Prusa CORE One+ review: Built to last and grow with you

The CORE One+ is an enclosed Core XY 3D printer you can truly own, mod and repair, which has long been the cornerstone of Prusa Research. It goes toe to toe with Bambu Lab’s mid-sized machines, but its $1,299/£1,199 price tag makes it a more serious investment.

I’ve reviewed the best 3D printers since 2021, and Prusa’s concern for their customers has always stood out. I’ve had this CORE One for well over a year, and when the “Gen 2 +” came out, my machine wasn’t obsolete, it just needed a small bag of parts and a screwdriver.

The CORE One+ is the same size as the Original Prusa MK4S and can be upgraded into a multicolour master with an INDX tool changer upgrade.

Unboxing and Setup

We unboxed a fully assembled CORE One (which was later upgraded to a “+”). You only need to remove the packing material and install the screen. The machine arrives pre-calibrated from the factory so all you need to do is load filament and select your first print. The machine automatically probes the bed level before each print to ensure a perfect first layer.

The CORE One is made with a solid steel exoskeleton that also forms the machine’s chassis, and the print bed is milled aluminum for even heat distribution. Nothing on the machine is glued, and the entire thing can be taken apart with a screwdriver. This is to facilitate both repair and custom modding, which Prusa fully supports.

The 3D printer came with a set of tools, alcohol wipes, a detailed paper manual, a USB stick loaded with pre-sliced test prints and a full sized spool of Galaxy Black Prusament. You also get a bag of Haribo Goldbears to fuel your journey.

Performance

The CORE One+ is much faster than its bed slinger brethren, but honestly it's not as fast as a Bambu Lab X1C. This “space marine” phone holder I printed for my son (above) in Prusament PLA Pearl Mouse took 12 hours and 18 minutes to print, using a high quality .15mm layer height, 15% infill and 3 walls. An X1C would cut that down by 3 hours using similar settings. This is because PrusaSlicer, Prusa’s native slicing software, is optimized for precision rather than raw speed. Though both the CORE One+ and X1C are similar sized Core XY printers, Prusa never pushes the speed or travel settings on its machines.

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The Prusa Nextruder is at the heart of the CORE One+, with its large planetary gear to firmly grab and control filament. Squirrely TPU is no match for the CORE One+, with a redesigned filament loading point that has a manual switch to loosen the sensor and allow soft TPU to slip through.

One of the best features given to the CORE One after its “+” upgrade is the simplest: a nozzle wiping brush. The small silicone brush started as a community mod, with dozens of variations uploaded to Printables. The printer can now clean its own nozzle before performing bed leveling probes, eliminating an annoying failure point.

One sticking point is the lack of a dedicated heater for the chamber. The CORE One+ depends on retaining heat generated by the heated bed, which can leave you waiting when you need a toasty interior for nylon or PC.

Prusa Research’s ecosystem consists of PrusaSlicer, PRUSA App for mobile and Printables.com for community file sharing. Printables hosts frequent contests, free models but also supports designers financially by allowing them to set up club memberships and shops.

EasySlice is a simple, yet fully functional, web based slicer you can run from the PRUSA App or directly from Printables. Prusa makes its own filament, Prusament, in house at both its headquarters in Prague and the more recently acquired Delaware factory, formally known as Printed Solid.

Price and Competition

The Prusa CORE One+ typically retails $1,299/£1,199 assembled or $999/£929 for a kit, which is on the high end for an enclosed Core XY 3D printer. The company is currently running a Black Friday sale with free shipping and gifts worth up to $450. Gifts include an Open Print Tag upgrade, a spool of Chalky Blue PLA, premium models, Prusa Academy courses, and extended one year warranty, and $50 off an INDX upgrade.

The CORE One+ is definitely an investment, but the machine is built to last and carries the promise of years of upgrades. If you’re willing to do the occasional mod, this printer will likely serve you for years without getting kicked to the curb just because a new sensor package has come along. Fun fact: if you owned a MK2 ten years ago, you could have upgraded it all the way to a CORE One+.

For a bit less than an assembled CORE One+, you could get a Bambu Lab H2S Combo, a single nozzle 3D Core XY with a larger 340 x 320mm print bed and a four color AMS. The H2S is currently on sale for $1249/£999. We reviewed the laser variant, which is slightly more at $1599/£1249 and tops our list of Best 3D Printers.

You could also opt for a more modest machine, like the Elegoo Centauri Carbon 2 Combo, which is closer in size with a 256x256mm build plate, but a fraction of the cost at $449/£398. It’s an enclosed four color Core XY, with good quality, though a bit lacking in the polished ecosystem of its rivals.

Should You Buy?

Buy it if: You’re a hobbyist who wants a machine you can maintain and mod yourself for years to come.

Don’t buy it if: You’re looking to print large models like cosplay armor.

Prusa’s CORE One+ is for hands-on makers who’ve outgrown bed slingers and crave a no nonsense, fully enclosed machine they can mod and repair. After more than a year with this machine in my studio, this is where it earns its keep. I personally enjoy its old-school vibe, and the thought that when things go wrong, I can sort it out with a screwdriver and mod from the community over at Printables. I’m already eyeballing an eight color INDX upgrade for this machine.

It's also an excellent fit for classrooms and workshops where people need a reliable, well-built machine that can handle a bit of benign neglect. Its enclosure means it can churn out high temperature filaments, like ASA and ABS, and its precision is a must have for practical prints and designing prototypes.