I’ve been waiting to finish up with some major life stuff before diving into the world of 3D printers. Now that is finally behind me, and I am currently trying to find out which printer I want so that I can place an order.
So far I’ve set my eyes on the new Prusa CORE One. It ticks a lot of the boxes that I think I am after, including:
- As open as I can get (before going into that Voron-stuff, which I think I’m not ready for). I don’t want to be bogged down with having to run proprietary slicers through Wine and things like that. I am not sure how big of an issue that is with e.g. Bambu or Creality (if at all), but I’ve seen enough rug-pulls and enshittification processes that I don’t really want to risk that. I want to be sure that I can use FOSS tools such as Blender and FreeCAD for design, and similarly open slicers, and the whole workflow will work just fine.
- As future-proof as I can possibly hope for. I think the upgrade path from the MK4 to CORE One shows that they are serious about sustainability and longevity of their devices, and as far as I can tell, I should have no troubles sourcing replacement parts. I also want to support companies with this philosophy.
- Has a decent print volume (I know there are bigger, maybe I will be constrained by this at some point?)
- Enclosed - a major reason I did not want the MK4S was that it was not enclosed (but maybe you can get an enclosure?). It will be placed in my study where I spend most of my computer time (which often times is a lot, so I imagine I will be in the room while it is printing). I imagine, with the additional filter, that it will be better with an enclosure. Also, it will be easier to keep good temperature control during prints, as it can get cold here during winter.
- Locally produced (I’m EU based).
I understand that other manufacturers provide more “bang for the buck” and that I in that sense will be overpaying feature-wise. I am fine with that given my emphasis on the above criteria.
However, I am a complete newbie to 3D-printing. I am sure there are some limitations I have not thought about, and I was wondering if there are any major things I have not thought about that would actually affect me negatively and should make me reconsider this model?
I think you’ll be happy. Coming from someone that’s had a prusa mini for 3 years.
I also use FreeCAD, and I don’t think you’ll have a problem with that with any modern slicer, you can export in step to let the slicer do the meshing, or you can use the mesh workbench to get more control over the resolution of the mesh.
Don’t worry too much about print volume. Can always break stuff up into multiple prints, and that’s often a good idea even if the whole thing would fit inside the print volume.
I have killed a couple build plates, one from the TPU print sticking too well to PEI, and pulling chunks off, one from crashing the nozzle into it after I switched from a bare metal build plate to a PEI one without changing the Z offset.
Other than that, I’ve only really replaced one fan that was getting noisy.
As for filament, I use mostly PLA and ASA, because I don’t need to do anything special to keep those dry enough to print. Probably around 60% PLA, 25% ASA, 15% TPU. PETG is fine, but I need to dry it to keep from getting steam bubbles in my prints, and can’t really be bothered when I can just use ASA or PLA instead.
As for TPU, it will string like crazy if you don’t dry it, but you can mitigate this with some parts by turning on “avoid crossing perimeters”. Also try to avoid support material with TPU. I now print TPU on the back side(bare metal) of a third party build plate, using a very thin layer of glue stick.
In my opinion, the only disadvantage is the cost.
But even the cost difference might get recouped later on, if Prusa continues releasing upgrade kits the way they’ve been doing it for the i3 line. Support is also excellent. I broke a thermistor while upgrading a printer, and they sent me a free replacement because it was unclear if it was my fault or not.
Another disadvantage might be that you’ll become a militant Prusa fanboy, and never look at another brand again ;)
Yeah, I’m OK with the cost of it. I don’t only consider a feature vs. price picture, but also factor in things (like you say) support and longevity/sustainability.
The militant fanboyism surprised me a bit (maybe it shouldn’t have?) - looking at some of the comments below YouTube-reviews was… interesting…
Honestly, militant is probably not the right word. But I work with Prusas at my workplace, and the idea of buying a non-Prusa printer actually irks me.
I think the Core ONE will be an excellent way to start 3D printing.
I was in the same situation a year ago and got a MK4 kit with enclosure and I’m extremely happy with the purchase.
@cyberwolfie @cyberwolfie you might wanna checkout ratrig too, they’re a Portuguese company (tho I don’t know where they manufacture the printers, Prusa has factory in Prague) and are kind of open too.
