Anycubic is addressing the issue of new printer jitters with a first print guarantee: if your first print on the new Kobra X isn’t right, they’ll make it right. The company said in a promotional statement that bad first prints can erode a user’s confidence in both their ability and in the machine itself. Rather than letting users wander off into the forums looking for advice, Anycubic wants customers to contact customer service and get real answers.
For many people new to 3D printing, the initial setup and first print can be a make-or-break moment. Anycubic’s Kobra X is priced low enough to lure beginners away from the Bambu Lab camp, but the printer does require a bit of assembly and software downloading. By focusing on a great first print experience, Anycubic appears to be trying to lower the barrier to entry and reduce early abandonment, a common problem in consumer 3D printing.
The Kobra X is Anycubic’s newest bed slinger, with an early bird price of $259 (after a $30 coupon). It has a 260 x 260 x 260 mm build volume, with four unmotorized spool holders on its gantry. The ACE GEN 2 multicolor system lives completely inside the tool head. It claims to be faster and less wasteful than its predecessor, the Kobra 3 V2.
The “guarantee” is actually a limited-time promotion, good only on Anycubic Kobra X printers bought between the initial launch window, from December 26 to February 15. Once the printer is delivered, the guarantee is valid for 30 days and applies exclusively to the first print of an Official Performance Benchmark model.
Anycubic says that if your first Anycubic Official Performance Benchmark does not turn out as it should, Customer Support will review your setup, print settings, and results to find the cause. Information gathered during the promotion will be used to make the printer better for everyone by releasing improved default profiles and optimized firmware through Over-The-Air updates.
The goal is to make your printing experience successful. Anycubic will send “optimized parameters and a customized guidance plan” if you ask for help with the first model. If the model fails due to mechanical challenges or system performance, the company will mail you two new spools of Anycubic PLA.
We can’t say if Anycubic will meet expectations yet. The official benchmark print hasn’t been made public, and though we’ve received a Kobra X for review, we can’t actually run it until the slicer software is released.
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