Snapmaker is a tech company that develops, manufactures, and sells desktop multi-function 3D printers. It’s dedicated to creating premium-quality and user-friendly desktop fabricating machines, bringing creation to everyone, and empowering the users to create their best. Machines modules contact us
Reviewers overwhelmingly had a great experience with this company. Customers frequently praise the exceptional print quality, noting that multi-color prints turn out amazing with very little waste. Buyers also appreciate the fast delivery service, with orders often arriving in less than a week alongside secure packaging. Setting up the machine is described as simple, making it a great purchase for anyone interested in 3D printing.
Some reviewers were not happy with technical errors, mentioning unexpected jams and persistent mechanical issues during use. A few consumers also felt that the software requires further improvements to handle complex tasks smoothly.
I'd give 5 stars but there are some design flaws and it's not quite as solid as a Bambu. If you overlook these issues, then it is a solid printer that produces great out put.
Cons:
* When unloading filament, sometimes the U1 leaves a bulbous head on the end of the filament causing it to get stuck in the pathways leading back to the filament roll.
* External Filament roll holders expose filament to moisture. This means that, depending on the humidity of where you live, you can have only a few hours of use before having to re-dry the filament.
* The Orca slicer software is not as tightly bound to the printer in terms of communication. Examples include status of filament, status of error messages, ability to resolve issues via slicer as opposed to touching the printer and doing it. These issues Bambu *can* resolve within the slicer.
Pro's:
* Can work well with TPU (under the right setup) and produces results that can exceed Bambu's quality.
* Firmware can be replaced with powerful alternatives (e.g. the Paxx firmware) that allows the U1 to use an open system for automatically identifying filament that's loaded. To mirror the touchscreen on the U1 to a browser, to provide a 3dimensional view of how level your print bed is. This, an many more options.
i purchased the U1 on kickstarter then I purchased the snapdryer with 4 boxes to keep my filament dry the U1 is a great printer I have many other printers but this one is my favorite the Snorca slicer could use a tune up to make it more like orca but it works. Waiting for the top to see how it is. would like to see a drying system for the U1 that integrates the stock location for the rolls of filament and the feeders. But all in all this is a Great Printer would recommend to novice and experienced 3d makers for multi color prints.
Jerimy
Printer has been really good for just about everything, and love the open source nature of it. Some minor details with wifi reliability and software bugs.
I am not excited about the product I bought or the company.
The initial install was okay, but there is no shielding between a screw and a capacitor on any of the heads so it's easy to perforate critical electronics. The Snapmaker U1 does not reliably work, throws a ton of errors that you then have to go look up to figure out what they mean, the software is really not great, it's just enh. Customer service tries to help but the company doesn't seem to have any interest in improving the "Snorca" software experience. I've had mine for 9 months and stopped using it after about 5 because it was just frustrating to work with.
Snapmaker 回复2026-07-09
Dear Customer,
Thank you for taking the time to share your honest feedback. We're sorry to hear that your experience with the U1 has been frustrating.
We understand your concerns regarding the software experience, recurring errors, and overall reliability. Improving the software ecosystem—including Snapmaker Orca—is currently one of our top priorities, and our development team is actively working on enhancing stability, usability, and the overall user experience through ongoing updates.
We'd also like the opportunity to better understand the specific issues you're encountering. If you haven't already, please submit a troubleshooting request to our technical support team here:
https://snapmaker.formcrafts.com/u1-troubleshooting-request
Our engineers will review your case in detail and work with you to identify the root cause and provide the most appropriate solution. Your feedback and logs are also invaluable in helping us improve future software releases.
We sincerely appreciate your candid comments. They help us continue improving both our products and the overall user experience, and we hope to have the opportunity to restore your confidence in Snapmaker.
Best regards,
The Snapmaker Team
Our artisan was delivered in less than a week and when it came, there was no damage to anything. The assembly was very simple and the guides were very detailed. The construction is made out of aluminum and is very sturdy. The experience has been great so far except for the slicer. Snapmaker Luban is quite clunky and a little bit restrictive especially if you have already had some experience with cnc machines and laser cutters.
Great printer! Snapmaker Orca Slicer could use some more loving though
Overall the system is really nice. I have three Bambu printers so their slicer is really easy. Snapmakers Orca slicer I wish had the same features as Bambu. The easy click to center, I didn't think I would have cared, but it’s nice to have. Wish it came with an embedded Bambu 3mf conversion within the program instead of having to use a 3rd parties. Wish the system had a better feeding system. Wish you could search models to print within the models available granted there aren’t many there. Wish it had more option of filament brands to choose from.
Overall the printer itself it great, love the fact I am not wasting a ton of filament. It’s become my go to for multi color print jobs. The ease of use to get it setup.
