PRUSA i3 MK3S+ 3D Printer, is it worth $750? Compare with Creality Ender 3 and other budget printers
In this video, I will take a closer look at its hardware, do some test prints to see how it prints right out of the box, and talk about what I like and what can be improved on this printer.
The first thing I noticed when I opened the box was that it came with many brand name parts, including a Delta PSU, an Einsy Rambo motherboard, Misumi bearings, Bondtech gear, TMC2130 stepper drivers, and a genuine E3D hotend.
You may ask even if it came with some brand name parts, is it worth $750?
Let’s find out how much it would cost if buying an Ender 3, and add the price of all these brand name parts and see what number we finally come up with. Creality has recently lowered the price of the Ender-3 from $179 to $155. So, we will start with $155 to get a very basic 3D printer without any brand name parts...
If we buy all these parts, it will cost us $478. If you add the price of a basic Ender-3, it will cost around $633. Since the retail price of the Prus MK3S+ is $750, you’re paying $120 more for the Prusa brand, the Prusa slicer that’s made for the Prusa printer, and other convenient features that I will talk about later...
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Used Ender-3 ($79)
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Creality Ender-3 Pro:
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You’re doing Such a good job it’s unbelievable that you’re so young. Very informative and just so enjoyable to watch. You’re one of my favourite 3-D printing channels.
Thank you so much for your support! I'm glad this could help.
Yeah I wonder how old she is - she is waaayyyyyy professional than any kid this age I've ever seen. Too professional. And that's of course, in a great way!
She's 32
@@herbie747 wow she's got so much ahead of her. Good for her!
@@divinginthedeep She's not a kid lmao
Aurora, you are inspiring! I am a 50+ year old lady (normally intimidated by technical stuff)...But you broke it down for me in such a simple and clear way that I felt excited to purchase my first 3D printer (Prusa i3 MK3S). Thank you!
Do not forget, Josef Prusa started out as a DJ that wanted more knobs. He assembled himself a RepRap Mendel, and he simplyfied it, creating the Prusa Simplified Mendel. He eventually started making his own, making the Prusa i3. It is the most used style of 3D printer now. Also, his company is the fastest growing amongst Europe :-)
Yes, very informative presentation. Didn't know the Ender used very basic parts so your Prusa price comparison with upgraded Ender hardware was an eye opener. Good job, keep up the good work!
Most thorough comparison on youtube, keep up the good work!
I've subscribed to your channel after watching this video. Finally, a video where the presenter speaks at a nice even pace and clear enough that I can, not only understand what's being said, but also have time to process it. Thank you, keep up the great work!
You're doing a great job in explaining things. Thanks for you effort and your insights.
One of the best prusa reviews! Very objective, lots of information.. good work
One of the best reviews I’ve seen on any 3D printer well done
Best review on KZhead straight to the point & in-depth thanks
This the best most concise comparison ive found on KZhead. Very very helpful
This is an incredible versus overview. Just what I needed. Keep it up, you'll keep doing big things!
Incredible your parents and educators must be so proud of you! I hope my two boys are as talented as you are!
Excellent comparison. I was looking at the Ender and already mentally upgrading things before buying it. Pretty much sold on a Prusa now.
Oh my... first time viewer here...you are awesome!! Great review. I am sooo impressed. Thank you!
Excellent video. Was curious to hear what your conclusion would be. I plan on buying this printer in a couple months and it’s helpful to see videos like this. Comparing it to an upgraded Ender was a great idea and helpful. I’m looking forward to whatever you post next.
Great Review At my work we have just bought a Prusa i3 MK3s+, and it just works out of the box. I like the open design and the full ecosystem, with printer and slicer fully integrated. Thanks for sharing your experience with all of us :-)
Your quality is amazing. Great job
this is so professional and informative! that's some fantastic work, thanks for publishing this.
fantastic job all around! great work with content and knowledge and even better with the behind the scenes filming, editing and formatting along with B roll integration and etc. true quality so thank you!
just subscribed and im watch every single video. i like how every sentence you say have a point and there is nothing useless at all. this should be the golden standard for tech review video
I just see your video for Prusa and give me awesome information for what is plus and what minus. I think for two more printers for my first one and hope soon to make my huge step in this universe 🤗 Thank you and I will look forward for new videos here.
