Maybe the best review of the MK4 I've seen. Their firmware, especially their networking performance have really hurt them. It is not even close to the standard in today's offerings. The "fast" benchies have really cut corners in terms of infill and layer height and shows that Prusa is willing to 'bend' the rules to get a fast number they can market. I think a solid printer for a bedslinger and anyone will generally be happy with its performance.. (except for the lack of better network connectivity).. but I'm surprised they didn't stop at the MK3S+ and create a new form size like this with a 4 post frame core xy that can easily be enclosed and so they can finally get some experience with this kinematic model. . I've worked with the X1C for about a month and the local network (wireless) features are just light-years ahead of the ESP-based Prusa design.
Agree. The upgrade to the mk3.5 or 3.9 is so expensive it makes me believe they don’t really want ppl to use the upgrade path….but also wanted to stay in line with their upgrade philosophy. Possibly due to any issues that may arise due to how the input shaping works (no accelerometer. Just calibrated for the printer) and the fact that the hardware isn’t exactly the same as the mk4. The motor, frame, thicker Z axis rods, steel mb box, and all the other differences in structure with the plastic make a difference in printer resonance frequencies. I bought a MK4 kit…but mostly bc I wanted a 2nd Prusa followed by the new hot end (easy swap nozzles/heating elements, all metal tubing),and easy maintenance (love board breakout mb). Also, if I wanted to sell my MK3s I’d end up spending less money than an upgrade to the 3.9 which doesn’t even have the motors for the price…..and I’d have a full legit MK4 (exact same frame). I don’t really care about the speed thing. It’s mostly about reliability for me with these printer….but that’s not to say I wouldn’t want more speed. It’s just 4th in my list of priorities behind reliability, safe to use while developing patented designs (no cloud bs as the primary feature), largely open source parts. It’s my mini-van printer. Plan on building a 350 Voron in the future to be my drag race toy. That’s probably when I’ll sell the MK3S+ after I’ve printed all the ABS/ASA and got it dialed in. PS. Wondering if Ethernet connection helps fix the network issues. If not, I hope it’s just a software issue that will be fixed. Otherwise I’m sure ppl will be fabricating rpi octoprint upgrades in the future. Just really don’t wanna go that route. Haven’t even done it to my MK3s+
I bought a Pi4 when I got my MK3s+ kit and used OctoPrint from the start. It is amazing. Much better than the networking in the MK4, from what I read. Would never be without it now.. Was hoping the MK4 networking was better than it is. @@DD-sw1dd
This was not just another fantastic review from you two, this was a very courageous review. The fact that you bought the printer tells me that you are keen to know. And that counts for a lot. And how you handled walking on thin ice, telling the truth without destroying, very good. Thank you Aurora and Helios, great job. *****
you say that, but i find even smaller youtubers with no sponsorships or free goodies from companies the better ones as they get the full raw experience you would get as the consumer. one had such a warped bed that his bed mesh showed a 0.6mm difference in the bed showing how bad the quality control can truly be, and keep in mind that the bed over time also warps meaning it will be worse than 0.6 after 6 months of decent use. this was either a sv06 or neptune 3 that instantly had klipper slapped onto it day 1. i forgot which channel/video it was tho as it's been a few months since i watched it, but such reviews did push me over the fence to just buy a voron printer.
Brilliant review! This was so thorough and well done, glad you printed lots of different models using different materials instead of concentration on the high speed benchy. A proper test is what this, and any new printer, needs and you certainly did that. 👍😁
Well done. I did decide to get a MK4 to replace my MK3 to support the open source approach and continuous software development, but probably the last time I will unless they improve their competitiveness.
@@JoseAguiloworkshops because without their slicer, the others would not be as good. I want to support the company that is helping everybody not just themselves. Without the open source spirit, all we would have is crappy software on crappy clones.
I own Prusa Minis, MK3S+, Bambu P1P and Bambu X1C, I was expecting SO MUCH MORE from Prusa for the MK4, for the price I would just buy another X1C or Two P1Ps. Love the REAL REVIEW.
Great video Aurora! As a MK3+ owner and Prusa fan I hope Josef and his mates take your advice and change their business model or else they may end up just like Nokia as you mentioned in the vid.
@0:13, @2:42 such emphasis on the word "finally", and it's well deserved. the whole industry has been lazy for years until bambu slapped them hard. unfortunately the extreme price is hard to justify for a bedslinger with such a small print volume.
Your TBD video was impressive and I always enjoy your channel's reviews on 3D printers. I am really just beginning to learn about 3D printing and have just started to print and blow up prints until I get a better understanding of this hobby. None the less I greatly appreciate your time and work and the detailed research you guys do. Thanks !
Great review. Unfortunately for Prusa, they are going to continue falling behind in the logistics and price categories. Two things that are extremely important to those of us with businesses to run these days. If I am going to spend that much, it will be for an X1 Carbon at $1500. I'll get way more bang for my buck.
@@thomasnox1141 As a mexican i would really love that, maybe that will end with the reign of the Ender 3, because the Ender 3 has a big cult following, maybe two of the first 10 mexicans you meet are not people but Ender 3's. In my opinion the best place for Prusa to manufacture on México will be the state of Tamaulipas, that state is the neighbourh of Nuevo Leon (the state where Tesla is going to install) and has the biggest conection with the north american border and Texas, it also has a great industrial port for shipping and exportation. The reason why i choose Tamaulipas and not Nuevo León or Baja California is because Nuevo León is already infested with a lot of manufacturers and companies that are fighting to be on that state meanwhile Baja California is "China 2", not joking, for the same reason chinese say that the best chinese food outside China is on México. Tamaulipas will be a cheap and good option for Prusa, there are not really big companies there, the main drawback for that state is their bad fame, between 2006 and 2018 Tamaulipas was one of the most dangerous states (not as dangerous as Chihuahua but it was still dangerous) due to the narco wars, probably Tamaulipas is the reason why Texans have the idea that Mexicans are walking raging machineguns. However that is a thing of the past (with this i'm not saying that Tamaulipas is now heaven but now you don't need to stay in your house before 6:00 pm in order to be safe, is not like Oaxaca or Chiapas, those two are literally condemned).
@@thomasnox1141 what they should really do is stop 3d printing parts for their printers. With their production number it is just inefficient and wastefull and one of the reasons why their printers are overpiced.
This is a fantastic review of the MK4. After 8 weeks and not an email or text from Prusa I cancelled my order. By then I knew it wasn’t going to impress me like the X1 Carbon has. The MK4 was going to be my first Prusa. I have seen the price of their giant Prusa and have already decided I can do better with 2 grand. I love this review. You are very honest in a very professional way. My Kobra 2 arrives today thanks to your recommendation. Now I will congratulate you on completing the Eighth Grade. Are you entering MIT in Boston, or going to Stanford on a full-ride scholarship next fall?
Another great review. I think the worst part of the MK4 is the file transfer speed. A number of people are using Octoprint to get around this poor network performance.
i manually added wireless adapter to my Mini+ and its ABYSMALLY slow. it was previously working great just really slow, but recently it often wont even finish transferring any .gcode over 5MB it just hangs
You guys are awesome! I am genuinely surprised by the level of quality made by yall! Keep up the good work, I found myself down a rabbithole of your videos, one of my favorite tech channels in relation to 3d printers now. You've got a sub from me!
Considering how long this has been in development it’s a bit of a let down. Although if Bambu Lab never formed and the P1P or X1C never existed, it would actually be THE printer to beat. Unfortunately for Prusa they did and they do.
@@kneel1 I think you’re completely right. It’s a solid printer for a Prusa *fan*. Someone who will only buy Prusa will get a great printer because it’s an upgrade. For others who don’t care or don’t know about Prusa will see what you get vs the price and I could easily see it not being worth it for them. If Prusa knows their fan base will buy anything it almost seems like they’re taking advantage of them. Prusa isn’t making it super easy to defend them against Bambu in my opinion.
