BambuLab X2D In-Depth Review: Pros and Cons of This Latest Dual-Nozzle AMS 3D Printer

Hinzugefügt: 2026-05-05

[00:00:00]Welcome back to Aurora Tech channel.

[00:00:02]Today I will test the Bamboo Lab X2D.

[00:00:06]This is a new flagship designed to replace the original X1 Carbon in the X series. I remember when the X1 Carbon first launched almost 4 years ago in 2022. It was priced at $1,499 with the AMS. Since the X1 Carbon first came out, the 3D printer market has changed a lot. We now see all kinds of X1 clones as well as A1 clones becoming mainstream in the market. As a new model in the X series, this X2D is priced at $899 with the AMS2 Pro. Initially about 40% cheaper than the X1C when it first launched. So, let's take a look at the specs of this machine and see what we can get for this price. The print volume is similar to the X1. It has a 256 x 256 mm printing area, so you can use your existing print surfaces from the X series, P series, and even the A1 on this X2D. The Z height is slightly increased to 260 mm compared to the X1's 256 mm. The main difference between this printer and the X1 is the dual nozzle and the heated chamber. Instead of using two direct extruders like the H2D, it uses one direct extruder for the main nozzle and a Bowden setup for the auxiliary nozzle, which is mainly designed for printing support materials.

[00:01:25]When switching nozzles to print different filaments, it only takes about 6 seconds. Besides printing support materials, you can also use it for up to five color printing, as well as minimize filament purge waste by utilizing the second nozzle in your multicolor prints.

[00:01:40]The heated chamber can reach up to 65° C.

[00:01:45]There are two auxiliary fans to provide sufficient air flow. When in heating mode, the vents on the fans will be closed to trap the hot air inside, and the fan will circulate it like a conventional oven. When printing PLA, TPU, or other materials that require a cooler chamber, the vents will open to draw fresh air in, and the exhaust fan at the back will work together to pull air out from the chamber. The maximum nozzle temperature is 300° C and the bed can reach up to 120° C. The quick swap design is the same as the H2 series, requiring no tools to swap the hotend.

[00:02:19]There is also an extra high temperature calibration mode for materials like ABS, so you can achieve a perfect first layer across different filaments. Other upgrades compared to the X1 include a servo motor for the extruder, providing smoother extrusion. A new tool head camera is available for monitoring nozzle clumping along with the live view camera to identify other issues during the print process. The small filter on the X1 has been upgraded to a stronger box fan style external filter. There are 31 sensors inside the machine to monitor everything from the filament path to temperature across the entire chamber.

[00:02:54]Just like the H2D, the X2D also supports using the vision encoder plate for ultra precision calibration, allowing you to restore the machine's accuracy to factory levels after extended use. The new filament track switch also allows you to load filament in any AMS, and it can route the filament to the left or right nozzle according to the slicer, so you don't have to move filaments between AMS units just to match the slicer's assignment.

[00:03:19]This X2D is definitely packed with a lot of features. I'm going to run more tests than usual to find out both the pros and cons of this machine without holding back. This will be a pretty long video, but it's worth watching until the end if you are seriously considering this machine. I would like to thank Bamboo Lab for sending us this machine, and I would also like to thank Voxal PLA for sponsoring today's video.

[00:03:44]Voxal PL8 is a US-based filament manufacturer that tests its materials in a 250 machine print farm running 24/7 to ensure consistent reliability and quality. Voxal PLA Plus is a modified PLA designed for higher impact strength, supporting high-speed printing up to 500 mm/s while maintaining a flow rate of up to 25 cubic millimeters/s at a standard printing temperature of 210° C. All of their filaments, including PLA Plus and PETG Plus, are made in the USA and optimized for high-speed printing at an affordable price of $16.99 per roll. For print farms and other bulk orders, they offer additional discounts. They also manufacture 3D printing accessories such as filters, antiibration feet, and upgrades for Bamboo Lab, Prussa, Creality, and Snapmaker printers. You will see more details about the Vento box two-stage filter, as well as how to use their cobalt-free silica gel drying beads to keep your filament dry in my upcoming videos. For the first 100 customers, you will receive 10% off orders over $100. Visit voxalpla.com.

