On the fence
I am a proud owner of Taz 4 and have been printing for ~5 years now. I’m no expert but not green either. I’ve been really impressed with the Prusa printers and am considering buying an MK3S kit. I’m trying to get a sense of (a) is it worth it and (b) how much will I need to learn/relearn. (Honestly though I’m pretty sure A is yes and B is what it’s all about anyway. That’s the fun). Guess I’m trying to gauge how much skills and/or parts are transferable. I know the filament size is different so there’s that. I use openscad mostly for modeling but that’s upstream. I mainly use Cura as the slicer which I’m sure I can use for prusa but I believe the recommendation is to use Prusas custom slicr. I use octoprint to control and monitor. What am I missing? Has anyone made the leap from Taz to MKs? What’s been your experience?
RE: On the fence
Hi Mike,
as a seasoned printer you should find the switch easy.
design workstream is pretty much the same
slicers ... every one has a favourite... many folk use Cura with the Mk3.
Prusa slicer 2.1 has some nice features, give it a try!
Joan
I try to make safe suggestions,You should understand the context and ensure you are happy that they are safe before attempting to apply my suggestions, what you do, is YOUR responsibility. Location Halifax UK
RE: On the fence
There are also Prusa configuration files available for Cura. That makes the transition a bit easier.
The only thing I use Cura now is for tree supports. It is nice to have a variety of tools available.
RE: On the fence
Hi Mike,
I have both a TAZ5 and a MK3S with the MMU2S. The TAZ is a very capable printer and unless there is something you want to do that it can't then there isn't much reason to buy another printer. I bought the MK3S due to its ability to do multi-color prints that you can't do on the TAZ. (Plus, I just wanted to buy a new printer).
The MK3 has a lot of nice to have features such as mesh bed leveling, power panic, removable build sheets and the filament sensor. But in reality they are a nice to have feature and some of those features may still need a little work.
Prusa Slicer is easy to learn so that shouldn't be reason to not to get a MK3S. I use Cura LE for the TAZ and Prusa Slicer for the MK3s/MMU2. Octoprint is easy to setup for the MK3S and Prusa slicer can send gcode to Octoprint just like Cura.
Overall buying the MK3S with the MMU2 has been a positive experience for me. It took some time to work out the kinks with the MMU and color printing but I have it dialed in and working well now. I was worried about the TAZ sitting idle collecting dust after I started using the MK3 but that didn't happen. The TAZ5 is still busy.
Regards,
Bruce (K7ZPJ on the Lulzbot forum)
RE: On the fence
@bruce-p4
Thanks for the feedback. I fear It’s a little bit of “the grass is always greener” type thing and that as you said there really isn’t a substantial reason. This forum post is part self-convincing and part getting to know community (forum lulzbot is a great resource and fun).
I think my primary reasons are:
- it’s something new. I’ve had my Taz for 5 years now. Still capable machine but hey it’s a comfy old shoe at this point
- - I enjoy 3D printing but my experience has been limited to the Taz 4. Having never even tried another printer I’m curious
- auto level!
- finer 1.75 filament prints
- Faster and quieter prints
I’m intrigued by removable build sheets and the filament sensor but don’t fully appreciate the benefits of these features yet
Anyway - as with all hobbies Better clubs don’t make you a better player But they still call to you
Thanks again!
RE: On the fence
I've used my filament sensor a few times ... but it is usually OFF. Too many false alarms when it is enabled. The MK3S supposedly fixed many of the failings, but I read a lot of posts here and there is a background hum the MK3S sensor still has its issues.
Removable sheets are useful. But I've been using the same side of one for years... a new sheet is waiting, but still don't "need it" ... lol.
Faster might be relative. If you think you are getting 200 mm/s print speeds, the truth is closer to 60 mm/s and less. The MK3 can lay down infill pretty fast, but 200 mm/s ? Consider that non-print moves are set by Prusa to 180 mm/s ... so why they allow 200 mm/s for a print speed makes me wonder.
But I understand seeing those new shoes in the window.