Original Prusa MK4S 3D Printer kit, Removable Print Sheets, Beginner-Friendly 3D Printer DYI Kit, Fun to Assemble, Automatic Calibration, Filament Sample Included, Print Size 9.84 x 8.3 x 8.6 in

When it comes to 3d printing I'm at most a hobbyist. This Prusa MK4 is my first 3d printing experience of any kind, and the last few months have been a learning curve.I don't expect to add much to the slew of enthusiasts who will critically analyze the performance characteristics of the printer, so these remarks will be limited to only what I think might be helpful for someone of a similar perspective.Kit vs. assembled?- Kit all the way!- This is more than just "some assembly required". Every wire, every screw, every reducible part, must be put together. It took hours spread across three or four sessions to get it fully together.- If I hadn't put it together myself, I would have far less understanding of how it works. If anything ever needs to be repaired, or if I ever want to upgrade or accessorize, having a good foundational knowledge from assembly will be helpful.- As a novice, seeing the parts, many of which are 3d printed, and how they fit together gave me insights that are helpful in designing my own 3d models.Thoughts on the kit:- It is impressively well coordinated and documented. Hundreds of parts, and every one was present in the right bag, with the right quantity.- It takes attention to detail. All the stuff is there, but it's up to you to make sure it ends up square, appropriately tight, everything completed.The printer itself:- Works well once assembled. Easy to learn. No issues with leveling.- A bit noisy if you're sharing space with it, but not obnoxiously so.- I've successfully printed a few dozen things in PLA, PLA+, and PETG. I prioritize quality over speed. I've been happy with the results in most cases.The software:- The main program you'll be using is called "PrusaSlicer".- PrusaSlicer has a fairly steep learning curve, though many of the more complex configurations are hidden behind mode settings "Beginner", "Normal", and "Expert". You'll want to dig into the advanced modes, because much of what's needed to get good quality prints, like seam settings, painted supports, and so on, are only available in the more advance modes.- The help links don't always point to the right webpage, but it's usually possible to find what you're looking for with a little searching.Thoughts on 3D printing in retrospect:- Expect limitations. I very quickly discovered that 3D printing is not precisely the ability to easily make plastic parts and shapes. You're dipping your toe into a space that has spawned entire industries and branches of science. It doesn't "just work".- 3D printing one method (out of many) of making plastic shapes, and a method that comes with significant limitations. It's not food safe. It's not watertight. It's fairly heat sensitive. As a rule, everything you print will be solid colors.- If you do end up wanting to print something really specific and can't find a pre-existing model, you'll need to learn 3D modeling software, and that is its own whole can of worms.- Check out Tinkercad, move on to Autodesk Fusion. Take tutorials.Strategies:- Dive in and learn stuff. You will need Expert mode. You will need to learn 3D modeling.- It's not all about the plastic. Filament will only get you so far. Eventually you need to think about screws and anchors, motors, bearings, magnets, and epoxy. Your printer isn't made only from plastic parts, and if you want to do serious and interesting things with it, you'll need to think bigger as well.- The world doesn't need more cutesy plastic animals and phone stands. It needs more people capable of genuine creativity.In the end, I'm glad I bought this Prusa MK4. I've accomplished some interesting things with it. The quality is excellent. More important is the philosophy of something you build yourself from different types of components, expecting that it can be repaired and modified. This sort of thinking is underappreciated in modern culture.

I have been using this for a little over a month now, and I can't say enough great stuff about this printer! I have now successfully printed more things in a little over a month than I had been able to print on my old Ender 5 Pro in 5 years. I have gone through over 5 kg of filament in a month, printing a dragon (with the picture I attached. The detail is absolutely fantastic with even the base settings (I am now printing some stuff with the .1 mm detail settings, and it's even better than the base!). I also printed a Five Nights at Freddy's mask for my daughter that used about 2.3 kg of filament, and have also been printing things from Scan The World that are 3D scans of artifacts from different cultures around the world (such as a Celtic mile marker, a relief of Saint George defeating a dragon from the San Gorgio Cathedral in Italy, statues from Aztec and Mayan cultures, ancient Egyptian reliefs, among others). Yes, the price on this is a bit high for being a "bed slinger", but I am EXTREMELY happy I went with this over another proprietary, planned obsolescence Chinese brand (like Bambu or Ender). Once the upgrade to the MK4S is more widely available, I will definitely be upgrading!Original review: I have been 3D printing for several years now, and have a lot of successes with Resinprinting. Previous to purchasing the MK4, I have worked with the Ender 5 Pro that I have owned for a couple years now. Until I got the MK4, FDM printing was excruciating. The Ender 5 is the printer you want if 3D printing isn't your primary passion, but tinkering is. Me? I like to tinker, but I don't want to have to tinker for 6 hours every time I want to try to print, then have a failure halfway into a print, just to then have to tinker for another 6 hours, have to buy more components to replace stuff that went bad or then have to clean the nozzle because it didn't do the layers right, or a myriad of other things that it had go wrong to keep me from actually *printing*.I've read a lot of things online about the MK4 (and MK4S) and the consensus seems to be that while you still have to do some adjustments and tweaks from time to time, it just runs. I didn't get the pre-assembled printer, I got the kit, so I knew I'd have some assembly and testing to do.So, how was assembly and testing? Well, I ran into a few small hiccups. First, I didn't have the Y belt tightened quite right, so the Y calibration step failed. Few tweaks and it succeeded. Then, I got it to print the Prusa keychain, and then decided to do an actual print. Print shifted on the X axis, so failed. Looked it up, and realized the X axis belt wasn't tight enough. Tightened it, and then the X axis calibration failed and I couldn't figure out what was wrong. Went to the Prusa Discord channel and explained what I did, and within 2 hours had someone point me in the right direction, and I then was able to do my first actual print! And holy moley was it a nice print! Even when the Ender 5 would actually print, it wasn't spectacular in any way, but this actually impressed me massively! I haven't done a second print yet (about to load one up when I'm done typing this), but I am already 1000x happier with the MK4 than I ever was with the Ender 5.There is one question that I'm fairly sure that is being thought by those that know to ask it: why didn't I get the MK4S? Well, that was initially the plan, and I tried, but there was a backup of orders for it, and I had no idea when I'd even get it. So, I decided I would get the Mk4, and if I like it enough, when the upgrade kit becomes more readily available for the MK4S I would get it. If the MK4S is an improvement over this, then I will definitely get it when I can!

This is a great product. I would suggest to be very patient and carefully read assembly instructions if you get the kit. The belt tuning (tension) app didn't work for me, but it's not necessary.