Printer comparison
Bambu Lab P1S vs Rat Rig V-Core 4
Compare hardware, build volume, printing specifications, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore Bambu Lab P1S comparisonsMore Rat Rig V-Core 4 comparisons
| Property | Bambu Lab P1SCOREXY | Rat Rig V-Core 4COREXY |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Brand | Bambu Lab | Rat Rig |
| Class | COREXY | COREXY |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Manufacturer & exact marketed model name (verify the exact product identity first) | Bambu Lab P1S. Store title: "Bambu Lab P1S 3D Printer"[1] | Rat Rig V-Core 4, sold in the US as "RatRig V-Core 4 3D Printer Kit"[2] |
| Street price (USD; dated snapshot per entry) | From $369.00 (base P1S) on the Bambu Lab US store, Aug 2026, against a stated typical price of $399.00; with the P1S AMS 2 Pro Combo variant selected the same page shows $539.00 against a typical $579.00[3][1] | $2,319.99 at Fabreeko for the fully-specified US kit (price includes shipping and duty in the continental USA), Batch 4, checked Aug 2026. 300 mm ABS-parts variant in stock, 400 mm down to one unit. Rat Rig's own base kit is priced separately in EUR[2][4] |
| Variants & sibling models — and how to tell them apart (spec-contamination risk) | Enclosed version of the P1P and mechanically the same motion platform. Three SKUs on one product page: P1S, P1S AMS Combo and P1S AMS 2 Pro Combo (the AMS 2 Pro adds active filament drying). Sibling figures that get mixed up: net weight 12.95 kg (P1S) vs 9.65 kg (P1P); depth 389 mm vs 386 mm; ABS/ASA Ideal (P1S) vs Capable (P1P). Also distinct from the 2026 P2S, which is a different machine (600 mm/s, 110 C bed, 5-inch touchscreen, 14.9 kg)[1][5] | Three sizes (300, 400, 500 mm cubes) and three motion configurations: Standard CoreXY, Hybrid CoreXY (+$149.99, adds two motors to Y), and IDEX with two independent toolheads (+$450.00). Superseded by the V-Core 4.1. Raspberry Pi and enclosure panels are not included[2][4] |
| Market position: superseded? successor announced? | Still sold in Aug 2026, but Bambu now markets the P2S as "The Classic Evolves" above it in the same enclosed-CoreXY slot[3][6] | Superseded by the V-Core 4.1, which adds a steel X gantry, a full-metal toolhead, improved part cooling, 8 mm beds on the 400 and 500 sizes and pre-made cables. Rat Rig sells a 4.1 upgrade kit for existing V-Core 4 owners[4] |
| Physical & Frame | ||
| Build volume X×Y×Z (mm) — advertised vs actually usable | 256 x 256 x 256 mm advertised. Bambu's own footnote sets the default printable height in Bambu Studio to 250 mm to prevent heatbed collisions, and notes the collapsible filament-cutter stopper occupies part of the print area when popped out[1] | 300 x 300 x 300, 400 x 400 x 400 or 500 x 500 x 500 mm. Sortable value is the 300 mm kit[2][4] |
| Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang) | 389 x 389 x 458 mm; package 485 x 480 x 530 mm[1] | Not documented |
| Net weight (kg) | 12.95 kg net, 17.60 kg gross; the AMS Combo ships at 21.60 kg gross and the AMS 2 Pro Combo at 21 kg gross[1] | Not documented |
| Frame construction & material | Steel chassis (shared with the P1P) inside plastic and glass panels[1] | 30-series aluminium extrusion with printed ABS structural parts[2][4] |
| Enclosure: open / enclosed; panel material; door/lid | Fully enclosed - plastic and glass panels with a glass front door and lid, plus an activated-carbon air filter. No active chamber heater; the chamber temperature regulator fan is closed-loop controlled[1] | Open by default; enclosure panels sold separately[2] |
| Kinematics & Motion Hardware | ||
| Kinematics (bedslinger i3 / CoreXY / other) | CoreXY driven by two stepper motors, each with an independent belt to the printhead; the P1P and P1S share the same motion system[7] | CoreXY, or Hybrid CoreXY, or Hybrid CoreXY IDEX depending on the configuration ordered[2] |
| Z-axis: leadscrew count & type, sync mechanism, anti-backlash | Three leadscrews belt-driven from a single stepper motor, whole bed moving in Z; manual tramming by three knobs under the bed, no motorised Z-tilt[7] | Not documented |
| Belts (type, width, e.g. Gates?) | Rear adjustable belt tensioners with a Belt Tension Monitor[7] | Not documented |
| Stepper drivers (exact model e.g. TMC2209; UART/SPI; sensorless homing?) | Not documented | TMC2209[2] |
| Speed & Acceleration | ||
| Max print speed (claimed, mm/s) | 500 mm/s max toolhead speed (manufacturer claim); no independent measurement found[1] | Not documented |
| Max acceleration (claimed, mm/s²) | 20 m/s2 = 20000 mm/s2 max toolhead acceleration (manufacturer claim)[1] | Not documented |
| Extruder | ||
