it gets right
- The enclosure plus auxiliary fan is what makes ABS and ASA realistic rather than aspirational
- Still the best-supported machine in the range for third-party upgrades — screens, hotends, plates, ducts
- Fast enough that the P2S's speed gain is not the reason to replace it
What it does not
- No touchscreen as shipped, which is why the Panda Touch exists
- No quick-swap nozzle: a nozzle change is a hotend job, not a 30-second one
- Passive chamber only — it holds heat, it does not make heat
| Released | July 13, 2023 |
|---|---|
| Type | Enclosed CoreXY |
| Over the P1P | Enclosure, auxiliary cooling fan and air filter |
| Multi-color | AMS and AMS 2 Pro (4 spools, expandable) |
Questions people actually ask
Is the P1S still worth it in 2026?
Yes, and if you already own one there is usually no reason to replace it. It is enclosed, fast, AMS-compatible and has the deepest third-party upgrade support of any machine in the range. The two things it cannot do are a build volume above the 256 mm class and an actively heated chamber.
What is the best upgrade for a P1S?
Whichever matches your complaint. For multi-color or anything hygroscopic, an AMS 2 Pro. For filled or abrasive filament, a hardened hotend. For the missing screen, a third-party touchscreen. If prints are failing rather than merely inconvenient, a second build plate and an hour of maintenance beat all of them.
How hot does the P1S chamber get?
Warmer than the room, driven entirely by the heated bed - the chamber is passive, not heated. That is enough for ABS and ASA most of the time, and it is not equivalent to the actively heated chamber the X2D is reported to provide at up to 65 C. Tall ASA parts splitting partway up is the usual symptom of that gap.
Can I put a hardened nozzle in a P1S?
Yes. Bambu Lab sells a complete hotend assembly with a hardened steel nozzle for the P1P and P1S in 0.4 mm and 0.6 mm, and third-party quick-change hotends also fit. Fitting the complete assembly is a module swap rather than extracting a nozzle, which makes it a straightforward job.
Why is my P1S louder than it used to be?
Usually dry or contaminated linear rails, or a fan with a failing bearing. Clean and re-grease the rails first - it is free and it is the most common cause. If a specific fan is the source, it is a cheap and replaceable part. An enclosure that has worked loose at a panel can also buzz at certain frequencies.
Sources
- Bambu Lab model list, release dates and model descriptions - Wikipedia
- Reported build volumes, chamber temperatures and positioning - third-party lineup roundups captured October 2026 (3dprinting.com, precwise.com, innoaddi.com)
Read this next
- Bambu Lab P1S vs P2SThe P2S adds a touchscreen and a quick-swap nozzle and no build volume. When that is worth a new machine and when a far cheaper part does the same job.
- Upgrading from a P1SThe two reasons to replace a P1S and the four cheaper parts that cover everything else, with the arithmetic laid out.
- Bambu Lab X1C vs P1SLidar, an aluminum enclosure, a hardened nozzle and a touchscreen separate the X1C from the P1S. Worth it used; not worth it at old flagship prices.
- Which AMS to use with a P1SWhich AMS fits a P1S, why the 2 Pro is the pick over the original, and what to plan for before it arrives.
- P1S mods worth doingP1S modifications ordered by the problem each solves, with the popular ones that change nothing clearly marked.
- The Bambu Lab hardened steel nozzleWhat hardened steel at HRA 74 is for, which filaments require it, and why the complete-assembly format matters for fitting it.