Prusa SL1 3D printer and CW1 bundle review: A premium printer at a premium price

Prusa CW1 and SL1 Source: Windows Fundamental

Prusa Research is one of the biggest names in 3D press, then when it announced that it was building a resin printer, everyone was excited to run into what it could create. The SL1 was the result of Prusa Research's ... well, research and it is a masterclass in how to brand a superb printer.

But with such a high price tag and a impress quality that only equals, not surpasses, other, more affordable machines, tin can you lot justify the price? Prusa sent united states an SL1 kit with the CW1 curing station to endeavor and give you our thoughts. I've been using it for a few months now and have some ideas to share.

Luxury Resin Printing

Press shot of SL1 and CW1

Prusa SL1 kit/CW1 package

$1,800 at Prusa Research

Bottom line: The Prusa SL1 oozes adroitness and quality. Unfortunately, the quality isn't enough to warrant the huge price tag when cheaper printers offer the same print quality. The CW1 curing station, though is flawless and well worth your fourth dimension and money.

Pros

Quality in every corner
The CW1 curing station is astonishing
The resin sensor is a fantastic addition
Internet ready

Cons

The price is but too loftier
Unnecessary mechanics bump the toll

What you'll love nigh Prusa SL1 kit/CW1 bundle

Prusa printing Source: Windows Cental

If you lot accept been in the 3D press game for any amount of time, y'all'll know that Prusa doesn't brand bad printers, and the SL1 is no exception. The build quality is beyond sublime, and the whole machine has a weight and gravitas to information technology that exudes grade. From the thick, orangish acrylic to the tiny hinges that connect it, the Prusa SL1 is lovingly put together and feels similar it will last forever.

It's future-proofed, also, using an ethernet cable to let you to connect multiple SL1 units to form a print farm. This kind of technology makes the SL1 great for businesses that are likely to produce more than one model at a time, such as a minor prototyping company. Even the location of the power button and USB slot heighten the feeling of efficiency. By putting them on the forepart, they reduce the time it takes to get the printer up and running. Honestly, if you are still putting your buttons on the back, yous need to think long and hard.

The impress quality is, of class, fantabulous. The SL1 uses a UV matrix — like most MSLA printers — only with some helpful tweaks to make it the best it can be. Prusa designed the tilting FEP vat to release the print quickly and easily, which should speed upward printing without reducing quality. As you tin can come across from the pictures, the prints are beautiful, peculiarly the Cheerful Pilot by bendansie. Yous can see each lash in her heart, and each stitch in her uniform is printed to perfection, with no layer lines visible at all.

Even this model of the child by Inspyre 3D that required a fair amount of support came out well, with the ruffles on his little glaze showing the sharpness that y'all can accomplish with resin press. The Josef Army is the print that comes with the car, but I love that you can print something that small, with so many models, and still have each ane perfect and detailed.

My favorite part of the technical additions is the resin sensor. Resin printing is always a little hit and miss when information technology comes to getting the correct corporeality. The SL1 measures the amount of resin in the vat and works with Prusaslicer to give you an authentic mensurate of how much resin you will demand to complete the print. Information technology'southward a lovely affect and is a welcome addition. Some of the other additions are a little less welcome, still, and simply serve to add together cost.

What you'll dislike about Prusa SL1 kit/CW1 bundle

Delaminated Source: Windows Key

The SL1 is made from premium materials and houses some impressive engineering science. The resin sensor is a great addition, as is the built-in air filter. Unfortunately, some of those technologies don't add anything to the quality of the impress. Expensive machines like the Form SLA 3D printers accept vat tilting systems, simply numerous iterations of more affordable printers have proven that the tilt is no longer needed. All the tilting mechanism does is add cost to an already expensive machine. Prusa needs to work on finding a better remainder between toll and quality if it wants to win in the resin printer infinite.

The only real problem I take with the SL1 is the cost. On its own, the SL1 kit costs $1,400. That is a considerable outlay for an MSLA printer — near are retailing between $250 and $400 — and while the quality from Prusa is impressive, it isn't $ane,000 more than impressive than competitors. This parcel is a little better value for money, as information technology comes with the Prusa CW1 curing station. The CW1 retails for $700, and then yous are saving almost $400 past bundling together, and the CW1 is definitely something you lot desire in your life.

The CW1 curing station is the ace in the hole

Sorceresses Source: Windows Central

I have to brand a special mention in this review for the CW1. Without a doubtfulness, the CW1 is the hidden jewel in the Prusa resin arsenal, and I tin can't recommend information technology enough. Yep, it's $700, and yep, you can DIY something almost similar for much less, just DIY doesn't hold a candle to the CW1.

Cleaning Source: Windows Central

Non merely does the CW1 take settings to cure your prints, but it tin can also warm your resin before use, dry your prints earlier curing, and even clean them with the metallic tubs and stirrer that come bundled with information technology. It'south somewhat hypnotic to lookout the IPA spin around your model and clear off the excess resin.

It'south incredibly easy to use, also. You put the tub of IPA onto the machine at it automatically senses the weight. You press a push button to make clean, and so, once washed, you remove the container and put the model on the spinning platform. Once you shut the hat and press the button once again, the CW1 will dry the IPA from the model and cure it, all in one go.

Equally someone who spent a lot of time and effort, making sure my prints are properly cured, the CW1 has reduced my working hours considerably. If you are print a lot of resin prints or y'all impress to make a living, the $700 for the CW1 standalone is entirely worth it.

Should you purchase Prusa SL1 kit/CW1 bundle 3D printer?

Front facing Source: Windows Key

Permit's go out the price aside for a moment; we'll stick a pin in it. The SL1 is a superb printer made past a visitor that knows how to craft a compelling and efficient machine. The little finishing touches similar the resin sensor elevate it above its peers, and the print quality is near perfect. The CW1 curing station in the bundle is stunning, and it makes working with resin a joy instead of a chore.

Now allow's take the pin out. The SL1 is only too expensive for me to recommend to anyone who isn't a business. The additions it has over its competitors are slap-up, but they aren't worth an additional $i,000. If you can afford to buy the SL1/CW1 bundle every bit a business organization — to go along in your showroom for customers to marvel at — then, past all means, exercise so. If you're a hobbyist with a limited upkeep, though, you should look elsewhere to maximize your investment.

I tin recommend the CW1 though, that you really should buy.

A niggling rich

Press shot of SL1 and CW1

Prusa SL1 kit/CW1 bundle

An amazing machine

The Prusa SL1 is a beautiful slice of machinery, let down by the loftier price tag. I wish it were just a few hundred dollars less.

The perfect cure station

Curing and drying

Prusa CW1 curing station

The best mode to cure

The Prusa curing station is 1 of my favorite pieces of tech. Information technology works perfectly to dry out and cure prints and looks expert doing it.

We may earn a committee for purchases using our links. Learn more.

An internet connection will soon be required when setting up Windows 11 Pro

UH OH

An internet connexion will soon be required when setting upwardly Windows 11 Pro

Microsoft has announced that afterward this twelvemonth, users will be required to connect to the internet and sign-in with a Microsoft Account during the out of box setup experience on Windows 11 Pro. Microsoft has already been enforcing this requirement on Windows 11 Home since launch last Oct, and Windows 11 Pro is at present expected to follow suit soon.