I was looking for a machine for a long time that checks all the boxes the X1 does, so I bought one and it's simply a fantastic printer. I did heavily consider the MK3 given its reputation but I just couldn't justify the price, that and I have always been put off Prusa machines due to his ragging ego, he plasters his face all over his products and I see in this review even the software interface isn't spared this time. With my X1 I don't have to be constantly reminded of persons name and face while actually using the machine, and I also don't get a pack of gummy bears in the box that make me feel like a five-year-old, the X1 is a more professional machine that doesn't patronize its customers with gummy sweets and constant name and face bombing , and for that I'm very glad.
@@ChimpyChamp i dont understand that weird Prusa-hate from everyone. Who cares if his face is on things the printers are awesome. Its so weird how people cannot control their own hate, and have no ability to ignore what doesnt apply to them. I own both Prusas and Carbon X1 - Bambu gets alot of hate too for stealing technology. It seems people pick one side. Just enjoy printing and it doesnt have to always be an "us vs them" mentality.. This was the case with Apple vs Microsoft many years ago and while everyone fought about it , I used both and still to this day use both OSX and Windows daily for different things. The people who locked themsleves into only one side, missed out on quite a bit of learning and opportunities
Honestly I love the MK4 and the Bambulab equally. However, I will always refuse to print so fast on either of them. I have set them very low with print speed. Hopefully this will allow them to last a lot longer with less maintenance.
I think of Prusa printers like I think of Simplify3D slicing software. Top of the heap in the past... but that was the past. There are WAY too many printers out there now giving Prusa performance at 1/3 the price. As for slicers, Simplify3D sat on their hands for literally years before updating and when they finally did update it was actually laughable. Really just pathetic when you see how far beyond Simplify3D all the FREE slicers are nowadays. Ironically, I now use PrusaSlicer as my go-to slicing software although none of my five printers are Prusa.
The slavish adherence to the Prusa brand among a certain number of people really perplexes me. I bought a Prusa Mini in 2020 because it seemed like a fair value, but then I discovered its shortcomings: namely, the extruder and hotend. Add to that the 3D printed parts, which on the hotend weren't holding up well until I reprinted them in ASA, and I come away feeling that Prusa makes mediocre products. The MK3S is probably better, but it doesn't justify its price anymore. I appreciate Prusa's commitment to open source, but the value proposition of their hardware just isn't there.
Thank you Aurora and Helios, for the best, most complete and unbiased review of the MK4 on UA-cam. ( and yes, I've also watched the German reviewers). Looking forward to your next reviews.
Competitive in today's market? Hmm, I think Prusa are aiming at the print farm market and know the product is rock solid. Business's know they can defray costs through tax breaks so a bit dear but a whole lot more reliable with parts that can be readily sources at reasonable prices and easily installed. I own a Prusa and know why I bought it and know how good (read reliable) it is. I've recently bought a used one that I will upgrade and plan is to buy a third. There's my mini farm right there. They are a great printer and as everyone says, they just work. For me the question isn't are they competitive; it's are they worth the extra money. Yes, for me they are a no brainer.
Thank you for your review . You were able to help me connect the WiFi when after several attempts by myself and with Prusa . I agree with your opinion that it is a very nice machine but the instructions are not consistently good, it goes from holding your hand to assuming that you know certain things. Your input has been very valuable to me. I hope that you will be able to find related work and make everyone’s life a little better. Best of luck TomV
Prusa has one huge advantage. It’s extremely reliable machine and it is easy to fix. I just moved from Europe to Mexico and three of my printers were destroyed in a shipping process. I could fixed them all by myself. I can’t do this with Bambu. When you do printing as a business you need reliable printers and Prusa definitely delivers here.
Bambu labs provide inexpensive spares for their printers so repairs are cheap and easy. Even the carbon rod assemblies hot ends and extruders are available as spares and they are available ex stock in Europe.
A very detailed and very honest review. It’s impossible not to compare it with the competition and it really just doesn’t add up, unfortunately. I think the Nokia comparison is a real stinger - I think you’ve hit the nail on the head here, it really does ring on a company riding too strongly on a legacy and not continuing to innovate or adapt to the market.
Actually I am not so sure. While Klipper is a very powerfull firmware, for many users the functionality is overwhelming. Actual Marlin supports Input shaping (and Linear Advance was supported even on the mk3 without s and +). Yes, you have more options in Klipper. But what matters is not the options you have - but the result you get and how comfortable it is to get it. Esp. for persons getting into 3d-printing. As the Bambulab printers show, it does not matter, if you use Marlin, Klipper or reprap - they use neither but their own closed source firmware. Successfuly. I am quite happy, there are multiple firmwares - esp. the open source ones. Thei all have their own advantages - and ideas from one are transfered to the other. So comparing Marlin to Symbian does not realy fit.
@@atienne_navarre Really? Where can I download the source code. And I don't mean the slicer. They had to do it open source after came out that they used the Prusa Slicer.
@@atienne_navarre Bambu Labs own website sais: "4. Firmware and circuit board: This is closed source. For this part, we decided to keep these items as property of the company. The firmware is 100% developed in-house and we would like to keep it that way to be competitive on the market. We do have 100+ employees, and this number is growing. We want to make our business successful so that we can provide for each of our employees." You might have mixed up the firmware and the slicer (later one based on Prusa Slicer which is based un Slic3r)
wow great review! I've seen several that feel unfinished. This is very detailed and thorough. Exactly what I was looking for. It makes me excited to get my kit (day one order so hopefully by the end of the month). My only complaint is the MMU3 for it is being delayed until august. Meaning the MK3 will be my main printer for a while longer yet. In the mean time I'll run some interesting experiments with the MK4. I've never used TPU or anything like that before. Should be interesting to mess with.
Great review, thank you. Very honest. You could have added another criterion: my preference for Prusa is also driven by its open source foundation, which helps drive innovation. It's also a European firm and, even here in the UK on the edge of Europe, lowers shipping costs and makes a welcome change from the usual "design anywhere, build in China" model.
Again a superb review, the mk4 is not a bad machine but is expensive and feels a little outdated. P.S. Which machine review is coming next week? The neptune 4 pro?
Coming soon: Magician X2 Creality K1 Sovol SV07 Hictop AL13-310 Creality 8k resin printer and washing station QiDi X-Max-3 ... and 2 laser engravers The Neptune 4 will be later in August or September, after all these machines.
@@AuroraTech really looking forward to the x-max-3 review. i find it hard to understand why qidi are still using manual bed leveling in 2023, seems so primitive now when the leaders have gone to nozzle probing. inductive sensors are bulky and heavy. nozzle probing lets you have a lighter extruder and faster printers. hope they didn't make the same engineering mistakes they made in the x-plus 3.
People just getting into printing now have so many great options. Though not revolutionary, certainly better than prior generations of the i3 for newbies.
That Nokia example was funny 😂 But i can’t agree. While Klipper is now a synonym for speed if you ask a electrical engineer if he want a hardware(printer) to be controlled by a firmware running on specialized board or a python application running on a general purpose operating system talking to a microcontroller over usb(klipper) i bet he chose the former. I am not saying the klipper is bad i like it but the closed environment like on device running marlin has a lot of advantages over general purpose os. And marlin based printers are running slower only because they are running on budget cpus. We can’t know but bambu lab printer’s probably not running a general purpose os either.
bambulab machines are exactly running klipper😂 they made a near-perfect combination, so all moves are calculated on linux with python in advance, with respect to input shaping and pressure advance, then klipper sends it to a mictocontroller which runs klipper firmware and have quite nice buffer for those moves; it gives you realtime control over the hardware, since the general purpose OS doesn't need to be realtime
Yeah Just like I thought. This model is great but Not quite worth it for me. I will be looking for the K1 review within the next few weeks. Please test that Extruder tension switch issue that keeps popping up online about it. Thanks and keep up the great work.
Thank you for quite detailed review, I decided to get MK4 kit as my first 3d printer - mainly for quality reasons, supporting company in Europe, open source approach, no need for cloud, and history of support for previous versions. Shipping to UK was around 20USD - so considerably less than USA.
