This printer is OLD. Why is it still my favorite?
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- Опубліковано 24 лис 2022
- The Prusa MK3 is coming up on turning half a decade old - and it shows. So why do I keep using them?
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And prusa too
There is no question that Jo's early work with making repraps more buildable is a SIGNIFICANT reason why the 3D Printing space is so accessible today, and why so many of them are bed slingers. However, I'm worried that they may have sat on the MK3 for a little bit too long - despite its many user improvements and reliability. I'm just testing the bambulabs printer now myself (after similarly rejecting the kickstarter) and its speed and print quality is obscene. It feels lightyears ahead, because it quite frankly is. It might just be the competition we've been looking for to start a new wave of innovation between companies.
As someone that bought a Voron 2.4 350 kit and has 30-40 build hours ahead, the Bambulabs looked very interesting, especially from a business perspective! But the issues I saw with the Bambulabs printer was that it's almost all proprietory stuff, that's a BIG issue when such a company disappears, which is possible, as many have done so in the past. That is why I went for a Voron, all open source, all parts available from many sources, not making your company dependable from a single supplier that has not any significant track-record (or is too big to fail like Microsoft). IF Prusa had the XL available, I would have bought one as well to compare it to the Voron (will do so in the future). But this is what is Prusa's greatest weakness and greatest strength, the availability of new product. A weakness because they are behind the competition, a strength because they don't make the users the alpha/beta testers. What I saw of the bandulabs printer in Uncle Jesse's review/first look, was not something I found very assuring, too many issues at the feet of user (alpha/beta testers). Add to that the proprietory parts and Prusa has significant advantages (many things OS and not letting their users alpha/beta test), even if their products are slow to go to market.
@@Cergorach Bambu did promise to release all the source and files if they ever went under, but I do understand your concern about them not open sourcing anything.
Yeah, I'm really hoping for a Mk4 with maybe 3x3 of those separate heating zones from the XL, the nicer screen from the mini, and maybe a prusa branded octoprint.
@@Cergorach I don't really understand why people are freaking out about it not being open source. 99% of the machines and software I have in my home aren't open source. And tbh everyone who owns a MMU is still an alpha tester.
Competition for sure, but I'll not buy one. Ever since I ditched my iPhone for something more open and couldn't use my Apple watch anymore (locked to that iphone) I started valueing having control over a machine and its parts a lot.
As one of the developers of the MK3 firmware, this video made my day :)
As one of the many interested who have not yet obtained a mk3s…
Wil prusa come out with a upgrade to 32bit for that robust platform or would the benefit not be worth it ?
@@timothyvalcke6074 They've said that they won't do that for exactly that reason when they released the Prusa Mini. Honestly, as nice as it would be to have it, I'm quite happy with my 8 bit variant, since it is still way more advanced in my opinion compared to the 32 bit variant and I just like this "old touch".
There are just way too much awesome features built into.
Thanks for the great work! I've been running 2 mk3s+ (and 4 minis) every day for a year now, and they've held up like champs
@@grahamnichols1416 I literally sneeded in my pants too when he said that! Ohhhhhhh!
And?
Maybe not many will tell you this but i really appreciate how well lit is everything around you, how neutral is the post process and how crispy sharp is the video and it's not over processed like in many channels to have punchy interesting image. Really pleasure to watch and also no weird background noises like i hear in many videos through headphones.
Maybe I’m getting old, but this x1000. Excellent production value.
I’ve had several printers before I bought my MK3 and figured that since Prusa uses their own printers for manufacturing parts that come in kits they sell, they’re pretty keen on keeping those reliable and with as little downtime as possible. I’ve built an MK3 and MK3S and besides the occasional cleaning and lubing they’ve been printing daily since 2018/2019. Really looking forward to the XL 😊
That's not my experience at all.
It took me 3 years to figure out why PLA prints would sometimes randomly fail. Prusa tried to convince me it was clogging, but it turned out to be the heatbreak which they quietly had modified to accommodate the MMU (which almost nobody uses), with said modification causing random jamming when printing materials with low glass transition temperature. Haven't had an issue since I replaced it with Slice Engineering's bimetal heatbreak (although, that caused other issues of its own, but that's a different story).
I had one of the X axis bearings seize after only about a 1000 hours of printing (despite lubing the rods every 200 hours, per Prusa's official instructions), cutting deep grooves into the rod. The fix I went for there was replacing all the rods and bearings with ones from Misumi and properly lubing them from the inside.
Now I'm trying to chase down an issue where pockmarks randomly appear in the middle of (what are supposed to be, at least) continuous moves, even when printing with bone-dry filament. Makes absolutely no sense. I'm down to a point where I'll try to film a whole print to hopefully catch one of these on camera to see what the hell happens when they're created.