[00:04:57]The machine comes in a combo setup with the printer and the AMS2 Pro packed inside the same box. At the top there is an accessories box and the whole machine is placed inside a bag so it can be lifted out easily.

[00:05:12]We can now remove all the protective materials as well as the screws marked in red. These two lead screw protector should also be removed. Besides the printer and the AMS, we have some accessories and parts, including a box fan filter, some spare parts, a 5-in touchscreen, a spool holder, an extruder for the auxiliary hotend, some cables, and Bowden tubes.

[00:05:35]We will start by mounting the screen at the front. Just connect the cable to the back of the screen and snap it onto the frame. Then rotate it to the back. There is a connector for the extruder next to the orange filament inlet. It is easier to open the cap before connecting the cable. Then hang it at the back and connect the Bowden tube on the left.

[00:05:53]Next, connect two Bowden tubes from the filament buffer to the inlets.

[00:05:58]The AMS will be connected to the left extruder with a six pin cable to the buffer. The external spools for the right extruder so we can connect the remaining Bowden tube to the connector on the spool holder. The box fan filter is mounted below the filament buffer and there is another cable connecting the buffer to the filter. Finally, connect the power cord and the printer is ready to use. The setup wizard starts by asking you to select a language, then your region.

[00:06:25]Select your SSID and enter the password to connect to Wi-Fi. It will then generate a QR code if you want to connect to your cloud account. For now, I will just use this printer over my local network, so I will skip this step.

[00:06:38]You have no choice but to agree to the whatever it says terms, but you do have the option to choose whether to join the user experience improvement program.

[00:06:46]Before starting the self test, it reminds you to remove all protective materials and unlock the bed, which I have already done. The full calibration takes about 35 minutes and there is nothing you need to do during this time.

[00:06:58]One thing I like about the screen UI is that it shows the progress of every step with a progress bar. It is much better than many other brands that only show a please weight screen with no feedback.

[00:07:13]After about half an hour, the calibration is complete. Since I connected an AMS to the left extruder, I will set it up as well. The setup only requires loading one spool, but I will load all four. I am using different random brands of filament. So the RFID will not work and I will manually enter the filament type and color on the screen.

[00:07:35]There are no quick four or five color test files in the sample G-code. So I will start with a Benji to make sure everything is working.

[00:07:44]Like other new generation Bamboo Lab machines, it has antiibration soft pads at the bottom. My table is not shaky. It is just the soft pads doing their job.

[00:07:57]Let's do a sound test. The meter is placed 3 ft away. With a door open, the noise level stays around the mid-50 decel range.

[00:08:10]When the door is closed, it drops a few decb to the low 50s.

[00:08:22]This fast benie finishes in 24 minutes.

[00:08:24]The print quality is decent, although the surface is not perfectly clean.

[00:08:28]Cooling at the front looks fine, and the top layer line width appears slightly wider than normal, but overall the printer is working properly.

[00:08:36]Next, I slice another beni using the default profile. When using the left extruder, the estimated time is about 33 minutes with a top speed of 300 mm/s.

[00:08:47]outer wall speed of 200 millimeters per second and acceleration set to 10,000 millimeters/s squared. When using the right bow and extruder, the top speed is limited to 200 mm/s, the outer wall to 50 mm/s and acceleration drops to 1,000 mm/s squared, increasing the print time to a little over 1 hour.

[00:09:08]I will print using both extruders and compare the results.

[00:09:51]Heat. Heat.

[00:10:37]The left extruder is not only faster, but also produces better print quality, especially in retraction. The auxiliary extruder is slower and does not print as cleanly, so it is mainly intended for support material.

[00:10:50]In most cases, the left extruder should be used for the model. Cooling on both benjies is fine, and the top surface quality is similar, although the right extruder shows more stringing.

[00:11:03]We will now do some color test prints, starting with these four color squares.

