Bambu Lab A1
- Price
- $299
- Score
- 9.2/10
- Wins
- 4/5
Bambu Lab A1 vs Elegoo Centauri Carbon
- The Bambu Lab A1 wins, 9.2 vs 8.2 out of 10.
- Same build volume (256³ mm), same $299 price, same 500 mm/s.
- The full comparison breaks the tie.
Specs and US prices from the PrintPick catalog, checked 2026-09-29. Scores are PrintPick ratings out of 10.
Elegoo Centauri Carbon
- Price
- $299
- Score
- 8.2/10
- Wins
- 1/5
The verdict
Buy the A1.
9.2/10 vs Centauri Carbon's 8.2/10, and it wins 4 of 5 categories. If you know you don't care about multi-color, this is the cleanest $299 in 3D printing. The A1 Combo is $100 more and includes multi-color; most people should just spend the extra $100.
Specs, side by side
Teal wins the row.
A1Bambu Lab · FDM
vsCentauri CarbonElegoo · FDM
| A1 | Spec | Centauri Carbon |
|---|---|---|
| $299 | Price | $299 |
| 16.8 L | Build volume | 16.8 L |
| 500 mm/s | Top speed | 500 mm/s |
| 0.05 mm (wins) | Finest layer | 0.1 mm |
| 9.05 kg | Weight | 17.5 kg |
Features
| A1 | Feature | Centauri Carbon |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | Auto bed leveling | No |
| Yes | WiFi | No |
| Yes | Camera | No |
| Yes | Vibration compensation | No |
| Yes | Direct drive | No |
| Yes | Full-size A1 bed | No |
| No | Enclosed CoreXY | Yes |
| No | Auto bed leveling (4 pressure sensors) | Yes |
| No | Chamber camera monitoring | Yes |
| No | 320C all-metal hotend | Yes |
| No | Pre-assembled and calibrated | Yes |
| No | Steel + aluminum + glass enclosure | Yes |
Value math
$299 ÷ 16.8 L and $299 ÷ 16.8 L. Lower is more printer for the money.
| A1 | Spec | Centauri Carbon |
|---|---|---|
| $17.82 | $ per liter | $17.82 |
| $0.60 | $ per mm/s | $0.60 |
Scores out of 10
| A1 | Spec | Centauri Carbon |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Value | 10 (wins) |
| 10 (wins) | Beginner Friendliness | 8 |
| 9 (wins) | Print Quality | 8 |
| 9 (wins) | Speed | 8 |
| 9 (wins) | Reliability | 7 |
| 9.2 (wins) | Overall | 8.2 |
Build space, front view, to one scale
- 256 × 256 × 256 mm
- 256 × 256 × 256 mm
What owners say
The A1 without AMS is the best single-color printer you can buy at this price. Bar none.
A1 owner, r/3DprintingSame great hardware as the Combo, just without the color changer. Perfect for most people.
A1 owner, Make Anything (YouTube)There's no reason to buy anything else at this price. It would be excellent at twice the cost.
Centauri Carbon owner, How-To GeekFinally an affordable CoreXY. The Centauri Carbon changes what you should expect for under $300.
Centauri Carbon owner, Tom's HardwareBuy two of these instead of one fancier printer at twice the price. Seriously.
Centauri Carbon owner, r/3Dprinting
Pros & Cons
A1
- +Full 256mm build volume, same as the Combo but $100 cheaper
- +Bambu's reliability, slicer, and support at $299
- +500mm/s speed that's calibrated and ready without tweaking
- −Open frame: ABS warping is a real problem without modification
- −No multi-color in the box: the Combo is $100 more and includes it
Centauri Carbon
- +Enclosed CoreXY at $299. Yes, really.
- +PLA, PETG, ABS: all print well out of the box
- +Pre-assembled, printing within minutes of opening the box
- −Firmware needs attention after unboxing
- −Heat creep shows up on long prints above 270C
Buy these with it
A printer does nothing without these. Grab them in the same order.
- ELEGOO PLA filament, 1kgThe easy filament to start on. Prints at low temperatures and warps less.
- ELEGOO PETG filament, 1kgTougher and more heat tolerant than PLA, for parts that get handled or sit in the sun.
- SUNLU filament dryer S1 PlusWet filament causes stringing and rough surfaces. A dryer fixes that before you blame the printer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Bambu Lab A1 better than the Elegoo Centauri Carbon?
By the numbers, the Bambu Lab A1 scores higher (9.2/10). But "better" depends on your use case, the Elegoo Centauri Carbon may be the smarter buy if you need budget.
Which is better for beginners, Bambu Lab A1 or Elegoo Centauri Carbon?
The Bambu Lab A1 is more beginner-friendly (10/10 vs 8/10) with easier setup and a gentler learning curve.
Which is the better value, Bambu Lab A1 or Elegoo Centauri Carbon?
Same price ($299), so it comes down to features. The Elegoo Centauri Carbon edges ahead on value score.
What's the main difference between Bambu Lab A1 and Elegoo Centauri Carbon?
Build volume (256x256x256mm vs 256x256x256mm) and print speed (500 vs 500 mm/s). The Bambu Lab A1 is best for beginners; the Elegoo Centauri Carbon targets budget.