I don't really have experience with other 3D printers to compare this to, but in absolute terms, the MK3S has definitely not been trouble-free or reliable.
I genuinely laughed out loud each time it cut back and Tom was wearing a different outfit.
Maybe because of the cold roomtemperature of 14-16 °C 😂
I did notice that too
I hadn't noticed but replayed the video over and over. Pretty amusing!
I think the Prusa Mk3 is a good example of system thinking. It is not any individual part that makes it great. Some, as you pointed out, aren't even all that great. However, as a system they're all parts that work together to create that whole "the sum is greater than the parts". That's what a good system does.
I am a newcomer to 3D printing ( started the second half of this year ). After much research to decide which printer to get, I settled on the Prusa MK3S+. And I get the kit. My reasoning was based o the following: Prusa includes high quality reliable components ( researching the prices and adding them up shows that Prusa is offered at a fair prince). They produce the software and the hardware which makes for a much more seamless and user-friendly experience ( I am not too much of a tinkerer ). I like to acknowledge the work done by those who started the innovation and support them.
I have been using my printer for a couple of month now and do not regret my decision!
And thank you Thomas for your channel, it has been a great help in my decision-making process and during my learning period ( still ongoing ) and beyond.
Been using my Prusa MKII for eons; haven't seen any need or reason to upgrade, does absolutely everything I need it to. Excellent reliability, can't ask for more.
Same here, except for some occasional issues with support material.
I feel the same way about my horse and buggy. Just don't get the need for these fancy new automobiles.
@@mghumphrey Better to have a horse and buggy that always gets you from point A to point B than a Tesla that keeps crashing into cop cars and catching fire.
I got the Prusa MK3i because I didn't want to fiddle with calibration, I didn't want to tinker with the printer, I didn't want to buy something that I immediately wanted or needed to upgrade.
I just wanted it to work. And it did. It was fun and interesting to put it together, and without any fuss it printed a benchy great the very first time.
My first printer was a Prusa MK3. I loved that thing, it was a real working horse and never really had a problem.
Just the regular maintenance stuff like changing worn nozzles, cleaning and relubricating the bearings, etc.
Then I added an MMU2. At that moment 3D Printing flipped 180° and became a nightmare.
I printed some mods that should prevent some misconceptions in the design, but it never really got better.
I went back to stock and now add filament changes in gcode and it works again like a charm. As much as i love Prusa for the MK3, i do hate them for
that overpriced piece of crap of an MMU2. To me it is the worst i can think of when i think of 3D printers and MK3s in particular.
Same. I was excited for multi-material but it is NOT reliable enough, and a pain in the butt to troubleshoot. Removed. The stock i3 mk3s is a workhorse
crazy to see these completely different experiences with the MMU.
had a ton of multi material prints done with very little problems, the main issue is cheap PLA that snaps in the PTFE tubes and beside this is working fine for years now.
I was a bit shocked to learn this recently, that many who bought MMU just reverted to the original for that reason. And I wished Tom covered this as well. Also I must wonder how XL's MMU works.
@@IoriTatsuguchi Prusa XL has a tool changer.
@@SebastianJ109 Right, I noticed While after I left comment lol
I’m getting a Prusa pretty much because it’s reliable, and quiet. Noise is really important to me
I just recently bought my first 3D printer. I didn’t want something to “tinker” with, not that there is something inherently wrong with tinkering. It’s an MK3s+ and it just works. That’s what I love about Prusa. Keep up the great work Prusa!
I can hardly wait for the next episode of Design Prototype Test where he will undoubtedly call Tom a "Prusa sock puppet" ;-)
That guy is a pizza cutter. All edge and no point.
Tom's, like, a tool of the Prusa-Industrial Complex, mannnnnnnnnn. 🤪
The only 3d printer channel I unsubscribed ever. No interest watching an old guy screaming at a cloud.
Is this the same guy who posted conspiracy theories about Jo Prusa? _looks at the guy's channel_ OK, either it's a different guy, or he took those psycho videos down.
@@christophmuller3511 haha, true! Boring guy, with not much videos releasing anyway.
I have been using the Prusa Mini and love it so much I just purchased an MK3. Looking forward to lots of prints with these machines.