[00:11:08]As you can see, all four colors appear on each layer. So, even though this small square is only 5 mm tall, it will have 75 color changes. The slicer suggests placing the blue filament on the right extruder, if we follow this grouping, the estimated time will be 1 hour 38 minutes, and the purge waste is about 14 g. If I only had a single extruder machine like the P2S or H2S, the time would increase to 2 hours 9 minutes, and the purge waste would almost double from 14 to 27 g. I will follow the suggested filament grouping and start the print.

[00:11:50]Okay, let's time the color changes. The first one is from yellow to blue. Since it just switches the extruder from left to right and does not require purging, it takes about 6 seconds. We will display the timing of different color changes in the corner.

[00:12:18]when switching back from blue to yellow.

[00:12:20]It takes the same time as expected when changing from yellow to skin tone.

[00:12:33]Since both are loaded in the AMS, purging is required. It takes 1 minute 18 seconds.

[00:12:42]When switching from skin tone to white, it also requires purging and even more than before since switching to white needs extra purging to avoid contamination. It takes 1 minute 28 seconds from white back to yellow. Since white will not contaminate yellow much, it purges less and only takes 58 seconds.

[00:13:23]The print finishes in 1 hour 38 minutes and uses 24 g of filament, closely matching the slicer estimate. When checked on a scale, the actual filament usage also matches the estimate.

[00:13:37]The result looks good with no visible color contamination.

[00:13:41]Now, let's compare the results with other printers. Starting with the H2C, since it uses multiple hotends, each change takes about 30 seconds. This is not as fast as switching between the left and right nozzles, but still much faster than purging. As a result, it only generates about 2 g of waste and prints over 30% faster than the X2D.

[00:14:02]Compared with the Snapmaker U1, which is a multi-tool head machine, the tool head change takes about 8 to 12 seconds, producing zero waste and printing about three times faster on this high color change model. Compared to the Pruza XL, which is also a tool changer, it performs similarly to the Snapmaker U1 and clearly has advantages over the X2D.

[00:14:24]Now, compared to other single extruder AMS style machines, the X2D is more efficient than the previous flagship X1C, printing about 1 hour faster and producing about 50% less waste. Compared to the A1, it prints almost 1 hour faster and produces 2.7 times less purge waste. The Creality Spark X i7 is slightly faster than the A1, but still 35% slower than the X2D and produces 2.35 times more waste. So, in this fourcolor square print, where all four colors are used on each layer and require excessive color changes, the X2D is not as efficient as the H2C or tool changers, but it is still more efficient than any single extruder AMS style printer in both print time and material usage.

[00:15:13]Next, I will expand my Hello Kitty Army.

[00:15:16]This time, the slicer suggests placing the white filament on the right extruder. Even though it prints slower, the reduced purging time compensates for it. This model typically takes around 18 hours on other single extruder AMS printers, but here the estimate is 14 hours 42 minutes, about 19% faster with significant filament savings.

[00:15:46]For hot and switching, it matches previous tests at around 6 seconds.

[00:15:49]occasionally taking up to 7.6 seconds with extra wiping.

[00:16:41]Switching from pink to yellow takes 1 minute 21 seconds.

[00:16:54]I from yellow back to pink takes 1 minute 29 seconds.

[00:17:21]The AMS2 Pro is faster than the original AMS when loading and unloading filament.

[00:17:26]Retracting one color and feeding another takes about 15 seconds compared to over a minute on some AMS clones.

[00:17:47]The print finishes in 14 hours 46 minutes and uses 276 g of filament, closely matching the estimate. Since the white filament is loaded in the right extruder, there is zero color contamination on all four models.

[00:18:02]The actual filament usage for the model as well as the purge waste and prime tower measured on the scale are all spot-on.

[00:18:11]Compared to the Elgus and Tory Carbon 2, the purge waste is five times less and the print time is 36% faster. Compared to the Creity K2 Pro, the purge waste is 5.5 times less and the print time is about 14% faster. Compared to the Spark X i7, the purge waste is four times less and the print time is 20% faster.

[00:18:33]However, compared to more efficient systems like the H2C, that machine is still 36% faster with almost zero waste.

[00:18:41]The Snapmaker U1 is even more efficient, being 46% faster with zero waste.

