09/28/2026
Considering a 3D Printer for Christmas?
I’ve had a LOT of parents come to me lately saying their kids have developed a huge interest in 3D printing after watching the Buddy Hunt this summer. With Christmas coming, several people have asked what printers I use, what I recommend, what things actually cost, and what I would buy if I were starting over.
I usually answer those questions individually, but inevitably someone else asks me the same thing a few days later — and honestly, there is a LOT of information. So I thought it made more sense to put everything into one post.
That way, not only can you ask any questions you have, but hopefully this can also be something you come back and reference later.
And please don’t think there is such a thing as a dumb question. If you’re wondering about something, there is a pretty good chance somebody else is wondering the exact same thing.
This also seemed like a good time to do this because Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days are coming up, and then we’ll be heading into Black Friday and holiday sales. If a 3D printer is something you’re considering for Christmas, you have some time to research, compare, watch prices and hopefully avoid making quite as much of a snap decision as I did.
I absolutely do not claim to be a 3D-printing expert.
What I can give you is my own experience after putting a ridiculous number of hours on these printers — what I love, what I’ve struggled with, what I wish I had known, and what I would do differently.
My first printer was a Bambu Lab P2S.
For the first month, I absolutely loved it. I had virtually no problems with it.
After that, though, I started having issues. I’ve replaced hundreds of dollars in parts and spent a LOT of time troubleshooting it.
I know plenty of people have P2S printers and have had very few problems, so I am absolutely not saying it is a bad printer. I do the recommended maintenance on mine. My personal experience has simply been that this particular machine has given me a lot of trouble.
When I realized how quickly the Buddy Hunt was growing — before we had even officially started — I bought a second printer, a Bambu Lab H2D.
I absolutely love it.
It has been my workhorse. It has been extremely dependable for me, I have had very few problems with it, it has a much larger build area, and it has two nozzles, which makes a HUGE difference for the kind of multicolor printing I do.
With a single-nozzle printer, every time you change colors, filament has to be unloaded, another color loaded, and the old color purged out. That takes time and creates waste.
The H2D can use two nozzles, which means less switching, less purging and, depending on what I’m printing, a lot less waste.
If money were not part of the equation and you asked me today what I would buy again, I would hands-down buy another H2D.
I love that printer.
But money is part of the equation for most families, and that is one of the reasons I’m looking so closely at the Snapmaker U1.
The U1 uses four separate toolheads, which means it can print in multiple colors without constantly unloading and reloading filament through one nozzle.
And the price difference matters.
For roughly what I have invested in my current printers, I could have bought about three Snapmaker U1s instead of the P2S and H2D combination.
For someone like me who does a lot of production printing, having three printers running at once instead of two could make a very big difference.
So if money were no object?
Another H2D. Without hesitation.
If I were starting over today and trying to get the most capability for my money?
The Snapmaker U1 is the printer I would be researching very seriously.
In fact, if we are able to do a 2027 Andover Buddy Hunt, the U1 is currently the printer I’m considering adding next.
Bambu has also released the X2D, which is another dual-nozzle machine. It is smaller than the H2D and its second nozzle is especially useful for support material, although it can also be used for additional colors and materials.
Had that machine existed when I bought my first printer, it absolutely would have been something I looked at.
Both of my current printers also use an AMS, or Automatic Material System.
Basically, that allows the printer to automatically work with multiple spools of filament.
And this is something I would seriously consider when buying a printer for a child.
Your child may be perfectly happy printing something in one color at first.
Then they realize they can make the eyes black, the shirt blue, the shoes red and the buttons yellow.
😂
Trust me. Multicolor printing becomes appealing VERY quickly.
Bambu also has MakerWorld, which is completely free to use even if you don’t own a Bambu printer.
MakerWorld is where you can find thousands upon thousands of models that people have designed and uploaded.
If you’re considering a printer for Christmas, I would actually suggest going on MakerWorld ahead of time and looking around with your child. It will give you a very good idea of the kinds of things they may want to print.
Bambu also deserves credit for its troubleshooting system.
When something goes wrong with the printer, you’ll often get an error message or QR code that directs you to Bambu Wiki, where it walks you through troubleshooting and repairs step by step.
That has been extremely helpful.
Bambu printers are often considered some of the most beginner-friendly machines available, and I do think they are probably about as close to “plug and play” as 3D printers get.
But I want to be really clear about something:
There is no such thing as a completely plug-and-play 3D printer.
I don’t care what the advertisement says.
3D printers require maintenance.
Think of one more like a car than a normal household printer.
Things wear out.
Hotends need replaced.
PTFE tubing wears.
Build plates need cleaned.
Parts need lubricated.
Nozzles clog.
Filament absorbs moisture and sometimes needs dried.
Prints fail.
Supports need broken away and cleaned up.
Sometimes something works perfectly yesterday and today you’re standing there asking the printer what exactly you did to offend it.
😂
There is definitely a learning curve.
And that brings me to one of the biggest things I wish somebody had told me:
3D printing gets expensive FAST.
The printer is only the beginning.
A roll of filament might average around $20. So let’s say your child wants to print something that uses four colors. The actual amount of filament used in that one little item might only be worth 75 cents.
But you still had to buy four rolls of filament to have those four colors available.
That means your 75-cent print may have required you to have $80 worth of filament sitting there before you could make it.
Of course, you still have almost all of that filament left for future projects, so I’m not saying the item itself actually cost $80 to make. But that is the part people don’t necessarily think about when they first get into 3D printing.
And then your child finds something they want to print in purple, orange and white.
Then something else needs brown.
Then you discover transparent filament.
Then glow-in-the-dark.
😂
Suddenly you have an entire shelf full of filament and you’re wondering exactly when this happened.
Then on top of filament, there are replacement parts, build plates, nozzles, filament dryers, storage containers, tools and all the other little things you eventually discover you need.
And if you’re buying one for your child, please remember:
3D printers are not toys.
They are incredible machines and they can be a really fun hobby for kids, but this is something you should expect to do with them, especially in the beginning.
The nozzle gets extremely hot.
The build plate gets hot.
There are moving mechanical parts.
Eventually something will need taken apart, cleaned, adjusted or replaced.
Depending on your child’s age, they are absolutely going to need some adult supervision and help.
Also be prepared to watch YouTube videos.
A LOT of YouTube videos.
😂
One other thing I would personally do differently is where I bought my printer.
If I were buying another machine that Micro Center carries, I would seriously consider purchasing it there and adding one of their extended protection plans.
I did not do that with my first printer, and I wish I had.
I have spent a huge amount of time this summer troubleshooting my P2S, replacing parts and trying to keep it running because I needed it producing Buddies.
For me, having a local store where I could physically take the printer for service would have been worth a lot.
The protection plans cost extra, so definitely read exactly what is and is not covered before purchasing one, but personally, after what I have gone through with mine, it is something I would seriously consider.
None of this is meant to discourage anybody from buying a 3D printer.
Actually, I think they are amazing.
There is something incredibly cool about having an idea, finding or creating a design, and a few hours later holding that object in your hand.
And watching kids see that happen is even better.
I just really wish that before I bought my first printer, I had known somebody I could ask:
What do I actually need?
What does this really cost?
What breaks?
What accessories actually matter?
Do I need multicolor?
What printer should I buy?
What do you wish you had bought instead?
So if your family is considering a 3D printer for Christmas, ask me.
I may not know every answer, but if I know it from experience, I’ll tell you.
If I don’t know, I’ll tell you that too.
And chances are, somebody else following this page has the exact same question you do.
