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

  • @rug_burnEnglish
    0•6 months ago

    Having finally seen a Prusa in action, I would have to say they’re both great printers (I have a p1p that I upgraded to a p1s). I understand the arguments against Bambu, but honestly if you’re not printing anything overtly illegal or truly creating things you plan on copyrighting, you’re fine, and if you are that paranoid, you can remove the tape behind the front faceplate and simply unplug the wifi antenna and just print from the SD card, just save in .3mf

    Think of the two as Android (Prusa) vs Apple (Bambu). Both will do the job just fine, just depends on which ecosystem you prefer.

    • @CroquetteEnglish
      8•6 months ago

      Both are capable, but the biggest difference is open source (Prusa) vs Closed source (Bambu).

      I much prefer the open source projects over proprietary projects, so the Prusa is a no brainer for me. But if that is not something that matters, then both are solid options.

      • @rug_burnEnglish
        3•6 months ago

        Firmware is closed, yes. Bambu’s slicer is just a skinned version of Prusaslicer though. Which, tbh, is kind of scummy lol.

        At some point I’ll take the Voron plunge, but for now I’ll just watch my p1s shake all over the place on its silly rubber feet 😂

        • @CroquetteEnglish
          3•6 months ago

          Voron seems to be a project in itself haha.

          I know that bambu slicer is a reskin of prusa slicer, but it feels a bit janky.

          We have a bambu p1p at work and it’s a good machine, but I am not a fan of closed machines because you depend on the manufacturer to get the part to service your machine.

          At least with a prusa I know I can find parts from other suppliers if needed

          • @rug_burnEnglish
            4•6 months ago

            I think it’s “Ze German” in me that wants to build a printer from scratch lol. That, and 350x350 core xy sounds like fun. I need to have at least three unfinished projects going at once to feel sane 🤣