Prusa XL vs. K2 plus: Material and Energy Efficiency Tested!

In this deep-dive, we compare the K2 Plus and the Prusa XL in terms of real-world print time, filament waste, and power consumption. I tested single- and multi-color prints, logged energy data using Tasmota smart plugs, and even ran realistic print farm scenarios to find out: Can the more expensive Prusa XL actually be cheaper in the long run?
This is not a review – it’s an analysis focused on cost-efficiency, sustainability, and the hidden trade-offs between toolchangers and multiplexing systems. In the follow-up Video, we'll compare those two to the Bambu Lab H2D...

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0:00 Intro and Sponsor
2:13 Energy Tests
6:30 Print Tests
11:27 Farm Costs and Sum Up

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#3DPrinting #poop

[ericthecyclist]

it will be interesting to extend this review when the Bondtech INDX comes out.

[ChrumkavySuchar]

Prusa XL still having bugs like that, after 2 years after release, huh ? I didn't expect that :O

[Salamattder]

11:13 I see you put that there was 0 gram waste on the XL. I would think that you need to add up all three failed prints in grams as "waste" to make it more fair. A failed print IS waste. Also, the K2 was a 45 hr print, but how much time did it take to get through 3 failed prints on the XL? Would have been a cool stat to see. Great video overall though.

[thenextlayer]

Jesus, my biggest takeaway is that i need to stop leaving my XL and K2 Plus plugged in and turned on when they're not printing!

[ubxcvgd]

What the XL saves in filament, it makes up for with frequent failures & inconstant quality.

[HEEROCKSS]

Everyone here crying about how bad their XL is, while i smile at all the beautiful prints mine is delivering w/o any bugs :)

[Venturello]

I have 2 XLs in production and they have worked VERY well for me. I do prints 6-18 hours long often with 100s of tool changes. I have had the extruder motor error a couple of times but Prusa’s solution of new plastic holders to connectors to extruder seems to have solved it. For me, wasting this much plastic on single extruder printers is just ridiculous. Sadly…. Yes the XL is quite and too expensive for most and it’s a shame it has taken Prusa so much to work bugs out…

[Splarkszter]

The only legitimate use for multi-color sistems is ABSOLUTELY NONE.
IDEX and 2+ nozzle desings are AWESOME not because of multi-color but because of MULTI-MATERIAL.

[graealex]

If only Prusa finally learned some actual engineering.

[MMTV-WatchingTV]

a large printer that cant print large things with an unreliable toolchanger and no enclosure doesn't sound cheap to me, it sounds like a large project/hassle for $4K. The XL and Core One aren't finished, prusa released them too early and theres too many issues. Gotta keep up with the market and release a product even if it isn't finished, I guess. So much for those Prusa values and craftsmanship, that's out the window, oh well.

Thanks for the content friend. Stay well

[zihotki]

Multi-color printing is overrated. You better not mix different materials in the same nozzle. To get the most out of your printer it must have 2+ toolheads, the rest are compromises.

[simontanguay]

Very nice video, and a strong argument for (functioning) toolchanger printers! Hope Prusa finally gets things right on the XL!

[vinny]

That saving for the XL is way higher than I thought.

[ThantiK]

You're pushing Prusa PRETTY hard when the failures don't get counted in the 'waste' for them and it couldn't even complete the print.

[Archnemesis]

Regarding the extruder not spinning error, it was driving me nuts and I was having other firmware related failures but I rolled back the firmware to 6.1.3 and have been running normally again, hopefully they patch this issue soon!

Was the purge optimised? For bbl profile it can be cut in half without visible change in colour bleed.
I wonder also about the shelf life of the k2.

[naidta]

I knew that the filament waste was quiet huge.... But that huge.... Crazy.... 😱😱😱

[aarch]

I only use my AMS for easy filament swapping. Prototype in PLA, final print in the expensive stuff like Nylon!

[-COBRA]

Why would I buy failing printer? You can reuse the purged filaments, but you can't reuse wasted time.

[dominickbrookes]

No finish = fail. I have an XL, many fails BUT better than all other printers I've ownered except my bambus.