[Closed] I3 MK3 or Ultimaker 2+  

Re: I3 MK3 or Ultimaker 2+

which one is faster?

i cant tell if this is even a serious question, since you can buy like.. 3 mk3 kits for the price of one ultimaker, which makes you print like indefinitely faster if you have 3 machines running at the same time. and you do not mod a ultimaker a lot, there just very tiny things you could even add to one.

i would still go for the mk3, just for the modability alone. i dare to say it might even be more reliable than a ultimaker. seriously.. if you consider a ultimaker, better buy 3 mk3´s for that money before you give ultimaker any dosh. you get much more bang for your buck. ultimaker kinda turned into the "apple of 3d printing".

Re: I3 MK3 or Ultimaker 2+

An Ultimaker 2, with enough use that the owner will let it go for under a thousand. Or a brand new MK3?
Ultimaker does seem to be the “standard” against which other printers claim to be better/faster/cheaper.

I’d have to see the Ultimaker’s condition, but I suspect you’d want/need to make enough maintenance replacements that the deal isn’t so good as you think. Might want to factor a $225 maintenance kit into your decision.

Being focused on professionals, I think you’d also find less community support for the Ultimaker than the Prusa. I mean they train service technicians to go out and charge you for help, whereas the Prusa community , (and wider RepRap) support each other with how-to’s, YouTube and so on.

But you’re asking in the MK3 forum... might be a question better asked in Reddit or Thingiverse’s forums.

Re: I3 MK3 or Ultimaker 2+

Hi Martin/Joe,

The Ultimaker is second hand at about half the normal price, hence the question. I could not afford one at full price!

I have currently borrowed a I3 Mk2 from a friend and like it, but have never tried the Mk3 or the Ultimaker so cant comment on them, which is why I am asking you guys because of your experience as some of you may have used the Ultimaker. I know that being on this forum you may be Prusa biased, I will just have to rely on you giving an honest opinion on that one.

It would be great if Prusa did a duel hot end as then I would definately go Prusa! A duel hot end would be an alternative to the Ultimaker 3 which would realy be a positive for Prusa.

Thanks for your replys guys, they are appreciated.

M

Re: I3 MK3 or Ultimaker 2+

Hi Martin/Joe,

The Ultimaker is second hand at about half the normal price, hence the question. I could not afford one at full price!

I have currently borrowed a I3 Mk2 from a friend and like it, but have never tried the Mk3 or the Ultimaker so cant comment on them, which is why I am asking you guys because of your experience as some of you may have used the Ultimaker. I know that being on this forum you may be Prusa biased, I will just have to rely on you giving an honest opinion on that one.

It would be great if Prusa did a duel hot end as then I would definately go Prusa! A duel hot end would be an alternative to the Ultimaker 3 which would realy be a positive for Prusa.

Thanks for your replys guys, they are appreciated.

M

For the same amount of $$ I'd take the Ultimaker all day long, if nothing else but for resale value. I'd be willing to guess that the Ultimaker is a little tighter tolerance wise than the Prusa would be and would likely be a higher end build overall, kind of like a Lexus vs Honda type of a thing. Both are damned fine cars the Lexus is just a higher end build. If I can get a Lexus for the price of a Honda it's a no brainer but if I have to pay full price for a Lexus vs 2 Honda's for the same price...

Edit: you may also want to factor in the wait for a MK3 vs the immediate gratification of having the Ultimaker right away...

Re: I3 MK3 or Ultimaker 2+

Also factor in the fact that the MK3 still has glaring issues we are working through that the Ultimaker may not have. Right now the MK3 is definitely a hobbyist printer, hobby being getting the thing up to what everyone expected it to be. 😉

Re: I3 MK3 or Ultimaker 2+

Guys I really do appreciate your input.

Other opinions welcome.

Many thanks.

Mick

Re: I3 MK3 or Ultimaker 2+

As an owner of both:

The MK3 is an infinitely nicer machine to actually print with. The smarts that it has, even with the semi-beta firmware that we're dealt with currently, is miles above what the UM2+ offers. Not only do you get fast speeds and high quality on the MK3, you even get a direct drive extruder which is just infinitely more flexible than a bowden style printer. Prusa has really done a great job shoring up the downsides of that particular style of printer.