For me the lack of annoying problems really sealed the deal for the Prusa. If you have more money than time then I’d go Prusa. If you have more time than money go Creality. Really just depends on what stage of your life you are on. Good printers either way.
also customer support is very important, I'm waiting now for mine to show up. I had looked at one more expensive in the $1500 range and they were not getting the reviews like Prusa, plus because of that there is also community support. For learning purposes I'm also going to buy some of there Prusament. Same reasoning not enough time, though I will be looking for a local supplier in the US
@@billnoname8093 I use hatch box. The cost of Prusament was too much. It works great!
I got all of 2 MONTHS before mine was a wreck, thanks to a blob forming and destroying the wires and other parts that it hardened around. $1000 for 2 months = a piece of crap. This is the review you should be listening to...
@@samualwilliamson1187 you know that’s all fixable right? You can buy replacement parts. Real advantage to not getting it built for you is you have an idea of how it goes together. Worst case scenario you but a new heat block? I had to do that when I tied to remove a blob. 50 bucks?
@@davidmuzia814 Yeah, I built my first one. When the wires broke from the sensor, the printer stopped working. Only option is a heatgun. I think it'll be $50-100 to fix, but the hours it'll prob take me is frustrating. Modular printers would be nice.
Congrats for the video ! Great job !
Looking to get into 3D printing at work. Great video content. Think I'm sold on the Prusa as our first, and you've earned a new subscriber for your awesome content🤙🏽
I loved the part price comparison! I was trying to decide between the Prusa and the Ender 3 and this video made it an easy choice. I’m going with the Prusa.
You have great reviews. Very thorough!
Great Job! Most honest review I’ve seen to date.
Nice work. A good analysis of the printer and very easy to understand your explanations. Thank you for a good job.
Awesome video guys, great work!
The Great YT Algorithm brought me here. Your content, the thorough analysis, the step-by-step guides, etc has gotten my like & sub.
Thank you so much for your support!
You may be a teenager but you're by far the best 3d fdm printer reviewer on KZhead by a large margin.
Good quality video, very simple explained with details.
Very underrated Channel. You are one of the best 3D Printer Channel
Your videos helped me decide to go with the Prusa over the Ender 3 V2. Thank you!
Splendid work. Thank you!
Great video thank you for all your hard work
Simply the best is it worth some money, Prusa video I’ve ever seen. I’ve seen so many others, or people are like the ender three is just as good, after you spend half your life upgrading it. And never talk about the price of all of the upgrades get reviews are simply becoming my favorite ones.
New subscriber here, such an informative video. Im thinking of purchasing a Prussa and the cost of parts was very interesting and has helped me in my decision. Thank you.
Very good video. Thanks for sharing. I have three 3D printers and I’m getting this one next.
good honest review, i bought refurb cr10s pro v2 for 350 bucks and prints great for the money
Excellent video. I love the numerical comparison. May I point out a few things? It's more than just print quality. It's your time. How many hours did you spend tinkering with the Ender 3 to get it to be as good as the Prusa, and what is your time worth? How much would you charge someone else for your expert skill in upgrading their Ender 3 to Prusa quality. Also, there's a ton of little things the Prusa does that an Ender 3 doesn't. Like, having a filament out sensor on the direct drive that automatically heats up when it's time to load or unload the filament. Having an actually well tested UI that is reactive and makes sense. The Prusa is a quality of life upgrade. Now, is that all worth the price? Well, developing that stuff isn't free, and developers and testers need to pay their bills. When you buy a $100 pair of running shoes they may not make you run any faster, but after you've used them for 6 months, they'll be in better condition than the $20 running shoes you bought. Hopefully. I know the cheap shoes I buy I have to replace the insole every couple of weeks. Sure, I saved a lot on the initial purpose, but I've been walking on a hole in my shoe or incurring additional expense (and time) fixing the insole myself every couple of months, it's might be worth it to just pay the upfront cost. And, that's kinda how I feel about the Ender 3 and the Prusa. Yes, you _can_ make the Ender 3 not suck as much, but the Prusa never sucks. At least not right away. Is that worth it? Now that you've added up the difference in the parts, and seeing how, quite frankly, little it difference is, I say yeah, totally worth it. But I'm nor intersted in doing cool prints than playing with my printer.
