Anycubic Kobra S1 ACE 2 Pro Combo: problems, parts and running costs

Checked: 2026-10-17

Summary

Owners most often report ACE 2 Pro feeding failures — spools skipping on the powered rollers, feed errors on all tested slots, and filament that cannot be ejected while a print is paused — plus a dryer that reached only about 52°C when set to 60°C before a heat fault under 150 hours of use [14][15]. Yearly running cost is dominated by filament waste: one measured multicolor print used 312 g of model against 730 g of supports, purge and waste, $20.84 in filament at an illustrative $20/kg before electricity, plus up to $34.31 per year for the ACE 2 Pro dryer in an upper-bound scenario [6][3]. It is a good buy at the $459 US store price (October 2026), which matches the older ACE Pro bundle; above $575 compare competing printers [2][1].

Common problems and fixes

ACE 2 Pro spool slipping and feed errors — a September 27, 2026 firsthand report described many plastic spools skipping on the powered rollers, a long multicolor print failing to feed, repeated small feed/retract motions triggering errors on all tested slots, and filament that cannot be ejected while the print is paused; check spool geometry against the 195-200 mm flange requirement before blaming the hardware [14][3].
ACE 2 Pro dryer under-temperature and heat fault — an October 6, 2026 upgrader measured the dryer at about 52°C when set to 60°C, with noisy fans and incorrectly identified spool occupancy, before a heat fault under 150 hours of use; not independently replicated or diagnosed [15].
ACE 2 Pro stops feeding halfway — an April 27, 2026 owner reported the feeder advancing halfway and then retracting; a reply suggested checking the PTFE path, with no confirmed fix [16].
First-layer Z-offset drift and bed gouging — a community troubleshooting thread describes repeated inconsistent offsets and occasional bed strikes; firmware 2.5.0.2 was linked by another user to new filament clogs and repeated under-extrusion [18][19].
Firmware and software regressions — a roughly year-long owner described connectivity and slicer problems plus an ACE Pro PSU failure at under one year, then said recent changes improved stability [20].
Purge waste on multicolor prints — one nozzle requires unloading, cutting, retraction and flushing the old color; Tom’s Hardware’s 2025 test printed 312 g of model against 730 g of supports, purge and waste, and the old slicer hid the grams to be purged [6][1].
TPU 95A must feed direct — the maker’s combo FAQ warns against ACE 2 Pro multicolor printing with TPU 95A; feed it directly for single-color printing [1][3].

Warranty: 1 year for the machine and main components, 3 months for the print head including hotend, extruder assembly, magnetic platform, cutter and extruder gears, 6 months for the heated bed; separately purchased accessories carry around 3 months [18][25].

Parts and consumables

Replacement hotend assembly — official indexed starting price $15.99 for the Kobra S1 0.25 mm all-metal brass selection; other 0.4/0.6/0.8 mm sizes and material variants change the price; replace when worn or clogged beyond cleaning, not on a fixed schedule [9][23].
Filament cutter — $18.39 on the general accessory page, includes Kobra S1/Combo in the compatibility table; inspect about every 3-5 filament spools and replace when dull or damaged [10][25].
Extruder, belt, PTFE tube, fan — $22.99, $19.54, $19.54 and $19.54 on the indexed S1 parts collection; these are size-selector prices, not checked US SKU totals; replace only if diagnosed worn or damaged [12][10].
Filament hub and return detection module — about $19.59 and $18.49 on the S1 parts collection; not interchangeable with the ACE 2 Pro-specific return module without checking connectors and version [12].
Activated-carbon filter insert — the air-filter accessory lists $11.39; the exact carbon insert identity and selected-model checkout were not verified [1][10][12].

Yearly running cost

Slicer subscription: $0 per year advertised for Anycubic Slicer Next and USB print functionality; internet may be needed for RFID and cloud features [1][3].
Filament: the bigger cost. Tom’s Hardware’s 2025 multicolor test used 312 g for the finished model and 730 g for supports, purge and waste, 1.042 kg total; at an illustrative $20/kg that is $6.24 in model material plus $14.60 waste, $20.84 before power or failed prints [6]. Material is replaced every kilogram actually extruded, including failed prints and purge waste [3][6].
ACE 2 Pro electricity: 235W is the US nameplate maximum during active drying, not constant consumption; an upper-bound scenario of running at full power 2h every day is 171.55 kWh per year, $34.31 at an illustrative $0.20/kWh; actual heater cycling draws much less, and this excludes the printer [3].
Printer electricity: no reliable wattage profile exists for the exact 2026 S1 with ACE 2 Pro at US voltage; measure each device with a wall power meter and multiply actual kWh by the local tariff [1][6][7].
Capital allocation: at $459 delivered and a hypothetical 3 years of operation, straight-line capital cost is $153 per year, excluding tax, electricity, downtime and consumables [2][18].
Maintenance: inspection monthly or quarterly, or per 3-5 filament spools, depending on subsystem; no fixed replacement schedule or verified cost per year exists [10][12].

When it is a good buy

Price thresholds outside Amazon, with store and month-year:

$459 — Anycubic US store, October 2026, against a crossed-out $599 [2].
$574 — global Anycubic store, four-color default; the 8-color extra-ACE-2-Pro variant is $826; the default plug selector showed EU Plug despite USD pricing [1].
$649.99 — alternative Anycubic landing page for the same named combo [21].
$286 — ACE 2 Pro alone on the global site [3][4][22].
$459 — older Kobra S1 Combo with first-generation ACE Pro on the global store [4][2].

Named alternatives: the Kobra S1 Combo with first-generation ACE Pro at $459 (global store) is the better choice only when the delivered total is meaningfully lower or you already own compatible first-gen units [4][2]. The Kobra X Combo at about $608, with a 260 × 260 × 260 mm build, 600 mm/s maximum and marketed 19-color expansion, is the better choice if a newer native multicolor architecture and a somewhat larger bed outrank the S1’s enclosed bundle [22]. The Kobra S1 Max Combo at $1,034, with a 350 × 350 × 350 mm format, 350°C maximum nozzle and 65°C drying, is the better choice for large one-piece parts that do not fit 250 mm [22].