Why won't I learn?
My Prusa journey started with a MK3S+, and I loved it. Soooo much better than the ancient Ultimaker glass bed, 2.85mm filament frustration machine that I'd previously owned.
Then the MK4 came out. The upgrade kit wasn't cheap, and the small extra cost for a complete self-assembly kit seemed like the better option - after all, I'd then have two printers! But the moment I ran the first print on the MK4 I knew the MK3S+ wasn't going to get much more use, and indeed I didn't touch it again for several months. So what good is a printer you don't use? I might as well buy the upgrade kit and make it into a MK4, right? Which is what I probably should have done in the first place.
Then the MK4S came out, and since it was a relatively minor upgrade I bought the upgrade kit. So what started as a MK3S+ is now a MK4S. After assembling the MK4S upgrade I realised that the most important bits are the print cooling and the high flow nozzle, so I've bought those separately and will soon fit them to my MK4 - I'm going to call that a MK4S-.
Then the CORE One came out. The upgrade kit from the MK4S seemed like good value, so I placed an order on day 1. But I began to wonder whether it was sensible to strip down a perfectly good MK4S and build it up into a new model that may have some teething troubles, and when Prusa switched the order that the upgrade and full kits would be shipped, I changed my order to a full kit. And guess what - from the moment I ran the first print on the CORE One I knew the MK4S was going to get a lot less use! The CORE One runs beautifully, it's a bit faster, and the ability to easily reach a nice high temperature inside the chamber for ASA and ABS prints is going to make life so much easier.
So now I'm thinking I should upgrade the MK4S - what good is a printer I'm not going to use much? I wouldn't miss the view-blocking part cooling fan of the MK4S, and I'd even gain back a bit of the space taken up by the third printer by losing the enclosure around the MK4S. And of course, the parts that I used to convert that MK4 to a MK4S could be used on my other MK4 (which has an MMU3 on it). That would have saved me buying those cooling parts separately if only I'd stuck with my original decision.
Converting the MK4S is what I should have done in the first place. I kind of knew that when I first ordered, but I lost my nerve when a few problems with the assembled CORE Ones started popping up on the forum. My doubts turned out to be unfounded, and I love my CORE One. Converting my MK4S to a CORE One no longer feels like a risky move, and it will be satisfying to complete the upgrade journey for a printer that started life as a MK3S+.
Common sense and prior experience tell me I should upgrade when the CORE Two comes out, but what are the chances that I end up buying a fourth printer?
RE: Why won't I learn?
Thanks for sharing your experiences. I'm waiting for the MMU3 support for Core One before taking the plunge myself, and daily wrestling between buying a kit (for the deep understanding that experience should deliver) and a fully built up unit (so any niggling issues with my build don't become endless headaches). Until now all my printers have been the cheapest possible, ie owned by mates.
Common sense and prior experience tell me I should upgrade when the CORE Two comes out, but what are the chances that I end up buying a fourth printer?
I'm not a gambler usually, but even I'd put a dollar on it 😀
RE: Why won't I learn?
Thanks for sharing your experiences. I'm waiting for the MMU3 support for Core One before taking the plunge myself, and daily wrestling between buying a kit (for the deep understanding that experience should deliver) and a fully built up unit (so any niggling issues with my build don't become endless headaches). Until now all my printers have been the cheapest possible, ie owned by mates.
Go for the kit 🙂
I've only ever bought the kits: MK3S+, MK4, MMU3, MK4S (upgrade), CORE One. With the first one it was mostly to save a bit of money, with an awareness that I'd get to know the printer a bit better. But I enjoyed the build process, and would actively choose the kit over the assembled version now, regardless of price. If you can follow instructions, have at least a day to spare, and have a modicum of mechanical 'sympathy' (don't force things, don't over tighten screws into plastic etc), the kits are very rewarding.
RE: Why won't I learn?
@chris-hill...and so today ends, with the pendulum hard over on the kit side 🤣
RE: Why won't I learn?
I have built quite a few Prusa printers (2x MK3S+, 2x MK3.5 upgrades, MK4) and I knew that next printer would be assembled, not kit. First time building a kit was fun, but after 3 printer kits and 2 upgrades it's really not funny anymore. And also, with kit is always a risk that something will go wrong, especially the MK3 family has some design weaknesses (e.g. hotend thermistor cable breaks easily). That's why I bought Core One assembled, but unfortunately even a printer assembled by professionals at Prusa is not immune to problems*.
* On my Core One, nozzle could not be removed from heatsink (it was damaged during assembly or bad manufactured), I struggled a lot with it and even Prusa support was useless. So I disassembled half of the nextruder incl. gearbox and I pulled nozzle out by force.
I still saved a lot of time compared to kit, so it's a good choice, I think. But even with an assembled printer, you have to be prepared to solve problems.
RE: Why won't I learn?
I'm not convinced there's a clear-cut guarantee that a factory assembled printer is any better than the one you build yourself. Clearly the Prusa staff have a LOT more experience with these builds, but they must also be under quite a lot of time pressure. In my opinion, a carefully built self-assembly kit is just as likely to be built properly. And then there's the risk of damage in transit for a fully assembled printer, which for the CORE One seems like a more significant risk than for the kit.
But I fully appreciate the attraction of a factory assembled printer - if I didn't have the time to spare my opinion might be different.