This printer is OLD. Why is it still my favorite?

The Prusa MK3 is coming up on turning half a decade old - and it shows. So why do I keep using them?

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[MakersMuse]

There is no question that Jo's early work with making repraps more buildable is a SIGNIFICANT reason why the 3D Printing space is so accessible today, and why so many of them are bed slingers. However, I'm worried that they may have sat on the MK3 for a little bit too long - despite its many user improvements and reliability. I'm just testing the bambulabs printer now myself (after similarly rejecting the kickstarter) and its speed and print quality is obscene. It feels lightyears ahead, because it quite frankly is. It might just be the competition we've been looking for to start a new wave of innovation between companies.

[leptun]

As one of the developers of the MK3 firmware, this video made my day :)

[EEEEMMMMKKKK]

Maybe not many will tell you this but i really appreciate how well lit is everything around you, how neutral is the post process and how crispy sharp is the video and it's not over processed like in many channels to have punchy interesting image. Really pleasure to watch and also no weird background noises like i hear in many videos through headphones.

[GarmrNL]

I’ve had several printers before I bought my MK3 and figured that since Prusa uses their own printers for manufacturing parts that come in kits they sell, they’re pretty keen on keeping those reliable and with as little downtime as possible. I’ve built an MK3 and MK3S and besides the occasional cleaning and lubing they’ve been printing daily since 2018/2019. Really looking forward to the XL 😊

[DenKonZenith]

Been using my Prusa MKII for eons; haven't seen any need or reason to upgrade, does absolutely everything I need it to. Excellent reliability, can't ask for more.

[bassem]

I am a newcomer to 3D printing ( started the second half of this year ). After much research to decide which printer to get, I settled on the Prusa MK3S+. And I get the kit. My reasoning was based o the following: Prusa includes high quality reliable components ( researching the prices and adding them up shows that Prusa is offered at a fair prince). They produce the software and the hardware which makes for a much more seamless and user-friendly experience ( I am not too much of a tinkerer ). I like to acknowledge the work done by those who started the innovation and support them.
I have been using my printer for a couple of month now and do not regret my decision!
And thank you Thomas for your channel, it has been a great help in my decision-making process and during my learning period ( still ongoing ) and beyond.

[KombiGnome]

I think the Prusa Mk3 is a good example of system thinking. It is not any individual part that makes it great. Some, as you pointed out, aren't even all that great. However, as a system they're all parts that work together to create that whole "the sum is greater than the parts". That's what a good system does.

[DPrintingNerd]

Well, that sure is a lot of t-shirts. :)

[billstanley]

I just recently bought my first 3D printer. I didn’t want something to “tinker” with, not that there is something inherently wrong with tinkering. It’s an MK3s+ and it just works. That’s what I love about Prusa. Keep up the great work Prusa!

[AlanJames]

I genuinely laughed out loud each time it cut back and Tom was wearing a different outfit.

[TomAHawk-pyvj]

My first printer was a Prusa MK3. I loved that thing, it was a real working horse and never really had a problem.
Just the regular maintenance stuff like changing worn nozzles, cleaning and relubricating the bearings, etc.
Then I added an MMU2. At that moment 3D Printing flipped 180° and became a nightmare.
I printed some mods that should prevent some misconceptions in the design, but it never really got better.
I went back to stock and now add filament changes in gcode and it works again like a charm. As much as i love Prusa for the MK3, i do hate them for
that overpriced piece of crap of an MMU2. To me it is the worst i can think of when i think of 3D printers and MK3s in particular.

[billstech]

Just purchased my second MK3 and absolutely agree with your assessment. I turn it on, make my parts and it just works.

[henryatkinson]

My Prusa Mini really makes me look forward to what Prusa has in-store for whenever they refresh the Mk3 again. I have access to a bunch of Mk3S+s through work, and got a Mini for myself for size and noise reasons after being very impressed by the Mk3s. Very happy with it so far. All of these machines work incredibly well out of the box, and with minimal work can be made basically perfect.

[ejohnfel]

I have Mk2 with an upgrade kit (from 2016). Aside from maintenance work and a few repairs, it's still running to this day almost as well as it was when I first assembled it. I bought a Creality CR10S during the very early days of pandemic to help increase my output of face shields for my wife and her coworkers (all nurses) and all the Creality did was demonstrate just how good a purchase the Prusa was, the Creality was fine, but the Prusa was a beast, accounting for about 70% of the output. I have also to thank you Tom. I followed along on the Dolly build. I learned quite a bit about Dolly and the Prusa in the process, 3D printing and tweaking the printers. During my round the clock printing of face shields that knowledge helped me keep the Prusa running not to mention having to cannibalize 2 of the 3 Dolly's I built since there was absolutely no way at the time to get replacements as everything around the world had basically come to a halt. The Prusa holds a special place in my heart for not letting me down in a time of urgent need.

[Sustainone]

Still loving my mk2 you recommended five years ago. Prusa owes you big. I’ve recommended and three friends have purchased Prussias

[CalmDownVal]

What I find crazy is that I started with 3D printing by purchasing the MK3S+ DIY kit, which at the time was the most recent model in its line. I've since used the MK4 and MK4S upgrades, and just today ordered the Core One conversion kit - I realize it's a bit of a Ship of Theseus situation, but in my eyes it's the same ol' printer growing up with me and my own abilities in the area.

Just for this continuous upgrade path, I'd really struggle considering any other brand at this point. I don't print enough to really have the need for more than one machine (especially since they keep getting faster with each model), and this way I don't have to ever worry about piling up old, possibly obsolete models collecting dust somewhere in storage.

[michaelwiginton]

I have been using the Prusa Mini and love it so much I just purchased an MK3. Looking forward to lots of prints with these machines.

[davidf]

My one and only FDM printer is my eight-year-old Lulzbot Mini, driven by an eleven-year-old Macbook Air. Prints are still great. The Lulzbot has been improved by firmware updates and I now use Prusa Slicer instead of Cura.
At the end of the day the hardware is just a bunch of stepper motors and threaded rods straight out of the 1980s; there's no reason for me to change the mechanism for squirting molten plastic out of a nozzle. Keep using what you have!

[doublehuman_]

I’m getting a Prusa pretty much because it’s reliable, and quiet. Noise is really important to me

[leapnlarry]

I have my original Prusa from 2016 upgraded to a 2.5 a few years ago. Hundreds and hundreds of prints later, it still works great. Larry