I’m looking to buy an intermediate level printer to upgrade from a MK2, and I’m deciding between a P1S vs a MK4.
I have never considered getting anything other than a Prusa, since I’ve had such good experiences using mine, however I heard that recently they’ve switched away from their open source model(?)
That and being made in the EU was the main differentiating factor for me, however I do hear really good things about Bambu printers.
Does anyone have experience with either?
Edit: Found a lot of the information I was looking for here: https://lemmy.world/post/9500502
Prusa firmware is all still on github. They are using a few more machined or injection moulded parts where it makes sense for stiffness or things like the spool holder. Most of the printer and especially anything that might get revisions later is 3d printed
Gotcha. I remember seeing that they are switching to injection molding in a recent YT video of their labs. I’m not sure what everyone is talking bout when they mention Prusa is less open source than before. Seems like just some misinformation I guess. Thank you for the reply.
The injection mold comment in the Prusa tour video was sarcasm that might‘ve went over some people‘s heads. Prusa being less open source seems completely made up to me. No idea why someone would say that other than making closed source printers like Bambulab‘s look less problematic.
Ultimately it‘s up to you to decide how much you‘re willing to spend and how much you value convenience vs. actually owning your printer and contributing to 3D printing staying open source.
I for one see enough parallels between the new generation of closed source 3D printers and seemingly cheap HP inkjet printers that became increasingly more hostile towards costumers as they gained market share to not touch them with a stick.
I think that perception comes from a post from Josef Prusa where he expressed disdain for companies that are taking the Prusa design and software and wholesale copying it (while doing a really bad job of removing the Prusa branding in the software/firmware). He said that he wasn’t sure how viable continuing to publish everything openly would be given this. I think that was aimed at Anycubic, but don’t quote me on that.
I would say you’re probably going to have a better time with the MK4 in the long run vs. the Bambu Labs, but Prusa should probably take notice that other companies are starting to sell really competitive machines that are reliable (and not just ripoffs of their designs). Sure the XL is unparalleled, but if you just want to unbox a midsize printer and go, Prusa’s machines are very expensive preassembled. Yeah you can get it cheaper if you assemble it yourself, but that doesn’t cover every potential customer’s desires.
I get the sense that Prusa is getting comfortable with his success, and with that he’s getting more protective of his cash cow. Him complaining about how much value he sees in open source is - in my opinion, anyway - a symptom of that. The entire RepRap community upon which he built his business is thanks to open source.