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Generated Title: Black Friday 3D Printer Deals: Are They *Really* That Good?Black Friday.... Generated Title: Black Friday 3D Printer Deals: Are They *Really* That Good?
Black Friday. The annual ritual of consumer frenzy. This year, the hype machine is cranking hard for 3D printers, particularly from Bambu Lab and Creality. Best Buy is now an official reseller, sweetening the pot with easier returns and rewards points. The question, as always: are these deals actually deals, or just clever marketing? Let's dive into the numbers.
The Bambu Lab P1S Combo, touted as the "best Bambu 3D printer for most people," is listed at $549.99, a 27% discount from its original $749.99 price. The claim is that the AMS (Automatic Material System) normally retails for $350, making the combo a steal. But here's where we need to be precise: is that $350 MSRP or the actual street price? A quick search reveals the AMS can be found for closer to $300 from third-party retailers, and sometimes even less during flash sales. That 27% discount starts to look a little less impressive.
The A1 Mini, aimed at beginners, is down to $199.99 from $249.99 – a 20% saving. It's a tempting entry point, especially given the user-friendly interface. But “entry level” often translates to limited functionality. This is great for smaller projects using PLA filament, but what if a user wants to experiment with ABS or PETG later? The A1 Mini might quickly become a bottleneck, leading to upgrade costs down the line. It's a classic loss-leader strategy: get you in the door with a cheap printer, then upsell you on filament and accessories.
The Filament Factor
Speaking of filament, SUNLU is offering 57% off multi-color silk PLA, bringing the price down to $12.99 per kg – but only with a minimum order of three. This highlights a crucial point often overlooked in these Black Friday deal analyses: the ongoing cost of consumables. A cheap printer is useless without filament, and the cost of filament can quickly dwarf the initial printer investment.
The author of one of the source articles mentions testing the SUNLU filament with Cinderwing dragons, praising the results. This is a qualitative data point – anecdotal evidence. How many users are actually printing Cinderwing dragons? What's the average filament consumption per user? Without quantitative data, it's just marketing fluff. But hey, dragons are cool.
【新增】I recently got into 3D printing and the filament costs really do add up. That said, it's a great hobby.
The Second-Hand Market & the "Upgrade Cycle"
Here's where my analysis suggests a potential discrepancy. The 3D printer market, like the smartphone market, is driven by an upgrade cycle. New models with faster speeds, better resolution, and more features are constantly being released. This creates a robust second-hand market. Are these Black Friday deals actually better than what you could find on eBay or Facebook Marketplace for a slightly older model?
Consider the Bambu Lab X1 Carbon. The source mentions it "disappeared" from Bambu's website, with speculation that it might be discontinued. If true, this means there will be a flood of X1 Carbons hitting the used market as users upgrade to the latest and greatest. A savvy buyer could potentially snag an X1 Carbon for significantly less than the Black Friday price of a new P1S Combo, getting a higher-end machine for a lower price. The Best Black Friday 3D Printer Deals Are at Best Buy, an Official Bambu Lab Reseller
That said, even with these discounts, the printers are still very expensive. The RaptorX 3D scanner, while receiving a significant discount, is still over $3,000. It makes you wonder if these deals are just a push to get rid of old stock.
So, What's the Real Story?
These Black Friday 3D printer deals aren't bad, per se. But they require a healthy dose of skepticism. Don't be swayed by the flashy percentage discounts. Do your research, compare prices, and consider the long-term costs of filament and potential upgrades. And, for God's sake, check the second-hand market before pulling the trigger on a new printer.