Same here. Bought Mini+ first and few months later the Mk3S+ and they're absolut fantastic printers. I also have many other Chinese printers which I modded and upgraded over time to make them also work reliable and great. Put a lot of extra money in them, nearly doubling the prices. in contrast, my Prusa printers are the only ones left unmodded and stock and they still do an excellent job every single day. Prusa may not be the "holy grail" of 3D printing, but they sell loveable machines :)
I've been been printing with a MK3 at work. We had some issues with the linear bearings and rods at first but PRUSA sent us replacements and it has been working great. I recently had the heartbreak strip out and it scratched the textured build plate, so it now has a Revo hotend. I was encouraged to try it out by Tom's reviews of it and might even get one for myself. Thanks for the great work, Tom.
Well, that sure is a lot of t-shirts. :)
Just purchased my second MK3 and absolutely agree with your assessment. I turn it on, make my parts and it just works.
Thanks for the video, Tom. Nice job. Your videos have helped me a lot.
My first printer was an Ender-5 Plus with issues right out of the box. Support suggested swapping wires on the mother board first, then sending a new replacement for the hot end. I replaced the power supply, mother board and a drive motor too...never did get a print off of it. I call it my "benchy" because it just sits on the bench.
Which brings me to my Prusa i3 MK3S+. Printed great right out of the box and still does. PLA, PETG, PA, Flex, and Composites all print great. It's all about reliability.
My one and only FDM printer is my eight-year-old Lulzbot Mini, driven by an eleven-year-old Macbook Air. Prints are still great. The Lulzbot has been improved by firmware updates and I now use Prusa Slicer instead of Cura.
At the end of the day the hardware is just a bunch of stepper motors and threaded rods straight out of the 1980s; there's no reason for me to change the mechanism for squirting molten plastic out of a nozzle. Keep using what you have!
I have Mk2 with an upgrade kit (from 2016). Aside from maintenance work and a few repairs, it's still running to this day almost as well as it was when I first assembled it. I bought a Creality CR10S during the very early days of pandemic to help increase my output of face shields for my wife and her coworkers (all nurses) and all the Creality did was demonstrate just how good a purchase the Prusa was, the Creality was fine, but the Prusa was a beast, accounting for about 70% of the output. I have also to thank you Tom. I followed along on the Dolly build. I learned quite a bit about Dolly and the Prusa in the process, 3D printing and tweaking the printers. During my round the clock printing of face shields that knowledge helped me keep the Prusa running not to mention having to cannibalize 2 of the 3 Dolly's I built since there was absolutely no way at the time to get replacements as everything around the world had basically come to a halt. The Prusa holds a special place in my heart for not letting me down in a time of urgent need.
We have 3 of these printers and 2 minis at our school's makerspace and I couldn't be happier with that choice. They just work.
Only thing i have done to the prusa mini is the revo mini mod for improvement in ease of maintenance
I have my original Prusa from 2016 upgraded to a 2.5 a few years ago. Hundreds and hundreds of prints later, it still works great. Larry
This really is a declaration of Love!
But Prusa's printers and all his company provided to the community deserve it!
Over the last 10 years I have built and tried many printers I started with a maker farm kit and today have a X1C. But to this day my Prusa MK3S and mini have been the most reliable and ease to use. While the X1C is only a week in my hands and seems solid only the time will tell how it will last.
Same, I have a Mk3 2.5 that just soldiers on, I've never had a minute of problems out of it, it just prints and prints and prints and is my go-to, especially for PETG.
Mine has a total print time of 357 days, 20 hours and 9 minutes. No maintenance other than pulling fuzzies off in that entire time. It's just drop dead reliable and the one I always print on unless I need a larger build area.
Still loving my mk2 you recommended five years ago. Prusa owes you big. I’ve recommended and three friends have purchased Prussias
Few things on my Prusa where I thought: "That could be improved" -- wire management, construction order, some parts are finicky to assemble. They could add guided OSD steps for cold pulls, and move the fan to the back to make nozzle swaps easier. But... overall I've REALLY been enjoying my Prusa, and I think even in 2022 it's still an amazing machine to buy & use, both for beginners and commercial print-farms alike.
same here! reliable and great quality. Easily the best purchase I have made in my workshop
When I started 3d printing it was a cheap bed slinger. However I decided I didn't want a 3d printer hobby but a tool to do projects. I bought the mk3s and it's been a super reliable printer that doesn't require me to fool around with it.
Love my mk3s for all the reasons you’ve pointed out! I recommend everyone who ask for the best printer for the first user despite the price for all that reasons!
I really appreciated this video Tom. I'm the same way and I find myself always going back to my old reliable machines. My go-tos are not the Prusa machines but the principle is the the same. I like to use the machines I can depend on, no matter what I throw at them.
I'm really looking forward to the future of Prusa printers!
I love the X1 Carbon. I started out 3d printing with a Kodama Trinus. It was a total pile and would constantly jam or do weird moves during prints. It's nice to have a printer that just works now. We'll see about longevity though.
