Incremental improvement almost certainly falls short of describing Prusa Research’s product strategy. Upgrades to its 3D printers, like the new Original Prusa MK4S, have consistently brought noticeable performance increases and improved ease of use to the company’s already well-regarded hardware.
Perhaps “iterative improvement” is more apt, but that sounds too much like its machine upgrades create a different beast altogether, and that – importantly – is not the case.
There’s some mix of those words and the unsexy but eternally valuable “lifecycle support” that best describes how the company sticks with and adds to its products over time, helping them to stay relevant and competitive in the market for sometimes over five years, like the MK3 and its iterations.
The MK4S is the first major upgrade to Prusa Research’s current MK4 flagship model, now available for the for the same $1,099 price assembled as was the MK4, or as a $799 DIY 3D printer kit or $99 upgrade kit. It amps up the machine’s capabilities thanks to a new CHT high-flow nozzle for the Nextruder designed in collaboration with Bondtech, and a high-pressure turbine cooling fan the company says is “so efficient, it runs at just 70% most of the time.”
Those changes work together to bring about two major upgrades to the MK4: increased volumetric flow rate and improved cooling.
Prusa has given much attention to cooling in its MK4S release materials, highlighting its capability to print very impressive 75º overhangs. Nothing highlights the capability better than Prusa’s included “Scandic Plate” model, which prints an Ø18 cm plate with a broad 75º overhang without supports. It’s impressive.
We were also pleased to see that many of Prusa’s included test files appear to have been sliced with the default MK4S 0.2 mm “speed” profile, judging by the print times and performance compared to manually sliced files, despite the company’s vocal opposition to speed as a priority in 3D printing. The test prints show a clear improvement over the MK4 input shaper profiles, and also include a 14-minute Benchy printed within the SpeedBoatRace rules that, though clearly not sliced from a default profile, shows just how fast the machine can be pushed.
Though Prusa doesn’t put much stock in printing fast, it’s a relief to see its systems catching up with other major players in the market. It wasn’t so at launch, with six months between the MK4 launch and its advertised input-shaping features going live.
Since adding input shaping, other updates to the MK4 have made printing generally faster and more seamless, with improvements to the machine’s networking capabilities when G-code streaming was introduced for faster file uploads. This sort of convenience hasn’t been ignored in the MK4S update, with Prusa adding an NFC antenna and launching a Prusa mobile app. With the two, users can easily setup their MK4S on their wireless network just by tapping their phone, and monitor and control their 3D printer from a mobile device – including browsing and printing pre-sliced files on Printables and those saved to your Prusa Connect cloud storage.
In general, the MK4S update has shored up how competitive Prusa’s workhorse can be when put to the track, and to users who want a more appliance-like experience.
And closing that gap was vital, because it’s given Prusa room to stand out for its unique penchant for catering to tinkerers – true to its legacy as an open-source RepRap project. With the MK4S, Prusa is doing that by introducing two optional components: an accelerometer and GPIO board.
These addons aren’t part of the $99 MK4S upgrade kit but have been introduced alongside it. They’re exciting components to see in a market that, while comfortable in its appliance-like simplicity, is facing closed systems at the top. The MK4S is a competitive system that doesn’t just happen to be hackable – it’s encouraged.
So, to the two major questions of this release: does the MK4S upgrade present a great new moment to get into Prusa Research’s ecosystem? Unequivocally, yes. But, is buying the MK4S upgrade kit worth the $99 cost? In short, also yes.
As to the long answer, those who’ve gotten their hands dirty modding 3D printers in the past may raise an eyebrow at the upgrade kit on offer. The crux of it is, after all, a new part-cooling fan and nozzle. You could reason the NFC aspect is less useful to owners of one or only few machines and so, ultimately, Prusa is asking $99 for two pretty common and straightforward aftermarket upgrades. But the intrusiveness of an upgrade isn’t an indication of its quality, and it’s clear Prusa wanted to bring the very tangible performance increase this upgrade presents to its stock system.
In that sense, the upgrade kits feel something like a courtesy. Prusa doesn’t leave behind its earlier adopters like many manufacturers on the market pitching out mildly varied iterations of their machines. Users are brought along, their machine’s lifecycle extended and supported.
In a straight sense of value for your dollar for those typically aftermarket upgrades, you may be able to save a few bucks by picking up an aftermarket turbine fan, printing Prusa’s new fan shroud yourself, and opting to use Prusa’s V6 nozzle adapter (assuming you already have one) with a V6 CHT nozzle, or just wait for Prusa’s version to be available by itself. But that will take more effort, time, and you’ll miss out on the new NFC module and a handful of nice 3D printed PC or injection-molded parts.
You could save a bit by skirting the upgrade, but $99 seems a fair price to skip the effort and reward Prusa’s notably consumer-friendly approach.
To add to that, it’s worth noting Prusa’s diligent support extends beyond its hardware. Early last week, YouTuber Robert Cowan posted a video suggesting the MK4S’ impressive overhang performance is elevated by the existence of a PrusaSlicer bug that Prusa caught and fixed a while back, but competitors with software based on the company’s open-source slicer haven’t yet.
It’s a good reminder of not just how consumer friendly Prusa Research can be in its hardware upgrades, but how supporting the company advances 3D printing tools across the consumer market.
Stay Informed, Save Big, Make More
Get our bi-weekly newsletter for the latest 3D printing news, deals, and guides.
We do not share your information! You can unsubscribe at any time.
By subscribing you agree to our Privacy Policy.
Community models featured in this story Art Toy Chess Set by Super Nfty A BIT with a GRIP V2.0 by Prntmkr Bike Water Bottle Cage (Tall) V2 by Yureka
Read more recent news:
License: The text of "With the Original Prusa MK4S, Prusa Research Might Just Stand Out Again: Hands-On" by All3DP is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
CERTAIN CONTENT THAT APPEARS ON THIS SITE COMES FROM AMAZON. THIS CONTENT IS PROVIDED ‘AS IS’ AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE OR REMOVAL AT ANY TIME.