The A1 Mini printer comes with a small amount of white PLA filament, which is enough to do a small print or two. I think I managed the BambuLab scraper (additional fittings for which come with the printer) and part of something else. However, I think it is essential to order at least one additional spool of filament to avoid being left to cool your heels just at the point when your enthusiasm is at its peak.

I ordered two, which actually turned up a week or two in advance of the printer itself. I got a spool of black PLA and one of white PETG. PLA is the present “standard” material and PETG is a little tougher and more flexible. I’ve mainly used PLA and it would have been suitable for everything I’ve done so far so, for someone starting off, I’d probably advise just getting a single spool of PLA.

I’m also not sure that either black or white were the best first colours. Black is harder to see the details on, especially when trying to install a printed part in a dark space, while white stands out too clearly. If was starting again, I would probably go for a batch of PLA in neutral grey, which is one of the colours I’ve subsequently added to my collection.

My first two spools were from BambuLab but the others have been from Sunlu. Both seem pretty good from my experience so far. Other colours I’ve gathered are ‘coffee’ (creamy light brown… not the way I normally have my coffee), a vivid green and a metallic ‘bronze’ (more of a shiny orange but still beautiful).

Before I get more, I could do with finishing off one or two of the existing collection. You need to store the stuff and that takes space! In my home environment, I haven’t had particular problems with moisture so a dehumidifier hasn’t seemed necessary. On the other hand, there is no point having endless spools of plastic slowly degrading so I don’t want to build too large a collection. When I do create room my next targets are going to be some kind of “wood” filament (which often includes actual wood particles) and possibly some TPU (a much more rubbery material, good when flexibility is important).