The Prusa 3 MK2S was my first 3D-printer I bought 4 years ago. And still my only one, because it does the job!
I don't think I could have said it better myself Tom! Loved this video! As well as the NUMEROUS costume changes with what felt like almost no discernable gaps in the audio recording for levels and such. I agree with your statements regarding the MK3S, they are not new by any stretch and definitely showing their age, but they do just work and there is SO MUCH VALUE to that.
I will be curious to hear your thoughts on the P1P or even some machines like the Neptune 3 line from Elegoo or the Sovol SV06 and how they all compare. The Bambu I, specifically, and looking forward to your thoughts on the noise as I am told it is quite loud!
Thank You Thomas!
Love my Prusa i3mk2 and just bought a SL1 with 12 hours on it, $600 on Ebay........$400 S upgrade incoming! Also, the air filter cartridge is easily refilled with Activated charcoal pellets for less than a buck😎
I just bought the MK3S kit as my first 3D printer. During my research it just seemed like the best fit for me - I wanted something that can print simple stuff without any special tinkering or trial&error, and keep doing that with a low chance of breaking down, while having lots of support online.
And I think I was right! The instructions were great, and it worked immediately after I put it together, despite me having very little experience with things like that. When I search online for improvements and hacks, I get tons of results. Everything seems to have been printed on this, every software supports it, it just works, any serious bugs in the hardware or software must have been fixed years ago. That's what I like in cars too... never get the first model from some line, get the one where the bugs have been fixed.
After a ton of research i bought prusa's. The hype is true, these things are beasts. I have had them over a year now, and printing regularly. I havnt done any maintenance even though they are covered in dust and to be honest look like they have been neglected on my part, they just keep being consistent. I hope to build a profitable business having these machines as my main work horse!
Setting up an OctoPi / OctoPrint combo with the Prusa is great too. That opens up access over the net and makes life a lot easier.
100% agree and i'm glad you made this video. i bought prusa parts for my mendel 10 years ago. josef has done so much for consumer 3d printing and some new people to 3d printing just have no idea. i'm not saying newer printers aren't better. i have a carbon x1 with ams. it's great. but i've already had about a 30% fail rate if you count the broken prints from being stuck to the print bed. i don't even remember my last prusa failed print, honestly. it just works. i start a print, wait for first layer to finish, and set speed on the machine to 200%, and it just works. it starts printing so quickly that it's not as bad as you would think compared to the bambu, which takes a century to get to printing. and noise! the prusa is so quiet. the ender 3 s1 has the rubber wheel carriage rail system and that's just inherently quieter than rods and bearings, but it's pretty close. the bambu is so freaking loud even when i turn the aux part fan off.
i have two mk3's and a handful of other printers i got just to tinker with and i think i'll keep the mk3's for a long time
i Bought my Prusa MK2s IN 2016... later upgraded to MK2.5s . At the beginning it wasnt perfecft, I had quite a few unfinished parts ( especially when printed longer than 2 hours), also had some bad jams - all the usual stuff , but then I found a very nicely designed S±E Upgrade kit for E3D Titan Extruder on Thingyverse. So I ordered the Titan extruder, printed the kit and since then ( 2017) ive been printing without any problems
I have massive respect for Prusa and all he did for the 3D Printing. But, let's not kid ourselves. He's gotten too comfortable running his business and making money. It's evident that pushing the boundaries of what's possible is no longer his primary concern, which is understandable yet regrettable. Challengers like Anker and Bambulabs are what we need at this point in time.
Love it too! Would love a play-by-play of what you did to rejuvenate the old printer. Mine started having so many hotend issues I just eventually gave up: maybe just time for a replacement hotend
Perfect time to upgrade to a Revo Six. ;)
Start with disassembling the print head. Put in a new nozzle and heat break and take care that the extruder is ok and you should be good for another few years. Oh yes and use only good filament! If a filament clogs often: never buy it again and throw away the rest of it.
I had frequent clogs with the stock heat break. Turns out it has a diameter change in it designed for the MMU and it causes problems. I changed it with a E3D V6 heat break, that the same inside diameter all the way through. Works great now!
My first 3d printer was a Prusa Mendel, then I bought a Mendel 90 kit from 'nophead'. Now I only use the prusa i3 MK3. No tweaking or modding needed. It just works.