One thing I've learned from buying chinese printer is that while cheap it works until it actually breaks. From this point you are on your own. With Prusa's printers it is never the case, it is very good long-term investment including upgrades years later.
Great indepth review. Not impressed for prusa to supply 2 gcode files showing the difference in speed but rather than printing faster they just changed how it was printed. Clearly the printer prints well but at that price it should be better. Shouldnt have 3d printed parts for construction, no excuse for that anymore. The mk4 should of been a smaller xl, not quite sure how they made the decision to develop a core xy for the xl and think it was fine to keep a bed slinger for the mk4 at this price point. Always greatful with your honest reviews
The 3d printed parts are probably a feature. It is actually printed on mk4 itself, and you can see the final quality of the print even before you boot up the printer. It also gives the user an option to customize the printer with different colors etc.
You nailed this review. Every point you made is dead on. I Love my prusa mk3s+ but for the money, the bambu is a far superior option to the mk4. Keep up the good work, Aurora and Helios! :)
I feel like this machine could use a follow up one year later with the new 6.0 firmware. Input shaping, touchscreen support and even clog detection. Perhaps the robo alpaca you had originally printed is different then the one you can get today??
hello! out of curiosity, on the part where you printed the first layer on the P1P, did you use the default profile, or did you increase your extrusion width on the first layer at all? i ask because that came out super clean wow
I feel that its very easy to gloss over the support, knowledge base and open source system you get with a prusa. I bought an anycubic kobra for my first printer. I wanted an mk3 but it would have been 6 months to save up. I was learning by printing the usual junk, but also prototyping and learning 3d design for my business I want to start. 1 month in I had designed a large enclosure. 27hrs in to the 40hr print, the hotbed thermocouple died. Contracted anycubic through their local eBay store that I bought it from. Support was helpful, after some checks, they agreed to ship out a new hotbed and print sheet. After a couple of weeks I decided to add on a new thermocouple myself after researching what type it may or may not use. Another week or two later I get notified that my hotbed had been shipped from china. 4 weeks later it turns up. Nearly two full months to get parts. With a prusa i could have just looked up the bill of materials and ordered the right thermistor. Or ordered one from one of the local non official? Prusa resellers in Australia. Or express shipped it from overseas at my cost. From most accounts I've seen, creality are even worse. One of the guys on youtube with a faulty K1 has had zero response from them at all, email, website, social media etc.
Thank you Prusa, you will be remembered. Ive had a lot of good memories with my MK3, mk3s, mk3s+. The new era is harsh, i wouldnt be surprised if prusa went pit of business. 🫡
I'm so torn. I'm a happy Prusa Mini user, and am looking to get a larger format printer. I was hoping the MK4 would be that printer. There's just so many downsides though. It's half baked IMO, and not as good as it could be at all, especially for the money. That said a Bambu is hard for me to consider, as I'm very much opposed to having to use Bambu's cloud to have a functional printer. That alone is nearly a dealbreaker for me. It doesn't work with Octoprint, at all, which is IMO stupid, given how flexible and awesome Octoprint is. It also feel like they are getting free use of PrusaSlicer and Slic3r's hard work without really giving back at all. Those 3 things make me very feel almost bad about considering a Bambu at all, but the features, quality, and price are appealing despite those IMO extreme negatives.
Yes, the slicer screen capture clips were recorded earlier, they released the update in the middle of the production of the video. I used new slicer profile to test the input shaping.
I will buy a prusa instead of a chinesium printer. I like their products, support is very good, upgradeability of your device (instead of buying a complete new one), open source 8which brings a lot to the 3D printing community, even if "others" use prusas work to build upon and then put a patent or TM on it to cash in), no "always online" drm, easy to connect with octoprint (prusas own system is still in beta as far as I know...), the only company which has put out a sustainability report and even company accident statistics (very rare)... I proudly finance the prusa company instead of a state own chinese one. The review is still interesting. And I still find that "first perfect layer" amazing (having a prusa mini here, so I dont know the struggle of adjusting the bed at all), which runs entirely automatic.
Firstly, congratulations on your graduation, and a really well written and delivered speech. I found your closing remarks on the MK4 review very well thought out as well, although I half expected you to end with “Prusa’s future is TBD”. I feel the launch of the printer rather rushed. I understand the hardware was in development for several years. But the software side, as you also found, was clearly rushed. I genuinely think they where caught on the back foot, and had to respond. I understand why they stuck with the i3 style printer. As Joe said, being able to upgrade their printers, is a core value of Prusa. But it is like Ford to still provide upgrades to the Model T. As some point, you have to move past the history in order to bring true progress. I’m not that concerned with the single CPU though. I think that the RepRap movement has reached a level of commercialization, where the open source philosophy is seriously challenged. We see it in not only printer design and closed source printer firmware, but in printer parts like hot-end patents as well. Prusa sticking with Marlin, and heavily modifying it, gives them a niche in the market. As long as the CPU they use is designed to manage the load, it’s fine. The slow WiFi module I think comes down to cost. Plain and simple. A replacement Einsy Rambo board for MK3 is a whopping $119! I can only fear what the cost of the new board might be. They are challenged by the business values of prioritizing local suppliers, and supporting the local economy by assembling the printers in they own factory. It’s a valiant goal to have, and I do commend them for sticking with it. It’s like supporting local farmers by shopping at the local farmers marked, even though produce at the grocery store is cheaper. But there’s no reason why they couldn’t create an assembly line at Printer Solid for example as well. After all, assembling the printer as close as possible to the customer, is a valiant business goal as well. They do have a US distributor. They bought Printed Solid, which is now the US Prusa distributor. Why they don’t ship MK4’s to US customers from Printed Solid, is beyond me. That said, I do have a MK4 kit on order. Not because I think it is a sound investment. It’s an emotional investment. I don’t expect the MK4 to be my go-to printer, like my MK3 was. These days, my go-to printer is my Voron 2.4. And I don’t expect the MK4 will change that.
One huge remark i would have is that beside the huge price, the printer looks like a garage DYI project. All those printed parts have a huge cost reduction. You have no tooling costs, no QA or very small production problems. This is insane that they actually charge you so much for the printer. The X1 in this case is a no brainer to me.
It does have a capacitive touchscreen, it is just not implemented in firmware yet (maybe it will, maybe it will not, but the hardware is there). edit: okay, nevermind. It gets mentioned at the end of the video.
I think that the mk4 is the pinnacle of what a bed slinger can achieve reliably. It’s a fast and convenient workhorse, maybe the future will be core xy for prusa, scaling down the xl, but maintaining the multi tool feature, maybe they will continue using marlin, extracting the last drop of performance out 32bit controllers, or release some add on like the sonic pad from creality.
I have a sonic pad. It certainly makes my CR6 SE run faster. I also have a BIQU Hurakan with Klipper on the Manta M4P board. Right now it's right next to me. I can't hear it at all, and it's going like CRAZY!
Eh, I don't know about that. Anycubic and Elegoo both released a klipper bedslinger with a bigger bed, reliable fast speeds and a sub $500 pricetag. I'd look into those before I did a PRUSA.
Very good and objective review. I'd like to see an update because a lot of have updated since. Most reviews are from the beginning. The software is in overall much better condition now.
Aurora really had to balance on this one. Great review, and a wake-up call for Prusa. However, one thing that many consider pretty important she didn't mention is that Prusa is still open source. I do see a lot of complaints out there about the closed system of the Bambu. Don't get me wrong, I'm looking at buying one for the AMS ability and to try out some of the new features they offer. And, when the MMU3 is available I will try that after owning an MMU2S. I currently have two MK3S+ both were assembled from kits, one with MMU2S, a Mini Clone, a couple of Tenlog DL3 Pros, an Ender 3 90-degree belt kit, and a JD Maker Magic so I've been around the block a bit. With the Prusas, I can fix anything that goes wrong and replacement parts are readily available. Also, upgrades are available for older models as new ones come out. For me personally, these options carry a lot of weight. What I'd like to hear about is what issues Bambu owners have had that required them to have to return the printer for service, if any. Again, not trying to knock Bambu, just wondering. Is self-repair or upgrading possible?
