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Head to head · checked 29 September 2026
Bambu Lab P1S vs Elegoo Centauri Carbon: does $299 beat $699?
The Elegoo Centauri Carbon launched at $299 with what the P1S charges $699 for: an enclosed CoreXY, a 256 mm bed, 500 mm/s motion, a camera and a filter, and it adds a hardened nozzle and extruder gears as standard. What the P1S has and the Centauri Carbon does not: the AMS for multi-colour, Bambu Studio and Handy, a huge user base and years of refinement. If you print one colour at a time, the Centauri Carbon is remarkable value; if multi-colour or the Bambu ecosystem matters, the P1S is still the safer buy.The short version
Who should buy which
Both printers are in SpeakCAD's slicer catalog with their official OrcaSlicer profiles, so this page has no printer to sell you. The numbers in the table come from those profiles; the prices are the makers' launch prices, and prices moved in 2025 and differ by region.2
Buy the Centauri Carbon if…
You want an enclosed printer with a hardened nozzle for the price of a bed slinger, print one material at a time, and are happy with ElegooSlicer or OrcaSlicer and a younger ecosystem.3
Either way, the first custom part
Describe it with its measurements, check it on a virtual bed the size of the printer you chose, and download a sliced .gcode.3mf for the P1S or G-code for the Centauri Carbon, sliced with its official profile. The first render usually appears within a minute or two: a new part gets deeper reasoning through the geometry, and small edits land in seconds.Bambu Lab P1S vs Elegoo Centauri Carbon: the numbers
| Bambu Lab P1S | Elegoo Centauri Carbon | |
|---|---|---|
| Printable area in the profile | 256 x 256 x 250 mm | 256 x 256 x 256 mm |
| Frame | Enclosed CoreXY | Enclosed CoreXY |
| Enclosure | Enclosed, passive chamber (no heater), activated-carbon filter, auxiliary part-cooling fan | Enclosed, passive chamber, air filter |
| Extruder and hotend | Direct drive, 300 °C; stainless nozzle standard | Direct drive to 320 °C; hardened nozzle and extruder gears |
| Hardened nozzle for abrasive filament | Optional nozzle and extruder gears | Standard |
| Multi-colour | AMS, 4 spools (up to 16 with four units) | None at launch |
| Nozzle variants in the profile | 0.2 nozzle, 0.4 nozzle, 0.6 nozzle, 0.8 nozzle | 0.2 nozzle, 0.4 nozzle, 0.6 nozzle, 0.8 nozzle |
| Layer heights in the print profiles | 0.06 mm, 0.08 mm, 0.1 mm, 0.12 mm, 0.14 mm, 0.16 mm and more | 0.08 mm, 0.1 mm, 0.12 mm, 0.14 mm, 0.16 mm, 0.18 mm and more |
| Filament profiles | PLA, PETG, ABS, ASA, TPU, PLA-CF and more | PLA, PETG, ABS, ASA, TPU, PLA-CF and more |
| A file made on a phone | Wi-Fi. Bambu Handy monitors and starts files already on the printer; a sliced .gcode.3mf made on a phone goes to the microSD card or through Bambu Studio on a computer | Wi-Fi from ElegooSlicer; USB stick |
| Ecosystem | Closed (Bambu Studio, Handy, MakerWorld); OrcaSlicer works | ElegooSlicer (an OrcaSlicer fork); vendor firmware |
| Sliced download from SpeakCAD | Sliced .gcode.3mf | G-code |
| Launch price (USD) | $699; $949 with AMS (July 2023) | $299 (early 2025) |
| Best for | ABS and ASA without fuss, multi-colour, a quiet enclosed box | An enclosed, hardened-nozzle printer for a bed-slinger price |
Printable area in the profileBambu Lab P1S: 256 x 256 x 250 mmElegoo Centauri Carbon: 256 x 256 x 256 mm
FrameBambu Lab P1S: Enclosed CoreXYElegoo Centauri Carbon: Enclosed CoreXY
EnclosureBambu Lab P1S: Enclosed, passive chamber (no heater), activated-carbon filter, auxiliary part-cooling fanElegoo Centauri Carbon: Enclosed, passive chamber, air filter
Extruder and hotendBambu Lab P1S: Direct drive, 300 °C; stainless nozzle standardElegoo Centauri Carbon: Direct drive to 320 °C; hardened nozzle and extruder gears
Hardened nozzle for abrasive filamentBambu Lab P1S: Optional nozzle and extruder gearsElegoo Centauri Carbon: Standard
Multi-colourBambu Lab P1S: AMS, 4 spools (up to 16 with four units)Elegoo Centauri Carbon: None at launch
Nozzle variants in the profileBambu Lab P1S: 0.2 nozzle, 0.4 nozzle, 0.6 nozzle, 0.8 nozzleElegoo Centauri Carbon: 0.2 nozzle, 0.4 nozzle, 0.6 nozzle, 0.8 nozzle
Layer heights in the print profilesBambu Lab P1S: 0.06 mm, 0.08 mm, 0.1 mm, 0.12 mm, 0.14 mm, 0.16 mm and moreElegoo Centauri Carbon: 0.08 mm, 0.1 mm, 0.12 mm, 0.14 mm, 0.16 mm, 0.18 mm and more
Filament profilesBambu Lab P1S: PLA, PETG, ABS, ASA, TPU, PLA-CF and moreElegoo Centauri Carbon: PLA, PETG, ABS, ASA, TPU, PLA-CF and more
A file made on a phoneBambu Lab P1S: Wi-Fi. Bambu Handy monitors and starts files already on the printer; a sliced .gcode.3mf made on a phone goes to the microSD card or through Bambu Studio on a computerElegoo Centauri Carbon: Wi-Fi from ElegooSlicer; USB stick
EcosystemBambu Lab P1S: Closed (Bambu Studio, Handy, MakerWorld); OrcaSlicer worksElegoo Centauri Carbon: ElegooSlicer (an OrcaSlicer fork); vendor firmware
Sliced download from SpeakCADBambu Lab P1S: Sliced .gcode.3mfElegoo Centauri Carbon: G-code
Launch price (USD)Bambu Lab P1S: $699; $949 with AMS (July 2023)Elegoo Centauri Carbon: $299 (early 2025)
Best forBambu Lab P1S: ABS and ASA without fuss, multi-colour, a quiet enclosed boxElegoo Centauri Carbon: An enclosed, hardened-nozzle printer for a bed-slinger price
Parts that fit both beds
Copy one, change the numbers to yours. Each opens in the editor with the text already typed.“A hinged box 120 x 80 x 40 mm with a print-in-place hinge (0.4 mm clearance), a snap latch on the front, 1.6 mm walls.”