Im running still my MK2S, that I updated to Mk2.5S, and The Bear Frame.. It blew its mainboard so I updated to Duet 3 Mini 5+ and got all those network stuff and up to date stepper drivers. Installed Revo hot end and Super Pinda. But still under every minor or bigger update I have done its still that MK2S.. And its running perfectly and its so easy to maintain! Actually bought used MK2 to run along with it and it works as well after almost 5 years :)
Just got a mk3s+, its phenomenal, made wonderful prints out of the box, and is built beautifully, coming from an ender 3 where you have to tweak that thing to hell and back, this is such a nice improvement
I have had my Mk3s for nearly 3 years and it is a great printer. It has printed over 5200m of filament and done 72 days of printing. I did buy it as I say the my 4 favourite 3d printing UA-camrs were using the Prusa as their go to machine and I have not been disappointed with the performance.
I've been telling folks for years "just buy a Prusa" and finally there is a fantastic video I can link to that explains _why_. Thank you so much!
"Za auto has been unpimped" was the absolute best reference I've seen Tom make!
I have the same feelings about my Prusa Mini. I have a Voron Trident and V0.1, as well as an Ender 5 which is no longer in service, and my favourite to use has been the Mini. On paper, my Trident is superior in every way, but the Prusa just gets the job done and does it nicely.
It’s just hard to beat a Prusa if you want to just buy something and start printing. Tried a couple others in school, I decided our club would get a Prusa to try. Been a huge fan ever since. Now I have my own mk3 and will seriously consider the new model once they are available.
I got my Prusa MK3S in 2020 because I wanted something that just worked. My first printed was a Printrbot Smalls kit, it was okay, but constantly needed tweaks and adjustments to just print okay. The Prusa is just a workhorse, I haven't had any issues with it. I upgraded it to a Revo 6 when that came out, I think thats a perfect fit for this machine.
I completely agree! My Voron V0 does amazing prints! I quite the little dude and the quality is astounding. My kitchen counter has a partially build 2.4 all over it :P But as workhorses? I have several MK3s, and they aren't flashy and, arguably, I need to track down some ringing issues and things, but reliable workhorses is an understatement. They are wonderful! I am hoping to see some enhancements in a MK4. I don't need many things - really just the ringing (so maybe a 32-bit platform and input shaping?)
I went with the V0 and building the 2.4 because the XL has been delayed (but is still something I'm planning on getting) and Bambu well...I'm not sure you can have it both ways - being "open source" and proprietary at the same time. That hasn't sat well with me. E3D same thing (though I will admit I have a Revo in my V0). Their new Obsidian seems cool but I really just wanted a nickel copper nozzle and because that's all closed, I might not get one? I feel like Slice started this trend with their hotend and other have followed. It's not a good trend and I've been trying to avoid that where possible.
Joe Prusa has an OSHW tattoo! So my hope is the XL and MK4, etc. are properly open source. You can bet I will support what Prusa does by buying direct from Prusa (assuming they keep on keepin' one with OSHW).
Thomas you would have made so much more money by praising the Anker (which I don't have so no idea if good or bad) and leaving an affiliate link in the description but this is what makes your channel so special. My MK2 (now MK2.5S) is still printing and printing, right now waiting for me to find time to install new bearings (needed after so many years of printing, in which I could have bought half a dozen of Ender somethings) and a Revo (pure curiosity, V6 would continue working fine). As you said, that this machine is still working, getting updates from time to time and has a slicer with tons of excellent profiles deserves a lot of respect and for me makes it totally worth to pay the Prusa premium if you are in for the long run. And by the way, nice editing with you shirts, guess you unpimped th eprinter and pimped yourself! 🙂
Without re-watching- How my times did Tom change shirts? I have and old MK2 that I upgraded to 2.5. It still just works. The only reason I am looking at new printers is because I want enclosed and heated.
After I got an mk3s myself, I don't have a reason to look for an upgrade other than mmu and networking. But Prusa offers a 'drop-in ish' mmu upgrade, and the networking is an EZ dropping upgrade with a raspberry pi and octoprint or prisalink. My 2 mk3s both have a pizerow2 with prusalink on it. But the machines work, it just works.
As much as i own and like my own prusa printers (and i also got the X1C), i really tought you would say: "And thanks to todays sponsor: Prusa Manufacturing" ;)
I agree with all your points here. My mk3s has been a fantastic workhorse. The new hot thing isnt always the best option. I've seen so many gimicky 3D printer come and go.
What’s gimmicky about the Bambu!?
@@float32 Everyone I know that owns a Bambu loves it.
I would say, for tinkerers a CR-10 would be an even better choice than any random Ender-3 clone. The CR-10 is so old, that abused or neglected machines can be bought cheaply, they are even older than an Ender 3, so retrofitting newer parts on an original CR-10 is so much fun. The resulting printer can also be a perfect second printer alongside a more reliable normal-sized one, since its larger build volume gives it uses, even if another printer is currently better at most parts.
