3D Printing InfoPrinter comparison
AnkerMake M5C vs Bambu Lab A1
Compare hardware, build volume, printing specifications, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore AnkerMake M5C comparisonsMore Bambu Lab A1 comparisons
| Property | AnkerMake M5CBEDSLINGER | Bambu Lab A1BEDSLINGER |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Brand | AnkerMake | Bambu Lab |
| Class | BEDSLINGER | BEDSLINGER |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Manufacturer & exact marketed model name (verify the exact product identity first) | AnkerMake M5C. AnkerMake has since been rebranded eufyMake[1][2] | Bambu Lab A1. Store title: "Bambu Lab A1 3D Printer"; spec page header "Bambu Lab A1 - Technical Specifications"[3] |
| Release date (announcement and actual shipping) | Not documented | Announced and first shipped in the northern autumn/winter of 2023. Bambu Lab's own recall notice states A1 units were supplied from 1 December 2023; Tom's Hardware published its A1 review on 14 December 2023, so retail units were in reviewers' hands by then[4][5] |
| Street price (USD; dated snapshot per entry) | $399 as stated on eufyMake's own M5C write-up, checked Aug 2026; that page is a buying guide rather than a live cart listing. 3DJake shows the machine sold out and no longer stocked[2][1] | From $299.00 (base A1) on the Bambu Lab US store, Aug 2026, during an advertised Back-to-School sale; the A1 product page shows $399.00 with the A1 Combo (A1 + AMS lite) swatch selected[6][7] |
| Variants & sibling models — and how to tell them apart (spec-contamination risk) | Cheaper counterpart to the M5. It is smaller (220x220x250 vs 235x235x250), has a higher flow rate (35 vs 24 mm3/s), and drops the 4.3-inch screen, the camera and AI recognition entirely — control is via the app plus a single one-click button. The 500 mm/s figure is a fast-mode claim; the default is 250 mm/s[1][2][8] | Two SKUs on one product page: A1 (printer only) and A1 Combo (adds the AMS lite four-spool unit); the printer hardware is identical. Do NOT confuse with the A1 mini (180 mm cube, single Z leadscrew, 80 C bed, 2.4-in screen) or the newer A2L (330x320x325 mm). Contamination example found in the wild: Tom's Hardware's A1 review spec box prints a 2.4-inch screen and a 385x410x430 mm footprint (both A1 mini figures) and titles a section "Included in the box: Bambu Lab A1 Mini", while Bambu's own A1 spec sheet says 3.5-inch screen and 465x410x430 mm[3][5][7] |
| Market position: superseded? successor announced? | 3DJake lists it as sold out and no longer stocked; the brand is now eufyMake[1][2] | Still sold new in Aug 2026 alongside the newer and larger A2L ($469 base), which Bambu positions as the mega-size A-series machine[6][9] |
| Physical & Frame | ||
| Build volume X×Y×Z (mm) — advertised vs actually usable | 220 x 220 x 250 mm[1][2] | 256 x 256 x 256 mm (manufacturer figure)[3] |
| Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang) | Not documented | 465 x 410 x 430 mm per Bambu's own tech-spec sheet. Tom's Hardware's spec box prints 385 x 410 x 430 mm for the same machine - that is the A1 mini's width, treat Bambu's figure as authoritative. Add clearance behind for Y-axis bed travel and above for the spool[3][5] |
| Net weight (kg) | Not documented | 8.3 kg net[3] |
| Frame construction & material | Die-cast aluminium-alloy base; eufyMake describes the Z axis as aerospace-grade aluminium alloy[2] | Steel plus extruded aluminium chassis; Bambu markets all-metal rails and a cover-protected drive system[3][10] |
| Enclosure: open / enclosed; panel material; door/lid | Open frame[1] | Open frame, no enclosure or door; no official enclosure is sold for the A1[3] |
| Kinematics & Motion Hardware | ||
| Kinematics (bedslinger i3 / CoreXY / other) | Cartesian bedslinger with a single Y-axis belt[1] | Cartesian bed-slinger: toolhead moves in X on the gantry beam, heatbed moves in Y, gantry moves in Z. Bambu's own wiki calls it a Cartesian coordinate motion system; Bambu's marketing page describes it as a "Bed Slinger with CoreXY Speed", which is a comparison, not a kinematic claim[11][10] |
| X-axis guide type (rods / linear rails / V-wheels; size) | Not documented | Linear rail: "a high-precision linear rail and a beam", toolhead on a linear guide slider (Bambu wiki). Rail size not published[11] |
| Y-axis guide type | Not documented | Linear rail: heatbed mounted on a guide-rail slider, belt-driven in Y[11] |
| Z-axis: leadscrew count & type, sync mechanism, anti-backlash | Not documented | Dual linear rods plus dual leadscrews with nuts, both leadscrews driven from one stepper through a synchronous belt with a quick tensioner and a tension-detection algorithm[11] |
| Belts (type, width, e.g. Gates?) | Not documented | Three adjustable belt tensioners (X, Y, Z); a Belt Tension Monitor watches tension and reports out-of-range belts[11] |