As for Slicer, you can use Prusaslicer for Bambulab or Creality, Bambulab has their own slicer opensourced (actually fork from Prusaslicer) and AFAIK works on linux.
You’ll always be able to use freecad, blender whatever modelling tool. You model it and export STL, which can be then fed into any slicer.
As for HW, it’s hard to say. Průša core one isn’t much more pricey than Bambu, what it can do we shall yet to see.
Bambulab started as closed source, but it seems they’ve been opening at least some of it (they now allow custom firmware, allegedly offline firmware updates, so you can run them fully offline), whereas Průša has moved from the 100% opensource to someting more restrictive, still being much more open than Bambulab.
N. B. I’m a Prusa owner and have never owned a Bambulab.
@cyberwolfie I am happy MK4S owner and would recommend the CORE, but some considerations:
- Print volume IS small. Not having at least 250x250 x/y has been a step back from my previous printer.
- The platform is less open than I wished (or, better said, than they make us believe).
- I’d recommend getting the kit so you will get to know the printer better. However, CORE’s build process difficulty is yet to be seen. I built my own MK4S and it was a fun weekend project.- Print volume IS small. Not having at least 250x250 x/y has been a step back from my previous printer.
Hm, I don’t think I can quite grasp how much of a difference it would make to have a couple of cm extra in each direction. For my actual planned projects, I know it will be sufficient (except for one, where none of the consumer grade printers would be, and I would need to splice multiple parts somehow). But I also know that the list of planned projects will expand much faster than I am able to plan, design and print…
- The platform is less open than I wished (or, better said, than they make us believe).
Hm, in what way have you experienced any problems with this? I understand that it is not fully open source, but as far as I could tell, you can’t go much more open without going with a Voron?
- I’d recommend getting the kit so you will get to know the printer better. However, CORE’s build process difficulty is yet to be seen. I built my own MK4S and it was a fun weekend project.
I would love to get the kit, both as a learning experience and a fun project. However, they are not shipping the kits until April/May or something like that, while the assembled printers start shipping in January. I don’t think I want to wait that long.
In practice, I haven’t found the print volume of my MK4 to be too limiting. Occasionally more X/Y would be nice, but plenty of parts that are too big for my printer would be too big for any printer and still need to be cut. The other issue is that even fast 3d printers are slow and I don’t really print things that take entire days. Even printing dactyl keyboard halves takes hours thanks to the need for supports, so I can’t imagine someone frequently doing really huge prints (particularly in height).
I have also thought that the prints where I need more volume would not be solved by an additional cm or two in the xy-plane, and would need to be spliced in some way. How is that process anyway? Do you use a glue gun or a 3D pen to do this splicing? My guess it will not look very pretty, but could I expect to be able to make watertight seals for example?
- When splitting a model into chunks, one important thing is to not just cut it along a flat plane, but instead design in tabs and slots so that the pieces locate and interlock.
- In addition to gluing pieces together with things like cyanoacrylate (super glue) and epoxy, it’s also possible to solvent-weld them together with things like acetone or other solvents that depend on what kind of filament you’re using (e.g. ethyl acetate for PLA). Such solvents can also be used for vapor-smoothing. They’re relatively nasty chemicals, though, so you need ventilation and PPE and whatnot.
- Even an object printed as a single unit may not necessarily be watertight because of pinhole gaps between layers.
- In general, if you want your final object to be watertight, look good after being spliced together, or even just not look obviously 3D-printed, you should expect that you’re going to have to sand/fill it (with e.g. bondo) and paint it.
- If you want to make something like a food-safe container or a sex toy (i.e. where it’s important that the material both be non-toxic and not have any layer line crevices that could harbor bacteria), your best bet is to 3D-print a mold or blank, finish it as described above, and then use that to cast the actual finished part out of some other material like silicone or metal.
Thanks for the write-up! :)
There are a fair number of methods to join pieces into larger assemblies.
Some people have used a 3D pen to “weld” an assembly. But from my observation, it’s not particularly strong. Super glues are popular for PLA. It bonds and holds well to PLA. PETG is better glued with epoxies vs super glues. But super glue will work in a pinch. Sometimes printing threaded parts is acceptable. But issues with fitment and strength of threads can be a problem. Simple machine screws and nuts are good for somethings. Even self-tapping screws are popular. Heat set brass threaded inserts are cheaply and widely available. And can be set with a cheap soldering iron. Various “snap together couplers” can be designed and 3D printed.
