So much for “fully restored”.

I don’t think it’s wrong to default to the kit. I wish more companies offered that option. If you’re going to be maintaining them, you need to be very familiar with how it goes together. However, I agree with your point if you’re buying in bulk. It will get really annoying to assemble multiple units back to back. Though, I believe Prusa offers discounts for repeat buyers, so the assembled option would drop in that case. Also, the Prusa Core is their latest release and we haven’t seen any deals yet. The Bambu X1C price I mentioned is the current sale price. MSRP is $1200. Going back one Prusa generation to the MK4, a fully assembled printer is only $1000 at MSRP. I still think Prusa and Bambu pricing is very comparable.

Regarding the MMU: yes, I’ve had two. I’d summarize them by calling them trash. They have both been collecting dust in a box for years. I eventually found that they were not worth the effort, but regardless, I don’t believe that old accessory has any bearing on the printers themselves. If a Prusa printer did have any substantial issues on release, I would at least be comforted by the fact that you won’t be stuck with it. The upgrade kit options, extending from the early MK models through to the MK4, and now to the Core One demonstrate that commitment. I can’t think of any other manufacter doing something similar.

E: cleaning up some typos.

I believe the only thing Prusa is withholding from open-source is their PCB designs as of the MK4 and Prusa XL release.

I’m curious what you’re referring to when you say Prusa doesn’t have the best track record on initial release. I started with two MK3s at work, upgraded them to MK3S+s, and now to MK4s. I didn’t have any trouble along that upgrade path and I was always an early adopter. We also have a Prusa XL. If you are still on the MK3 model, perhaps you haven’t had much experience with their newer models. However, the MK3S is six years old now.

Regarding cost, Prusa seems very comparable to Bambu for similarly speced printers. Specifically, looking at printers with an enclosed print bed and metal frame, the Bambu X1C is more expensive at $1100, vs the Prusa Core kit at $950 (assuming your comfortable assembling it yourself).

At home, I’d sure love to have a Voron to tinker with. However, for a print farm, I wouldn’t consider anything but a Prusa these days.