Prusa Original Prusa MK4S DIY Kit High-Speed FDM 3D Printer

Prusa Original Prusa MK4S DIY Kit High-Speed FDM 3D Printer

By Prusa · 3D Printers · 3D Printing

  • CoreXY-independent i3-style motion with 250 x 210 x 220mm build volume
  • Input shaping and pressure advance, up to ~400mm/s effective speed
  • Automatic calibration including load cell first-layer probing
  • Nextruder 0.4mm nozzle, quick-swap system
  • Open-source hardware and firmware, fully upgradeable

Lowest price seen
$709.00
from $709.00 at Additive Innovators · Checked Oct 9, 2026

Prices are snapshots. Check the current price with the store.

Summary

The MK4S is Prusa’s i3-style bed-slinger 3D printer kit, sold as a no-solder build with a high-flow nozzle and load-cell first-layer probing. It is the quality-and-repairability pick rather than the fast-per-dollar one, so weigh the price against much cheaper CoreXY rivals before you buy.

Strengths

  • Measured print quality is excellent: 30/30 from TechRadar at 0.097 mm average dimensional error.
  • The high-flow Bondtech CHT nozzle raises Prusament PLA flow to 24 mm3/s, 50 percent above the MK4.
  • The 360-degree cooling handles 75-degree overhangs without supports.
  • Load-cell probing sets the first layer automatically, so no manual Z adjustment is needed.
  • Fully open design: no welded or glued parts, and everything comes apart with Allen keys.
  • Sold as a no-solder kit or fully assembled, and it runs offline with free PrusaSlicer.

Weaknesses

  • Expensive next to much faster budget CoreXY machines; both reviews from 2024 named price as the main drawback.
  • Open frame, so TechRadar recommends the optional enclosure for schools and workplaces.
  • Print sheets are consumables and are excluded from warranty.
  • Nextruder auto-feed and random-stop-extruding reports recur in the MK4-family forum.
  • Layer-shift and belt-loosening threads recur in the MK4-family help forum.
  • Wi-Fi setup has drawn owner complaints in the forum.

Verified specifications

Build volume250 × 210 × 220 mm (9.84 × 8.3 × 8.6 in).
Layer height0.05–0.30 mm.
Filament diameter1.75 mm.
Nozzlehigh-flow brass CHT, 0.4 mm, all-metal hotend with an aluminum heatsink.
Max nozzle temperature290°C (554°F).
Max heatbed temperature120°C (248°F).
Power240 W Delta PSU with Power Panic; 80 W in PLA settings, 120 W in ABS settings.
ExtruderNextruder direct drive with a 10:1 planetary gearbox.
Motion0.9-degree X and Y stepper motors, Trinamic 2130 drivers.
Framealuminum extrusions and a powder-coated die-cast aluminum alloy frame.
Print surfacemagnetic heatbed with removable PEI spring steel sheets; a smooth PEI sheet is supplied.
Bed calibrationautomatic mesh bed leveling and fully automatic first-layer calibration via a load cell.
ConnectivityEthernet, an NFC receiver and a removable ESP Wi-Fi module included.
Display3.5-inch color screen.
Electronicscustom 32-bit xBuddy board with STM32.
Multi-materialonly with the optional MMU3.
Coolinga 360-degree shroud lets overhangs reach 75 degrees without supports.
Dimensions500 × 550 × 400 mm (19.6 × 21.6 × 15.7 in); 7 kg, or 7.6 kg per Tom’s Hardware.
In the boxtool kit, 1 kg spool of Galaxy Black Prusament PLA, USB stick, handbook and stickers.
Kit assemblyno soldering; cables are cut to length and plug in.
Full research notes and sources

TechRadar scored print quality 30 out of 30, with 0.097 mm average dimensional error across 25/20/15/10/5 mm targets (X 0.092 mm, Y 0.102 mm). It printed Rudolf Krcmar’s bowl in 3 h 29 min where the Creality K1C needed 7 h 05 min and the Bambu Lab P1P 4 h 41 min. Tom’s Hardware measured 24 mm3/s volumetric flow with Prusament PLA, 50 percent above the MK4’s 16 mm3/s, with PETG up 44 percent, and printed a two-part cone puzzle in 2 h 59 min against 3 h 23 min for the P1P. Ten consecutive 3D Benchy prints all came out exceptional. The measured wall speeds were around 250/200 mm/s at roughly 4000 mm/s2 average acceleration, against 200/300 mm/s at about 6000 mm/s2 on the P1P — the MK4S wins on flow and cooling, not top speed.

Open frame and cooling

The 360-degree cooling shroud runs its fan at about 70 percent and lets the printer handle overhangs up to 75 degrees without supports. The flip side is the open bed-slinger frame: TechRadar recommends the optional enclosure for schools and workplaces. Wi-Fi setup is by NFC tap with a phone, and the printer can stay offline if you prefer.

Parts, upkeep and running costs

There are no welded or glued parts, and Prusa says everything can be taken apart with a set of Allen keys. The MK4/S has a dedicated spare-parts category, published manuals and free open-source PrusaSlicer, and a $99 MK4-to-MK4S upgrade kit exists for existing owners. Filament, replacement PEI sheets and nozzles are the recurring costs; print sheets are excluded from warranty because their coatings wear. Prusa runs over 700 of its own printers around the clock and logged more than 1,000,000 print hours of pre-launch testing on the MK4 generation. The Prusa Reward Program pays a $30 e-shop voucher for sharing your experience.

Is it worth it?

Prusa direct listed the kit at $689.82 and the assembled unit at $957.40 when checked on 2026-10-08, below the $729 kit and $999 assembled comparison-table prices; the kit saves roughly $268 against the assembled unit and needs no soldering. The competition is cheaper: Tom’s Hardware’s 2026 guide puts the Bambu Lab X2D at $649 standalone or $899 as a combo and the Prusa CORE One at $1,299, while the Elegoo Centauri Carbon lists at $299, the Bambu P1S at $369 and the Snapmaker U1 at $849. Both reviews from 2024 called the MK4S expensive. Buy it for measured quality, repairability and the parts channel; if you want the fastest print per dollar, the sub-$700 CoreXY machines are the better fit.

Which model this is

This page covers the Original Prusa MK4S DIY kit, an i3-style Cartesian bed slinger sold both fully assembled and as a kit that requires no soldering. The Amazon listing for the black kit is ASIN B0DLHJB9HW. Don’t confuse it with the earlier MK4, the MK4-to-MK4S upgrade kit for existing owners, or the CORE One, MINI and XL.

Sources

Manufacturer:

Independent reviews:

Owner reports:

Buying guides for this category

Related products