Practical 3D printing, one project at a time
I share the prints, ideas, and experiments that work in real homes. From small gifts to useful everyday tools, this is my workshop log.
What I am printing right now
Big news on the bench this week: there is a second printer in the workshop. The Anycubic Kobra X arrived after a 10% Amazon discount dropped it to £234 — a price that was impossible to argue with. It is set up, calibrated, and already pulling its weight. The first test prints have been clean, it is noticeably quieter than the A1, and the touchscreen and app integration are better than expected. A full head-to-head comparison with the Bambu A1 is coming — but first impressions are very strong.
Having two printers on the desk has already paid off. The Yoshi figure — printed as a follow-up to the Mario and Luigi figures that went down so well with my godson — ran colour jobs on both machines simultaneously, cutting the overall build time considerably. Yoshi is now on the shelf completing the Super Mario set. The questions about what comes next in the series have already started.
The Grinch is also progressing. ENIQUE3D’s Not-So-XL build is a substantial multi-day project and it is still in progress — parts are accumulating and assembly is being planned. It will be worth it. These seasonal builds always are.
On the radar this week: the Anycubic Kobra 4 has been announced, sitting in a confusing position alongside the Kobra X with the older ACE 2 Pro external system rather than the integrated ACE Gen 2 architecture. The post is up if you want to dig into why that is an odd move. Also watching the Bambu Lab vs OrcaSlicer situation closely — the ecosystem closure concerns are real and worth understanding if you are a Bambu user.
Head to the Projects section for the full build logs, settings, and honest notes on what worked and what did not.
What’s New & Worth Knowing
Printers, tools, and products worth knowing about. Honest editorial from an experienced hobbyist — covering new releases, considered purchases, and anything on the 3D printing radar worth your attention.
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Four Weeks With the Kobra X: Why I’m Sending It Back
The Kobra X is going back. I want to be very clear about what this post is and what it is not before saying another word. It is not brand bashing. Anycubic has a strong and loyal community, many of whom are getting excellent results from their machines, and I respect that. There are glowing…
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5-Axis 3D Printing: The Next Leap Forward (and Why It Reminds Me of CNC)
CAD/CAM machines went 5-axis decades ago. The manufacturing industry understood the advantages — better surface finish, stronger parts, elimination of support structures, the ability to machine from angles that a 3-axis machine simply cannot reach — and invested in the technology despite the significant cost and complexity premium. Desktop CNC routers and milling machines have…
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Bambu Lab A2L: The Full Specs, the Strategic Play, and What It Actually Means
The initial reaction post covered my first response to the A2L announcement — underwhelmed, no dual nozzle, vinyl cutter not for me. That post was the gut reaction. This one is the considered follow-up: the full confirmed specs, the strategic angle that the 3DPrint.com analysis from Joris Peels opened up, and a more balanced view…
Recent prints from the workshop
A mix of functional home items, small gifts, and experiments. All printed on the A1 unless noted.
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Toy Soldier Flexi Mini: A Small Print With a Big Colour Change Count
Sometimes a print chooses itself. With two printers now running side by side — the Bambu A1 and the Anycubic Kobra X — the obvious next project was to find a model that would let me put both through their paces on the same job and get meaningful comparative data. The Christmas Toy Soldier Flexi…
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Yoshi: Completing the Super Mario Set
The Mario and Luigi figures went on my godson’s shelf in the earlier post and they have stayed there ever since. Which is both the best possible outcome and, as it turns out, the beginning of a list. Within a week of those figures being delivered, the question arrived: could I print a Yoshi? He…
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ENIQUE3D Not-So-XL Grinch: A Big Build for a Christmas-Obsessed Household
If you have read the how to convince your spouse you need another 3D printer post, you will understand exactly why this project exists. My spouse is Christmas-obsessed. Not casually festive — properly, thoroughly, all-in Christmas-obsessed. The decorations come out early, they go up properly, and anything that adds to the seasonal atmosphere is welcomed…
Materials I use every day
I print mostly in PLA and PETG. TPU when needed, and resin only when the job requires very fine detail. These notes come from practical use and real results, not datasheet theory.
PLA
Reliable, versatile, and ideal for most home prints. Easy to dial in and great for gifts.
PETG
Tougher and more temperature resistant. Useful for mechanical parts.
TPU
Flexible and fun. Ideal for bumpers, grips, and soft components.
Guides and workflow notes
Short walkthroughs based on real use. Settings that work, slicer approaches that help, and fixes that save time.
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What I’ve Learned After Leaving the A1 Running Constantly
The A1 has been on my desk for two years. It has never been boxed up, never been put in a cupboard between projects, and it rarely sits completely idle for more than a day or two. Seasonal pieces, functional parts, multi-colour figurines, benchmark tests for comparison posts, calibration runs, filament tests — the print…
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Why PLA Filament Keeps Getting Cheaper — and What That Really Means
The filament I use most — eSun PLA+ — costs approximately £12–£15 per kilogram when bought at sale price on Amazon. That figure is unremarkable now. It would have been remarkable five years ago. The price of good quality PLA has been falling consistently and the direction has not reversed. Understanding why filament gets cheaper…
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How to Get Glass-Like Transparent Prints in PLA and PETG
Let us be honest with each other upfront: FDM printing will not produce prints as transparent as glass. The key word to manage expectations here is translucent, not transparent. Think of frosted glass blocks — light passes through and diffuses, creating genuinely beautiful effects, but without the window-pane clarity of optical glass. If you need…
About 3DBite
I started 3D printing more than fifteen years ago with a kit that needed constant tuning. Modern printers like the A1 make things far easier, but the engineering mindset still helps. 3DBite is where I share the projects, the materials, and the workflow that have worked for me.