Prusa MK4 wifi setup is definitely cumbersome, but I've been seeing these recent Klipper-based printers using MKS boards leaving the root password as-is. People throw these on networks and immediately expose themselves. Prusa can definitely fix the wifi setup, but I'd trade that any day vs "throw it on the network" with default "root" and "makerbase" password.
How does one expose themselves by leaving the default user/pass on their 3dprinter connected to their own home wifi? Are they exposing the printer to their wife and kids now? What nonsense are you talking about. To access the machine, you'd have to access your home network.
Thanks for the good video. However: You should have mentioned the support as pro for Prusa: They have 24/7 support on line. What would one do with Bambu when something goes wrong? And things go wrong sometime. I have Prusa Mini, and their support saved me few times. However, the MK4 is not good enough as it should have been.
As always very good, detailed, and well explained videos, you are awesome!!. Regarding the prusa Mk4 I think is a very well known quality 3d printer but I personally think is not keeping up with the new technologies.
For anyone wondering: PLA is known for two main things, its low melting point and how it has high rigidity which is a trade off for its low impact strength. It doesn’t respond well to UV or direct sunlight and is also known to deform overtime if under constant strain. This should be used when making toys and statues due to the previous facts, and because it can come in a wide variety of colors. It is also good for indoor functional parts that won’t be exposed to sunlight or constant stress TPU comes in a number of different hardness ratings and usually will be easier to print the higher the number, in the case of the A ratings. 98TPU will be harder than a 92TPU meaning a softer one is harder to extrude, especially if you are not using a direct drive extruder. TPU is good if you need something to absorb impact like a table corner or a door stopper PETG is often seen as the next step after PLA and is offered by a variety of filament manufacturers as a tougher alternative to PLA. PETG doesn’t exactly excel in any specific category and while it does have better heat resistance, it still pale in comparison to ASA. It also sticks too well to most beds and can damage the surface and sticks to nozzles, plus it must be dried thoroughly before printing. It also has a high melting point which means it’s not as good for high speed printers. It is however a lot cheaper than ASA but is still more expensive than PLA and ABS. It is also a bit easier to get something watertight when compared to PLA. Has the most give and flexibility apart from TPU and it doesn’t really get clouded up when printing a translucent color like how PLA does. It also has good warp resistance. This is probably one of the best if you have an open printer or need something that can resist moderate heat, UV or sustained strain. ABS is one of the most commonly used everyday plastics that are used in lego, automotive parts and lots more. It has a great balance of impact resistance, toughness and rigidity particularly if you use some of the new + variations. It cannot be printed without an enclosed printer and even then it's best if the enclosed area is warm. Do not use with open design printer ASA is generally more expensive than ABS, it offers improvements in pretty much every category. First it can be printed without an enclosure, as long as there are no drafts. Second, it has even higher UV resistance. Third It has even more environmental resistance when it comes to cracking, long term heating and even chemicals. It also has less fumes while printing and has fewer shrinkage which makes it easier to get dimensions right. While ABS is widely available in many different colors, ASA is offered by fewer manufacturers in fewer colors. Most brands of ASA have a hard time sticking to any beds. It is good for things that are made to go outdoors and anything that you might want to make with ABS will be more durable, heat resistant and UV resistant. ABS is usually a better option. ua-cam.com/video/dYPW5Rlwn8g/v-deo.html or The 5 Filament Types You Need to Know (And What They're Good For) by The Next Layer on youtube, is where I got all this information and as someone with no 3D printing experience, I may be getting some things wrong.
As much as I wanted to get the MK4, the dismal Wi-Fi capabilities are a deal breaker and have me leaning towards looking elsewhere. Thank you for the excellent review
So it's basically just for a Prusa Fanboy. Outdated specs. Nothing much. Bambu labs FTW. Thank you Bambu labs for setting a new benchmark for budget printers.
Minor clarification. There is no X1 (non-carbon) anymore. The Bambu Lab printer options are the X1 carbon and the P1P. Aurora meant to say compare it to the X1 Carbon or even the X1 Carbon combo. (With AMS).
This is a really helpful review. I have the MK3+ and was considering an upgrade. I'll be holding out for the PrusaXL or maybe just abandon my preorder and look at Bamboo Labs.
I agree with many others here, that this is a most excelllent, fair and balanced review. I personally didn't do the math and did buy the upgrade (and came to the same conclusion that I should have bought the mk4 kit) but I do like my new Mk3.9. The usablity is dramatically increased. Also agree that Network setup and performance is a serious disappointment. Also, a perennial problem is the filament sensor which is or can become quite finnicky
12:26 oh my goodness, that material is beautiful! Tronxy? Hmm, i may have to try this...
11 місяців тому+1
Great technical review, sadly the conclusion doesn't consider the work done by companies like Prusa for the 3D printer ecosystem. Most of the competitors cited will take from open-source and close source their work, and dump the price. For the consumer, it will result in a performance printer at a good price, but this is also a behavior that will kill the competition, innovation, and quality in mid-term.
Maybe the best review of the MK4 I've seen. Their firmware, especially their networking performance have really hurt them. It is not even close to the standard in today's offerings. The "fast" benchies have really cut corners in terms of infill and layer height and shows that Prusa is willing to 'bend' the rules to get a fast number they can market. I think a solid printer for a bedslinger and anyone will generally be happy with its performance.. (except for the lack of better network connectivity).. but I'm surprised they didn't stop at the MK3S+ and create a new form size like this with a 4 post frame core xy that can easily be enclosed and so they can finally get some experience with this kinematic model. . I've worked with the X1C for about a month and the local network (wireless) features are just light-years ahead of the ESP-based Prusa design.
"bedslinger" lmao i'm using that term from now on
@@bartybum Yeah, i need a shirt with that.
Next time they will claim a 8 minute benchi. With .6 layer height, 1% infill and .5 wall! 😂😂😂 Wait for it in the xl with .6 nossle 😂😂😂
Agree. The upgrade to the mk3.5 or 3.9 is so expensive it makes me believe they don’t really want ppl to use the upgrade path….but also wanted to stay in line with their upgrade philosophy. Possibly due to any issues that may arise due to how the input shaping works (no accelerometer. Just calibrated for the printer) and the fact that the hardware isn’t exactly the same as the mk4. The motor, frame, thicker Z axis rods, steel mb box, and all the other differences in structure with the plastic make a difference in printer resonance frequencies.
I bought a MK4 kit…but mostly bc I wanted a 2nd Prusa followed by the new hot end (easy swap nozzles/heating elements, all metal tubing),and easy maintenance (love board breakout mb).
Also, if I wanted to sell my MK3s I’d end up spending less money than an upgrade to the 3.9 which doesn’t even have the motors for the price…..and I’d have a full legit MK4 (exact same frame).
I don’t really care about the speed thing. It’s mostly about reliability for me with these printer….but that’s not to say I wouldn’t want more speed. It’s just 4th in my list of priorities behind reliability, safe to use while developing patented designs (no cloud bs as the primary feature), largely open source parts.
It’s my mini-van printer. Plan on building a 350 Voron in the future to be my drag race toy. That’s probably when I’ll sell the MK3S+ after I’ve printed all the ABS/ASA and got it dialed in.
PS. Wondering if Ethernet connection helps fix the network issues. If not, I hope it’s just a software issue that will be fixed.
Otherwise I’m sure ppl will be fabricating rpi octoprint upgrades in the future. Just really don’t wanna go that route. Haven’t even done it to my MK3s+
I bought a Pi4 when I got my MK3s+ kit and used OctoPrint from the start. It is amazing. Much better than the networking in the MK4, from what I read. Would never be without it now.. Was hoping the MK4 networking was better than it is.
@@DD-sw1dd
This was not just another fantastic review from you two, this was a very courageous review. The fact that you bought the printer tells me that you are keen to know. And that counts for a lot.
And how you handled walking on thin ice, telling the truth without destroying, very good. Thank you Aurora and Helios, great job. *****
Indeed, especially given the large number of Prusa fanatics.