Thanks for that. There’s an Ender 3 S1 now. Has all of the good upgrades. Not sure how well it did them. But ya I just want to print. I don’t want to fuss around and be pissed. I want to use it like a tool.
Definitely some less tangible reasons like this. I have an original Ender 3 and I'm very seriously considering this printer because I'm tired of all the little tweaks here and there to just get it to print correctly.
THANK YOU PROFESSOR. Finally someone who gets it. It’s not about the money, it’s about the time. Upgrading and tinkering (read: fixing) my Ender was sorta fun at first but some days I just need to f*cking print. It could take hundreds of hours to install, troubleshoot, tune and tinker all the upgrades on an Ender. My hobby is designing robots, not fixing my printer.
Great Video! exactly the information a new comer needs when buying their printer.
Great video and details!!! As you have pointed out, the MK3S+ is so much more than the Ender 3 with all the upgrades. This is from an Ender 3 Pro owner.
Very impressive, great review
Guys, you rock! Thank you for your detailed video!
Awesome review. You really know your stuff 👍
Solid review, thanks.
Very impressive video, thank you !
wonderful and very informative video. Thank you (and well done!)
Excellent job on the review! I would also point out the integrated Z axis screws that require no coupling. Couplings can be a source of Z wobble.
I dont subscribe to many channels BUT I 100% will be subscribing to this one. Looking forward to the step-by-step assembly video tonight.
best 3d print channel!
Great content. Very helpful and informative. Keep up the good work. :)
Excelent, effective, usefull. Thanks for no music.
Great review, very objective and constructive, i just subscribed!
Great video. Very informative.
Love your videos, great work! Seeing that stringing on the creality machine makes me think that your hotend needs some attention. I printed some heavy retraction models on an Ender and stringing was way less. Very nice prints from the prusa, some parts seems affected by some Z wobble of some sort, like the white hinges at 6:49 and partially the benchy too. Something to adjust during assembly maybe?
I came to the same conclusion, you pay for convenience, that's why I have one besides my other printers. The support is also excelent if you need it, but may be less good outside of europe because of shipping time / cost.
Fantastic video! Thank you
Another great video. Thanks! You keep mentioning your brother. It looks like you're doing all the work. What does he do? 😆
Super nice video, very impressive, wish you and your family all the best and success in your life.
Wow great comparisson I could not have done better owning the prusa and also some upgraded creality printers!
Love your video alot. Thank you
very detailed review. I can see this channel being a big hit considering presenters age.
Your comparison is very on-point and useful. Thank you for doing this comparison. I also think the Prusa printer was the best for less than $1000. Also they have a pretty good and responsive customer service if you need to.
Awesome. Thanks!!
It makes me so happy to see young women in technology! Keep up the great work
Thank you for another excellent video
really good video, thanks
Great video, I’m ordering one.
Great job thank you
When adding the price of the used parts you also should consider shipping costs, unless you can get them all in one place. Great video.
Thank you. I enjoyed the video.
Great video! As an engineer myself, I’m doing a lot of research to decide on my first 3D printer and this video single handedly convinced me to decide on getting a Prusia. I’ll be getting the Mini but I appreciate how much Id be paying for the Prusia brand and conveniences that come along with it. Looking forward to watching the channel’s content! Keep it up!
