A follow-up to my first impressions post on the Bambu Lab A1 Mini — I’ve moved past calibration cubes and benchies now, so here’s a look at the first useful things I’ve actually printed with it.

First up is a phone stand, printed in blue — one I designed myself. Nothing fancy, but it’s exactly the kind of small, practical thing that makes owning a printer worth it, and there’s something extra satisfying about it being your own design rather than someone else’s model. There’s now a permanent stand sat by the printer holding my phone up at a useful angle.

I’ve finally pulled the trigger on a 3D printer — a Bambu Lab A1 Mini. This is something I’ve wanted for a long time, years of watching other people’s prints show up online and thinking “I should really get one of those” before actually doing anything about it.

Went with the A1 Mini over the bigger models mainly for the price and the smaller footprint — it doesn’t take up much desk space, and it felt like a sensible way to dip a toe in without committing to a huge enclosed printer before I know how much I’ll actually use it.