Possibly the best reviews on UA-cam. Great job, and thank you.
you say that, but i find even smaller youtubers with no sponsorships or free goodies from companies the better ones as they get the full raw experience you would get as the consumer.
one had such a warped bed that his bed mesh showed a 0.6mm difference in the bed showing how bad the quality control can truly be, and keep in mind that the bed over time also warps meaning it will be worse than 0.6 after 6 months of decent use.
this was either a sv06 or neptune 3 that instantly had klipper slapped onto it day 1.
i forgot which channel/video it was tho as it's been a few months since i watched it, but such reviews did push me over the fence to just buy a voron printer.
@@CodeBroRob I don't trust any test not only for printers, and especially with Chinese manufacturers.
There is too much money in the game.
@@herr_rossi69 exactly
As a very technical professional, I appreciate your in depth candor so much! Glad to see your take on this one
Brilliant review! This was so thorough and well done, glad you printed lots of different models using different materials instead of concentration on the high speed benchy. A proper test is what this, and any new printer, needs and you certainly did that. 👍😁
Well done. I did decide to get a MK4 to replace my MK3 to support the open source approach and continuous software development, but probably the last time I will unless they improve their competitiveness.
The last martir died 2000 years ago. If they didn't make anything new why you will support mediocrity?
@@JoseAguiloworkshops because without their slicer, the others would not be as good. I want to support the company that is helping everybody not just themselves. Without the open source spirit, all we would have is crappy software on crappy clones.
@@spinnetti do you really think so? Those gummy bears have something...
Flexispot E7 is really stable as a workbench for 3D printing enthusiasts。
Your reviews are among the best I've seen, very detailed, comprehensive and unbiased.
I own Prusa Minis, MK3S+, Bambu P1P and Bambu X1C, I was expecting SO MUCH MORE from Prusa for the MK4, for the price I would just buy another X1C or Two P1Ps. Love the REAL REVIEW.
You make toys.
Great video Aurora! As a MK3+ owner and Prusa fan I hope Josef and his mates take your advice and change their business model or else they may end up just like Nokia as you mentioned in the vid.
One of the best reviews I have seen, pros/cons and comparison in a concise flow of information.
Thank you for the clear and straightforward review without any unnecessary tangents and or rambles. It's very much appreciated!
@0:13, @2:42 such emphasis on the word "finally", and it's well deserved. the whole industry has been lazy for years until bambu slapped them hard. unfortunately the extreme price is hard to justify for a bedslinger with such a small print volume.
Your TBD video was impressive and I always enjoy your channel's reviews on 3D printers. I am really just beginning to learn about 3D printing and have just started to print and blow up prints until I get a better understanding of this hobby. None the less I greatly appreciate your time and work and the detailed research you guys do. Thanks !
Great review. Unfortunately for Prusa, they are going to continue falling behind in the logistics and price categories. Two things that are extremely important to those of us with businesses to run these days. If I am going to spend that much, it will be for an X1 Carbon at $1500. I'll get way more bang for my buck.
I think Prusa should start manufacturing in Mexico to cover North and South American market
@@thomasnox1141 As a mexican i would really love that, maybe that will end with the reign of the Ender 3, because the Ender 3 has a big cult following, maybe two of the first 10 mexicans you meet are not people but Ender 3's.
In my opinion the best place for Prusa to manufacture on México will be the state of Tamaulipas, that state is the neighbourh of Nuevo Leon (the state where Tesla is going to install) and has the biggest conection with the north american border and Texas, it also has a great industrial port for shipping and exportation. The reason why i choose Tamaulipas and not Nuevo León or Baja California is because Nuevo León is already infested with a lot of manufacturers and companies that are fighting to be on that state meanwhile Baja California is "China 2", not joking, for the same reason chinese say that the best chinese food outside China is on México.
Tamaulipas will be a cheap and good option for Prusa, there are not really big companies there, the main drawback for that state is their bad fame, between 2006 and 2018 Tamaulipas was one of the most dangerous states (not as dangerous as Chihuahua but it was still dangerous) due to the narco wars, probably Tamaulipas is the reason why Texans have the idea that Mexicans are walking raging machineguns. However that is a thing of the past (with this i'm not saying that Tamaulipas is now heaven but now you don't need to stay in your house before 6:00 pm in order to be safe, is not like Oaxaca or Chiapas, those two are literally condemned).
@@thomasnox1141 what they should really do is stop 3d printing parts for their printers. With their production number it is just inefficient and wastefull and one of the reasons why their printers are overpiced.
This is a fantastic review of the MK4. After 8 weeks and not an email or text from Prusa I cancelled my order. By then I knew it wasn’t going to impress me like the X1 Carbon has. The MK4 was going to be my first Prusa. I have seen the price of their giant Prusa and have already decided I can do better with 2 grand. I love this review. You are very honest in a very professional way. My Kobra 2 arrives today thanks to your recommendation. Now I will congratulate you on completing the Eighth Grade. Are you entering MIT in Boston, or going to Stanford on a full-ride scholarship next fall?
wait what, 8th grade? Oh my lord, I'm starting to become insecure with my intelligence
@@Feibie Indeed, you're not alone in that feeling. But she is very kind about being so intelligent. Hence my comment about the two Mit's.
@@Feibie, you are not alone
your reviews are so good - especially in the comparison when you give side by side finish results . thank you for the great job
Another great review. I think the worst part of the MK4 is the file transfer speed. A number of people are using Octoprint to get around this poor network performance.
i manually added wireless adapter to my Mini+ and its ABYSMALLY slow. it was previously working great just really slow, but recently it often wont even finish transferring any .gcode over 5MB it just hangs
You guys are awesome! I am genuinely surprised by the level of quality made by yall! Keep up the good work, I found myself down a rabbithole of your videos, one of my favorite tech channels in relation to 3d printers now. You've got a sub from me!
Thank You - nice review, I liked the comparing remarks with the bambu lab printer.
Considering how long this has been in development it’s a bit of a let down. Although if Bambu Lab never formed and the P1P or X1C never existed, it would actually be THE printer to beat. Unfortunately for Prusa they did and they do.
i mean they are both great and think its still a solid printer for any Prusa fan.
If it hadn't been for Bambu, we'd still be waiting for the MK4. The fact that it still isn't finished is proof of that.
@@kneel1 I think you’re completely right. It’s a solid printer for a Prusa *fan*. Someone who will only buy Prusa will get a great printer because it’s an upgrade. For others who don’t care or don’t know about Prusa will see what you get vs the price and I could easily see it not being worth it for them. If Prusa knows their fan base will buy anything it almost seems like they’re taking advantage of them. Prusa isn’t making it super easy to defend them against Bambu in my opinion.
I was looking for a machine for a long time that checks all the boxes the X1 does, so I bought one and it's simply a fantastic printer. I did heavily consider the MK3 given its reputation but I just couldn't justify the price, that and I have always been put off Prusa machines due to his ragging ego, he plasters his face all over his products and I see in this review even the software interface isn't spared this time.
With my X1 I don't have to be constantly reminded of persons name and face while actually using the machine, and I also don't get a pack of gummy bears in the box that make me feel like a five-year-old, the X1 is a more professional machine that doesn't patronize its customers with gummy sweets and constant name and face bombing , and for that I'm very glad.
@@ChimpyChamp i dont understand that weird Prusa-hate from everyone. Who cares if his face is on things the printers are awesome. Its so weird how people cannot control their own hate, and have no ability to ignore what doesnt apply to them. I own both Prusas and Carbon X1 - Bambu gets alot of hate too for stealing technology. It seems people pick one side. Just enjoy printing and it doesnt have to always be an "us vs them" mentality.. This was the case with Apple vs Microsoft many years ago and while everyone fought about it , I used both and still to this day use both OSX and Windows daily for different things. The people who locked themsleves into only one side, missed out on quite a bit of learning and opportunities
Now this is how you make a review! Awesome content
Honestly I love the MK4 and the Bambulab equally. However, I will always refuse to print so fast on either of them. I have set them very low with print speed. Hopefully this will allow them to last a lot longer with less maintenance.
