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Nov 2015

Hello,

I’m considering to buy Prusa i3 and I’m looking at two kits at the moment. I want your opinion which is better?

Original Prusa i3 kit with LCD 1.75mm

- Has ability of changing the filament to a different color during the print, but it can automatically stop when the change of filament color is needed. Can other kit achieve this? This is very important to me, so I wont have to tutor it.

REPRAP Mendel Prusa i3 / P3Steel KIT

-What is the quality of this kit?

Please tell me you opinions.

  • created

    Nov '15
  • last reply

    Mar '16
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Hey @3dmne, feel free to check the 3D printer Guide 100 for this, as it is based on the collective experiences of our Hubs.

Hope this helps!

The Prusa model has new firmware for changing the filament. Which sounds like it would come close to working OK. “Close”

The other model looks like standard printer. If you experiment a lot, you could probably find the new Prusa firmware and download it. You probably WONT change filament often because you really need to know to the second when to be there to change it. A print might take 10 hours. changing filament every 10 minutes would drive you nuts.

If you plan on printing many many z layers at a single color, then you need to approximate when to be there. (Or set the “stop at layer Z” plugin with Cura.)

Any machine which has everything included is likely to be less of a hassle than one missing some part (2nd website.)

You may get “that isn’t our part failing, it’s your Ramps…”

Both are VERY close. But, name brands are cool… IE “Prusa”

Gddeen,

This was very enlightening, given the fact that I’m still new to this. I will try to avoid designs where filament changing is frequent. So you are saying that this cool feature about pausing for filament change is actually because a firmware.

And you think that first (Original Kit) has better hardware?

If you consider firmware hardware. I don’t know the price differences so I have no opinion one versus the other.

They are probably identical. The firmware in the first one is nice.

Wait for more opinions…

Hi, I’ve built two Prusa i3-based printers (one acrylic and one P3Steel). In my experience, what sets a specific Prusa i3 apart is build quality above all else , since quite frankly most Prusa i3s are extremely fragile and unsteady, and besides that the fragility makes them more prone to breaking from accidental bumps or impacts, the axes tend to lose their 90 degree angles with each other. Because of that, I would highly recommend the KitPrinter3D Prusa i3 with the P3Steel frame, since it’s extremely solid and always holds its square by design, in addition to being easier to build.

Color changing is not a firmware feature exclusive to Prusa’s own printers, contrary to what the others have been telling you. I’m not entirely sure who came up with the new simplified system, maybe it was Josef Prusa himself, but the fact of the matter is that it’s still just a modified version of Marlin and will install and run on any printer based on standard Reprap electronics, provided you configure it for the new printer. Pausing when filament changes are needed can be implemented entirely in Gcode, so that’s not exclusive either. No matter what, they’re both Repraps, and don’t have any features exclusive from each other.

(I’m not in any way trying to tear down Josef Prusa himself. No matter how you put it, he still created the most simple and easy-to-build Reprap to achieve widespread use, and has changed the entire 3D printer industry. I just don’t think his Prusa i3, which is still largely the exact same design he created years ago with none of the improvements others have come up with implemented, is a good choice of a printer when objectively compared to others. Of course, it’s always a good thing to support his work and help him innovate further :slight_smile: )

I think that’s all I have for now. I hope my input has helped a bit.

-Karl

Karl,

Your input helps a lot! If I can make P3Steel version print color filaments like “Original” Prusa i3, that sounds much better.

It might be that I’m asking too much, I’m still new to this but I’m willing to learn, could you direct me to some sources of information where I can find out what do I need to apply to KitPrinter3D Prusa i3 (filament sensors and etc) so that it prints color filaments just like “Original” Prusa i3?

19 days later
8 days later
1 month later
10 days later

Karl,

Thanks for the reply.

I did not find any “One” P3Steel Kit that had everything I wanted, but at the same time need a kit to “see how it works” the 1st time. That being said, I will build it, then probably modify to suit my needs/desires. Most all the P3Steel kits are from Spain, only 2-3 ship out of Europe. The makefront kit was 500.00 without standalone electronics, and the zip ties really turned me off.

I ended up going with a HTA3D kit,

I’ll let you know how it goes.

Nick

2 months later

BTW I am in WV just over the border from Hancock, MD.

I am looking at the kit on Amazon for the Original Prusa i3 3D Printer kit from Josef Prusa. How can I tell if the frame is metal? It appears to be so but it doesn’t mention it anywhere. I am interested in printing O Scale (1:48) details for model railroading. this will be my first 3D printer.

Thanks

Jay Beckham

Berkeley Springs, WV

james@thebeckhams.us