I have to say, I just love to explore different competing upgrade paths at once. My first printer is an original Ender 3 and it has e.g. the SKR v1.3 with TMC2208 (that was state of the art back then). My CR-10 got a nice MKS Robin E3-DIP with TMC2209 (before chip shortage became a thing, so the whole board was like 20€ including shipping). I also use a HeroMe Gen 4 on my Ender, while the CR-10 uses the superior Hydra V6 edition (with a premium V6 clone). My Ender 3 is still a bowden printer with a normal metal extruder. The CR-10 is direct drive with the dual gear extruder meant for CR-10S or something like that. etc
Two Prusa MK3 then upgraded to 3S Now they are both 3S+ machines, I upgraded them during maintenance windows. The reliability is outstanding, and when I want it just to work, I use one of the Prusas.I have other printers, but the ones that get the most use are the Prusas. One is four years old, the other is three now. I love them both because they are pretty much idiot proof, the sensors prevent me from messing them up. I do run Octoprint on both of them with a Raspberry Pi, a camera running (Used to be spaghetti detective, now Obi the Owl) I am thinking of adding LED lights so I don't have to leave a light on for it to monitor the prints. The reliability alone was enough to make me reserve an XL.
my first printer and only FDM-Printer was and is a Prusa Mini (Stock) and it is the convenience that auto-bed-leveling the "just works" and the awesome Support that you will get 24/7 when any problems arise. I would really recommend everyone if in doubt (and you got the money) just to buy a prusa! It really makes 3d-printing that much easier and most of all FUN!
Great Video as always, seems the temperature in your hobby room is quite variable?! :)
The day you have a hot end failure and you have to disassemble 40% of your printer to fix your hot end and you know why I hate my prusa and love my flashforge. Flashforge designed their hot end for serviceability and even the cables are just plugged in and don't need to be pulled out all the way to the board. Also, my pei powder coated sheet is corroded
You know, there is the point. When I skipped my DIY home build printer is what because I didn't want to struggle more with modification, upgrades and so on. Prusa is just working perfect without any mechanical upgrades. I will never regret that I bought it.
My Mk3s is used to print PETG, ASA and PCCF and it just works, no fuss, no drama and great prints. As soon as I can afford it I want a Revo and the obxidian nozzle to replace the Nozzle X I have in the V6. That is the only upgrade I want the rest is perfect just as it was made.
My Prusa i3 Mk3 is my rock. Almost literally on a mental level, because the 2.5+ years of my long covid has wrecked my leg muscles to the point I'm now officially disabled and can park close to shop entrances & on double yellow lines.
But when I'm 3D print designing, my entire thoughts go into looking at & manipulating the design in my head like I'm using a 3D editor, only without the slow keyboard+mouse interface constraints, and I can practically see the print lines in the detail before the stl even hit the slicer. I've had 3 things on the front page of Thingiverse now :)
Totally with you on this. Stick to what works for you and don't jump on the latest and greatest. Having said that, I still use my 1st Mk2 clone I've build following the Dolly series you did. Same threaded rods, same plywood frame, same ramps/mega combo, cloned hotends etc. The only "upgrade" I did was to add all metal hotend, a BMG clone for the bowden setup, bolt the whole thing onto an 18mm flat MDF sheet and flash it with Marlin 2. I've other three printers but this is the one I go to every time. Currently, I'm building another one but with extrusions, and yes, it will be a Prusa i3 clone again, not exactly a Bear but close.
I recently got an old 3D Printer for free from the company I work at.
Its a Vellemann Vertex K8200 from 2012 (!), and I started bringing it back to life.
Several days of problem fixing later I switched the Z-axis rod, updated the firmware, printed a different fan shroud, swapped the temperature sensor (old one was broken) and tuned the firmware and Cura settings.
In conclusion I have to say working with such an old Printer isnt worth it anymore.
Subtle yet powerful messagevery well conveyed. Thank you. Have to see which engineering decisions in recent printers stick in the long run like they did in Prusa machines
I have a Mk3S+ bought Feb 2018 and use it frequently. With minor hiccups I created wood working guides, vacuum hose attachments, replacement parts for tools as well as parts to modify tools, and a few toys for the grand kids. It's the only 3D printer I have and it just works when needed. I am on the waiting list for the new XL but we'll have to see. With the XL delivery delays I expect the improvements being made are going to make it usable right out of the box with no worries about it being a "NEW" machine. On the Mk3 I waited a year to see how it survived before plunging in and am glad I did.
This is what I want a printer for as well. Making modifications for my wood and metal working tools - and occasional boat parts. Can you recommend a good beginner software program for designing these types of items? Thanks.
