Poll - Should Prusa make the $299 MK4S -> Core One voucher available to all who purchsed the MK4S or MK4 to MK4S upgrade kit.  

RE: Poll - Should Prusa make the $299 MK4S -> Core One voucher available to all who purchsed the MK4S or MK4 to MK4S upgrade kit.

I probably see this differently than most.  I try to consider my purchases based on their value to my need as they stand, and not get tangled in the weeds of how close to each other future releases (or announcements of releases) are.  When I paid for the Mk4, I was comfortable with the asking price for that printer.  When the S was offered, I made a judgement call regarding the improved overhang performance and ease of connectivity.  No matter what, I'm happy with that choice and will benefit from those changes whether or not I choose to convert to the Core-One.  We all had to know that Prusa would eventually offer a core xy printer.  I also never dreamed that there would be a conversion path to the new format.  I think we have to be careful not to assume that Prusa owes us free stuff.  They are still a business, and they can now offer a discounted upgrade path to incentivize people considering the Mk4S. 

-J

RE: Poll - Should Prusa make the $299 MK4S -> Core One voucher available to all who purchsed the MK4S or MK4 to MK4S upgrade kit.

I agree with you.  I started with an MK3 kit, upgraded it to an MK3S and then added the MMU2.  I then bought an MK4 assembled, added the MMU3 when it came out and upgraded to the MK4S.

I am also surprised that there is an upgrade path from the bed slinger to the core xy.  But to have them offer the upgrade for $499 and then less than a week later say that if you buy an MK4S now you can get the upgrade for $200 less.

That is just frustrating to someone who has been a Prusa user for a long time.

If Prusa had said that anyone who orders the upgrade kit today can get it for the $299 price, I would gladly pay that in a second, even though I won't see the product for 4 or more months.

But then again I am the kind of person that resents that the cable company offers lower prices to get new customers and raises the prices on their existing customers.

RE: Poll - Should Prusa make the $299 MK4S -> Core One voucher available to all who purchsed the MK4S or MK4 to MK4S upgrade kit.

Again I see it from a different point of view.

There is a difference of printers of cartesian and core printers.

How the upgrades or complete conversions will take place, then I am clueless.

I have been sitting on the fence for 2 months on what new printer to buy, thank goodness I have held off.

As a looker in on the Prusa forum, to be quite honest over the past months I have never read so many posts of pure

dissatisfaction and complaints of conversions, add ons, and general hopelessness to get to the point of reliable prints.

It´s such a shame and maybe I am wrong, but little support of help seems to come from the Prusa factory, but from the Prusa owners of machines, and

this can be a case of the blind leading the blind. Not always, there are some well smart 3D printer guys out there.

I again am looking to purchase my 4th 3 D printer, hobby and business demands it, we shall see after 20th jan, it could be a different ball game,

higher tariff's all round, this maybe a reason that the Prusa giveaways are available now, as maybe the EU will NOT be given a free get out of jail card from the new president.  If I was Joseph, start i satelite business in the USA or keep your powder dry as they say.

I am the owner of 3 Geeetech printers , but looking to buy something different, my last Mizar M I have had for 5 months has been impeccable, never an issue, always 

produces excent prints, dual colour, comes with a gradient head, that is nice, again the Geeetech forum complaints and questions of how to use the machine you can put on the back of a postage stamp.

My Mizar M cost me around $320 to the door. Bed size 255mm x 255 mm x 260 mm height. 

I will hold back on ny purchase of a new machine and look at the future hundreds of posts surrounding the CORE machine, reference this dont work, this is a problem etc etc .

RE: Poll - Should Prusa make the $299 MK4S -> Core One voucher available to all who purchsed the MK4S or MK4 to MK4S upgrade kit.

Please do remember that forums are generally place that people visit to air their problems and look for solutions, so they can be very biased. I, for one, have been very happy with every Prusa I have owned and have no issues with my MK4s, so please do not let the forum sway your decision too much. I have always found them to be reliable workhorses. 

Going back to topic - There are always upgrades and updates around each corner. When we purchased the MK4 we knew it would be upgraded at some point. It's natural progression. Same with the MK4S, and it will be the same with the Core One. Personally I think its commendable of Prusa to even offer the direct upgrade path in the first instance - you don't get that with many companies, who would expect you to purchase a whole new printer if you wanted that model - and this is a case where its a major redesign too. Which other company offers such progression paths?

