Considering the Prusa CORE One as first printer - any reason to reconsider?
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?
like this
Schmaker reshared this.
![Vážená paní Pevná,</p><p>nevím, zda jste můj e-mail četla, nebo máte nějakou generickou odpověď pro všechny, takže to zkusím znovu a lépe a poprosím, abyste se vyjádřila k tomu, o čem mluvím. To, že oceňujete, že pan Šnor znepřístupnil zprávoboty je sice hezké, ale absolutně absurdní s ohledem na to, jaký je účel toho, že Vás jako médium máme. Navíc si všimněte, že jsem užití ochranných známek označil jako pochopitelnou, byť šla řešit podstatně civilněji třeba výzvou k nepoužívání ochranné známky, takže by kromě Vás byl spokojen i uživatel, který prostřednictvím sítě zpravodajství konzumoval.</p><p>Zkusím to tedy znovu a stručněji:<br> - Je dle Vaší logiky jakýkoliv odkaz na Váš obsah protiprávním jednáním?<br> - Dle Vašeho vyjádření tedy stačí upustit od použití ochranné známky a namísto slova "bot" dostatečně důrazně upozornit na to, že se nejedná o oficiální profil ČT, aby veřejnost nebyla uvedena v omyl? Například názvem profilu ČT24 [neoficiální mirror]?<br> - Pokud ani jedno nestačí, jak se stavíte k tomu, že vyhledávače bez výslovného svolení používají a odkazují na Váš obsah? Nebo toto výslovné povolení všechny vyhledávače mají?<br> - Jak se stavíte k tomu, že se na Vašem obsahu placeném z koncesionářských poplatků živí Google, Meta, X a podobné - často pochybné - soukromé subjekty?<br> - Když teď budu sdílet (a je úplně jedno, jestli ručně nebo botem) pod svým profilem odkazy na Váš obsah, znamená to, že se dle Vašeho právního názoru dopouštím protiprávního jednání?<br> - Nepřipadá Vám celá tato situace naprosto absurdní v tom, že se toho ČT ujala destruktivně ("všechno zrušte") namísto konstruktivně ("Tohle u Vás nechcem, ale tady máte RSS kanál, který můžete zrcadlit, jen u toho prosím nepoužívejte naše jméno a ochranné známky. A děkujeme, že to děláte zdarma a ve volném čase.")?</p><p>Přeji krásný den a klidné svátky.</p><p>S pozdravem](https://schmaker.eu/photo/1333134194675b40e4afeec974367133-1.png "Vážená paní Pevná,</p><p>nevím, zda jste můj e-mail četla, nebo máte nějakou generickou odpověď pro všechny, takže to zkusím znovu a lépe a poprosím, abyste se vyjádřila k tomu, o čem mluvím. To, že oceňujete, že pan Šnor znepřístupnil zprávoboty je sice hezké, ale absolutně absurdní s ohledem na to, jaký je účel toho, že Vás jako médium máme. Navíc si všimněte, že jsem užití ochranných známek označil jako pochopitelnou, byť šla řešit podstatně civilněji třeba výzvou k nepoužívání ochranné známky, takže by kromě Vás byl spokojen i uživatel, který prostřednictvím sítě zpravodajství konzumoval.</p><p>Zkusím to tedy znovu a stručněji:<br> - Je dle Vaší logiky jakýkoliv odkaz na Váš obsah protiprávním jednáním?<br> - Dle Vašeho vyjádření tedy stačí upustit od použití ochranné známky a namísto slova \"bot\" dostatečně důrazně upozornit na to, že se nejedná o oficiální profil ČT, aby veřejnost nebyla uvedena v omyl? Například názvem profilu ČT24 [neoficiální mirror]?<br> - Pokud ani jedno nestačí, jak se stavíte k tomu, že vyhledávače bez výslovného svolení používají a odkazují na Váš obsah? Nebo toto výslovné povolení všechny vyhledávače mají?<br> - Jak se stavíte k tomu, že se na Vašem obsahu placeném z koncesionářských poplatků živí Google, Meta, X a podobné - často pochybné - soukromé subjekty?<br> - Když teď budu sdílet (a je úplně jedno, jestli ručně nebo botem) pod svým profilem odkazy na Váš obsah, znamená to, že se dle Vašeho právního názoru dopouštím protiprávního jednání?<br> - Nepřipadá Vám celá tato situace naprosto absurdní v tom, že se toho ČT ujala destruktivně (\"všechno zrušte\") namísto konstruktivně (\"Tohle u Vás nechcem, ale tady máte RSS kanál, který můžete zrcadlit, jen u toho prosím nepoužívejte naše jméno a ochranné známky. A děkujeme, že to děláte zdarma a ve volném čase.\")?</p><p>Přeji krásný den a klidné svátky.</p><p>S pozdravem")
Honza
in reply to 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.
