Are you happy with your MK3?  

Re: Are you happy with your MK3?

Nothing but problems upon delivery of my fully assembled kit. I'm an engineer using this in a business setting, so I was hoping to get a machine with which I could reliably make prototype enclosures, etc. The marketing and premise of how they have built upon previous i3 versions ultimately led me to decide upon the purchase of this particular machine. Unfortunately, I would not recommend this product in it's current form to anyone seeking a reliable 3D printer with good customer support.

I had some initial hot-end issues, with what tech support thought were "parts not properly tight or faulty". After 5 days waiting for an email reply (and trying, to get updates via chat) I was told they would ship a new hot-end. After another 7 days it finally shipped. I installed it no problem and began first layer calibration roughly 3 weeks after I initially took delivery of the 3D printer. Tech support has always been honest, nice and helpful, though slow.

Now that I've been printing a little bit, I can definitely see the quality is lacking compared to other 3D printers. The biggest problem I've faced is Layer Shifting on almost every print. My printer has had 33 Y crashes in the short time I've had it up and running (remember this was a fully assembled unit). Tech support tells me to disable crash detection and that they are working on a firmware upgrade. It seems like this is helping with the layer shifting issue. Why advertise this feature if it doesn't work? The least Prusa could do is leave it disabled by default.

If you like tinkering with 3D printers as a hobby and don't mind paying full price to essentially be a beta tester, you might like this printer. Do not buy if you are looking for something reliable in a business / lab situation.

I hope I can update my review as new firmware gets released, print quality improves and all the feature they advertise actually work.

Prusa needs to stop releasing new features before they are ready (or call them what they are - beta / experimental) if they hope to retain customers. I was going to purchase the multi-material upgrade, but now after reading all the problems people are having with that, I would rather put that money towards a more reliable 3D printer.

Re: Are you happy with your MK3?

I decided to build my own.. Good decision as I am only the one accountable for the way this was put together..although it took some Hours..
Best hours i spent.
So far test print was spot on. Im not an expert but did post pictures
Backup from support when i Had a Question 5 Stars
Would i Recommend... Already have

What a great introduction into this amazing world and many thanks
B
London Uk

Re: Are you happy with your MK3?

Nothing but problems upon delivery of my fully assembled kit. I'm an engineer using this in a business setting,

No disrespect, but this statement always amazes me. You do understand that this product is a bleeding edge consumer unit?

Re: Are you happy with your MK3?

No disrespect, but this statement always amazes me. You do understand that this product is a bleeding edge consumer unit?

What is that supposed to mean?

Re: Are you happy with your MK3?

Nothing but problems upon delivery of my fully assembled kit. I'm an engineer using this in a business setting,

No disrespect, but this statement always amazes me. You do understand that this product is a bleeding edge consumer unit?

No Disrespect, but you do realize that even consumer products are still expected to work and have all of their advertised functions working correctly right?

Re: Are you happy with your MK3?

Nothing but problems upon delivery of my fully assembled kit. I'm an engineer using this in a business setting,

No disrespect, but this statement always amazes me. You do understand that this product is a bleeding edge consumer unit?

No Disrespect, but you do realize that even consumer products are still expected to work and have all of their advertised functions working correctly right?

Bingo- every person on this forum trying to defend this thing always misses the point- that this machine was advertised to be ready "out of box"; it was advertised with all of these cool features; it was advertised to do a lot of things, and it's FAILING at every single one for way too many people.

Bottom line it was released too early.

I have returned mine almost a month ago- and it's STILL not there according to them, and even if they get it today, it's estimated to take MONTHS to get to my inquiry- so I'm most likely going to request a refund.

Hope they sort their issues out, because they look like a fantastic company when everything is working.

Re: Are you happy with your MK3?

Three weeks with MK3 and 2kg Spools later. Running the current stable 3.1.3 firmware. Time for a small recap.

