MK3 Experience: How has it been?  

Re: MK3 Experience: How has it been?

I also have seen the videos. The experiences seem mixed.

Did you order the stock or coated build plate? When is yours expected to ship?

Re: MK3 Experience: How has it been?

Oh course people will air their thoughts, but basically you are buying the BEST 3D printer out there!! I have one and another one on order. My son is delighted with it and so am I :). You will get #1 tech support and a company that CARES about their product! You will get up to the minute updates and of course many videos from Jo Prusa himself on how to get the perfect print.

So enjoy your new printer when it arrives and Happy Printing.

Re: MK3 Experience: How has it been?

I have three original Prusa's,

my first was a mk1, upgraded to Mk2, upgraded to MMUv1
my second is a mk3

the other is still in its box waiting for me to make time to build it.

I will wait a while to see where the revised extruder goes, and print the revised parts before building.

I also have a chinese prusa which is awaiting attention, as it's really poor build quality, and needs significant rebuilding!

regards Joan

Re: MK3 Experience: How has it been?

Not long after I'd ordered my Mk3 back in January, I started seeing the "get a refund quick" posts about the extrusion issue. I looked through the thread on GitHub but honestly didn't see anything all that dramatic. Stuck it out and finally got it at the start of April, and have been very satisfied since. Any print can look bad if you go out of your way to make it look like it. My 1st prints were unexpectedly good. They've gotten better ever since.

Still, I see the occasional "My $X00 printer prints just as well" comment. That may well be the case, but start watching some of the "build and test" videos on YouTube. The 1st thing that strikes me is the bed leveling process. Then I watch the whole "put the blue tape down" drill. After watching an experienced pro struggling with a sharp spatula, I have zero regrets and nothing but enthusiasm for Prusa products. Seeing the occasional burnt house really seals the deal. My next may be a kit, but it's almost guaranteed to be a Prusa.

Before you go making up your mind, insist on seeing the prints the Mk3 is being compared to. Ideally, the same print with the same filament under the same light.

Re: MK3 Experience: How has it been?

Purchased in May and received the MK3 at the end of June. I had a Flashforge (which functioned quite well) and I am very pleased with the MK3. The build instructions were excellent and I really enjoyed the Haribo snacks during the build. 3d printing is still a tinkerers domain so if there is an expectation that everything will just work you will be frustrated. There are a ton of modifications that can made (just search 'prusa mk3' on thingiverse). After a month of daily use I have a failed y-axis belt - I sent a note to Prusa and they are shipping a new belt. I added octoprint with octolapse and now I am capturing timelapse images of my prints. The Prusa forum is a fantastic resource that I use quite often. Regarding the dreaded overextrusion/underextrusion issues: if you print a light color (white) and shine a really bright light at the correct angle you get the unique privilege of seeing all types of imperfections in your test cube. If you take the test cube and move it 2 feet away from you in normal light, the imperfections magically disappear. I would highly recommend this printer since the build quality, customer service and community are so helpful.

Re: MK3 Experience: How has it been?

Joan, take your "Chinese Prusa" and just donate it to a school. Yes, we have had our share of 3D printers and this one tops them all! The support here alone including yourself is worth lots of $$$. 😀

But, for the moment we will have only 2 MK3 and we will await the next Prusa MK4. 😀

Re: MK3 Experience: How has it been?

Mk3 here with old build plate. Prints rock solid every time. Different PLA filaments sometimes need a little tweaking of extruder temp. My first printer, a homebuilt, had reliability issues with first layers sticking, probably due to inconsistent and variable first layer heights. The MK3 has none of this - it is just about a print-and-walk-away printer.

Re: MK3 Experience: How has it been?

Joan, take your "Chinese Prusa" and just donate it to a school. Yes, we have had our share of 3D printers and this one tops them all! The support here alone including yourself is worth lots of $$$. 😀

But, for the moment we will have only 2 MK3 and we will await the next Prusa MK4. 😀

Thanks for the hint Albert,

I think donating it to a school, is just adding another step between me and landfill....

I recently diverted a sad XYZ Davinci, from a friend to a local Hack Space, where it is living a happy life after minor heart surgery...