AliasVortex
in reply to cyberwolfie • • •I just realized that there are some important questions that none of us are asking (it sounded like you've already done some research, and have an idea of what you want (or at least what you think you need), but just so that everyone's all on that same page):
cyberwolfie
in reply to AliasVortex • • •In general, I want to build my skill set to include CAD-modelling and printing things that could help me around my home and for other non-helpful, but fun, things. Some examples below. I am not looking at adding this to my professional skill set.
In general, I would like to tinker some. But I don't want it to be prohibitively difficult to get started. I am new to this, and am not looking for an incredibly steep learning curve. For instance, I have understood that the Voron might suit my desire for openness more, but my impression is that it would be too much tinkering at this stage.
The immediate projects I have in mind are cases for various Pi/Pi Pico-based projects. Some indoor climate monitors for instance. There are several other smaller projects I have in mind, which could be for instance some custom mounts for my devices. So not too large things to begin with, and these things are what is most important to me now. But I want a multipurpose printer, that could handle both smaller figurines and larger sculptures also (not that exceeds the print volume of the Core One as of now). I know for instance that miniatures would probably be a lot better with a resin printer, but for now I don't have a space that is properly ventilated for this. In the future I will consider getting more specialized printers if I find that I need it and have space for it.
The Core One is in the higher end of what I had envisioned spending on this, but I can go a little higher if necessary
huginn
in reply to cyberwolfie • • •Tbh it sounds like the core one is a good choice here. Look at tinkering as something you use the printer to do and less as something to do to the printer itself.
I've got 2 prusas and while the XL has required a bit more work than my mk3s+ they both are excellent machines that I've run for thousands of hours with very little effort.
Welcome to the hobby! CAD modeling is the absolute best way to make your printer useful. A good pair of calipers are all you need to solve myriad issues around the house.
cyberwolfie
in reply to huginn • • •AliasVortex
in reply to cyberwolfie • • •Depending on how much you value open source vs domestic production, part of me thinks that you may want to consider the Sovol SV08. Sovol is based out of China, but that printer is basically a Voron 2.4 modified for mass production (ie much of the printer comes preassembled), and because of it the printer is very open source, as in here's the GitHub repo. My only major concern would be that the machine ships with a non-standard hot end, however I recently learned (Here) that the community already has a mod to fix that. You also gain a much bigger build volume, for a fraction of the upfront investment. (Edit: That said, it may not be the most beginner friendly machine in existence (see replies))
I'm also somewhat hesitant to recommend a machine that isn't out and doesn't really have any reviews yet. With any new product launch like this, I'd almost guarantee that there will be a teething period as the bugs, glitches, and hiccups all get worked out (as goes the early adopter tax). Which means that you may face a slightly steeper leaning curve as someone new to the hobby (Prusa has been around for a hot minute, so I don't expect it to be too bad, but it's still worth mentioning). That said, if none of that scares you and if you're already prepared for the pricetag, Prusa's are known to be absolute workhorses, there's no reason they can't be entry level machines.
GitHub - Sovol3d/SV08: SV08 is a flying gantry Core-XY printer with a print area of 350x350x345mm, also a derivative work based on Voron V2.4. It aims to provide an alternative solution for 3D printing enthusiasts who are eager to use Voron V2.4 but are h
GitHubWFH
in reply to AliasVortex • • •dorkage
in reply to WFH • • •I have had a SV08 for a few weeks. Had a K1 Max for the same time period. I had 2 or two failed prints on the SV08 and about 3 dozen failed prints.
I returned the K1 Max (with huge struggles with support)
Previously I had a Labist ET4 that only worked for a out 5 prints total before giving up on it.
I will agree with your statement. If you are willing to put in a bit of research on YouTube and GITHUB and swap a few parts and spend a few hours you'll have a hilarious large printer that just spits out almost anything you throw at it, besides ABS and ASA... For now...
AliasVortex
in reply to WFH • • •I don't personally own one, so that's really good to know! I mostly thought of it since it checked most of what OP was looking for, without being a full on Voron. That's said, I'm not sure how much of a beginner machine the Core One will be either. Regardless, I'll add a proceed with caution on my recommendation.
Out of curiosity, what upgrades did you have to make to sv08?