I think Snapmaker is doing a great job they seemed to very up front and keep you posted on the progress regarding the U1. Sure I’m still waiting for my lid for my U1, but I’d rather they figure it out first and send me the best possible product for my U1 that is OEM.
There was a mixup with my address. I don’t know why reverted to my old address, but it did and it was corrected very quickly. I got my package the very next day which was fine and I’m enjoying the new filament.
Good purchasing experience. Very large wallwart power supply is a nuisance - a nornal cable supply would be much better. Other than that, product is good
Sent the wrong filament, ordered red got looks like tan or fungey yellow!
Snapmaker 回复2026-07-02
Dear Jerry,
Thank you for sharing your feedback.
We’re sorry to hear that the filament you received did not match your expectations.
We understand how disappointing it is to expect one color and receive something that appears completely different, especially when you’re excited to start printing.
To help verify whether this is a fulfillment issue, labeling issue, or a color variation concern, please contact our customer service team at [email protected] and provide your order number together with photos of the received filament spool, packaging label, and the color received.
Our team will review the details and work with you to provide an appropriate solution as quickly as possible.
Thank you for bringing this to our attention and giving us the opportunity to assist.
Warm Regards,
Snapmaker Team
This is definitely not a newbie printer. So far printing quality is good when everything works. There are still plenty of unnadressed bugs especially in snapmaker orca. Tech support is very weak. Recently I had long tirade of emails for pretty straight forward issue but tech guy was let's say not super qualified. Original filament price is expensive, you will most likely buy filament somewhere else, so NFC tag reader is useless unless they will come up with better pricing.
Accessories sucks. Lid STILL in development and it will be available only in November, so you can't print abs or nylon. Extruders doesn't have filament cutter. Every time you want to change filament you have to heat up the nozzle, not a biggie but certainly annoying. Nozzle swap is complicated, nothing like bamboo A1 where is just unclip/clip thing, on U1 you will have to disassemble extruder unplug two cables put new nozzle and assemble everything back. Nearly identical like old fashioned bambu x1c.
General assembly quality is poor. Mismatched panels, door hinges scraping plastic, top trim is super flimsy every time I lift the printer it feels like top side will fall to bits.
Poop tray is constantly fails to catch poop so often it lands on build plate, no issues caused yet, but I only have it for a few weaks.
Another annoyance is unstable network. Every 15 or 20min. It loses connection, so you have to reconnect, again, not a biggie but annoying. And this is general experience so far pretty ok printer but somehow annoying 😑
Snapmaker 回复2026-07-02
Dear Ged,
Thank you for taking the time to share such detailed feedback and for giving U1 a thorough evaluation.
We appreciate that you recognized the print quality when everything is running normally, and we’re sorry that several parts of your experience have not met expectations.
Regarding the Snapmaker Orca slicing behavior you reported, our development team has already recorded the case and is continuing to investigate the compatibility and import behavior involved in the 3MF workflow. While the current workaround of exporting through Bambu Studio may help temporarily, we understand that this is not the experience users expect from a multi-material workflow and that software improvements remain necessary.
At the same time, we will escalate your feedback and case details internally to ensure the relevant teams conduct a deeper review of both the software behavior and the support process. We hope to improve not only the resolution efficiency for your case but also the overall experience for users encountering similar scenarios in the future.
We also appreciate your comments regarding accessories availability, nozzle maintenance experience, filament ecosystem flexibility, machine fit and finish, and network stability. Feedback like yours helps us prioritize future product and software improvements.
Thank you again for sharing both the strengths and the areas that need improvement. We know advanced users often set a high standard because of broad experience across different ecosystems, and we value that perspective.
Best regards,
The Snapmaker Team
Great Printer slow and long winded fault finding process
The service was good but I felt as the U1 printer was only 2 months old perhaps they should have sent a replacement and the part had to come from China if its sold in the UK the parts should be available in the UK I also had to purchase hot ends myself so this was another reason for a low score
Lastly the email based fault finding process is long winded and the U1 is unavailable for use during this time which costs money in lost work and orders .
Snapmaker 回复2026-07-02
Dear Nick,
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback.
We appreciate your recognition of our service team, and we’re sorry that the overall support experience did not meet your expectations.
We understand your perspective—especially when the printer is still relatively new and the troubleshooting process extends the period during which the machine cannot be used. We also recognize that for many users, printer downtime is not only inconvenient but may directly affect projects, business operations, and customer commitments.
We understand your disappointment regarding the replacement approach and the time required to receive parts internationally. Your feedback regarding local spare parts availability and service efficiency has been noted and shared internally, as improving regional fulfillment capabilities remains an important area for us.
