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?
Yeah, ideally it would already be out and I could look at some reviews. The timing is such that I want to get one now, and I would hesitate to get a MK4S instead where the Core One seems to better fit my wants. If it was either a brand new company or a printer that somehow revolutionized 3D-printing, I would be more hesitant to order before launch. But seeing as Prusa is an established company, and they are not reinventing the wheel here, I feel more comfortable (even as you say, they are stretching out of their comfort-zone - but isn't one of their commercial grade printers already core xy?).
The XL is indeed corexy but it’s also marketed to professionals who would be able to navigate any issues. I’ve seen some mixed reviews on if it’s good.
FWIW, Prusa has definitely had some major failures. The MMU2 was fundamentally broken on release with sensors that were unreliable at best and the community had to step in with replacement models to get it even somewhat reliable.
Just be wary of trusting the brand. I like Prusa too but they aren’t immune to misses.
For me, pre-purchasing a Phrozen resin printer that every single YouTube influencer assured me was the absolute best printer ever made only for it to be an absolute mess that just sits on my shelf unused because it is complete garbage, was my lesson to wait for the reviews.