Dont get the the mini...you will regret it. Get this printer.
@@garrydye2394 oh, what will I regret? Which printers do you like using?
@@garrydye2394 Come on m8, you can't just drop it like that. There has to be a reason why you think it's a bad choice. I'm just about sold on a Prusa mini too. What's to regret in your opinion?
Great video!
Greatly appreciate your videos I just hope your doing this because you enjoy 3d printing and not because your parents force you too. Keep up the great videos very informative
wow! good job
Very Very good review and facts, that many forget to mention, if the recommend an Ender for beginners. The quality is almost the same. But the way with the basic stock Ender is way longer and you will mod that system.
I would love to get the Prusa. The design is so clean and neat. But the price of the creality is unbeatable
Thank you for asking this question. I never understood why the prusa is worth that much and what makes it better than the ender 3
Thank You wonderful video and great information. I liked the way you two put the videos together, your parents should be so proud of you. I have a question. I have a CR 10S Pro V1. Would the bed level sensor on this Prusa work on my printer too. Do you think the linear bearing should be added to this 10S for better detail printing. Have you looked into the Direct Drive options for the 10S Pro? or any printer. I see upgrades are available but most are pretty expensive. I have added the connecting gear and belt to the top of the dual Z drives, I have clamped the Z axis bed adjusters down tight, I have added a Swiss Micro Hot end and Hardened Steel Nozzle. ( I print Model Train parts and needed High Heat resistant parts for the smoke generator housing). I also added a pair of Z axis Struts to stiffen the vertical frame. You Guys are just treat to watch and i am learning from. you. imagine that. I am 72 y.o. with advanced degrees and 45 years in Engineering but you are helping me improve my productivity more than you can imagine. God Bless, Dennis
Good video and excellent points. I've got 2 Creality printers and a Prusa for 3 years. There's a few differences, and not all hardware. The one thing you missed is the vastly better MK5.2 heated bed - there is simply no comparison to the simpler beds Creality uses, not to mention the embedded magnets that makes a double sided steel sheet ready to use with no glue on base - this is quite a big difference. The frame is also unique to Prusa, though I see clones have emerged. The biggest difference though, is support - I originally purchased the mk3, but have been able to upgrade to the latest iteration. On the other hand, there is no Creality upgrades for my old CR10 mini which I bought at the same time - you are stuck with the original motherboard & hot end unless you want a non Creality alternative. The other big difference is software - Prusa slicer is a great product and firmware upgrades appear several times a year. Any issues they respond quickly. Also you mention the risk of damaging parts on assembly - a lot of people have had parts mailed out free of charge. Do half agree on one thing - print quality generally is similar to the Creality BUT ONLY for PLA. Even then I've had models that printed with no issue on the Prusa that struggled on the Creality. But if you just want pla printing workhorses, yes the ender is great
and an upgraded magnetic bed is easily under $50.. so for the same price as the Prusa you can get 3 to 4 modded creality printers that'll give you the same quality.. It's part of the times, get equal quality for less.
@@br0k3nilluzion the magnetic beds available for the creality range are still nowhere near as good as the mk3 bed. You are talking about surfaces, not the need itself, which is vastly inferior to them mk52 bed design. Also mechanically the Prusa design is far more stable. You'd spend hundreds to get exactly the same from a creality and there still isn't a bed for any of their printers that matches the mk52 design.
@@lff12 you're wrong. mk3 is still a bed slinger. You can get a very nice Y-Carriage for under $50, and a very nice magnetic bed for under $40. Shoot, an LDO Prusa MK2 Y-Carriage is only $80. That still leaves you under $400 for your printer. Of which both are still using Marlin and both are still 8-bit boards. For the price of a Mk3 I can get a cr10 v2/3 and Ender 3 v2/CR6 SE, both running 32bit boards and Klipper.. and I get the same quality as a finely tuned mk3.. we compare prints from our print farms at the makerspace here all the time. lol
@@lff12 All I'm saying is I can get my "creality" cr10 v2 using a 32bit board along with Klipper running smooth as heck and printing faster , for less then a mk3... And if one was to spend the mk3 money, it'd be better spent on a CoreXy, or a CoreXZ like a Voron Switchwire. But the MK3 is most definitely a good printer.. not knocking it by anymeans..