We also understand your comments about the email-based troubleshooting process feeling lengthy. While our technical team aims to identify the root cause accurately and avoid unnecessary replacements, we recognize that reducing back-and-forth communication and shortening recovery time are equally important to the customer experience.
Thank you again for your candid feedback and for working with our team throughout the process. Input like yours helps us continue improving both our support workflow and post-sales experience.
Best regards,
The Snapmaker Team
The hardware has been great, the customer service has been responsive to my questions, and over all this has been a good company to do business with. The minus one star is just for the fact the website does not indicate expected shipping dates of products that are listed as pre-orders. Such as the top hat for the snapmaker u1 I bought it at the time of my printer purchase and was shocked to find out it would not ship until November at the earliest.
This is my first 3D printer ever and so far I like it although my limited experience has limited me to printing existing models and sometimes with simple mods. I like the filament loading and unloading system. I wish there was a way to stop printing from one spool and restart from another spool that is already loaded instead of unloading the one that is running, remove it and instal a different one on the same spool holder to continue. I have gone through maybe 5 spools and have already had two clogs.
It took 2 months from ordering(4/23) to get the "PEI Steel Sheet for Snapmaker U1" to be delivered(6/23). In today's world, this is not acceptable!
I have hot end parts for the U1 on order, which I am now expecting to be down 2 months for the parts to be delivered. Wow. This is for a machine received on 3/18/26.
Snapmaker 回复2026-06-27
Dear Jim,
Thank you for sharing your feedback.
We understand your frustration with the waiting time and are sorry that the delivery experience did not meet your expectations.
After reviewing the situation, the Smooth PEI Steel Sheet for U1 was a pre-order product, and shipment was arranged according to the pre-order schedule published on the product page. We understand that even with pre-order expectations, receiving an add-on approximately two months after ordering can still feel like a long wait—especially when you are eager to continue using your machine.
Regarding your concern about the Hot End parts order, we checked that this order was placed on June 21 and was already shipped on June 22, so it is not following the same timeline as the pre-order accessory shipment.
We understand how your previous experience may have affected your expectations for later orders, and we appreciate you sharing that concern with us.
Thank you again for your patience and support. Feedback like yours helps us continue improving availability planning and delivery experience for accessories and replacement parts.
Warm regards,
Snapmaker Team
The machine prints nicely however the recent update of the Snapmaker Orca Slicer deleted all snapmaker printers and settings effectively bricking the machine. I have found no successful workarounds and looking online, this is not the first case of this happening at update. Would love to return the printer at this point.
Snapmaker 回复2026-06-24
Hi Vic,
Thank you for sharing your feedback, and we’re sorry to hear about your experience.
We understand how frustrating this must feel—especially when the printer itself performs well, but a software update interrupts your workflow and leaves you unable to continue using the machine as expected.
We also understand your concern regarding the Snapmaker Orca update and the loss of printer profiles or settings. To help us resolve this more efficiently, please submit your case here to contact our technical support team.
https://snapmaker.formcrafts.com/u1-troubleshooting-request
If you already have an existing support ticket, please update that ticket directly with the latest information so our technical support team can continue assisting you.
Thank you for bringing this to our attention and giving us the opportunity to help improve your experience.
Warm Regards,
Snapmaker
Bought a U1. Out of the box thoughts: A bit complex to put together. Screen is a bit small. Plastic panels a bit thin. Glass door is too short, you can't see what you're printing from in front of the printer. Camera won't work with standard protocols (Fluidd and Orca). Why not? LAN mode is disabled by default? Ug.
I'd very much like to see Snapmaker move to stock Orca, get rid of your own fork. No reason for it. Move the door up 2" so that you can see what you're printing. Mount the screen on a pivot, so you can tip it up or down, if you put the thing on a high or low shelf.
Non-hardened nozzles? Why on earth would you default to that? Adds $50 to the price, and forces your users to go to the trouble of re-installing hot ends.
All that said, it's fast. Virtually waste free. Print quality is excellent. I like it, but as soon as another company comes out with a fully open source printer with 4 (or 5, or 6) tool heads, and hopefully a bit bigger print bed, I'll be all over it.
Support an service where extremely fast even on sunday i got a answer. The shipping took quite some time for the nozzles but i suspect its was just unclear that so many people would want such a printer.
The snapmaker u1 itself is an really amazing machine! I love the printer. The snapmaker orca on the other hand can be pretty buggy and needed to factory reset my snapmaker within a week of i got it new because their update/firmware broke connection.
I hope snapmaker orca is gonna be improved soon, because yet again, the printer itself is really amazing! But it needs to have good software aswell!
5 stars if snapmaker orca is improved!
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