How many were shipped  

RE:

Neither do we know how many were shipped, nor do we know what percentage of the users who encounter problems show up here on the forum. (Rather than either accepting the issue, e.g. in the case of VFAs, or contacting support straight away.) So I don't think we have any basis to estimate the percentage of problematic printers or shipments.

RE: How many were shipped

I too would really love to know some numbers of units shipped vs units with issues at this point. Or at least a percentage of sorts.
I've assembled the mk3s kit back in the days which, albeit interesting, isn't an experience I wish to redo and thus really -really- don't want to receive a €1,3K paperweight.

Maybe it was naïve of me, but I bought it based on the Prusa website's statements:
- "the CORE One offers exceptional reliability with minimal maintenance."
- "10 minutes from unpacking to first print."
- "Equipped with advanced sensors for hassle-free printing, the CORE One is a true “start and forget” machine."
- "maintenance is still simple, and if you need to replace a worn part in a couple of years, it’s a complete no-brainer."

So one month in and I've read about clogs due to breaking filament (despite nextruder supposedly being able to deal with all kinds of filament?), a skewed gantry, ungreased lead screws... and the fix support seems to give in the majorty of issues is 'adjust belt tension'.
I know there's gonna be maintenance on a 3d printer but from threads/comments in here it's like some units were shipped without any testing or QC at all.
Just assembled and shipped to make delivery dates.

Someone tell me I'm paranoid, that I'm overthinking things, that's it's gonna be all right and I won't get shipped a €1,3K paperweight.

RE: How many were shipped

For some people it's really not good if they read too much in forums and drive themselves and others crazy.

I think 1000 printers leave the Prusa factory every day.
Now 5 of them show up in 14 days with transportation damage and it's best not to buy any more printers.

RE: How many were shipped

One thing to remember as with most things, the majority of what you'll hear are going to be the people with issues big and small. Those that don't have any issues don't tend to post much about it as they are most likely just enjoying their printers. This tends to be especially true with forums geared towards support (like this one).

I'm not saying everything is perfect, however things should be taken in context of the (relatively small) number of posts with issues and (relatively small) number of people with issues. If there were major issues, we'd be hearing a lot more about them not only on this forum but all over social media and possibly news sites.

RE: How many were shipped

Unboxing to print in 10 mins, absolutely true.

Packaging is good quality, surprisingly heavy.  My package to the UK had a small puncture to the outer carton, but not a mark on the unit. I think Prusa did a great job of protecting the units, it's all down to the couriers.

I swapped to a 0.4 standard flow Obxidian after 24hrs printing.  That took 3-4 minutes.  No further changes and I'm back working with abrasive materials.

There are some issues with nozzle cleaning on PETG, others have commented in more detail about this.  There are bugs in the UI and noise issues, but I'm going to order more - even before these issues are fixed.  I think it's going to become a vintage Prusa printer after a little maturing.  

Now I appreciate the space-saving and greater degree of integration (lighting, fans etc...) I plan on ordering more, it's also convinced me to buy the XL.

RE: How many were shipped

All I can say is that a LOT of us, have more than one Prusa... 
I got my first, in 2015. 
I still have it, and it still works...
I currently have three other Prusa's all operational. 
I only ever bought one, non Prusa Printer (After getting my first prusa working. the non prusa printer was a nightmare...)
Please be aware that the majority of posts on here, are from the minority of users who have had problems. 
some problems, are actually own goals, for instance, if you don't keep your build plate clean, eventually you will get a 'Blob of doom!' this is when a print loses adhesion to the build plate, and gets dragged around the build plate by th nozzle, which continues to feed more molten filament into the failed print, causing the molten filament to engulf the extruder hot end... (It's sort of a right of passage... ) and a firm reminder to make sure your build plate is clean and appropriate. 
another common issue, is forgetting which filament you are using, I recently thought I had RED PLA in the printer, and it wasn't printing well... it turns out, that ASA filament doesn't work well at PLA temperatures... Similarly, some people print on the wrong build plate types, PETG and TPU for example, bond REALLY WELL to smooth PEI. so much so, that you can damage your smooth build plate when trying to remove the stuck, prints...    dribbling some Isopropyl Alcohol, around the base of a stuck print, can help you 'ease the print gently off your build plate' without damage.
Prusa have a series of 'Knowledge base' articles on all sorts of subjects. which can often help you resolve issues that you are encountering.
some issues are due to components that fail...  Prusa have usually been good at identifying issues and replacing parts where needed. 
Prusa man an on line CHAT service which appears to be 24/7/363...   I believe they get Christmas day and new years day off...
Other suppliers seem to have differently described printers on the market as if you need to buy a complete new printer if you want different functionality 
My oldest printer had 4 upgrades and is still in service, my next oldest printer has had 5 upgrades and is still in service my third oldest printer, is, I think pretty much stock, apart from the extruder which I changed from Prusa mk3S to a 'Zorbiter'  geared extruder with a Phaetus Dragon hot end...  and My SL1 printer is now an SL1S having had one upgrade
only one upgrade was a 'Must do' upgrade  (Mk3, to Mk3S to work with the MMU2 (the Mk3 filament sensor was not good with certain filament colours and types,) and Prusa supplied the upgrade free of charge)
My SL1 was one of the very first models, and when the SL1S upgrade came out, it was apparent that the original controller board was not compatible with the upgrade, so Prusa sent m a replacement free of charge

All of my printers have had firmware upgrades whilst I have owned them. each upgrade adds functionality or improves ease of use...  

