Prusa Research announced a “permanent” price decrease for their popular MK4S desktop FFF 3D printer.
For several years the MK4S was the go-to machine in the desktop 3D printing marketplace. It provided reliable output, was relatively easy to fix and was priced decently.
Then Bambu Labs happened.
That company marketed an enclosed system using a high speed CoreXY motion system and a very slick interface. The big attraction, however, was vastly increased print speed. This caught many existing manufacturers without equipment to match those speeds, including Prusa Research.
Eventually Bambu Lab’s competitors raised their speeds and shifted to similar enclosed CoreXY formats. Prusa Research did so with their CORE One system.
In the scramble to get the CORE One out, Prusa Research maintained sales of the MK4S. After the CORE One was launch, they kept selling the MK4S.
Now they’ve announced a “permanent price drop” for the MK4S, “cutting its price by up to $70!”
This leaves the MK4S priced at US$669 for the DIY kit, and US$929 for the fully assembled version. This is still fairly expensive as compared to some competing machines. For example, the Elegoo Centauri Carbon is priced at only US$299 — and it’s an enclosed, CoreXY system that competes against Prusa Research’s CORE One. The CORE One, by the way, is priced at US$949/1119 (kit and assembled).
You could buy two assembled Centauri Carbons for the price of one MK4S DIY kit. The pricing difference suggests that Prusa Research may have a challenge selling the MK4S.
Prusa Research may be following the industry trends with this discount, but the discount still leaves the company’s product with a huge pricing gap with competing machines. Yes, the MK4S is a very fine product, and is considered an open source option, unlike many competing products.
The industry has really moved on to the new CoreXY systems, and it’s becoming very difficult for many i3 manufacturers to sell their systems. Many companies have severely discounted their i3 platforms — and some have even officially gone out of the printer business.
Could this be the end of the MK4S? Is Prusa Research attempting to clear out the remaining MK4S units? There’s no indication this is the case in their lengthy blog post — but there isn’t an indication it isn’t the case, either.
Via Prusa Research