These are just a few ways to make assemblies with 3D printed parts. The trick is to learn how to choose what is the best for any particular model and that’s on you.
Making a model hold water can be as simple as “the thicker is better” approach by adding more perimeters and top and bottom layers. Or it can involve applying various suitable paints and sealers. Again like fasteners, your use will most likely dictate the methods that you choose.
Edit to add: From what I can see, PrusaSlicer currently offers the best tools to create cuts and locators right in the slicer. With perhaps Cura a close second, (but I haven’t use Cura in couple of years now).
RE: Open-Source
> in what way have you experienced any problems with this?
For example, and I know is very niche, but I wanted to fix an issue with their app (I am an app dev), to discover that it isn’t FOSS like the slicer.
Also as a CAD aficionado, I would love to get the actual step files and not just STLs.
But don’t get me wrong, none of these was a blocker for me to get a MK4S.
I am also not sure if I will upgrade to CORE, but that’s another story.
Ah, yeah, I would also have expected their app to be open source.
Are the step files not generated by the slicer?
No, .step file is an exchange format, (think .pdf files), that can be used across different CAD programs to import geometry so you can work on them.
Unlike the common .stl format, a .step file contains a majority of the internal information that was created by original CAD model. While an .stl file is just meshes and nothing else.
PrusaSlicer can use .step files directly to slice. But I’m not sure that other forks/slicers can. I like models in .step file because it’s far easier to open them in whatever 3D CAD software I’m using to make changes to a model to suit my needs. I can do .st’ files, but it’s a pain to work with them.
On the enclosure: if you print PLA, PETG or TPU (which will probably be 99,99% of the print’s you’ll do) it has to be open
Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t Prusa specifically say you don’t need to keep the CORE One doesn’t need to be open because of its temperature control?
That is also my understanding. It has some ventilation in the back that helps with this.
Can you explain this? Why does it have to be open?
Assuming heat creep. Pla’s transition temp is like, in the low 50s +/- a few deg c if I recall, it goes wet noodle and can easily cause jams, absolute pain in my ass doing a bunch of pla prints in the summer on my mk3s inside a prusa enclosure, ended up setting the plate to something like 30c, had issues even with the 140mm exhaust fan on to try dropping the chamber temp. I rarely print pla in my voron, it’s basically hot bed set very low and relying on my print surface to keep the print anchored when I do. Not had issues with petg in an enclosure, personally would recommend using an enclosure for all prints anyhow, even pla gives off some nasties as far as I recall.
I personally prefer abs to either petg or pla for general use, I keep all on hand as there’s not a filament best for all use cases.
Edit: Assuming you have an enclosure filter. I highly recommend something like the nevermore (use a stealthmax on my voron). I do also keep my printers outside of my home, which I know not everyone can do. If I had them inside, I’d set up something to vent the room outside as well as having enclosure filters, some filaments are worse than others, Nevermore includes citations to a bunch of relevant studies regarding air pollution while printing
would recommend using an enclosure for all prints anyhow, even pla gives off some nasties as far as I recall.
I just have to clarify that this is only useful if your enclosure also has a filter.
Absolutely! Sorry my bad, first thing I did for my prusa enclosure was create recirc filter and did the same thing with my voron so my brain just assumed it was standard practice
I think you have it down pretty well.
It’s not perfectly open Source. Upgradeability can be reasonably expected, it’s not the cheapest, but a very good option.
One more thing that could be considered is if one believes Prusa may die as a company. That would of course reduce the aspect of upgradeability. Personally I believe they are fine, and just growing slower (more organically? Than Bambu for example).
Also Bambu will bring out another printer in a similar timeframe as Core 1 will come out. Depending on priorities it can make sense to wait to compare the offerings.
But I don’t think, given your reasonig you’d be making a mistake if you could buy now.
Thanks :)
One more thing that could be considered is if one believes Prusa may die as a company. That would of course reduce the aspect of upgradeability. Personally I believe they are fine, and just growing slower (more organically? Than Bambu for example).
Yeah, the thought had crossed my mind. From what I’ve gathered, Prusa has been playing catch-up in terms of functionality and price competitiveness and for many, the CORE One did not fully meet their expectations. I know nothing of their financial situation, but I can only imagine the general 3D-printing market growing more and more, so hopefully they can maintain a sufficient market share to keep a sustainable business going.