[00:18:48]Next, I printed the Vegeta model. Vegeta is known as the prince of science and the king of color contamination in 3D printing. His large forehead and hair color transitions often reveal contamination on many printers. The slicer recommends placing blue on the right extruder and the rest in the AMS.

[00:19:06]The estimated time is 5 hours 19 minutes, much faster than the typical 8 to 9 hours on a single extruder AMS setup.

[00:19:18]On the first attempt, the feet did not stick well due to the default 55° C bed temperature. So, I increased it to 65° and restarted.

[00:20:16]The final print finishes in 5 hours 19 minutes, exactly matching the slicer estimate. The filament usage is 69 g, also closely matching the estimate.

[00:20:27]The result is clean with no visible contamination. even on close inspection.

[00:20:35]Compared to single extruder AMS setups, the X2D prints 30 to 40% faster and produces 2 to four times less waste.

[00:20:46]However, compared to hoten changers like the H2C or tool changers like the Snapmaker U1, those machines are still significantly more efficient.

[00:20:59]Finally, I printed the Master Sword model. This model has 875 color changes and would typically take 30 to 50 hours on a single extruder AMS setup. With the X2D, it saves 433 g of filament and converts 755 of those color changes into nozzle switches, reducing the print time to about 14 hours.

[00:21:53]I As the green filament is loaded in the right extruder, most of this sword is the handle, which mainly switches between the left and right extruders, saving all the purge waste during these hundreds of color changes.

[00:22:52]The print finishes in 14 hours 7 minutes, close to the estimate. Actual filament usage is 239 g, about 36 g less than estimated. Compared to a single extruder AMS setup like the Flash Forge 85X, the X2D uses three times less filament and prints more than twice as fast. Compared to the H2C, the H2C saves 23% more filament and prints 25% faster.

[00:23:22]Compared to the Snapmaker U1, the U1 saves 23% more filament and prints 42% faster than the X2D.

[00:23:33]After all these multiolor prints, we can see that the X2D performs much better than any single extruder AMS setup. But in terms of speed and filament savings, tool changers or hotend changers are still more efficient.

[00:23:48]A dual extruder setup is actually more useful for printing support materials than for multicolor printing. For example, this horse model clearly requires a lot of support on the bottom.

[00:23:58]I will use PETG for both the model and the support and use PLA as the support interface, so the support will be easier to remove. When loading PETG in the AMS and using the left extruder and PLA in the auxiliary right extruder, this print takes about 5 hours 20 minutes. You can see the green PLA acts as an interface between the support and the model. If we did not have an auxiliary extruder and used a single extruder AMS setup, the filament changes would take much longer, increasing the total print time to 9 hours and wasting about 70 g of filament just for purging.

[00:25:01]It finishes in 5 hours 14 minutes, about 6 minutes faster than the slicer estimate. For this print, the model and support use 77 g. The filament wasted on the Prime Tower is 31 g, and there is no purge waste. The model itself is printed beautifully.

[00:25:20]Looking at the bottom, the result is clean, and the PLA interface makes support removal effortless.

[00:25:28]Next, I print with ABS to test the heated chamber. I set the chamber to 65° C and the bed to 120° C, both at the maximum temperature, and try printing this ABS crate without using glue.

[00:26:05]The chamber maintains between 64 to 66° C throughout the print.

[00:26:34]It finishes in 3 hours 21 minutes with zero warping. Even without glue, there is some minor imperfection in the overhanging areas, but the sides print fine with no layer cracking.

[00:26:47]The bottom also comes out clean.

[00:26:51]Then I use nylon carbon fiber to print a chain and use ABS as support since both materials are high temperature and do not stick to each other.

[00:27:29]The print finishes in about 2 hours.

[00:27:31]This combination works well. I can easily remove the chain while the ABS support remains stuck to the bed. The overhangs on the chain look perfect.

[00:27:43]Next, I print a PETG Jeep with TPU tires. For this print, I bypass the AMS, use an external spool holder, and feed the 95 ATPU directly into the filament inlet. The PETG filament is loaded in the right auxiliary extruder, which is not ideal, but that's the only way to print PETG and TPU together on this machine.

[00:28:21]Hey. Hey. Hey.