The UM2+ was definitely the gold standard until the MK3 arrived. It's also got a great look, for those that care about such things. But in the end, a MK3 is gonna be more fun to play and work with.

That said, I would trust the UM2+ to last longer. It's a tested platform with a very rigid build. They use very high quality parts. So if you're going to be using this for a business, every day, constantly printing, the UM2+ will likely last you longer. But for a hobbyist, they'll both last you longer than you'll need.

Re: I3 MK3 or Ultimaker 2+

For what its worth i did alot of research before my purchase(6 months or so of reading up online all material i could find). Still waiting for my mk3 to ship. I decided on the Prusa i3 for one main reason, its ability to print higher temp materials out of the box.

I want to eventually be printing nylon and PC(my focus is on usable parts not art type printing) and to do so wanted a hotend temp up to 300C, which Prusa provides. The ultimaker 2+ maxes out at 260c if i recall right, which may be low for some of the nylon and PC filaments. I wanted the extra headroom to be safe printing pretty much any material. From what i understand when i looked into it alot of the ultimakers 2+'s hotend needed to be replaced to go above 260C. Something to keep in mind if printing hotter materials.

Re: I3 MK3 or Ultimaker 2+

You will definitely get more pro MK3 posts here :). Place the same question in UM2 forum and compare the results 😉

As an MK2/MK2S long term user I can tell, there are a lot of things you have to learn about the printer itself, slicing, different filaments. But this should apply to most consumer 3D printer right now.
The biggest advantages of MK3 are:
* E3v6 hotend with direct drive gear. It can handle by design a huge variety of filaments
* Removable PEI sheet. Especially if you plan to print a lot of small parts at the same time, you will love it.
* Inexpensive and easy to get replacement parts

So yes, MK2/MK3 requires maintenance from time to time, but it's reliable. I was able to print every filament I bought after tweaking the Slicer settings.
Would I prefer UM3+ for the price of MK3? Most likely yes. Just because it looks a lot more sexy. 🙂

Re: I3 MK3 or Ultimaker 2+

Review support for the device, software, firmware and hardware. How long will they support the 2+ over the End of Life for the 3 and 3+. Prusa MK3 is current and support will be strong for awhile.

Re: I3 MK3 or Ultimaker 2+

This is great information and I thank you all for taking the time to post.

Please keep adding the comments, this is a very interesting read!

Regards

Mick

Re: I3 MK3 or Ultimaker 2+

I would recommend checking the forums for the Ultimaker as that printer will be probably be past support time frame, so you would be relying on the people/forum for most help if any issue came up on it. As for a dual extruder that is not an easy to solve feature for a new person to solve issues on, if you run in to any. I have worked/fixed both types of printers and I have found the Ultimaker a little harder to find some repair parts for that are reasonably affordable for some people.

Re: I3 MK3 or Ultimaker 2+

The honest answer is neither at this point.

Both printers exhibit a unique set of substandard, dealbreaking design elements.

Let me reiterate: dealbreakers.

If you have not assembled your own personal list of dealbreakers, you have failed in your research.

Re: I3 MK3 or Ultimaker 2+

The honest answer is neither at this point.

Both printers exhibit a unique set of substandard, dealbreaking design elements.

Let me reiterate: dealbreakers.

If you have not assembled your own personal list of dealbreakers, you have failed in your research.

Man, if both of these printers are dealbreakers, I can't think of a single consumer printer that wouldn't be. Standards too high?

Re: I3 MK3 or Ultimaker 2+

Review support for the device, software, firmware and hardware. How long will they support the 2+ over the End of Life for the 3 and 3+. Prusa MK3 is current and support will be strong for awhile.

Don't get me wrong, I've been eyeing the Ultimaker 3+ for the dual extruder especially with the perceived issues with the MMU. I ordered and then cancelled a MK3 MMU because of the unknowns.
There are some resent posts that talk about MMU prints with NO Problem. No I'm not rich and can readily afford to shell out $4K plus for a Ultimaker 3+. I'm looking at how many bar nights I can spend at home to justify the cost... lol.

Re: I3 MK3 or Ultimaker 2+

The question from OP is used UM2+ vs new i3 MK3. I assume that it's a single head because dual extrusion is officially not supported by UM.

Actually you can't do something wrong here. Both machines are good and it's up to your personal preference which "dealbreakers" matters more to you.

