3DHOJOR Silk PLA Red/Black Filament Review: Why It’s So Hard to Print (and If It’s Really Worth $25) | Bambu Lab Tested #3DPrinting #BambuLab

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I bought the 3DHOJOR Silk PLA Red/Black filament with my own money because I wanted a budget “silk” option that could deliver that glossy, premium look without much hassle. The listing photos make it look like a dramatic two-tone material with a deep red sheen and dark black contrast—exactly the kind of filament that should elevate display pieces, vases, and decorative prints. Unfortunately, after spending time with it on my 3D printer (including a Bambu Lab setup), my overall impression is that this filament is hard to use and simply not worth the $25 price tag. If you’re considering it, this review should help you understand what you’re actually getting.

Right out of the box, the first issue was consistency. Silk PLA is already known for being more finicky than standard PLA, but this spool felt especially unforgiving. The red/black aesthetic is appealing, yet the color shift did not always present cleanly in real-world prints. Depending on the model geometry and the path the nozzle took, the filament sometimes produced muddy transitions rather than crisp dual-tone definition. I also noticed that the shine—one of the primary reasons to choose silk—was uneven. Some areas looked glossy and reflective, while others came out duller, almost like ordinary PLA that had been printed too cold or with inconsistent flow.

Printing performance was where the frustration really started. I had to spend far more time than usual dialing in settings. On “normal” PLA profiles, I ran into issues like inconsistent extrusion, rough surface artifacts, and occasional skipping that suggested the filament wasn’t feeding as smoothly as expected. I also had more stringing than I’m comfortable with for a silk PLA, which is supposed to deliver clean surfaces when tuned. Even after adjusting temperature and retraction, I still saw wispy strands and small blobs that ruined the high-gloss look. For anyone printing functional parts, silk is already a tradeoff; but for decorative printing, surface quality is everything—and this spool made that difficult.

Adhesion and reliability were another sore spot. While I could get first layers to stick, I had to be more careful than usual, especially on larger models. Some prints lifted at corners or developed subtle warping that wasn’t typical for PLA in my environment. That forced me to slow down first-layer speeds, double-check bed temps, and sometimes add brims—extra steps that reduce the “easy PLA” advantage. Layer bonding also felt weaker than expected in certain test prints, which matters if you’re making anything that needs mild durability. Silk PLAs can be brittle, but this one felt particularly fragile, with parts snapping more easily than comparable silk filaments I’ve used before.

For Bambu Lab users, the biggest downside is that this filament doesn’t feel like it matches the “print and go” experience that many people expect. If you’re used to loading a spool and letting a tuned profile do its job, this can be a rude surprise. You may find yourself burning time on calibration prints, temperature towers, and retraction tests just to reach an acceptable cosmetic finish. And even then, the results may still vary between models. At $25, I expect either strong consistency or exceptional aesthetics. This filament didn’t deliver either reliably enough for me to recommend it, especially when there are other silk PLA options that print cleaner for similar money—or standard PLA options that cost less and behave better.

So, is 3DHOJOR Silk PLA Red/Black “bad”? Not necessarily in the sense that it’s unusable—but it is far more work than it should be, and the payoff doesn’t justify the price. If you love experimenting and you don’t mind tuning, you might be able to coax decent prints out of it. But if you want dependable silk shine, clear dual-tone impact, and consistent results across different models, I’d put your $25 toward a better-reviewed silk filament or a trusted brand you’ve had success with. In short: hard to use, inconsistent finish, and not worth the cost in my experience. #3dprinting #bambulab

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