@@Alaneberhard I pretty much use Fusion 360 for everything. I upgraded my MK3+ to MK4 and it's so much better than it ever was. If you haven't bought a print yet and don't need the output size of XL the MK4 is excellent. I just made custom gutter hangers for a patio along with custom shaped downspout parts. Couldn't buy what I needed.
@@woodturner1954 That's awesome! Thanks for the reply. Happy creating!
I do think you should honor those who should be honored,
and that is not the seller Josef Prusa but the people who started with the 3D printer and Mendel!
Josef made good use of it and that's something else!
(that's not decent)
Friendly greetings from The Netherlands!
Rob
My mk2 (mk2.5 upgraded) is still running strong, aside from having needed a few tweeaks to accomodate for parts that are no longer available. Prusa clearly use their machines, and you feel that care when you use them. I never feel like I'm working against a printer - i just print.
Loved this clip, I have just ordered a Bambu Lab X1 Carbon and I have a Prusa Mk3.
I think the biggest mistake I made was when I added the MMU.
That single item has caused the most failures in a short time causing quite a bit of frustration with the machine in general, adding eSun heated boxes did ease the pain but I still have more orange flashing LED and 'MMU needs attention' than I can handle.
The first job for the Bambu is make parts for the Prusa (Yes the fan shroud melted and fell off) I'm tempted to try carbon fiber parts.
Once the parts are done all colour jobs will be Bambu jobs.
Prusa will be rolled back to single feed and then I will repurpose the steppers, bearings then 'tweak' the MMU with a blowtorch.
I'm with you on this, mostly because Prusa just works, and if it doesn't there are direct guide and support from Prusa to get it to work. Those printers might be kind of expensive but I'm willing to pay that price as it just works, and now there is possibility that Mk4 is actually comming as there was poll on printables on what features would you like to see in Mk4.
I've never seen a video of a print farm that uses anything other than Pursa's. Hmmm. I CAN speak for the reliability of Creality though: SH*T!
Prusa needs to drop the prices on it's older printers.
I couldn't have but agreed, but then, I bought this Bambu Carbon X-1 Carbon with an AMS and it just does the job without any issues, even with complex multicolour parts at a very high speed. I bought it from a Norwegian supplier, so no kickstarter involved.
I've recently gotten back into some 3D printing after a while. I've got an older MK2S from Prusa, and it's still pretty good, although getting parts off can sometimes be a pain. Looking at a possible upgrade, the Bambu Labs are both very appealing (the P1P especially due to it's price, but also the X1C which is about the same price as a Prusa MK3S). Looking forward to seeing how the P1P performs, and your subsequent review.
Bought my first one about 4 years ago after owning several other printers. Immediately bought 6 more, have 10 in rotation now.
I love that his shirt kept changing. Subtle, but fun!
I feel like the Prusa is for individuals that actually need parts and don't do 3D printing as a hobby. That's exactly what I bought it for and I'm super happy that I did.
I love my Prusa mk3. It's the only printer I own, but not the only one I've used.
BTW, it's interesting that we can see your teleprompter scrolling in the reflection off the "broken printer"'s power supply. :)
Will always love mine and almost every one has tweeked theirs in one way or another.
It works just works great and you will want to teek it.
Thomas, I agree with you 100%. I've had my Prusa Mk3 (NO, not the S version as I do NOT see any difference in my prints with the angled fan position). I've had my MK3 for 6 years and 10 months and I love this printer. Sure, Prusa could have used a better grade of hardware to keep failure to a minimum, such as the SD card holder and the poor grade of wiring from the print head to the motherboard, but Josef Prusa and his team of designers and code writers have done a brilliant job over the years. I consider Josef Prusa the Henry Ford of 3D printers.
Anyone reading this and other posts that are new to 3D printing or about to get into this hobby really should consider this brand/model of printer. Remember: "you get what you pay for." Yes, it's more expensive than a multitude of other printers out there, but with this brand of printer you get reliability over cost. Others will tell you a cheap/inexpensive printer, over time, will cost you time and expense fixing issues with the printer. Do the math! LOL
like the old saying Works like a well oiled machine :)
I have a MK3 for many years but I have to say damn... I've built 2 Voron 2.4 350mm for work and they are running 24/7 with no issues at insane speeds with the same quality like my MK3.
I bought an Ender 3 to learn about 3D printers, I bought a Prusa Mini because I wanted to see the quality of the product without having to fork over the money of it's big brother. I was convinced! I bought a Prusa MK3S+ to build (reliably) the parts for my Voron 2.4 350. Different printers for different purposes... I could have build the Voron parts on my other printers, but I wanted a dependable workhorse that is less complex. The Voron is big and powerful, but it is a way more complex machine, that has more parts that can break or require maintenance.