| Type (direct drive / bowden) & design name | Direct drive; the service part is the "Stainless Steel Extruder Unit (P1 series)"[7] | LDO Orbiter 2.0 direct-drive extruder[2] |
| Hotend & Nozzle | ||
| Hotend design (proprietary/standard; quick-swap mechanism?) | All-metal all-in-one hotend with the nozzle integrated into the heatblock, replaced as a unit; 0.4 mm stainless-steel nozzle included, 0.2/0.6/0.8 mm optional[1][7] | Phaetus Rapido 2.0 UHF[2] |
| Max nozzle temp claimed AND firmware max temp limit (both values) | 300 C claimed max hot-end temperature[1] | Not documented |
| Heated Bed & Surface | ||
| Max bed temp claimed AND firmware limit | 100 C max build-plate temperature[1] | Not documented |
| Bed surface (material, texture, coating), single/double-sided | Textured PEI plate; Cool Plate, Engineering Plate and High Temperature Plate compatible[1] | Keenovo silicone bed heater[2] |
| Leveling & Z-Offset | ||
| Auto bed leveling: probe technology (inductive / strain gauge / load cell / touch probe) | Nozzle-touch probing using three ceramic force (piezo) sensors mounted under the heatbed - Z homing is done by detecting the force of the nozzle contacting the bed[8][7] | Beacon eddy-current probe[2] |
| Filament Handling & Detection | ||
| Filament runout sensor (type, location) | Yes - filament run-out sensor[1] | Not documented |
| Multi-material/multi-color capability or official upgrade path | AMS-compatible; sold as P1S AMS Combo and P1S AMS 2 Pro Combo, up to 16 colours with four AMS units[1] | Not documented |
| Cooling & Air Handling | ||
| Part-cooling fan(s): count, size, ducting design | Part-cooling fan plus auxiliary part-cooling fan, control-board fan and chamber temperature regulator fan, all closed-loop controlled (all four are merely Optional on the P1P)[1] | Nidec 4028 part-cooling fan[2] |
| Chamber/exhaust fan & filtration (activated carbon / HEPA) | Chamber temperature regulator fan with an activated-carbon air filter[1] | Not documented |
| Electronics & Power | ||
| Mainboard model & MCU (exact chip markings if teardowns exist) | Not documented | BigTreeTech Octopus[2] |
| Total rated power draw | 100-240 VAC 50/60 Hz; 1000 W at 220 V, 350 W at 110 V[1] | Not documented |
| Firmware & Openness | ||
| Firmware base & current version (Klipper fork / Marlin fork / proprietary) | 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[9] | RatOS, Rat Rig's Klipper distribution[4] |
| Connectivity, UI & Camera | ||
| Display: size, type, touch? | 2.7-inch 192x64 monochrome screen, not a touchscreen; control by button, app or PC application (P1 series)[7] | Not documented |
| On-device UI capabilities (model preview, per-object controls, etc.) | Button-driven monochrome on-device UI; job setup happens in Bambu Studio or Bambu Handy[7] | Not documented |
| WiFi (band/standard), Ethernet, USB ports, SD/flash-drive | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Bambu-Bus, microSD card storage, 5 V/1.5 A USB output power (P1 series)[7] | Not documented |
| Camera: built-in / optional? Resolution & framerate (verify — marketing often omits real fps) | Low-rate chamber monitoring camera, 1280x720 at 0.5 fps, timelapse supported[1] | Not documented |
| Calibration Routines & QoL | ||
| Assembly level & time from unbox to first print | Not documented | Self-assembly kit; Raspberry Pi and enclosure panels sourced separately[2] |
| Materials Support | ||
| Officially supported filament list | Ideal: PLA, PETG, TPU, PVA, PET, ABS, ASA. Capable: PA, PC[1] | Not documented |
| Reliability, Support & Ecosystem | ||
| Warranty length & support reputation (evidence, not vibes) | 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[10] | Not documented |
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
- Bambu Lab P1S store page - 'Parameters Comparison' table giving P1P and P1S in separate columns us.store.bambulab.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- RatRig V-Core 4 kit (US distributor listing) fabreeko.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Bambu Lab US Store - 3D Printers collection listing (base prices, Aug 2026) us.store.bambulab.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Rat Rig V-Core 4.1 product page ratrig.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Bambu Lab P2S Spec Sheet (PDF) store.bblcdn.com · 2026-08 · doc
- Bambu Lab P2S store page us.store.bambulab.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Bambu Lab Wiki - Introduction to P1 series wiki.bambulab.com · 2026-08 · doc
- Bambu Lab Wiki - Replace the Heatbed Sensor Unit / Heatbed Piezo Interface Board 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