Re: I3 MK3 or Ultimaker 2+

The honest answer is neither at this point.

Both printers exhibit a unique set of substandard, dealbreaking design elements.

Let me reiterate: dealbreakers.

If you have not assembled your own personal list of dealbreakers, you have failed in your research.

Please, enlighten the poor, sad masses who cannot see your "substandard, dealbreaking design elements", LOL.

Re: I3 MK3 or Ultimaker 2+

The honest answer is neither at this point.

Both printers exhibit a unique set of substandard, dealbreaking design elements.

Let me reiterate: dealbreakers.

If you have not assembled your own personal list of dealbreakers, you have failed in your research.

Please, enlighten the poor, sad masses who cannot see your "substandard, dealbreaking design elements", LOL.

Before we all go down this path again and derail this thread with angst, go do a search for the "Bait and switch" thread. Every argument against the MK3 is there if you're interested in the details.

Re: I3 MK3 or Ultimaker 2+

There is a comming Multi-Filament for the Mk3. It's already out for the Mk2, if you look it up. It is still only a single extruder nozzle, but it can print up to 4 different filaments, rather than just 2.

How much warranty would be left on the Ultimaker? I am not against buying stuff used, but... If it's out of warranty, how much would it cost to "refurbish" it to "new" quality. Now, here is the kicker. The Ultimaker and Mk3, are *VERY* comparable in quality when new? I don't know how many hours are on it, or anything like that, so I can't begin to assume what it would cost to replace/repair the mechanical, and electrical? I used to work with industrial CNC so I know very well, what to look for when buying heavy machines.

But depending on how many hours are on it, in a worst case you could start seeing fatigue in the drivers, "wire wear" in the electrical, or even in the motors. Depending on the automated oiling system. (oh, right, there's no 3D printer I know of that has this) I would assume how long it has been running in such a state. (no lubrication) I have no idea about the Ultimaker myself, and it's costs. Given the main driver board is proprietary, if anything happens/fails on it, I would guess you would be looking at 500$+.

Here's the kicker though, to replace the mk3's entire mechinal system, and the core electrical system. (motors/rods/bearings/einsy) I would guess you could do it for under 400$, with many "upgrades" included in that price.

I have no idea which one you should get as, like I said, I am not familiar with the ultimaker. I have never looked at the higher-end brands due to price. However watching youtube videos and watching these forums, and having a cheap printer of my own... 75% of the battle is your "profiles". 25% is the printer.

I can print stuff that looks better than some people on youtube, using 3000$ printers... using a 160$ delta. At the same time, I've seen stuff from 3000$ priners that will blow your mind, in terms of quality!

Now, I will say, the best looking print I have ever seen, I can't recall where I saw it, was someone on here printing a benchy, on their Mk3... But does that mean that if he was using a Ultimaker using his mastery of printers, it would have looked worse? or better?

Get what you want. Chances are if it's your first printer, you are months and possibly years from mastery of tuning the profiles, and the chances of a large differnce would be VERY small. If I recall right, Josef posted somewhere that with tweaks, he had travel speeds hit around 300mm/s.

But as I tell most of my friends buying cars.
It's not what others think. It's what you like.
I like tiny 2 seat cars that can almost fit under a semi. Most americans prefer Pickup trucks, that are fit for hauling 20 tons of cargo... as their daily driver (at least where I live).
Does that mean I should buy a semi-truck, to have a better truck than most? I don't even like trucks! How does that make sense? Shouldn't I just get a small coupe?

You do have the questions right though.
SPEED == It's about equal from what I can find. Similar max travel, and similar max flow.
and
QUALITY == Both of them print with exceedingly high quality.

You didn't ask this, but this is where the tie-breaker could be.

1. MK3 is still rough around the edges and plagued with issues. Linear advance anyone?
2. Modability. Searching "i3 mk3" on Thingiverse gave me 355 results. The printer is only ~4 months old. Searching "Ultimaker" had 1470... The Ultimakers are over 4 years old, with only 4x more things. This is a great example of the level of support the Mk3 already has with community support.
3. Community support. As mentioned numeruous times before me. No community beats the i3 family.
4. Customer support. I am unsure of of Ultimaker's support, or how long they offer support, for their products, I would inquire about this. This could be totally catastrophic regarding buying one. (It could also be a high point)

Ok, enough rambling. :p