Not a classic spec review, but my experience printing big with the Artillery Sidewinder X1. In April 2021 it ran for about a week, non-stop, to print a real piece of furniture that now sits in my studio.
Like a kid at Christmas
When Artillery emailed me to say they were sending the X1, I was like a kid at Christmas, because I already knew what to expect from my Genius. The packaging is excellent and eco-friendly, and it's shaped so well around the printer that I kept the box in my garage for storage or resale. Assembly took 10–15 minutes, relaxed. You also get a spare nozzle and a nice tool pouch.
Big volume, no Z wobble
The two things I loved most: first, the 300 × 300 × 400 mm build volume. My first print was a 28 cm vase, not even the maximum, to check for Z wobble. There was none, thanks to the synchronised dual Z system linking both sides. One caveat: with tall axes, vibrations from a nearby printer on the same surface can affect the print. Second, it's still a desktop printer. It takes about 40 × 50 cm of desk, so you can print large without a workshop.
All the features of its little sister are there: heated bed, filament sensor, an intuitive interface and great display.
The stool
The big project was "Belosga", a stool by Italian designer Marco Andrea Fichera, free to download at the time on the Italian site Tulofai. It took at least a week. I worked next to it every day and it never bothered me, it's that quiet. I only stopped to switch colours for the legs. The power went out a couple of times and it recovered perfectly. People who visit my studio now sit on it, and that's the best demonstration of what this printer can do.
Special thanks to AzureFilm, who supplied the PLA: the pearl range (blue, green, purple and red) and a plain grey. I also printed a "wonky drawer" model at 0.2–0.28 mm in a rush, and the detail was amazing for such a big printer, plus mesmerising vases in Blue Pearl.
What I didn't like, and my mods
Two things: the spool holder is old-fashioned and tedious, especially with different spool sizes, and the flat ribbon cable to the Z axis feels exposed. I move like Jerry Lewis and could unplug it without noticing. My cosmetic mods in Neon Lime PETG: a quick-change spool holder, an X-axis cover, a flat-cable holder, a rear cable relief, a Z-axis cable cover and a GoPro mount.
Artillery's customer care also impressed me. An Italian Facebook page has a person handling the Italian warranty, and they replied within 24 hours.