I still use my MK3S daily, only mod is rapido hotend with tungsten carbide 0.6 nozzle, cca 35mm³/s vol flow. And 2000 mm/s² acceleration. Little ringing, but it doesn't matter because my parts are big and functional.
I have a Prusa mk2.s and it is still going strong and I love it and I will use it till it falls apart which may take a while
This is exactly why I bought a prusa. When I was reseaching what printer to buy there was pros and cons to every machine I looked at but the thing everyone kept saying was the prusa just worked and that sold it for me the open source stuff was a bonus I had to save a little extra to get it but well worth the money
The Prusa MK3 reminds me on the good old mercedes back in the 80s or the beginning 90s. Always innovative from a technical view. Besides that super reliable and sturdy. They need little love to do a great job and if you consider maintaining them properly they reward you with even more quality and reliability.
There's a reason why Prusa is considered a golden standard and many hobbyists really want to have one. Saying that, my Ender 3 S1 Pro prints as good quality for half the price. I miss the silent mode a lot in that printer though and who knows what kind of longevity I can expect from it either? But in one thing you are right, Prusa is really due for a major upgrade in the next model, maybe MK4 will bring it to the modern level of hardware and software?
Excellent intro. So many will miss this!
Caught it too..
?
Rifleman's Creed. Mostly famous, for me at least, from Full Metal Jacket..
I got a Prusa MK3S two years ago and have printed dozens of Kilos and it still outputs 10/10 quality prints.
Almost three years now it's still printing the same quality as day one. I do regular Maintenace. Just upgraded to Obxidian V6 .4 nozzle. Love it!
totally agree with you, the only improvements I made to my mk3s+ where the addition of octoprint and a camera (and the firmware upgrades from prusa of course). This is the printer I always go to when I need an accurate part.
My other printers are mostly for me to have fun with. Last winter I totally ripped my ender 3 apart and made it much more like my prusa (silent drivers, second z motor, filament runout, bl touch, direct drive all metal extruder, wham bam print surface); there was nothing wrong with it but I bought it because I could do these things with it and I enjoyed doing them.
The new kid on the block is a tronxy x5sa, it was cheap and allows me to play with a core xy machine. That one had more issues, most I fixed by moving it to klipper which I enjoy learning. Add a flex steel pei print surface and a new part cooler duct and it is so much better than it was.
I love my MK3. It just works. The firmware is super polished. The Prusaslicer's presets work out of the box.This is the printer I'm having fun with.
Very well made video, both pro's and con's and why you would still use it while others are (arguably) getting better now. I think this is my issue at this very moment, the new printers are getting more reliable and input shaping for instance is a must-have in my view. I don't like the Enders, but when I added input shaping on those, it almost became a new machine! I'm definitely going the Voron route for me and a Prusa mini for my son. I'm not going for a Bambu, because I have no idea if they will stay successful and if I can replace parts myself if it breaks down down the line.
I have 3 prusa machines. All the still running, and cranking out prints. My son is using the mk2s now.
We use prusa mk3s printers for our business. I've tried to pivot to a cheaper printers (artillery x1, ender3v2 and anycubic vyper) and build a print farm with them multiple times, but in the end it is the prusa, where we get the quality we need for our products out of the box. Also, we haven't had any major failure on any prusa machine since we started using them in 2020. Everything just works, the quality is perfect and you get the item you want almost every time. And if you the speeds bothers you, at least in a commerical environment, just buy one more and you'll get more items in the same amount of time.
I feel the same, we have a couple of Ultimaker 3 extended, and a Prusa mk3s at work. I’ll always gravitate towards the Prusa because it just works, without any complications, and prints faster and cleaner into the bargain.
I feel like Prusa running a print farm filled with them 24/7 for years and years has a lot to do with the reliability and ease of use…, if something doesn’t work well it will become apparent to them in a very short time, and they’ll just fix it straight away. No other manufacturer does that level of ongoing testing and improvement because unless they have a massive factory operating flat-out using only their own printers, how could they?!?
I just got into 3D printing and finished my Mk4 kit a couple of weeks ago. I’m stunned at the quality parts it can make! Shame I didn’t get the Mk3 when it came out…
I would agree to ideas and opinions of this video except in relation to the MMU2S, the older limited interface/display is frustrating with MMU issues. The demand of a special heat-break for tip forming also makes upgrades like Revo very unclear and a “you mileage may vary”
Hopefully this is answered with the MK4, but otherwise for a stock or lightly modded setup you are spot on!