Quick verdict
Buy the Bambu Lab P1S when established profiles, community depth, and the X1/P1 accessory path matter more than the lowest current price. Buy the Anycubic Kobra S1 when its current price and 320 °C quick-release hotend fit the job and you are comfortable standardising on Anycubic Slicer Next, Kobra OS, and ACE Pro.
| Decision | Kobra S1 | P1S |
|---|---|---|
| Build volume | 250 mm cube | 256 mm cube |
| Hotend maximum | 320 °C stated | 300 °C stated |
| Bed maximum | 120 °C | 100 °C |
| Colour system | ACE Pro, sold separately or in Combo | AMS / AMS 2 Pro, sold separately or in Combo |
| Active drying | Printer-only: no; ACE Pro Combo: up to 55 °C | Depends on AMS generation and required power accessories |
| Included camera | HD monitoring camera | Low-frame-rate 720p chamber camera |
Setup and daily ownership
The P1S wins when the owner wants a widely documented Bambu profile path and expects to repeat proven jobs. The Kobra S1 is not an unfinished kit: Anycubic lists automatic levelling and Z-offset, flow compensation, resonance compensation, camera monitoring, and 15-minute initial setup. Its ecosystem is simply a different purchase commitment.
Do not choose from headline speed. Anycubic distinguishes a recommended 300 mm/s from a 600 mm/s maximum. Bambu markets high acceleration and fast benchmark prints. Actual throughput includes preparation, slicing, warm-up, cooling, removal, maintenance, failed starts, and operator time.
Material differences
Anycubic lists PLA, PETG, TPU, ABS, and ASA as core Kobra S1 materials, with PC, PA, and fibre blends in its broader capability claims. Bambu lists PLA, PETG, TPU, PVA, PET, ABS, and ASA as ideal for P1S, with PA and PC capable.
Treat both lists as starting points. Match the exact filament profile, nozzle and drive hardware, bed surface, drying, ventilation, and chamber guidance. Bambu explicitly says P1S needs an appropriate extruder and hotend upgrade before fibre-reinforced filament.
Multicolour is a bundle decision
The Kobra S1 printer does not include active drying; the Kobra S1 Combo adds ACE Pro and supports four colours, or eight with two compatible units. Anycubic says TPU 95A is not compatible with ACE Pro even though the printer can feed it directly.
The P1S can use original AMS or AMS 2 Pro hardware. AMS 2 Pro drying on X1/P1 requires the appropriate external power and connection accessories. Price the complete colour path rather than comparing bare printer prices.
Check the current Kobra S1 variants at Anycubic and the current P1S variants at Bambu Lab .
Final recommendation
Choose P1S for ecosystem maturity and repeatable profile-led ownership. Choose Kobra S1 when its exact current package offers better value for the intended material and the Anycubic workflow is acceptable. In either case, verify printer-only versus Combo before checkout; the same family name can hide hundreds of dollars of different hardware.
See Also
If you are still weighing both sides of this matchup, keep going with Bambu Lab P1S vs P1P: Choosing Between the Two Direct Rivals, ASA vs. ABS Filament: Key Differences and Which One to Choose, and Cartesian vs CoreXY 3D Printers: Which One Is Better for Different Printing Needs?.
To widen the decision beyond this head-to-head, Best Small 3D Printers: Compact Picks That Still Need Clearance and Bambu Lab P1S vs X1 Carbon: Which 3D Printer Is Better for Different Printing Needs? provide the broader context.