It's my second printer. MK3 is running in parallel to my MK2S. So I have a direct comparison in usability and quality.
Overall I'm pretty happy with my MK3. I keep filament sensor deactivated (was off by default). I also deactivated the collision detection. Tried stealth mode, but got X-layer shift which I can't explain. So I'm running in normal mode right now. The MK3 normal mode is even more silent then MK2S in silent mode, so I see it as an improvement anyway. The 3.1.3 firmware tends to over extrude. Had to adjust my S3D profiles. As of now I'm getting reliable good looking prints out of my MK3.

Even without all the fancy stuff, MK3 feels like a next-gen Prusa printer. I just don't want to miss the removable print bed. And I prefer to print on MK3 over MK2S now. The print quality is comparable to MK2S. If you compare MK2S + BuildTak = $699, MK3 = $749. It's not far away. Actually I didn't expected everything run smoothly out of the box, but I have a faith that this features will be usable in near future. This is a nature of cutting edge technology.

So yes, the printer is not working as advertised. Like Samsung phones with sporadic working face recognition and useless pen. But this wasn't a reason why I decided to buy this printer. So yes, I'm happy as for now. Long term usage will show which printer will be my third one ....

Re: Are you happy with your MK3?

Three weeks with MK3 and 2kg Spools later. Running the current stable 3.1.3 firmware. Time for a small recap.

It's my second printer. MK3 is running in parallel to my MK2S. So I have a direct comparison in usability and quality.
Overall I'm pretty happy with my MK3. I keep filament sensor deactivated (was off by default). I also deactivated the collision detection. Tried stealth mode, but got X-layer shift which I can't explain. So I'm running in normal mode right now. The MK3 normal mode is even more silent then MK2S in silent mode, so I see it as an improvement anyway. The 3.1.3 firmware tends to over extrude. Had to adjust my S3D profiles. As of now I'm getting reliable good looking prints out of my MK3.

Even without all the fancy stuff, MK3 feels like a next-gen Prusa printer. I just don't want to miss the removable print bed. And I prefer to print on MK3 over MK2S now. The print quality is comparable to MK2S. If you compare MK2S + BuildTak = $699, MK3 = $749. It's not far away. Actually I didn't expected everything run smoothly out of the box, but I have a faith that this features will be usable in near future. This is a nature of cutting edge technology.

So yes, the printer is not working as advertised. Like Samsung phones with sporadic working face recognition and useless pen. But this wasn't a reason why I decided to buy this printer. So yes, I'm happy as for now. Long term usage will show which printer will be my third one ....

The frame, bed and silence is pretty much all you need, long as it's prints without the artifacts other people complain about. it's well known the laser sensors and even back EMF detection used for skip detection isn't really super reliable unless it's under controlled conditions (like you'll never feed it at x speed and use glossy black filament). stall guard is good for a application where it's tuned and the parameters don't really change. a 3d printer is dynamic and configurations vary... like belt tension, rod friction and also print speeds.... belt tension and speed are the bigger ones i think. it would be acceptable if there wasn't false triggers, either ones that fail to trigger completely and legit triggers would be fine. false positives not so much since it can mess up the print on resume.

Far as "stealth mode", when the TMC2100's got popular people tested the shit out of them and stealthchop wasn't really reliable but interpolation was fine and was still very quiet. though it's probably a matter of dropping the acceleration, jerk and max speed a bit more and it might not cause shifts. i don't think it's worth it though, faster is better and its still quiet in normal so i wouldn't of even put stealth mode in at all unless people have their printers beside sleeping newborns.... which is understandable. lol.

Re: Are you happy with your MK3?

Bingo- every person on this forum trying to defend this thing always misses the point-

Firstly, don't call me Bingo 😉

Second, you missed my point. Third, you have no idea how many printers have problems and how many do not, which sort of means your opinion on whether it was released too early is based on your limited knowledge, which is probably wrong.

Re: Are you happy with your MK3?

No disrespect, but this statement always amazes me. You do understand that this product is a bleeding edge consumer unit?