[00:29:19]The print finishes in about 8 hours. I do not add support as I also would not use support when printing this model with a single filament. There are some overhanging lines that need to be cleaned up manually. The TPU wheels are bouncy. The Jeep also moves smoothly.

[00:29:34]Aside from slightly more stringing than expected, as the PETG was printed using the auxiliary extruder, it is still a usable print.

[00:29:45]Before moving to benchmark prints, I also test the first layer. When printing a flat PLA sheet, the result is perfect and it peels off cleanly without line separation. Surprisingly, PETG also prints perfectly, unlike other printers that tend to squish too low due to heat expansion.

[00:30:03]Even when I try ABS, the result is also perfect, which is really unexpected.

[00:30:09]Since there is an extra calibration for high temperature materials that heats the bed to 100° C before leveling, this feature helps compensate for thermal expansion and ensures a consistent first layer across materials.

[00:30:22]Now I run my benchmark prints. I start with the honeycomb box and the tolerance test on the same plate. Unlike a larger 300x300 bed, this 256x 256 build area only allows printing two objects at the same time using object by object mode.

[00:30:38]The main extruder handles retraction very well, extruding a tiny drop of filament, retracting immediately, and moving to the next position without stringing. The print finishes in 2 hours 10 minutes, faster than the average 2 hours 30 minutes. However, when printing the tolerance test, using 55° C for PLA on this textured sheet does not work well for all models. The square box shape warps at the corners. I increase the bed temperature to 65° C and reprint. This time it finishes without issues in 1 hour 20 minutes, also faster than the average 1 hour 30 minutes. The honeycomb box prints cleanly with no broken patterns. And compared to other high-quality machines, the X2D performs among the best.

[00:31:23]For the tolerance test, it clears down to 0.05 mm and stops at zero clearance on both the square and cylindrical sections, achieving a perfect score.

[00:31:36]Next, I print the number slider for clearance testing. This time, I still use 55° C, but switch to a third party print surface from BQ, which works very well on my other Bamboo Lab machines.

[00:32:08]The print finishes in 2 hours 36 minutes, slightly faster than the average 2 hours 45 minutes. The top surface looks clean, the text is sharp, and there is zero stringing. The bottom also prints well with clean gaps between tiles, and all tiles move freely.

[00:32:27]Finally, I print the Robo Alpaca for surface quality testing.

[00:32:36]In the middle of the model, there is more room for acceleration. While it is not the fastest machine, it is still faster than average.

[00:33:14]The print finishes in 3 hours 54 minutes compared to the average 4 hours 30 minutes. Looking at all four sides, the surface quality is very solid.

[00:33:24]Compared to the H2C, the X2D is marginally faster and also delivers better surface quality thanks to its lighter print head.

[00:33:34]Compared to the Snapmaker U1, it is marginally faster. The surface quality of the X2D is also slightly better.

[00:33:43]Compared to the Cheety Max 4, the X2D is a clear winner in both surface quality and speed.

[00:33:51]Compared to the Prussaor 1L, the X2D is also a clear winner in both surface quality and speed.

[00:33:59]Compared to the Creality K2 Plus, that machine is much faster, ranking among the fastest overall, but the X2D produces better service quality.

[00:34:12]Okay, let's talk about the pros and cons of this printer. Starting with the pros.

[00:34:18]One, the auxiliary extruder is lightweight, so the print head is less bulky than something like the H2D. This helps maintain speed and usable build volume. It's an ideal setup for printing support materials.

[00:34:30]Two, for multiolor model printing, it also saves a lot of filament and print time compared to a single extruder AMS setup. Cutting down on purging makes a big difference, especially on prints that allow you to place the primary color in the second extruder, such as the white in Hello Kitty, the blue in Vegeta, and the green in the Master Sword. These models can reduce purge waste by up to five times and cut print time by around 40%. Even in extreme cases like the fourcolor squares, which have four colors on every single layer, it still reduces purge waste by 50% and print time by 25%.