My chinese printer might join it!

regards Joan

Re: MK3 Experience: How has it been?

I think donating it to a school, is just adding another step between me and landfill....

I don't know anything about UK tax law or schools, however in the USA, donating to a school would:
1. Allow a tax write-off, whereas the landfill would be tantamount to putting the £/€ there directly. (The money may not matter to some; since retiring, it has become more... relevant. 🙂 )
2. Give the school a good argument for investing in something more educational/usable. 😀

Re: MK3 Experience: How has it been?

3d printing is still a tinkerers domain so if there is an expectation that everything will just work you will be frustrated.

I think that says volumes. Our own experiences have been... mixed. We got the kit partly for the experience of putting it together and learning more about the machine & technology, but mostly to print things for various projects we've had rummaging around for years/decades. [Edit] Our choice was not cavalier--we did a LOT (weeks) of consumer research before taking the plunge, and were confidant in our decision.

Since then, we've had issues with:

We remain hopeful/optimistic, but we are spending more time trying to get this thing to work the way it's supposed to than actually being able to use it to print cool/useful items. So it's been somewhat of a disappointment as well.

I sincerely hope that we've been the exception rather than the rule.

Re: MK3 Experience: How has it been?

If a 3D printer hits the landfill, shame on them. Walk into a school, and you will find things donated 50 years ago. You may be ok Joan in the UK, but here in the U.S. recycling has become a way of life. 🙂 I personally, of all the 3D items we print, goes to children who always have a smile on their face after receiving a emoji smiling 😀 It is not about $$ anymore, but to see a child smile makes 3D printing great.

We will be in NYC in September to attend the Maker Faire and to see Jo Prusa. Years ago, I really enjoyed going to a car show. Now, going to 3D show will be great.

Have a great day and happy printing 😀

Re: MK3 Experience: How has it been?

I am a tinkerer so toying with one will n0t be a problem.

Re: MK3 Experience: How has it been?

Wow, thanks for all the insights everyone. Makes me feel good the community is active. I bought The assembled with the powder coated sheet, I don't even have a shipping estimate. I originally ordered it with the MMU 2.0, but decided I would wait to see if it even works. So I cancelled that part of the order, but I may still be stuck in the delayed shipping window. So hopefully less than 7 weeks! haha. I am not as technically inclined as some (in terms of engineering) , I do work withe computers (3D modeling for VFX) so I hopefully have some nerd cred. I am coming from a Makerbot Replicator 2, which I wanted to throw down a cliff many times, so I have gotten my hands dirty from time to time. I fully expect a much better experience with the MK3. I hear people complaining about "oh my printer should work better for $1000," but that Replicator 2 was $3000 and cant even come close to what the MK3 appears to be capable of, issues and all.

Thanks, again. I've decided I am definitely not canceling my order. Can't wait!

Re: MK3 Experience: How has it been?

Brian,

When did you order?

Re: MK3 Experience: How has it been?

Ordered on July 13th

Re: MK3 Experience: How has it been?

Same here. We shoudl ship on 20-23 August.

Re: MK3 Experience: How has it been?

Mark my words. but it will be the best 1,000 you ever spent:) This MK3 is a 3D printer beyond your wildest dreams:). Yes, we ordered our 2nd 3D last week. So welcome to the family and as always Happy Printing:)

Re: MK3 Experience: How has it been?

this thing is crazy nice. seems ive just had to deal with some crazy retraction issues with the default settings. but as of now (1 week after getting the kit) it seems to be printing at .05 fine.

Re: MK3 Experience: How has it been?

Have only had my MK3 (kit build) for just over 1 month but have printed something literally every single day. Has been completely flawless. Only 1 failed print to date and that was my fault for not enabling supports in slic3r. I'm brand new to 3D printing and have been surprised at how easy it has been--all credit to Prusa and the MK3. Probably lots of headaches I can't even appreciate as a newbie given MK3 features (e.g. auto bed leveling, removable spring steel sheet etc..). I'm very happy with my purchase and in fact will be ordering another one soon. 😀