| Stepper drivers (exact model e.g. TMC2209; UART/SPI; sensorless homing?) | Not documented | Not published. Bambu's wiki says only that the mainboard "incorporates stepper motor drivers"; no driver part number is given and no teardown source was found that names one[11] |
| Speed & Acceleration | ||
| Max print speed (claimed, mm/s) | 250 mm/s default; 500 mm/s in high-speed mode (manufacturer figures)[1][2] | 500 mm/s max toolhead speed (manufacturer claim); no independent measurement found[3] |
| Max acceleration (claimed, mm/s²) | 5,000 mm/s2 in high-speed mode (manufacturer claim)[1] | 10000 mm/s2 max toolhead acceleration (manufacturer claim). Tom's Hardware notes the moving-bed mass is why the A1 does not reach the P1S/X1 20000 mm/s2 figure[3][5] |
| Max volumetric flow claimed (mm³/s) | 35 mm3/s (manufacturer claim)[2] | 28 mm3/s claimed, measured by Bambu on a 150x150 mm single-wall model in Bambu ABS at 280 C[3] |
| Extruder | ||
| Type (direct drive / bowden) & design name | Direct-drive extruder[1] | Direct drive, hardened-steel extruder gears, integrated in the toolhead with a filament cutter and filament hub[3][11] |
| Hotend & Nozzle | ||
| Hotend design (proprietary/standard; quick-swap mechanism?) | All-metal hotend[2] | All-metal integrated hotend (nozzle and heatsink combined in one unit) with a quick-swap clip - Bambu markets it as popping in and out with one clip. Stainless-steel nozzle, 0.4 mm included, 0.2/0.6/0.8 mm optional[3][10][11] |
| Max nozzle temp claimed AND firmware max temp limit (both values) | Up to 300 °C (manufacturer claim)[2] | 300 C claimed max hot-end temperature; firmware limit not published[3] |
| Heated Bed & Surface | ||
| Max bed temp claimed AND firmware limit | Not documented | 100 C max build-plate temperature (both the spec sheet and the wiki give 100 C)[3][11] |
| Bed surface (material, texture, coating), single/double-sided | Not documented | Textured PEI plate included; Bambu Cool Plate, High Temperature Plate and Dual-Texture PEI Plate also compatible[3] |
| Leveling & Z-Offset | ||
| Auto bed leveling: probe technology (inductive / strain gauge / load cell / touch probe) | 49-point (7 x 7) automatic bed levelling; probe technology not named[2] | Nozzle-touch probing: the hotend carries an eddy-current sensor that detects nozzle-to-bed contact, giving both automatic bed mesh and automatic Z-offset with no paper method. The same eddy-current sensor doubles as the Y-axis resonance sensor[11][5] |
| Mesh grid size (probe point count — firmware evidence) | 49 points[2] | Not documented |
| Filament Handling & Detection | ||
| Filament runout sensor (type, location) | Not documented | Yes - filament run-out sensor, plus filament odometry and a filament-tangle sensor. The tangle sensor is a Hall sensor reading a magnet in the toolhead filament hub: excessive feed resistance pulls the hub down, moving the magnet toward the sensor[3][11] |
| Multi-material/multi-color capability or official upgrade path | Not documented | Optional AMS lite (four spools, sold in the A1 Combo); connecting the enclosed-printer AMS / AMS 2 Pro / AMS HT to an A1 additionally requires an AMS HUB accessory (SA013)[7] |
| Cooling & Air Handling | ||
| Part-cooling fan(s): count, size, ducting design | Not documented | One custom 5015 centrifugal part-cooling fan with two opposing air outlets aimed at the nozzle; closed-loop (RPM-feedback) control[3][11] |
| Electronics & Power | ||
| Mainboard model & MCU (exact chip markings if teardowns exist) | Not documented | Single mainboard carrying a low-power dual-core SoC (with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth basebands and RF), a dual-core MCU and a single-core MCU, plus the stepper drivers. Bambu's spec sheet names the motion controller as a dual-core Cortex-M4. Exact chip markings not published[3] |
| Total rated power draw | Not documented | 100-240 VAC 50/60 Hz; max power 1300 W at 220 V, 350 W at 110 V. Bed heater wattage is not published separately[3] |
| Firmware & Openness | ||
| Firmware base & current version (Klipper fork / Marlin fork / proprietary) | Not documented | Closed-source proprietary firmware - not a Klipper or Marlin derivative, and no printer-firmware source is published. The bambulab GitHub organisation carries 11 repositories (Bambu Studio, wxWidgets/boost/ffmpeg forks, the wiki); none is printer firmware. Updates are delivered over the air via Bambu Studio / Bambu Handy[12] |
| Connectivity, UI & Camera | ||
| Display: size, type, touch? | None. 3DJake's table records "Printer display: None" and eufyMake confirms there is no screen[1][2] | 3.5-inch 320x240 IPS touchscreen[3] |
| On-device UI capabilities (model preview, per-object controls, etc.) | Not documented | Touchscreen UI plus Bambu Handy mobile app and Bambu Studio PC application; Bambu describes the on-device UI as a simplified guided touchscreen system[3][10] |