@@br0k3nilluzion sure you can get autolevelling (40 dollars), a removeable bed (but not the fully specced mk52, 50 dollars), updated extruder and hotend (bondtech DDX 135 dollars, Copperhead 105), 32 bit board that supports standalone mode (MKS 32-bit board with TMC steppers 75 collars) - all of that is 400 dollars and you still have a basic heated bed rather than the MK52, and whatever power supply it came with, and by now a CR-10S costing 300 on a good discount plus all of that is 700 dollars - less than 200 shy of what a proper MK3S+ kit will cost you, plus you've still to do all the assembly and figure out the firmware yourself, and you are on your own with most of this, because most of these come with no support whatsoever. Even the Prusa mini is a better deal. Unless, as I said, you are only planning to print PLA, in which case you are probably as well off with an Ender plus or ender max if you want a bigger bed.
Ótimo Vídeo Parabéns!
Great vidéo. Thank you very much 😀👍👍👍
Good review
Wow, really nice video
Great review however you forgot to mention the support you get from Prusa when you buy one of their machines. I have a Mini+, MK3S+, and a Ender 5 Plus and I had to rely on reddit to find fixes for issues I was having for my Ender 5 Plus. For Prusa I only need to chat them up.
Great video! What program do you use to create the STL files for your custom 3D prints?
Ce comparatif est extrêmement professionnel et scientifique de ta part. Tu compares pièces par pièce et à la même qualité, ce que beaucoup de youtubers s’amusent à faire pour dénigrer un matériel plus cher. Tu explique bien à quoi correspond le supplément de prix. Bravo à toi, continue !
Well spoken.
I spent the first month trying to fix my elephant foots from an Ender 3 (z-binding due to tight rollers). So if you want something work better our of the box maybe the Prusa is better.
The Ender 3 blew me away - probably the most bang for the buck in my life. OTOH I felt a twinge of buyer's remorse with the i3 MK3S+. But I do like the 300 C extruder, the excellent bed, and auto leveling. I just have to stop thinking about the opportunity cost. 😐
what do you think a shop should buy? we just dove in recently. i bought a broken xplus, a broken davinchi 1.0, and a broken cmax. a new super racer that im happily breaking too often to use as i learn marlin, octiprint, ect. i need to buy an off the shelf unit for nylon and petg only. ill swap on a .6 nozzle x and have it print all the other machines parts. ive had a few wildly different carriage systems on the xplus. its good with the icarus now but the ribbon cable gave up from all the handling. the cmax had crazy mods to the controller, so its getting one of the octipus boards i have here. im building a eail set for it so it only runs x up and down. the davinchi is almost finished with its new octopus board wiring. learning firmware has been bumpy, but il get there. ive been thinking an ender3 with a few mods, but if i go beyond a nozzle, ill get carried away and i need one to make the parts for everyone else so they all can eventually work well.
Great video! Thank you. How do you feel about all the 3d printed parts? Personally not a fan. Wish there were more machined parts.
Me too, I am not a big fan of 3d printed parts, some of them may not fit perfectly with the nuts when you build it, but they actually work pretty well.
damn that's impressive
Your great good job
Hy, You have do make the same comparaison today with Prusai3 MK3S + VS Creality Ender 3 S1 !! It will be a good fight !!
Well done. Subbed in Ohio
maybe last year but compare is to ender 3 S1 399USD or ender 3 S1 pro i am not sure of its price because not yet released in my country but i think that would be interesting comparison since the ender updated