(I also graduated from the Thessian Ender 3 program and went to a v2.4)
WFH
in reply to AliasVortex • • •Miquel 🖌️⚔️👾
in reply to 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.
cyberwolfie
in reply to Miquel 🖌️⚔️👾 • • •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...
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 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.
HewlettHackard
in reply to cyberwolfie • • •cyberwolfie
in reply to HewlettHackard • • •bluewing
in reply to cyberwolfie • • •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).
cyberwolfie
in reply to bluewing • • •grue
in reply to cyberwolfie • • •cyberwolfie
in reply to grue • • •Miquel 🖌️⚔️👾
in reply to cyberwolfie • • •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.
cyberwolfie
in reply to Miquel 🖌️⚔️👾 • • •Ah, yeah, I would also have expected their app to be open source.
Are the step files not generated by the slicer?
bluewing
in reply to cyberwolfie • • •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.
bluewing
in reply to Miquel 🖌️⚔️👾 • • •For many people the size will be fine. Most people can get along with 180 cubed for probably 80% of their printing needs. Not a lot of people need the really large print volumes.
I would assume that a CORE kit would come with Prusa's excellent assembly instructions. Which should make it quite easy to put together.
I'm starting to think that Prusa is switching their focus from consumer grade printers to entry level pro machines and better. Prusa can't really afford to be in that market as the race to the bottom accelerates. But there is a niche for small business use and full blown commercial use. Qidi seems to be the only player in that market right now. And the CORE seems to offer all the goodies that Qidi has with a much better reputation for reliability and support that would appeal to a small business.
Miquel 🖌️⚔️👾
in reply to bluewing • • •I am sharing my personal experience with the MK4S, since I went down from a 256^3 printer.
Belt tensioning on the MK4S Kit was a pain to do, so I am curious how belt tensioning for a core kit will go. I hope they give a better solution than the tuning app, as tensioning belts for a core xy is noticeably harder.
Neither of these are blockers anyway, like I said, I am happy with my MK4S.
bluewing
in reply to Miquel 🖌️⚔️👾 • • •Yeah, There are some maintenance things with CoreXY I'm not overly impressed with. The belts being one of them. Still, I think they are the future for consumer printers now. It's going to be interesting to see how the CORE does in the market.
I did consider an up grade to my Mk3s to Mk4 abilities. But in the end I didn't figure it was worth the money and effort for my needs. In the end, it might be considered slow now but it's a tank of a printer. I am considering upgrading the control system by adding Klipper to my Raspberry Pi and flashing new firmware for the old 8bit Rambo board. It sounds like it would get me a Mk3.5 level of control and speed.
Nate Cox
in reply to cyberwolfie • • •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.
ricdeh
in reply to Nate Cox • • •ExcessShiv
in reply to ricdeh • • •cyberwolfie
in reply to Nate Cox • • •Nate Cox
in reply to cyberwolfie • • •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.
grue
in reply to cyberwolfie • • •I'm pretty sure everything about Creality is Free Software, including both firmware and their self-branded slicing software (which I think is a fork of Slic3r, just like everybody else's?).
I just bought an Ender 3 V3 SE and have been using it with FreeCAD and PrusaSlicer (on Linux) and sometimes controlling the printer with Octoprint -- I haven't even bothered downloading anything from Creality yet.
I picked the printer because it's supposedly currently the best cheap 3D printer (mine was an open-box from Microcenter for $135). It doesn't tick your last three boxes, but you can't beat the price!
BastingChemina
in reply to cyberwolfie • • •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
in reply to BastingChemina • • •Owl
in reply to cyberwolfie • • •agile_squirrel
in reply to Owl • • •morbidcactus
in reply to agile_squirrel • • •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
GitHub - nevermore3d/Nevermore_Micro: Activated Carbon Filters. Bad smells or fumes, or complaints thereof, should not keep you from being a maker!
GitHubanguo
in reply to morbidcactus • • •I just have to clarify that this is only useful if your enclosure also has a filter.
morbidcactus
in reply to anguo • • •capably8341
in reply to Owl • • •cyberwolfie
in reply to capably8341 • • •TheYang
in reply to cyberwolfie • • •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.
bluewing
in reply to TheYang • • •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..........
cyberwolfie
in reply to bluewing • • •Yes, that has been my impression during my research as well.
bluewing
in reply to cyberwolfie • • •anguo
in reply to cyberwolfie • • •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 ;)
cyberwolfie
in reply to anguo • • •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...
anguo
in reply to cyberwolfie • • •SoulWager
in reply to cyberwolfie • • •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.