Creality vs. Prusa  

RE: Creality vs. Prusa

Charles you are NOT alone on this!  Creality is nothing but JUNK!!   I brought one   a year ago and it was nothing but PROBLEMS for me.    I found out that PRISA is the 3D printer for me and all the others do not compare to a Prusa!

RE: Creality vs. Prusa

I have two Creality printers.  I would not exactly call them junk, but I do think they have a larger leaning curve.  

RE: Creality vs. Prusa

Sorry Charles, I used the wrong word here.  Yes, you are correct that it has a large learning curve for me out of the box. I had a CR Pro version and it was defective out of the box.  The screws on the bottom were gone making the top unable to attach to the base.  That was a 2 month ordeal and I finally  said enough is enough and took another 6weeks to get an address to return to.   I should of ordered from Amazon and not having ordered direct from Creality.  Lesson learned here.  

RE: Creality vs. Prusa

Posted by: @bigalky

Sorry Charles, I used the wrong word here.  Yes, you are correct that it has a large learning curve for me out of the box. I had a CR Pro version and it was defective out of the box.  The screws on the bottom were gone making the top unable to attach to the base.  That was a 2 month ordeal and I finally  said enough is enough and took another 6weeks to get an address to return to.   I should of ordered from Amazon and not having ordered direct from Creality.  Lesson learned here.  

I had the same issue with both the ender and CR-10 pro.  Both had to be replaced. M

RE: Creality vs. Prusa

I have a creality and a Prusa..

While I prefer to use my Prusa, the creality is not Junk and does perfectly nice prints - plus it's much bigger. I've done some upgrades for fun, but even stock it wasn't junk.  As with everything, it's always possible to get a lemon - my first one was sent back for a busted bed but the next one so far has performed well (knock on wood). 

RE: Creality vs. Prusa

Posted by: @charles-h13

Posted by: @bigalky

Sorry Charles, I used the wrong word here.  Yes, you are correct that it has a large learning curve for me out of the box. I had a CR Pro version and it was defective out of the box.  The screws on the bottom were gone making the top unable to attach to the base.  That was a 2 month ordeal and I finally  said enough is enough and took another 6weeks to get an address to return to.   I should of ordered from Amazon and not having ordered direct from Creality.  Lesson learned here.  

I had the same issue with both the ender and CR-10 pro.  Both had to be replaced. M

At least you were able to get them returned or replaced.  Prusa is a challenge for either.

RE: Creality vs. Prusa

No issues getting a warped bed or faulty LCD panel replaced by Prusa under warranty.

RE: Creality vs. Prusa

The entire printer...  not sure I've read of anyone successfully returning a MKx for a refund; and most certainly no one with MMUs that have posted here.

RE: Creality vs. Prusa

@charles-h13 I totally understand that. I use PayPal and to this day, they have been perfect with me if I had a defective product.  Everyone at Prusa has been GREAT.  Their support team has been the GREATEST!  Prusa has my business and loyalty to them:). 

RE: Creality vs. Prusa

Anecdotal evidence;

I bought an MK3 a little over a year ago. A friend bought an Ender 3 a few months ago. They seem to have had a lot more difficulty getting the Ender 3 to work well consistently. 

RE: Creality vs. Prusa

I own both an MK3S and an Ender 3. Naturally the Ender requires a lot more tinkering and configuration, because it lacks all the sensors, etc. But the print results per se are great and I see hardly any difference in quality between my Prusa and the Ender. I was shocked, but that's what it is so far. For a 170 EUR device the Ender 3 does great, but I still prefer the Prusa for obvious reasons.

I must admit my print hours are limited on the Ender.

RE: Creality vs. Prusa

And of course, post something negative against brand Y in a brand X forum and guess what happens: It's a BANDWAGON!

RE: Creality vs. Prusa

@wieman01

The old saying You get what you pay for". But knowing about 3D Printers now, the lower cost 3Ds can not compete with a higher print 3D a Prusa:) . Even if the  Ender had the same setup, Prusa would win hands down due to their vast knowledge of 3Ds and of  course Jo Prusa:). Look at Lutzbot, in a matter of a 2 months, they went from 119 to 22 employees.  There will be no buyers  as I believe Prusa would NOT try to buy them as well.  Prusa is quite happy in CZ. 

RE: Creality vs. Prusa

Posted by: @bigalky

@wieman01

The old saying You get what you pay for". But knowing about 3D Printers now, the lower cost 3Ds can not compete with a higher print 3D a Prusa:) . Even if the  Ender had the same setup, Prusa would win hands down due to their vast knowledge of 3Ds and of  course Jo Prusa:). Look at Lutzbot, in a matter of a 2 months, they went from 119 to 22 employees.  There will be no buyers  as I believe Prusa would NOT try to buy them as well.  Prusa is quite happy in CZ. 

And Prusa can go from $75M in sales to $75k just as quickly as Lutzbot did. 

RE: Creality vs. Prusa

@tim-m30

Lulzbot has price themselves out of the market in my opinion.  

RE: Creality vs. Prusa

Posted by: @charles-h13

[...] Lulzbot has price themselves out of the market in my opinion.  

Back in 2018 when I decided to finally buy a 3D printer, I was fully expecting to spend close to $2,500. I look at the Lulzbot printers and the others. The Make shootouts convinced me to buy the Prusa Mk3. I hate to see Lulzbot go, but they never really seemed to explain their value proposition. They, like Ultimaker, have a reputation for printers that are workhorses, but outwardly the Taz series looks like a slightly larger Prusa Mk2. They seem stuck in the past. Ultimaker is a bit easier to understand, but also looks a lot like older generation machines. I'm sure Lulzbot and Ultimaker are fantastic machines, but they're not differentiating themselves as much as they probably need to.

I'm surprised FlashForge, Qidi and some of the other $500-$1000 machines are still around. Big oversized not-fully-enclosed cabinets and tiny 140x140x140 build areas are definite relics. FF has a good reputation for being able to print reliably, but with zero tinker capability and no bright prospects for anything exciting in the future. Super for a 1st PLA-only printer perhaps.

Prusa, for all its annoyances, does seem to be forward-looking and innovating. There's always something on the horizon. That may not be what a company needs or wants, but it's invigorating for the consumer market. Jo Prusa seems to be keeping his finger on the community pulse, putting out what people want without engaging in the race-to-the-bottom pricing wars. I'm on-board with the strategy for now, but it will be a challenge to continue to provide quality support along with massive growth. I'm willing to give Prusa a shot at a higher price than the low-end machines knowing I've got support and consistency. 

RE: Creality vs. Prusa

@bobstro

That is 100% true.  I think companies build on a hobby need to have their finger on the pulse of the community.  I know many of us print to make some cash, but it truly is a hobby.  

RE: Creality vs. Prusa

What will be a challenge is the price erosion that we have been seeing over the last ten years and will continue to challenge Prusa and all the other makers out there. Who knows, maybe the Prusa Mini is an answer to this. But I have seen this is other markets and sooner or later only forward-looking and research-focused companies survive. In that regard I think Prusa is in good shape and will be one of the survivors. There are others that have more doubtful strategies.

The cost pressure is there and I am curious to see how Prusa will respond to and deal with it in the future as they grow their market share (in whatever segment they decide to be a player).

RE: Creality vs. Prusa

I concur.  I think Prusa will be one of the survivors.  I know this will bother some folks, but I compare Prusa to Apple.  They have an incredible support network and they produce a reliable and quality product.  That combination keeps customers lining up.