| WiFi (band/standard), Ethernet, USB ports, SD/flash-drive | Wi-Fi; eufyMake also cites Bluetooth for app pairing[1][2] | Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz only (IEEE 802.11 b/g/n, 2412-2472 MHz), Bambu-Bus for the AMS lite, microSD card slot. No Ethernet, no USB host port[3] |
| Camera: built-in / optional? Resolution & framerate (verify — marketing often omits real fps) | None. No camera and no AI recognition on this model[1][2] | Built-in low-rate monitoring camera, up to 1080p, timelapse supported; Bambu's marketing calls out a physical lens cover. Frame rate is not stated for the A1 (the P1 series camera is specified at 0.5 fps)[3][10] |
| Calibration Routines & QoL | ||
| Assembly level & time from unbox to first print | Assembly kit[1] | About 95% pre-assembled; a handful of screws attach the gantry to the base, then the filament wiper and spool holder[5] |
| Materials Support | ||
| Officially supported filament list | PLA, TPU, PETG and others; eufyMake does not publish a closed list[2] | Ideal: PLA, PETG, TPU, PVA. Not recommended: ABS, ASA, PC, PA, PET, carbon/glass-fibre reinforced polymers - the machine is open-frame and the bed stops at 100 C[3] |
| Safety | ||
| Known safety incidents / recalls / fire reports (with sources) | Not documented | Recalled in the US in cooperation with the CPSC: A1 units sold before 30 January 2024 (serial numbers with 'A' as the sixth digit) could suffer heatbed cable damage leading to a short circuit, electric shock or fire. 19 reports of damaged cables, one with observed sparking, no injuries. Remedy was refund plus $80 voucher, or heatbed+cable replacement by a trained technician plus $120 voucher. Current production ships a Kevlar-reinforced heatbed cable with thicker insulation and extended strain relief[4][7] |
| Noise & Power Consumption | ||
| Noise: claimed dB and independently measured dB (distance/method) | Not documented | Manufacturer claim only: bambulab.com states "Silent Mode Under 48 dB" with active motor noise cancelling; the US store page for both the A1 and the A1 mini carries identical copy claiming "49dB Whisper-Quiet Operation". No microphone-based independent measurement with a stated distance was found; Tom's Hardware only says it is "much more quiet than the current crop of speed freak machines"[10][7][5] |
| Reliability, Support & Ecosystem | ||
| Warranty length & support reputation (evidence, not vibes) | Not documented | 2-year limited warranty for consumers in the US, Canada, the EU, Switzerland, Norway and Iceland; 1 year in the rest of the world. Bambu Lab's own policy records the US/Canada term as a 2026 extension from one year to two[13] |
| Independently Measured Performance | ||
| Dimensional accuracy measurements (third-party, with numbers) | Print precision quoted at +/-0.1 mm (manufacturer specification, not an independent measurement)[1][2] | Not documented |
| Review scores from major outlets (list outlet + score + date) | Not documented | Tom's Hardware: Editor's Choice, rating 4.5 out of 5 in the page's structured data (14 December 2023)[5] |
Manufacturer claims, independent measurements, packages and test conditions retain their source wording. FDM linear speed and resin vertical speed use different units and are not directly comparable. Unknown values are marked “Not documented”. Prices and source dates remain historical snapshots; check the linked guide for product details. Differences highlight text, not a universal winner.
Sources for this comparison
- AnkerMake M5C technical data table 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- AnkerMake M5C review and spec summary (eufyMake) eufymake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Bambu Lab A1 - Technical Specifications bambulab.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Bambu Lab - Bambu Lab Recalls A1 3D Printers in the US bambulab.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Tom's Hardware - Bambu Lab A1 Review, Denise Bertacchi, 14 December 2023 tomshardware.com · 2026-08 · review
- Bambu Lab US Store - 3D Printers collection listing (base prices, Aug 2026) us.store.bambulab.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Bambu Lab A1 store page (A1 / A1 Combo variants) us.store.bambulab.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- AnkerMake M5 technical data table 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Bambu Lab - Compare all 3D printers (A2L / X2D / H2C columns) bambulab.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Bambu Lab A1 product page bambulab.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Bambu Lab Wiki - A1 introduction wiki.bambulab.com · 2026-08 · doc
- GitHub - bambulab organisation repository list (11 repos, checked Aug 2026) github.com · 2026-08 · doc
- Bambu Lab Warranty Policy bambulab.com · 2026-08 · vendor