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I don’t know why this is being down voted. Prusa are trying to make an open source hardware company work and I guess this is what it looks like. There is so mu

I don’t know why this is being down voted. Prusa are trying to make an open source hardware company work and I guess this is what it looks like. There is so much noise on HN about repairability. Well here is some open hardware And it’s ”the Chinese printers have so much more features!”

eropple 4y ago
Prusa absolutely builds good stuff, but their level of repairability just isn't different from most other printers--Bambu notably excepted, as they're a pretty closed system. They're all extremely commodity parts, from boards to v-wheels. I wish them well, but the value of their devices to date just does not equal the price. (The Prusa XL may change this and I'm really excited to play with one.
- 2muchcoffeeman 4y ago
  Bambu just proves the point. Do you think they are going to make more integrated and closed systems or start opening up? Someone has to take the hit with development. And that costs money. >but the value of their devices to date just does not equal the price Has the value in terms of price to features ever really been competitive? I got the MK3 soon after it was released and even then you could get an i3 clone for much cheaper that produced similar results. The Chinese clones didn’t have 3D printed parts either. But now is the time Prusa is not price competitive?
  - eropple 4y ago
    In the last year, I've bought two separate sub-$250 3D printers that I just threw on a table after connecting four screws and a couple cables and they were dead-on out of the box. Prusa's hat has been "it just works!". That's been the conceptual moat. That is the part that isn't distinctive anymore.
    - postalrat 4y ago
      Most cheap tools work at least once right out of the box.
      - eropple 4y ago
        I've had both of mine for six and three months, respectively. They're inexpensive. But they're not cheap. That's a problem for selling $1100 bedslingers.
svachalek 4y ago
My experience with repairability on Prusa is pretty awful, lots of $1 parts that need to be airmailed from Czechia for $50. At least the Chinese stuff is easily available.
- manual89 4y ago
  If you're in the US, printed solid is basically prusa's US arm now and carry a majority of their parts.
  - deelowe 4y ago
    Their prices are higher than prusa. It's cheaper to buy direct. The savings on shipping isn't enough to offset the cost. Prusa is pretty open about this. They purchased ps so they could get government contracts in the US. It wasn't about improving retail costs for the average consumer.
yencabulator 4y ago
> Prusa are trying to make an open source hardware company work and I guess this is what it looks like. https://blog.prusa3d.com/the-state-of-open-source-in-3d-printing-in-2023_76659/ https://blog.prusa3d.com/the-state-of-open-source-in-3d-prin... sure sounds like they no longer intend to be an "open source hardware company". For example: > Parts that can be considered consumables (e.g., thermistors, heater blocks, fans, printing plates, etc.) can be manufactured and sold commercially after the verification by the licensor based on the presentation of samples. That is very much against the concept of open source.

eropple 4y ago

Prusa absolutely builds good stuff, but their level of repairability just isn't different from most other printers--Bambu notably excepted, as they're a pretty closed system. They're all extremely commodity parts, from boards to v-wheels. I wish them well, but the value of their devices to date just does not equal the price. (The Prusa XL may change this and I'm really excited to play with one.

2muchcoffeeman 4y ago
Bambu just proves the point. Do you think they are going to make more integrated and closed systems or start opening up? Someone has to take the hit with development. And that costs money. >but the value of their devices to date just does not equal the price Has the value in terms of price to features ever really been competitive? I got the MK3 soon after it was released and even then you could get an i3 clone for much cheaper that produced similar results. The Chinese clones didn’t have 3D printed parts either. But now is the time Prusa is not price competitive?
- eropple 4y ago
  In the last year, I've bought two separate sub-$250 3D printers that I just threw on a table after connecting four screws and a couple cables and they were dead-on out of the box. Prusa's hat has been "it just works!". That's been the conceptual moat. That is the part that isn't distinctive anymore.
  - postalrat 4y ago
    Most cheap tools work at least once right out of the box.
    - eropple 4y ago
      I've had both of mine for six and three months, respectively. They're inexpensive. But they're not cheap. That's a problem for selling $1100 bedslingers.

svachalek 4y ago

My experience with repairability on Prusa is pretty awful, lots of $1 parts that need to be airmailed from Czechia for $50. At least the Chinese stuff is easily available.

manual89 4y ago
If you're in the US, printed solid is basically prusa's US arm now and carry a majority of their parts.
- deelowe 4y ago
  Their prices are higher than prusa. It's cheaper to buy direct. The savings on shipping isn't enough to offset the cost. Prusa is pretty open about this. They purchased ps so they could get government contracts in the US. It wasn't about improving retail costs for the average consumer.

yencabulator 4y ago

> Prusa are trying to make an open source hardware company work and I guess this is what it looks like. https://blog.prusa3d.com/the-state-of-open-source-in-3d-printing-in-2023_76659/ https://blog.prusa3d.com/the-state-of-open-source-in-3d-prin... sure sounds like they no longer intend to be an "open source hardware company". For example: > Parts that can be considered consumables (e.g., thermistors, heater blocks, fans, printing plates, etc.) can be manufactured and sold commercially after the verification by the licensor based on the presentation of samples. That is very much against the concept of open source.