If Prusa went under, I still think I would have a better chance of maintaining a functional printer than if e.g. I had a Bambu printer and they went under (although that does perhaps not seem so likely at the moment?).
so hopefully they can maintain a sufficient market share to keep a sustainable business going
When the market grows, one can lose market share and still have a sustainable business ;).
You don’t even need a growth in revenue for sustainable businesses either.If Prusa went under, I still think I would have a better chance of maintaining a functional printer than if e.g. I had a Bambu printer and they went under (although that does perhaps not seem so likely at the moment?).
That seems reasonable. Let’s not forget that Bambu only increased their Firmware-Feature update promise from 2 years (march 2025) to 4 years (march 2027) after community outcry.
btw (I do not know either way) did a bambu printer ever get a firmware feature like Input Shaping, Phase Stepping, Crash Detection etc. as an update? For example does their LIDAR now work on textured plates? (I think it didn’t in the beginning)
I’m not so sure Prusa will go out of business. But I can see them switching focus from consumer machines to “pro-consumer” machines due to the race to the bottom with consumer machines. It’s impossible for Prusa to compete with Chinese manufacturers on price. The XL and the HT90 already appear to be moves towards that focus.
While I have recently added a Bambu A1 mini to sit along side my trusty old Mk3s+, that Prusa ain’t going nowhere. You will get my Mk3s when you can pry it from my cold dead hands…
But I can see them switching focus from consumer machines to “pro-consumer” machines due to the race to the bottom with consumer machines.
Yes, that has been my impression during my research as well.
One thing that people neglect to mention when they debate “Bambu vs Prusa” is the level of support. And support costs money. Prusa’s level of support is why I chose their brand over other far more expensive printers I was looking at the time. That support level matters to a business. And they are willing to pay for it. So Prusa is well situated to enter the commercial market as a known name.
I advise against getting the brand new thing. My experience has been that frequently the reliability and feature set of yet-to-be-released things tend to be highly overstated. The CORE looks cool but I would give it six months after release before you consider buying one so you can see some real reviews.
Prusa has a pretty decent track record but they are really branching out of their comfort zone now and I would be cautious.
If you don’t want to wait, the Bambu P1S is a phenomenal printer. I wish they were more open along with everyone else but I have many, many, many hours on mine and has been an excellent purchase. It was a massive upgrade from my Prusa Mk3S.
The core 1 is a pretty iterative, not so huge leap from the mk4s which was a little hop from the Mk4. I don’t think there’s too much drastic new tech to worry about and Prusa has a solid reputation for both testing and support. I’d argue safe to pull trigger now. I think Bambu is a stain on the 3d printing world personally but that’s a philosophical argument not a performance review.
Get a BambuLab P1S without AMS.
I don’t want to be bogged down with having to run proprietary slicers through Wine and things like that. I am not sure how big of an issue that is with e.g. Bambu or Creality (if at all), but I’ve seen enough rug-pulls and enshittification processes that I don’t really want to risk that.
You can use PrusaSlicer, OrcaSlicer, Cura or some other slicer with them. They run perfectly fine in LAN-mode removing the Bamub Lab server stuff/question from the equation.
While not every replacement parts are also made by third party companies things like nozzles, PEI-sheets or fans are available from third parties.
As future-proof as I can possibly hope for.
I would argue money in the bank account is far more future-proof than any 3D printer can be and Bambu Lab costs a fraction of what a Prusa core one costs. So when the future arrives use the saved money to buy a next-gen printer.
Locally produced (I’m EU based).
Bambu Labs are well made so not a safety hazard but I can understand this point.
The Prusa core one looks very promising but at the same time, it isn’t for everybody and the general consumer is likely better of by buying the P1S. For the price of 1 Prusa One you could buy 2 Bambu Lab P1S and 10-20kg of good PETG.
regarding Support: Difficult question. Prusa has excellent support but the last experience I had with their printers before dropping them wasn’t that great and was riddled by issues/bugs. BambuLab on the other have the it just works magic but the support needs to improve. You send them a bunch of log files as requested. They probably only look at the oldest file (that might be months old) and provide a “wrong” reply based on that as a solution without looking at the text you wrote.