The name of this video should be "Aurora Schools Prusa"
Great video !!!!
Thank you Aurora, best detailed review I have seen so far !!! Keep up the good work.
I think of Prusa printers like I think of Simplify3D slicing software. Top of the heap in the past... but that was the past. There are WAY too many printers out there now giving Prusa performance at 1/3 the price. As for slicers, Simplify3D sat on their hands for literally years before updating and when they finally did update it was actually laughable. Really just pathetic when you see how far beyond Simplify3D all the FREE slicers are nowadays. Ironically, I now use PrusaSlicer as my go-to slicing software although none of my five printers are Prusa.
The slavish adherence to the Prusa brand among a certain number of people really perplexes me. I bought a Prusa Mini in 2020 because it seemed like a fair value, but then I discovered its shortcomings: namely, the extruder and hotend. Add to that the 3D printed parts, which on the hotend weren't holding up well until I reprinted them in ASA, and I come away feeling that Prusa makes mediocre products. The MK3S is probably better, but it doesn't justify its price anymore. I appreciate Prusa's commitment to open source, but the value proposition of their hardware just isn't there.
Thank you Aurora and Helios, for the best, most complete and unbiased review of the MK4 on UA-cam. ( and yes, I've also watched the German reviewers). Looking forward to your next reviews.
Competitive in today's market? Hmm, I think Prusa are aiming at the print farm market and know the product is rock solid. Business's know they can defray costs through tax breaks so a bit dear but a whole lot more reliable with parts that can be readily sources at reasonable prices and easily installed. I own a Prusa and know why I bought it and know how good (read reliable) it is. I've recently bought a used one that I will upgrade and plan is to buy a third. There's my mini farm right there. They are a great printer and as everyone says, they just work. For me the question isn't are they competitive; it's are they worth the extra money. Yes, for me they are a no brainer.
Thank you for your review . You were able to help me connect the WiFi when after several attempts by myself and with Prusa . I agree with your opinion that it is a very nice machine but the instructions are not consistently good, it goes from holding your hand to assuming that you know certain things. Your input has been very valuable to me. I hope that you will be able to find related work and make everyone’s life a little better. Best of luck TomV
Great review, looking forward to the Creality K1 video.
The pros and cons section was so helpful. Loved this review. Subbed 🎉
Prusa has one huge advantage. It’s extremely reliable machine and it is easy to fix. I just moved from Europe to Mexico and three of my printers were destroyed in a shipping process. I could fixed them all by myself. I can’t do this with Bambu. When you do printing as a business you need reliable printers and Prusa definitely delivers here.
Bambu labs provide inexpensive spares for their printers so repairs are cheap and easy. Even the carbon rod assemblies hot ends and extruders are available as spares and they are available ex stock in Europe.
Great walk-through of the possibilities of the printer
Thanks for sharing your expirence with all of us 👍 😀
Thanks for the in depth review! Prusa doesnt seem to dissapoint.
A very detailed and very honest review. It’s impossible not to compare it with the competition and it really just doesn’t add up, unfortunately. I think the Nokia comparison is a real stinger - I think you’ve hit the nail on the head here, it really does ring on a company riding too strongly on a legacy and not continuing to innovate or adapt to the market.
How
Actually I am not so sure. While Klipper is a very powerfull firmware, for many users the functionality is overwhelming. Actual Marlin supports Input shaping (and Linear Advance was supported even on the mk3 without s and +). Yes, you have more options in Klipper. But what matters is not the options you have - but the result you get and how comfortable it is to get it. Esp. for persons getting into 3d-printing.
As the Bambulab printers show, it does not matter, if you use Marlin, Klipper or reprap - they use neither but their own closed source firmware. Successfuly.
I am quite happy, there are multiple firmwares - esp. the open source ones. Thei all have their own advantages - and ideas from one are transfered to the other.
So comparing Marlin to Symbian does not realy fit.
@@oleurgast730 The Bamboo labs FW is open source.
@@atienne_navarre Really? Where can I download the source code. And I don't mean the slicer. They had to do it open source after came out that they used the Prusa Slicer.
@@atienne_navarre Bambu Labs own website sais:
"4. Firmware and circuit board: This is closed source.
For this part, we decided to keep these items as property of the company. The firmware is 100% developed in-house and we would like to keep it that way to be competitive on the market. We do have 100+ employees, and this number is growing. We want to make our business successful so that we can provide for each of our employees."
You might have mixed up the firmware and the slicer (later one based on Prusa Slicer which is based un Slic3r)
wow great review! I've seen several that feel unfinished. This is very detailed and thorough. Exactly what I was looking for. It makes me excited to get my kit (day one order so hopefully by the end of the month). My only complaint is the MMU3 for it is being delayed until august. Meaning the MK3 will be my main printer for a while longer yet. In the mean time I'll run some interesting experiments with the MK4. I've never used TPU or anything like that before. Should be interesting to mess with.
Great review, thank you. Very honest.
You could have added another criterion: my preference for Prusa is also driven by its open source foundation, which helps drive innovation. It's also a European firm and, even here in the UK on the edge of Europe, lowers shipping costs and makes a welcome change from the usual "design anywhere, build in China" model.
Thanks I was looking to buy a Prusa MK4 and now I know all about it
thanks
Wow! Now that’s what I call a proper review! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Wow I can't believe you talked me out of this product. Never owned a printer and seems to me that the p1p or k1 may be a better option.
Aurora the wise! When will you do a voron build series? I promise to follow such a series religiously ❤
Again a superb review, the mk4 is not a bad machine but is expensive and feels a little outdated.
P.S. Which machine review is coming next week? The neptune 4 pro?
Coming soon:
Magician X2
Creality K1
Sovol SV07
Hictop AL13-310
Creality 8k resin printer and washing station
QiDi X-Max-3
... and 2 laser engravers
The Neptune 4 will be later in August or September, after all these machines.
@@AuroraTech really looking forward to the x-max-3 review. i find it hard to understand why qidi are still using manual bed leveling in 2023, seems so primitive now when the leaders have gone to nozzle probing. inductive sensors are bulky and heavy. nozzle probing lets you have a lighter extruder and faster printers. hope they didn't make the same engineering mistakes they made in the x-plus 3.
People just getting into printing now have so many great options. Though not revolutionary, certainly better than prior generations of the i3 for newbies.
That Nokia example was funny 😂 But i can’t agree. While Klipper is now a synonym for speed if you ask a electrical engineer if he want a hardware(printer) to be controlled by a firmware running on specialized board or a python application running on a general purpose operating system talking to a microcontroller over usb(klipper) i bet he chose the former. I am not saying the klipper is bad i like it but the closed environment like on device running marlin has a lot of advantages over general purpose os. And marlin based printers are running slower only because they are running on budget cpus. We can’t know but bambu lab printer’s probably not running a general purpose os either.
bambulab machines are exactly running klipper😂 they made a near-perfect combination, so all moves are calculated on linux with python in advance, with respect to input shaping and pressure advance, then klipper sends it to a mictocontroller which runs klipper firmware and have quite nice buffer for those moves; it gives you realtime control over the hardware, since the general purpose OS doesn't need to be realtime
Yeah Just like I thought. This model is great but Not quite worth it for me. I will be looking for the K1 review within the next few weeks. Please test that Extruder tension switch issue that keeps popping up online about it. Thanks and keep up the great work.
Fantastic video, you have provided extremely insightful commentary, my new favorite 3d printing channel!!
I was waiting for your review, I knew it was going to be the most detailed review. I was not disappointed.
Thank you for quite detailed review, I decided to get MK4 kit as my first 3d printer - mainly for quality reasons, supporting company in Europe, open source approach, no need for cloud, and history of support for previous versions. Shipping to UK was around 20USD - so considerably less than USA.
The best 3D printer reviewer on UA-cam and it’s not even close.
Best MK4 review I have seen so far. Thanks you for your great work.
I see that you have the new K1 sitting on your Flexi Desk, a review video coming very soon?
