Original Prusa i3 MK3 Honest Review

The Prusa i3 MK3 has been on my desk for 6 months since it was delivered but has it all been plain sailing? The MK3 got off too a rough start with a number of issues like the stainless steel rods and dysfunctional features. Prusa Research have released a number of firmware updates since the i3 mk3 was released which has corrected a lot of these but we are still missing something; the powder coated PEI bed. Oh, and the black noctua fan.

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The MakersMuse statement was a joke, I think Angus is great and does a fantastic job.

My review of the Prusa i3 MK3 looks at the build process, firmware, interaction, software, and special features.

0:00 Introduction to the Prusa i3 Mk3
1:56 Build Process
4:14 Firmware & Control
5:20 Print Quality
7:27 Reliability/Consistency
8:21 Software
9:58 Special Features
11:53 Prusa Research Customer Support
13:05 Conclusions

[H...]

Great review, very comprehensive. Loved the odd bits of humor you tossed in. Also very refreshing to see more than just praise for the prusa printers, a lot of other reviewers either mention little to no issues or completely gloss over them when they bash other machines for the same problems.

[Dbm_-oezv]

11:50

That filament detection has saved me so many times with my PRUSA mk3s. Even though it may stay idle until you are present, having a single spool machine stop printing after run out is so much better than having a failed print.

Yet somehow you try to make it seem as a negative thing?

[JMTosses]

Very nice - kind of discovered your channel a few weeks ago. Like the calm and pretty much no-drama way you present. Thanks for sharing - this pretty much summed up what impressions I got on Facebook groups and forums. Cheers! JM

[DPIceland]

Great video on the mk3 pros and cons :)

[ossme]

For the record, the filament sensor never failed me so far. I agree with the rest. Great honest review!

[illinoisflyfishing]

Just built mine with no hiccups, calibrations went perfect and went on to printing the next day

[ruwo]

may I ask what's wrong with zip ties? the ones Prusa ships are PA6 or PA66, which are tool-grade nylons. they are WAY stronger then any printed part they could put there, and when the design is made for using zip ties they are a wonderful thing. the reason most people think of zip ties as unprofessional is that a lot of people just use zip ties a temporary bodge or fix, where the part or item isn't at all designed to use zip ties. the reason they aren't used in large-scale manufacturing is that there is almost always a cheaper solution, not per se a better one, and they are also not the easiest to automate or install. this isn't an attempt to break down the video, it was great, just genuinely curious why you think they are bad.

[mikemike]

Thanks for the thorough, fair, and nicely slightly humorous review. I "hate" that brown Noctua fan, too, and would "love" to get a powder-coated PEI bed to get that nice texture when the presentation side of the print is on the bottom. One of the MK3's nicest features is the ability to print a variety of engineering materials. The extruder and bed get hot enough to print polycarbonate, which I have done successfully without an enclosure. Product support via chat is excellent, but for some reason, inquiries via email and the "contact us" form either take forever or are never answered. Further advice to anyone building the kit is to get some proper ball-end hex drivers and, of course, a proper nut driver.

[Ben-rypy]

Couldn't you reload a new filament spool when you get back to the machine, and then resume printing? If that is the case then how could that not be a good thing?

[JAYTEEAU]

Nice review. Thanks for sharing. Cheers, JAYTEE

[Enverex]

Hey CRT. You mention that it doesn't get the best print quality (I assume compared to similar or cheaper printers?) but you didn't elaborate on printers which do produce better prints. Can you expand on that a bit and let us know what can provide superior prints? Thanks.

[turbovolvos]

Do you have some other recommendations for starter 3d printer under $1000 US? My dad is getting a printer, and he would like to print some nylon gears.

[WilliamDP]

Thank you for this very informative and honest review. I am strongly thinking of buying one of these, but I am curious; are there any other printers besides the original Prusa that have a removable spring-steel bed plate?

[pepe]

fair review. i got this bad boy for my first 3d printer. you're right about the bed. also for me the automatic bed levelling works well. it has a lot of features that still aren't being incorporated into newer printers which seems silly. its all about reliability apparently - which i agree with

[DrRpper]

Good review dude. Fyi, in case you didn't already know, Prusa control is Slic3r PE....just without giving you access to 99.9% of the settings.

[chrisconway]

Grea video. One of the main takeaways for me was that it is a great, but costly, printer for new people looking to get started in the 3d print world. I don't mint paying for quality, but are there better choices for someone getting started with no 3d print experience?

[ntxdesign]

Good review overall. Towards the end you imply that there may be printers on the market that are a better value than the MK3. Any specific recommendations?

[RegularOldDan]

Good review. My MK3 has been insanely reliable. In my experience, the mesh bed leveling has worked quite well - I had one print that went nearly edge-to-edge and did not have adhesion issues. It does make me wonder if there was another factor? Keep up the great work.

[woolymoldy]

Very useful and helpful review. Thank you.

[slarson]

First off great review! You make a lot of good points. However, I think you missed a major point when comparing the mk2 to the mk3, the noise level. The mk3 is very quiet for a 3d printer and I think that is a big selling point.