Many community prusa users, develop different parts and process to help improve the printer experience, for instance my Mk2 printer with MMU1, is using a non prusa fan shroud, because I think it works better. Similarly My Mk3.9 with MMU3 and enclosure is set up, with a couple of Non Prusa parts... because it suits me better that way
for example prusa supply a temperature and humidity sensor for the enclosure

I found it difficult to read  so I sorted a different one

its on a hinged mounting and folds out of the way inside the enclosure if you want more access to the printer.
Prusa operate within the European Common Market, paying employees a reasonable wage, some manufacturers don't seem to do that...
But at the end of the day, your experience and expectations will guide your decisions. 

Happy printing, Joan

RE: How many were shipped

Nice humidity monitor.  Where did you get that and your mount for it?

RE: How many were shipped

Posted by: @rainer-2

I think 1000 printers leave the Prusa factory every day.
Now 5 of them show up in 14 days with transportation damage and it's best not to buy any more printers.

It's closer to 500 per workday, I think -- Prusa states "over 10 000 per month". Which is still a very impressive number.  It also means that each manufacturing technician probably has to assemble between two and three printers per day, given the total workforce of 900 and assuming a typical split between functions. So those guys can't be extra-diligent to double-check everything and e.g. make up for excessive tolerances in the design. 

I am less concerned about the occasional shipping damage. And even about the occasional "oops, forgot to grease those lead screws", if that should be behind the Z drive issues which several users have reported. Also, I can tolerate some firmware glitches in new functionality, like the door switch letting the firmware crash if actuated at the wrong time, or the XY calibration not detecting the end stops reliably -- all those can and certainly will be fixed.

But I am rather disappointed about Prusa's decision to rush the Core One out of the door with what must have been known design issues:

The XL required calibrated phase stepping in order to reach good LFA and noise performance. So why would they ship the Core One without that capability in the firmware, and without the accelerometer that is required to use it? And why would they just shrug off a skewed gantry and apparently tell users to adjust for asymmetrical belt tension instead? (Violating not only their own specs and instructions, but also bringing the input shaper out of whack -- without the ability to recalibrate it because again, they skimped on the accelerometer.)

Those appear like conscious management decisions, which prioritized time-to-market and cost cutting over quality. Poor decisions at a time where quality (of products and support) is the main differentiator that remains for Prusa, I think.

RE:

It's best to buy a Bambulab.  But I'll give you a tip, don't read any forums or watch videos beforehand.

It's best not to buy anything at all. It could be that you get a faulty product.

You are claiming something about a design fault without knowing the exact background.
Or the person who suspected it.

RE:

Posted by: @rainer-2

It's best to buy a Bambulab.  But I'll give you a tip, don't read any forums or watch videos beforehand.

It's best not to buy anything at all. It could be that you get a faulty product.

You are claiming something about a design fault without knowing the exact background.
Or the person who suspected it.

I don't want to buy a Bambu Lab printer because I don't trust their buiness model. But frankly, I believe Bambu Lab are doing a better job at perfecting their designs for a stable product launch. They got burned once with their A1 heatbed supply cable and have learned from that. I am saddened to see that Prusa does not seem to have learned from their many bumpy product launches. 

Regarding the "claimed" design faults, Prusa has already stated that phase stepping calibration is planned for the Core One but they did not get it done in time. And I am willing to bet some money that we will see a "skewed gantry fix" sooner or later -- although they may not advertise it widely, since retrofitting it in compromised printers already in the field might be costly. Maybe they will just quetly tighten the tolerances in production of new printers and arrange for factory rework with those customers who complain loudly enough; maybe they will provide some shims or similar workaround for self-repair in the field? 

EDIT: It would be so easy for Prusa to avoid such "speculations" by providing some updates, e.g. here on the forum. But for whatever reason they prefer no to do that.

RE: How many were shipped

Have a look at a Bambulab forum.
There you can see how sophisticated the printers are and how many hardware revisions there are.
With prusa I can at least upgrade the hardware later if I want to.
I dare say that no Prusa printer was really finished at the beginning.

I have confidence that a Prusa will get better and better over time. The printer is refined over the years.

What did you have to listen to with the MK4 that it didn't have an Accerolomter
And yet it prints better than most printers that have one.
And when I check today, I get almost exactly the original values.
Who was right now? Most of the printers with which it was compared 2 years ago now have at least one successor, and the old one is no longer even supported.
There is nothing more to say.
It is what it is.

RE: How many were shipped

I agree my MK4 prints better than even my XL, and in all fairness way better than the MK3 as far as print quality goes. I can print cylindrical items on my MK4 that have almost no visual imperfections, while my MK3 can also print good cylinders you can definitely see a repeating vfa pattern on them. 

One thing that the MK3 has going for it is it is a no-brainer printer it just prints without any intervention.  On the MK4 I do need to make sure the nozzle is clean before I start or I could have first layer issues, but that's mostly because I almost exclusively print PETG which oozes