Open this prompt in the editor“A Raspberry Pi 5 case with a 30 mm fan grille, GPIO ribbon slot and two keyhole wall mounts, 2 mm walls, screwed lid on M2.5 pillars.”
Open this prompt in the editor“A headphone hook that screws to the side of a desk with two 4.5 mm holes 40 mm apart, a 30 mm deep arm with a 20 mm rounded end, 3 mm thick.”
Open this prompt in the editorThe same class of machine
Enclosed CoreXY, 256 x 256 x 256 mm on the Centauri Carbon and 256 x 256 x 250 mm in the P1S profile, a camera, an air filter, and speed ratings in the same range. Both print ABS and ASA well.
Where the Centauri Carbon wins
- Price: $299 at launch against $699.
- Hardened nozzle and gears as standard, for carbon-fibre filament; the P1S needs an upgrade.
- Hotend to 320 °C against 300 °C.
- Touchscreen against the P1S's small non-touch screen.
- Slicer: ElegooSlicer is an OrcaSlicer fork, and OrcaSlicer itself works.
Where the P1S wins
- Multi-colour: the AMS, up to 16 spools; the Centauri Carbon had no multi-material system at launch.
- Ecosystem: Bambu Studio, Handy, MakerWorld's profiles, and a very large community; the Centauri Carbon's software matured through 2025 but started behind.
- Auxiliary fan for PLA cooling inside the enclosure.
- Track record: two years of firmware and spare parts; failure modes are documented.
What both give up
Neither has a heated chamber for large nylon parts. Both want the door open for PLA in a warm room. Neither takes a file from a phone without a computer or a USB stick in the loop (ElegooSlicer sends over Wi-Fi from a computer; the P1S uses the microSD card or Bambu Studio).
Prices
Launch prices above; both makers changed prices in 2025 and they vary by region.
Verdict
For single-colour functional parts, the Centauri Carbon is the better buy by a wide margin and a hardened nozzle. For multi-colour or for the Bambu ecosystem, the P1S earns its price.
Sliced for either one
SpeakCAD ships the OrcaSlicer profiles of the Bambu Lab P1S and the Elegoo Centauri Carbon, like 380+ other printers. Describe a part in plain English on a phone or a computer, watch it render on a virtual bed of the size above, change it by chat, and download a sliced .gcode.3mf for the P1S or G-code for the Centauri Carbon, with the print time and filament weight. The STL and 3MF are always there for your own slicer. The Bambu Lab P1S and Elegoo Centauri Carbon pages have prompts sized for each bed and the library parts made for them.
Questions
On single-material print quality, close enough that price decides. The P1S is ahead on multi-colour (the AMS), software polish and community size; the Centauri Carbon is ahead on price, the hardened nozzle and the touchscreen.
Not at launch. Multi-colour was the P1S's clear advantage in this pair; check Elegoo's site for what has shipped since.
Both are enclosed with a passive chamber and print ABS and ASA well at this size. Neither has a heated chamber, so very large ABS parts may still warp on either.
Yes, both, with the OrcaSlicer profile each maker ships: a sliced .gcode.3mf for the P1S and G-code for the Centauri Carbon, or an STL or 3MF for your own slicer. The bed sizes in the table are the ones the viewer shows while you design.
Keep comparing
Bambu Lab P1S: custom parts, sliced for itThe enclosed CoreXY Bambu with a 256 x 256 x 250 mm volume and the AMS, at home with PETG and ABS.Elegoo Centauri Carbon: custom parts, sliced for itElegoo's enclosed CoreXY with a 256 mm cube and a hardened hotend for carbon-fibre filaments.Bambu Lab P1S vs Bambu Lab X1 CarbonP1S vs X1 Carbon: same frame, bed and speed. The X1C adds a hardened nozzle, lidar, a touchscreen and a better camera for $500 more at launch. Who needs it.Bambu Lab A1 vs Bambu Lab P1SA1 vs P1S: same 256 mm bed. The A1 is an open bed slinger, $399 at launch; the P1S an enclosed CoreXY, $699, that prints ABS and ASA properly. Which fits you.Bambu Lab P1S vs Creality K1CP1S vs K1C: the K1C has a hardened nozzle and a Klipper web page for phone uploads on a 220 mm bed; the P1S a 256 mm bed, the AMS and polished software.Bambu Lab P1S vs Prusa CORE OneP1S vs CORE One: both enclosed CoreXYs. The P1S is $699 with the AMS option; the CORE One $949 as a kit, open-source, with a controlled chamber and PrusaLink.Best 3D printers in 2026The same machines sorted by budget, bed size and filament.Every head-to-head24 pairs, with the numbers from their slicer profiles.