[00:35:07]Three, the temperature management system is smart. Dual auxiliary fans and the chamber vent automatically open or close depending on the material. When the vents are open, they pull in cool air for printing PLA and TPU. And when closed, they trap and circulate heat like a convection oven for ABS and other filaments that require a stable ambient temperature. Four, the AC heated bed is very fast, reaching 120° C in 2.5 minutes. That's a new record among all the heated beds I have tested. The AMS2 Pro performs better than any AMS clones on the market. It is not only the fastest, but also exceptionally reliable as I did not experience a single filament feeding issue during the entire test.

[00:35:52]Five, the box fan filter works extremely well. I printed ABS while sitting right next to the printer, and I couldn't smell any odor. This is the most effective filtration setup I've tested.

[00:36:05]Now for the cons. One, the auxiliary extruder is slower and doesn't print as cleanly as the main extruder. It's mainly designed for support materials.

[00:36:15]In some cases, you still have to use it for model printing. For example, printing TPU requires using the main extruder, which means the auxiliary extruder handles the model and results in slower prints and more stringing. For most PLA multiolor prints, this isn't a huge issue since the time saved from reduced purging, usually outweighs the slower printing speed of the Bowden extruder. Two, the enclosure uses plastic panels instead of metal like the X1C. With the heater placed very close to the left panel, it slightly deforms at 65° C and creates a visible bulge.

[00:36:50]After cooling, it mostly returns to shape, but some unevenness remains. As the chassis is made of steel, the panel doesn't affect performance or cause any actual issues, but visually it's not great. Three, the performance of multiolor printing on a dual extruder printer is obviously not as efficient as that of multi-tool head machines. I understand that these are completely different designs, but as a consumer, I only care about the amount of money I pay and the results I get across all machines available on the market. If I mainly print multiolor PLA, it's hard not to choose a tool changer for the same amount of money, especially now that we have lowerc cost options from Snapmaker and Flash Forge.

[00:37:31]Four, for a machine designed for engineering grade filaments, a maximum nozzle temperature of 300° C is not ideal. A few years ago, this was considered acceptable. But today, many consumer- grade printers reach 350 or even 370°, enabling them to print more advanced materials such as PPSCF and high temperature PACF. While these materials are not commonly used, having the option to print a broader range of filaments is always beneficial, especially on a fully enclosed dual nozzle printer equipped with a heated chamber.

[00:38:06]So overall, the X2D is a really solid option, especially if you print a lot with support materials. Compared to a tool changer if you're only printing with two materials like model and support, this setup can actually be more efficient since nozzle switching is faster than tool head swapping. But like I said, if you mainly do multicolor PLA prints, especially not more than four colors, a tool changer is still the better option. It wins in both print time and filament efficiency. That said, tool changers also have limitations.

[00:38:38]Most of them only support four or five materials. Machines like the Snapmaker U1 and Flash Forge Creator 5 are limited to four, and the Puzza XL supports five.

[00:38:48]There's really no way to go beyond that.

[00:38:51]With the X2D, you still have the option to connect multiple AMS units and print up to 25 colors while being more efficient than any single extruder AMS setup. One unique design on Bamboo Lab machines is the filament track switch, which allows you to load filament from any AMS, and it will automatically route to the left or right extruder based on the slicer assignment. This track switch is currently available on the X2D and is expected to come to the H2D soon. Now, in terms of value, the previous flagship X1C launched at $1,499.

[00:39:26]This X2D is priced at $899, and you're getting a heated chamber, dual extruders, and countless minor improvements, and overall better performance. The only real compromise I see is the plastic enclosure panels. You do get some heat expansion, which isn't a functional issue, but visually it's not great and may be a bit of an eyesore for some people, including me. Aside from that, I really like this printer a lot, and it will likely become one of my top three go-to machines. Right now, I use the H2D as my main printer, but I don't always need that larger build volume. This smaller machine heats up faster and uses less power which matters especially here in California where we pay over 50 cents per kilowatt hour which is higher than the national average or almost anywhere else. I will be adding the X2D to my recommendation list on aurorat channel.com. My website also tracks prices for popular 3D printers, laser engravers, and CNC machines to help you find the best deals. That's it for this video. If you found this video helpful, please give it a like and consider subscribing to our channel. Thank you for watching and I will see you next time.