I'm also an engineer using my Prusas for work. I do have access to the company's Stratasys Dimension 1200es, but I rarely use it. My MK2SMM has been a cracking workhorse over the last year and a bit, the MK2S is constantly reliable and the MK3 is great but does have slightly lower print quality. They're not just for hobbyists.

Re: Are you happy with your MK3?

Bingo- every person on this forum trying to defend this thing always misses the point-

Firstly, don't call me Bingo 😉

Second, you missed my point. Third, you have no idea how many printers have problems and how many do not, which sort of means your opinion on whether it was released too early is based on your limited knowledge, which is probably wrong.

He gave more detail than you. Since he missed the point, please tell us what your point was. All you said is that I should have known I was purchasing a "bleeding edge consumer unit". Which of course I understood. Consumer products shouldn't work? If I buy a cell phone, I shouldn't expect it's most basic functionality, to make a clear voice call, to work?

I wanted a little machine for the lab to print simple electronic enclosures "out of the box" before I send out for MJF or SLS. It may be that many people have been able to do this, however I was not one of them. Remember, this thread is called "Are you happy with your MK3", so expect anecdotal experiences - which is what I gave. I'm glad you were "amazed". It must not take much.

Re: Are you happy with your MK3?

Maybe we should start another vote that works to see what the rates of working/non working machines are. I haven't ordered a mk3 yet because of all the issues I keep hearing about. Of course, the ones that have working printers are less likely to post about it. If the voting system of this board is not working, I am sure that there are many other poll systems available.

Re: Are you happy with your MK3?

Hello Matthias,

You can find happy customer like me in this thread as-well. Just read through all the positive comments here. Pay attention to the user names. Some people are very vocal about their concerns. They are generating a lot of posts and it might look like MK3 is not usable at all.
If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to ask. You will get a pretty diverse answers so you can build your own opinion.

Re: Are you happy with your MK3?

Given some of the venom that is still evident I felt obliged to add my 2 cents ...

Am I happy with mine - mostly yes, sure there are reports of some deficiencies such as the filament sensor but since mine has been off from day one I can't comment. The silence compared to other printers is for me the best feature next to the flexible sheet, I was a little miffed not to receive the coated one but to be honest I think I'll be sticking to the one I got - which still looks as good today as it did when I built the printer up.

BUT - when I built my printer up I used very high grade rods and SKF bearings, I've also replaced the power supply with one more appropriately sized based on my own experience and measurements taken at both the PSU and the wall, simply because I don't ever want to see it maxed out and regardless of claims the PSU was getting maxed out. I don't buy bargain basement filament, my experience again is that many issues are filament and slicer related, some are just poor 'construction' by the user, I also noted that the temperature calibration isn't particularly good - especially the bed, I also replaced the nozzle cooling duct to improve airflow, I plan to replace the heat block, nozzle with nickel plated copper when the original nozzle finally reaches end of life.

What I'm not happy with is the way the sale was handled - this doesn't seem to have changed, I'm also disappointed in the reports that support demand video evidence - this is frankly BULL***T and unacceptable - but I've not encountered them so far. That said it must be difficult given the DIY nature of most builds to know whether it is a product or user issue, just how do you prove which it is. I'm not happy with Slic3rPE - it has bugs in how it slices, it leaves holes, misses layers and does some truly odd things between perimeters that are close together - I've had a number of issues with prints caused 100% by Slic3rPE - using the 'generic' slic3r and Cura proved where the problem was - no I haven't chased support or reported but I'd advise all users of Slic3rPE to eyeball each and every layer in the preview because you may not be getting out what you think.

So I'm mostly happy, I knew this wasn't a plug and play world, but would I buy Prusa again ? ... no I don't think that I would ... not until the delivery model changes, but if the delay in delivery vs when payment is taken are significantly reduced then hell yes I would. I'd only consider the current financial model of paying months in advance if I could get in on a limited beta program and the specific and dedicated support for it but not a for 'release to sale' retail product.