Yes, coming soon... want to do more tests on it before I release the video.
I can’t wait to see that K1 review 🙏🏻🙏🏻💨💨
The quality of this review is exactly what I was looking for.
One thing I've learned from buying chinese printer is that while cheap it works until it actually breaks. From this point you are on your own. With Prusa's printers it is never the case, it is very good long-term investment including upgrades years later.
Will you be doing a revisiting/update video of this after the firmware updates for faster printing and input shaping and all that?
Im interested as well
Great indepth review. Not impressed for prusa to supply 2 gcode files showing the difference in speed but rather than printing faster they just changed how it was printed. Clearly the printer prints well but at that price it should be better. Shouldnt have 3d printed parts for construction, no excuse for that anymore. The mk4 should of been a smaller xl, not quite sure how they made the decision to develop a core xy for the xl and think it was fine to keep a bed slinger for the mk4 at this price point. Always greatful with your honest reviews
The 3d printed parts are probably a feature. It is actually printed on mk4 itself, and you can see the final quality of the print even before you boot up the printer. It also gives the user an option to customize the printer with different colors etc.
You nailed this review. Every point you made is dead on. I Love my prusa mk3s+ but for the money, the bambu is a far superior option to the mk4. Keep up the good work, Aurora and Helios! :)
watched your grad speech and was very impressed. i come here to get the good bad and the ugly on three d printers
sticking with my mk3s+ it has really good octoprint support and being linux, you can sync the upload folders to multiple machines, pretty neat
Thank you for high quality videos. Keep it up!
Thanks for the great quality review! I can't wait to see your Creality K1 review.
We started using some Eryone (Black) PLA, and it's shockingly good, thanks for the recommendation!
I feel like this machine could use a follow up one year later with the new 6.0 firmware. Input shaping, touchscreen support and even clog detection. Perhaps the robo alpaca you had originally printed is different then the one you can get today??
Great job as always! Thank you for your honest perspective!
hello! out of curiosity, on the part where you printed the first layer on the P1P, did you use the default profile, or did you increase your extrusion width on the first layer at all? i ask because that came out super clean wow
Yes, I just used the default profile without making any changes, except selecting no-brim.
@@AuroraTech thank you :)
I feel that its very easy to gloss over the support, knowledge base and open source system you get with a prusa. I bought an anycubic kobra for my first printer. I wanted an mk3 but it would have been 6 months to save up. I was learning by printing the usual junk, but also prototyping and learning 3d design for my business I want to start. 1 month in I had designed a large enclosure. 27hrs in to the 40hr print, the hotbed thermocouple died. Contracted anycubic through their local eBay store that I bought it from. Support was helpful, after some checks, they agreed to ship out a new hotbed and print sheet. After a couple of weeks I decided to add on a new thermocouple myself after researching what type it may or may not use. Another week or two later I get notified that my hotbed had been shipped from china. 4 weeks later it turns up. Nearly two full months to get parts. With a prusa i could have just looked up the bill of materials and ordered the right thermistor. Or ordered one from one of the local non official? Prusa resellers in Australia. Or express shipped it from overseas at my cost. From most accounts I've seen, creality are even worse. One of the guys on youtube with a faulty K1 has had zero response from them at all, email, website, social media etc.
Thank you Prusa, you will be remembered. Ive had a lot of good memories with my MK3, mk3s, mk3s+.
The new era is harsh, i wouldnt be surprised if prusa went pit of business.
🫡
Awesome informative video buddy, good luck next year as a freshman you will do great 👍
I'm so torn. I'm a happy Prusa Mini user, and am looking to get a larger format printer. I was hoping the MK4 would be that printer. There's just so many downsides though. It's half baked IMO, and not as good as it could be at all, especially for the money. That said a Bambu is hard for me to consider, as I'm very much opposed to having to use Bambu's cloud to have a functional printer. That alone is nearly a dealbreaker for me. It doesn't work with Octoprint, at all, which is IMO stupid, given how flexible and awesome Octoprint is. It also feel like they are getting free use of PrusaSlicer and Slic3r's hard work without really giving back at all. Those 3 things make me very feel almost bad about considering a Bambu at all, but the features, quality, and price are appealing despite those IMO extreme negatives.
The Bambu extremely large ENCRYPTED log files is my primary deal breaker. No control of what information they leech from my computer.
very nice video. Among 3D printers up to now, which one has the best accuracy in X-Y printing?
Did the later tests use input shaping? I only saw things sliced using the standard mk4 profile, which could be an issue.
Yes, the slicer screen capture clips were recorded earlier, they released the update in the middle of the production of the video. I used new slicer profile to test the input shaping.
LETS GO!!!!! YOU GUYS GOT A SPONSER CONGRATS
Ended up canceling my Mk4 kit order that still hasn’t shipped, for the now $599 P1P from Bambu Labs. Thank you for your detailed reviews.
I love your reviews- I would love to see more resin printed related stuff here too.
I will buy a prusa instead of a chinesium printer.
I like their products, support is very good, upgradeability of your device (instead of buying a complete new one), open source 8which brings a lot to the 3D printing community, even if "others" use prusas work to build upon and then put a patent or TM on it to cash in), no "always online" drm, easy to connect with octoprint (prusas own system is still in beta as far as I know...), the only company which has put out a sustainability report and even company accident statistics (very rare)...
I proudly finance the prusa company instead of a state own chinese one.
The review is still interesting. And I still find that "first perfect layer" amazing (having a prusa mini here, so I dont know the struggle of adjusting the bed at all), which runs entirely automatic.
Firstly, congratulations on your graduation, and a really well written and delivered speech.
I found your closing remarks on the MK4 review very well thought out as well, although I half expected you to end with “Prusa’s future is TBD”.
I feel the launch of the printer rather rushed.
I understand the hardware was in development for several years. But the software side, as you also found, was clearly rushed.
I genuinely think they where caught on the back foot, and had to respond.
I understand why they stuck with the i3 style printer. As Joe said, being able to upgrade their printers, is a core value of Prusa. But it is like Ford to still provide upgrades to the Model T.
As some point, you have to move past the history in order to bring true progress.
I’m not that concerned with the single CPU though. I think that the RepRap movement has reached a level of commercialization, where the open source philosophy is seriously challenged. We see it in not only printer design and closed source printer firmware, but in printer parts like hot-end patents as well. Prusa sticking with Marlin, and heavily modifying it, gives them a niche in the market. As long as the CPU they use is designed to manage the load, it’s fine.
The slow WiFi module I think comes down to cost. Plain and simple. A replacement Einsy Rambo board for MK3 is a whopping $119! I can only fear what the cost of the new board might be.
They are challenged by the business values of prioritizing local suppliers, and supporting the local economy by assembling the printers in they own factory. It’s a valiant goal to have, and I do commend them for sticking with it. It’s like supporting local farmers by shopping at the local farmers marked, even though produce at the grocery store is cheaper.
But there’s no reason why they couldn’t create an assembly line at Printer Solid for example as well. After all, assembling the printer as close as possible to the customer, is a valiant business goal as well.
They do have a US distributor. They bought Printed Solid, which is now the US Prusa distributor. Why they don’t ship MK4’s to US customers from Printed Solid, is beyond me.
That said, I do have a MK4 kit on order. Not because I think it is a sound investment. It’s an emotional investment. I don’t expect the MK4 to be my go-to printer, like my MK3 was. These days, my go-to printer is my Voron 2.4. And I don’t expect the MK4 will change that.
One huge remark i would have is that beside the huge price, the printer looks like a garage DYI project. All those printed parts have a huge cost reduction. You have no tooling costs, no QA or very small production problems. This is insane that they actually charge you so much for the printer. The X1 in this case is a no brainer to me.
Great review. Thanks for your time and sharing this.
It does have a capacitive touchscreen, it is just not implemented in firmware yet (maybe it will, maybe it will not, but the hardware is there).
edit: okay, nevermind. It gets mentioned at the end of the video.