I don't think it's fair to say Prusa should compensate or offer discounts to every single MK4s owner - they have done that already by offering a cheaper conversion alternative. Whether you choose to opt for it or not is up to you, but the choice is there nonetheless - and again, thats not a choice many companies even offer in the first instance. 

At the same time they don't want to cannibalise their current sales - so offering the voucher for a direct upgrade for NEW orders makes perfect business sense.

This is business after all, and I commend Prusa for the way they operate. The only thing I hate is the waiting times!!! lol

RE:

John, I won't try to push you one way or another. I do agree, however, with @iftibashir that this forum is the first place people come to for answers to problems, even before reaching out to tech support.  Also I would say that percentages matter more than quantity.  I'd be curious to know how many Geeetech printers there are in the wild being used at the same throughput  compared to those of Prusa before comparing forum complaint traffic.  I don't think Prusa is the right printer for everyone, but its reputation hasn't come about by chance either. It has come as a result of genuine trust built over years of reliability, service, company philosophy, and community support.  In many cases Prusa's business choices (including the Core-One) may not even be the best for the company, but represent a compromise that favors their existing customers over new sales.  That's what makes it surprising to see some level of entitlement from folks who are receiving more preference than any other company is offering, and yet still complaining because someone else who is purchasing at a later date is being offered a better discount.  This happens all of the time with countless products in countless industries, and yet some people are offended by it.

-J

RE:

I don't think they should have to offer anything.  When a company comes out with a new product why should they have to compensate anyone?  The fact that they did this in the past is kinda crazy to me. 

What do people suggest? A month before they release something to advertise to the world not to buy anything because you might like new stuff better? 

I realize this can be frustrating to people, but I don't know what Prusa is supposed to do.  We should be praising them for being innovative.  The fact that you can turn your 4S into the Core One is crazy. 

The fact that they thought about making an upgrade path when designing is amazing.  As a mechanical engineer I know that doing this adds a lot of design time and can often lead to compromises in your new design. 

What other 3d printing company even has a path for upgrades like Prusa?  Nobody.  You'd just be stuck with the older machine.  Plus like they said the Core one is not replacing the MK4, it's just a different printer, just like other companies have enclosed core xy machines and also have open frame bed slingers. 

If your machine hasn't shipped yet you can cancel or change your order to a Core One and wait.

RE: Poll - Should Prusa make the $299 MK4S -> Core One voucher available to all who purchsed the MK4S or MK4 to MK4S upgrade kit.

I am firmly in the Prusa camp having owned a Prusa MK3 and then an MK4 (now MK4S).

I want Prusa to make money.  Prusa is now, or will be soon, manufacturing printers and parts in the USA so, with any luck, there won't be import duties anymore.

I realize what Prusa is trying to do with the $299 voucher for people who purchase the MK4S because the Core One is not available yest.  And I totally applaud Prusa for making an upgrade.  To be honest, I was surprised and delighted there was an upgrade path.

From a marketing and financial stand point, if Prusa let me by the upgrade kit now or at least reserve one with a small deposit now that would grant them some cash before the upgrade goes on sale and indicate how much interest there will be in the upgrade in general.

As I said before if you don't want to call it a voucher call it an early bird discount.  If you order the upgrade before the product is available you can have it for $299.  I would gladly pay that right now.  This assures me that i will be one of the first to get the upgrade and Prusa gets some money ahead of the availability of the product.

RE: Poll - Should Prusa make the $299 MK4S -> Core One voucher available to all who purchsed the MK4S or MK4 to MK4S upgrade kit.

There will always be a "latest and greatest" iteration of what you already have. Prusa has no obligation to offer any discounts. 

Prusa does an extremely good job of creating upgrade paths for their printers, would you rather have a new revision come out where you have to buy a whole new printer? Does Apple offer an upgrade path for the iPhone that comes out every year?

RE: Poll - Should Prusa make the $299 MK4S -> Core One voucher available to all who purchsed the MK4S or MK4 to MK4S upgrade kit.

I think it's great that Prusa is offering a discount voucher for MK4S purchasers, but I also don't think they would be wrong if they didn't. No other 3D printer company is as dedicated to offering upgrade paths to the latest and greatest features.

Prusa owners, we have to come to grips with the fact that Prusa machines will never compete with Chinese made machines on price alone because of their access and proximity to a low cost supply chain. However, on innovation, build quality, print quality, service, and company designed upgrades they are tops.

I for one don't mind paying a bit more because of all the other things that Prusa does so well.