Re: Are you happy with your MK3?

What I'm not happy with is the way the sale was handled - this doesn't seem to have changed, I'm also disappointed in the reports that support demand video evidence - this is frankly BULL***T and unacceptable - but I've not encountered them so far.

For what it's worth, both times that I've contacted support I haven't had to provide video evidence, even with the odd Y-axis issues that I had (which were the result of a seized linear bearing and scoured smooth rod). I was working with Shane both times and he did a stellar job. I can understand that being a good first step if it's feasible, as a (moving) picture can likely give them a much better idea of the problem and can effectively remove any language barriers from the equation.

That being said, it definitely shouldn't be a requirement. Not everyone has the capabilities of recording video, and not all problems can be summed up in a 2 minute video. When my bearing seized, I would have had to take and upload a 10 minute video to effectively show exactly how it failed during calibration...during a chat session. Not feasible.

Re: Are you happy with your MK3?

He gave more detail than you. Since he missed the point, please tell us what your point was.

Sure thing. My point was (the preface first), you are using a mid range consumer device in an (engineering?) work environment. You are relying on it to do stuff in a work environment. It isn't perfect, we all agree on that. You get annoyed when it doesn't work as expected, fair enough. Nobody wants to buy a product and find it isn't working properly or not meeting your expectations.

But (here comes my point), why on earth would you buy a sub $1000 consumer machine for work, and expect plain sailing, when there are printers out there (designed to be used in a work environment) costing 10 or even 100 times more, with support contracts etc? The answer to that of course is because it is very cheap in comparison, and more often than not does a great job. But then, knowing it is what it is, why did you not buy a second, or even a third machine as backups, or at the very least buy a whole heap of spare parts?

That is my point. If you rely on a product in a work environment, you have more than one or have spare parts or have a service contract. Even without a degree I would've thought that was pretty obvious.

Re: Are you happy with your MK3?

No disrespect, but this statement always amazes me. You do understand that this product is a bleeding edge consumer unit?

I'm also an engineer using my Prusas for work. I do have access to the company's Stratasys Dimension 1200es, but I rarely use it. My MK2SMM has been a cracking workhorse over the last year and a bit, the MK2S is constantly reliable and the MK3 is great but does have slightly lower print quality. They're not just for hobbyists.

Hey, we could start a club. Never said they were just for hobbyists. It's all about (unrealistic) expectations.

Re: Are you happy with your MK3?

The attached image is why I dislike my MK3. The part on the left is the MK3, the part on the right the MK2. Same part, same filament, same layer height. The problem that can't be seen is the MK3 failed on this print about 50% of the way through. The hot end suffered heat creep and jammed the filament in the radiator. This thermal behavior has been evident in every material I have used so far. It seems the cooling fan can't keep up with the higher temperatures used in the Prusa profiles to keep up with the higher speed. I tried a titanium heat brake and better thermal grease with little effect. It wasn't until I decreased the temperatures that I was able to get other materials to work. PLA still jams though. With only 5 VDC available for the fan, I don't know what my solution will be.

The Prusa MK3 isn't cutting edge - no feature on the MK3 is new to 3D printers, just to Prusa. My oldest printer has every feature the MK3 has except the Triaminic drivers, consistently produces better prints, is highly reliable, and has features the Prusa doesn't. Its only drawback is a smaller working volume. I got it four years ago. I have no idea why the MK3 is so unreliable.

Re: Are you happy with your MK3?

I get exactly the same output from my MK3 and MK2SMM as shown in Ben's photos above.

I like the MK3, I love the heatbed, but the print quality is a step backwards and I don't know how to fix it.

Re: Are you happy with your MK3?

I am very happy with my MK3. I was pissed off for about 2 months while I waited for it to arrive, but now that I have it, I am very happy with it. I do not have the inconsistent extrusion issues. My printer is making damn near flawless prints.

Justin