I think that the mk4 is the pinnacle of what a bed slinger can achieve reliably. It’s a fast and convenient workhorse, maybe the future will be core xy for prusa, scaling down the xl, but maintaining the multi tool feature, maybe they will continue using marlin, extracting the last drop of performance out 32bit controllers, or release some add on like the sonic pad from creality.
I'm quite sure the big size is necessary for toolchanging. You need space to keep them somewhere
I have a sonic pad. It certainly makes my CR6 SE run faster. I also have a BIQU Hurakan with Klipper on the Manta M4P board. Right now it's right next to me. I can't hear it at all, and it's going like CRAZY!
Eh, I don't know about that. Anycubic and Elegoo both released a klipper bedslinger with a bigger bed, reliable fast speeds and a sub $500 pricetag. I'd look into those before I did a PRUSA.
Very good and objective review. I'd like to see an update because a lot of have updated since. Most reviews are from the beginning. The software is in overall much better condition now.
Great review as usual. Where did you find that hex drawer stl? I tried looking on printables and thingiverse but couldnt find it.
I made it years ago with Tinkercad, if you like it, I will share it on Thingiverse later.
@@AuroraTech That would be great. I see a lot of models on your videos that i like but couldnt find. What's your thingiverse link?
Aurora really had to balance on this one. Great review, and a wake-up call for Prusa. However, one thing that many consider pretty important she didn't mention is that Prusa is still open source. I do see a lot of complaints out there about the closed system of the Bambu.
Don't get me wrong, I'm looking at buying one for the AMS ability and to try out some of the new features they offer. And, when the MMU3 is available I will try that after owning an MMU2S.
I currently have two MK3S+ both were assembled from kits, one with MMU2S, a Mini Clone, a couple of Tenlog DL3 Pros, an Ender 3 90-degree belt kit, and a JD Maker Magic so I've been around the block a bit.
With the Prusas, I can fix anything that goes wrong and replacement parts are readily available. Also, upgrades are available for older models as new ones come out. For me personally, these options carry a lot of weight.
What I'd like to hear about is what issues Bambu owners have had that required them to have to return the printer for service, if any.
Again, not trying to knock Bambu, just wondering. Is self-repair or upgrading possible?
Why should I want a 8 years old technology to be open? You can keep it all for you! As a gift 🎁 enjoy it!!🎉🎉🎉
@@JoseAguiloworkshops it’s not the old tech I’d rather see open, it’s new tech like Bambu.
@@printing3d722 why?
I would buy something else after seeing this review. Thanks
Prusa MK4 wifi setup is definitely cumbersome, but I've been seeing these recent Klipper-based printers using MKS boards leaving the root password as-is. People throw these on networks and immediately expose themselves. Prusa can definitely fix the wifi setup, but I'd trade that any day vs "throw it on the network" with default "root" and "makerbase" password.
An NFC interface may help with setting up as you won't need wifi or ethernet to do the initial setup that way.
How does one expose themselves by leaving the default user/pass on their 3dprinter connected to their own home wifi? Are they exposing the printer to their wife and kids now? What nonsense are you talking about.
To access the machine, you'd have to access your home network.
@@johnfaustus1 google search “default password legislation”. Look into security of iot devices which a 3D printer is IF you put it on your network.
Wow, what a thorough review.
Thanks for the good video. However: You should have mentioned the support as pro for Prusa: They have 24/7 support on line. What would one do with Bambu when something goes wrong? And things go wrong sometime. I have Prusa Mini, and their support saved me few times. However, the MK4 is not good enough as it should have been.
As always very good, detailed, and well explained videos, you are awesome!!. Regarding the prusa Mk4 I think is a very well known quality 3d printer but I personally think is not keeping up with the new technologies.
Finally a detailed and honest review of this printer and Prusa business in general. I found the comparison to Nokia on the mark.
For anyone wondering:
PLA is known for two main things, its low melting point and how it has high rigidity which is a trade off for its low impact strength. It doesn’t respond well to UV or direct sunlight and is also known to deform overtime if under constant strain. This should be used when making toys and statues due to the previous facts, and because it can come in a wide variety of colors. It is also good for indoor functional parts that won’t be exposed to sunlight or constant stress
TPU comes in a number of different hardness ratings and usually will be easier to print the higher the number, in the case of the A ratings. 98TPU will be harder than a 92TPU meaning a softer one is harder to extrude, especially if you are not using a direct drive extruder. TPU is good if you need something to absorb impact like a table corner or a door stopper
PETG is often seen as the next step after PLA and is offered by a variety of filament manufacturers as a tougher alternative to PLA. PETG doesn’t exactly excel in any specific category and while it does have better heat resistance, it still pale in comparison to ASA. It also sticks too well to most beds and can damage the surface and sticks to nozzles, plus it must be dried thoroughly before printing. It also has a high melting point which means it’s not as good for high speed printers. It is however a lot cheaper than ASA but is still more expensive than PLA and ABS. It is also a bit easier to get something watertight when compared to PLA. Has the most give and flexibility apart from TPU and it doesn’t really get clouded up when printing a translucent color like how PLA does. It also has good warp resistance. This is probably one of the best if you have an open printer or need something that can resist moderate heat, UV or sustained strain.
ABS is one of the most commonly used everyday plastics that are used in lego, automotive parts and lots more. It has a great balance of impact resistance, toughness and rigidity particularly if you use some of the new + variations. It cannot be printed without an enclosed printer and even then it's best if the enclosed area is warm. Do not use with open design printer
ASA is generally more expensive than ABS, it offers improvements in pretty much every category. First it can be printed without an enclosure, as long as there are no drafts. Second, it has even higher UV resistance. Third It has even more environmental resistance when it comes to cracking, long term heating and even chemicals. It also has less fumes while printing and has fewer shrinkage which makes it easier to get dimensions right. While ABS is widely available in many different colors, ASA is offered by fewer manufacturers in fewer colors. Most brands of ASA have a hard time sticking to any beds. It is good for things that are made to go outdoors and anything that you might want to make with ABS will be more durable, heat resistant and UV resistant. ABS is usually a better option.
ua-cam.com/video/dYPW5Rlwn8g/v-deo.html or The 5 Filament Types You Need to Know (And What They're Good For) by The Next Layer on youtube, is where I got all this information and as someone with no 3D printing experience, I may be getting some things wrong.
As much as I wanted to get the MK4, the dismal Wi-Fi capabilities are a deal breaker and have me leaning towards looking elsewhere. Thank you for the excellent review
Hi there ! how do you print the 1 layer test ? can't find anything online that works, most of them have more than 1 layer
So it's basically just for a Prusa Fanboy. Outdated specs. Nothing much. Bambu labs FTW. Thank you Bambu labs for setting a new benchmark for budget printers.
Thanks for the awesome review. It makes me want a another X1C. Prusa what happened to you? 😢
Nice video! Well done! Keep on the good work!
Minor clarification. There is no X1 (non-carbon) anymore.
The Bambu Lab printer options are the X1 carbon and the P1P.
Aurora meant to say compare it to the X1 Carbon or even the X1 Carbon combo. (With AMS).
This is a really helpful review. I have the MK3+ and was considering an upgrade. I'll be holding out for the PrusaXL or maybe just abandon my preorder and look at Bamboo Labs.
I agree with many others here, that this is a most excelllent, fair and balanced review. I personally didn't do the math and did buy the upgrade (and came to the same conclusion that I should have bought the mk4 kit) but I do like my new Mk3.9. The usablity is dramatically increased.
Also agree that Network setup and performance is a serious disappointment. Also, a perennial problem is the filament sensor which is or can become quite finnicky
12:26 oh my goodness, that material is beautiful! Tronxy? Hmm, i may have to try this...
Great technical review, sadly the conclusion doesn't consider the work done by companies like Prusa for the 3D printer ecosystem. Most of the competitors cited will take from open-source and close source their work, and dump the price. For the consumer, it will result in a performance printer at a good price, but this is also a behavior that will kill the competition, innovation, and quality in mid-term.
I hope people don't start saying that it prints a speedboatrace in 12 minutes, because it's not printed to the requirements of the challange