Bambu P1S & P2S vs Elegoo Centauri Carbon 2: The Open Challenger
Published · Updated · Field comparison, Bambu-relevant
Short version
Elegoo's Centauri Carbon 2 is the open challenger to Bambu's enclosed CoreXY pair, and at Elegoo's current store prices the cheaper one, with or without color. At $399 as a Combo with the four-color CANVAS system (Elegoo US store, $449 struck through, checked October 7, 2026), it costs $150 less than a P1S AMS Combo ($549) and $350 less than a P2S Combo ($749). It also undercuts Bambu in one color: the CC2 without CANVAS is $349 ($359 struck through) against the bare P1S ($399, no color) (Bambu US store prices, checked October 9, 2026). It runs Klipper, prints hot (350°C hotend) and stays local with no forced cloud. What you give up is Bambu's polish: the mature app, the cleaner multicolor, the huge community, and a track record. One thing to know before you buy either Elegoo: the original Centauri Carbon's promised color module was cancelled, and four colors on a first-gen CC1 now come from Elegoo's separate CANVAS for Centauri Carbon add-on. If you want the most proven, hassle-free enclosed printer, the P1S/P2S still win. If you want open firmware, hot printing and four colors for the least money of the three, the CC2 is the value play.
Read this before you buy either Elegoo
Elegoo sold the first Centauri Carbon (2025) with a multicolor module "coming Q3 2025." In November 2025 they cancelled it, citing hardware limits, and offered CC1 owners coupons instead. Since then Elegoo has added CANVAS for Centauri Carbon, a four-color add-on for the original CC1, sold separately in its US store (checked October 3, 2026). The CC2 itself is "multicolor upgrade ready": four colors come with the CANVAS Combo or a CANVAS add-on, not with the bare printer. So the CC2 is not the upgrade CC1 buyers were promised; it is a separate, newer printer. Worth knowing before you spend, on either side.
The three machines
All three are 256 mm enclosed CoreXY printers, from $349 to $549 in one color and from $399 to $749 as four-color combos. The split is philosophy, not size: open Klipper versus closed and polished. At Elegoo's current store prices the CC2 is the cheapest of the three in both configurations.
Open Klipper, 350°C hotend, 5" touch, four-color CANVAS system in the Combo. The value pick for multicolor, and the openness pick.
The proven, cheapest enclosed way into Bambu's ecosystem. No touchscreen, add an AMS for color. The safe default.
Faster (600 mm/s), 5" touch, AI camera, second-gen UI. Bambu's polish at a real premium.
Images: Elegoo (Centauri Carbon 2) and Bambu Lab (P1S, P2S), manufacturer product images.
| Feature | Centauri Carbon 2 | Bambu P1S | Bambu P2S |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price (printer) | $349 (no CANVAS) | $399 | $549 |
| Multicolor combo | $399 Combo with CANVAS | $549 (AMS Combo) | $749 (AMS 2 Pro) |
| Build volume | 256 × 256 × 256 mm | 256 × 256 × 256 mm | 256 × 256 × 256 mm |
| Hotend max temp | 350°C | 300°C | 300°C |
| Max speed (mfr) | 500 mm/s | 500 mm/s | 600 mm/s |
| Firmware | Klipper, local, no cloud | Bambu, cloud default | Bambu, cloud default |
| Display | 5" touch | Mono LCD + buttons | 5" touch |
| Camera | Yes + AI detection | 720p, 0.5 fps (timelapse) | 1080p + AI (NPU) |
| App / ecosystem | ElegooSlicer (young) | Bambu Studio + Handy | Bambu Studio + Handy |
Specs from manufacturer pages and Tom's Hardware reviews (CC1/CC2 tested Feb 2025 / Feb 2026). "500 / 600 mm/s" are manufacturer figures; real quality printing is lower. P1S/P2S measured noise figures were not available.
Open versus closed, in plain terms
This is the real decision, and it cuts both ways. Here is what each side actually buys you.
What Elegoo gives you
- A four-color system for $399 (Elegoo US store, $449 struck through, checked October 7, 2026), $150 less than a P1S AMS Combo ($549) and $350 less than a P2S Combo ($749) in the Bambu US store (checked October 9, 2026).
- Klipper and local control. No forced cloud, tunable pressure advance, macros, third-party software works.
- A hotter hotend (350°C) and a hardened nozzle out of the box (the P1S ships with stainless steel; the P2S also has a hardened steel nozzle).
What Bambu gives you
- Polish and proof. A mature app, cleaner multicolor, and years of a huge, well-documented community.
- The ecosystem. Bambu Handy, cloud print farms, RFID filament, and profiles for almost everything.
- Fewer surprises. The P1S in particular is one of the most reliable "just works" enclosed printers you can buy.
One honest caveat on the "open" claim: Elegoo runs a Klipper fork, and there has been real debate about whether their source release fully meets the license. The CC2 is genuinely local and tunable, which is the practical win, but "open source" is doing some heavy lifting in the marketing.
Which should you buy?
- You want the most proven, lowest-hassle enclosed printer and may add color later. The P1S ($399). Still the safest first Bambu, only $50 more than a bare CC2, and the ecosystem is the real product.
- You want Bambu's best-value mid-range with touch, AI camera and speed, and you will pay for it. The P2S ($549, $749 combo).
- You want four colors, open firmware and a hot hotend for the least money of the three, and you are comfortable on younger software. The Centauri Carbon 2 Combo ($399). The value and tinkerer pick.
The bottom line
The Centauri Carbon 2 is the strongest open challenger Bambu's mid-range has faced: hotter, local, and colorful out of the box, and of the three the cheapest way to four colors. It wins on price in both configurations ($349 bare, $399 with CANVAS) and on freedom. Bambu still wins on polish, ecosystem and the sheer weight of a proven platform, and the P1S remains the low-drama default for most people. Buy Elegoo if openness and value matter more than a frictionless app; buy Bambu if you would rather it just works and never think about firmware again. And if a first-gen Centauri Carbon tempts you, budget for color separately: four colors on a CC1 mean buying Elegoo's CANVAS for Centauri Carbon add-on.
Buying a Bambu now?
If the comparison tipped you toward Bambu, the P1S and P2S pages have the full specs and current store prices. For a different budget or use, our current picks cover the rest of the lineup.
Specs: Bambu Lab P1S tech specs (PDF) · Bambu Lab P2S tech specs, checked October 2, 2026
Daily price history · Links to Amazon are affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Sources: Elegoo (us.elegoo.com, including the CC2 and CANVAS for Centauri Carbon product pages), Bambu Lab product pages, Tom's Hardware (Centauri Carbon and CC2 reviews, "broken promises" report on the cancelled AMS module), All3DP (Klipper firmware/licensing). Elegoo prices checked in the Elegoo US store on October 7, 2026 (sale prices, $449 and $359 struck through); Bambu prices checked in the Bambu US store on October 9, 2026. Prices change often. Product images © their respective manufacturers.