A1 mini
“The printer I'd hand to someone who's never printed before.”
Will’s take Great value
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- A1 mini vs Ender-3 V3 SE
Bambu Lab A1 mini vs Creality Ender-3 V3 SE
Ender-3 V3 SE
“The cheapest real printer worth buying.”
Will’s take Great value
The short version
- The Ender-3 V3 SE costs $40 less.
- The Ender-3 V3 SE holds 2.1× the build volume.
- The A1 mini is rated faster: 500 mm/s against 250.
- The A1 mini handles up to 4 colours; the other is single-colour.
By the numbers
Side by side, drawn to scale
- Bambu Lab A1 mini
- Creality Ender-3 V3 SE
Price
Build volume
Top speed
Max colours
Bed size from above
- A1 mini 180 × 180
- Ender-3 V3 SE 220 × 220
Full specs
Marked where one is clearly aheadSpec for spec
| Spec | Bambu Lab A1 mini | Creality Ender-3 V3 SE |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $219 | $179 |
| Released | September 2023 | August 2023 |
| Technology | Filament (FDM) | Filament (FDM) |
| Motion system | Bed slinger | Bed slinger |
| Build volume | 180 × 180 × 180 mm | 220 × 220 × 250 mm |
| Top speed | 500 mm/s | 250 mm/s |
| Acceleration | 10,000 mm/s² | 2,500 mm/s² |
| Max colours | 4 (AMS lite) | 1 |
| Frame | Open frame | Open frame |
| Hotend, max | 300 °C | 260 °C |
| Bed, max | 80 °C | 100 °C |
| Chamber heating | None | None |
| Weight | 5.5 kg | 7.3 kg |
| Materials | PLA, PETG, TPU, PVA | PLA, PETG, TPU 95A |