People ask why I have so many printers. The answer is the same reason a workshop has more than one screwdriver: different jobs need different tools.
The Workhorses — Prusa (Stock Firmware)
Four MK3S+ and four MK2.5S. Most run 0.6mm nozzles for fast, strong functional parts. One MK3S+ stays on 0.4mm for detail work. One has an MMU2S fitted, another has an undeployed MMU3 waiting for the right project. One MK3S+ runs a Mosquito hotend with a Diamond nozzle for exotic and high-temp materials. The last MK3S+ was restored back to bone stock — sometimes you just need a known-good reference machine.
These are the daily drivers. Reliable, well-understood, and they just print.
The Specialists — Ultimaker (Stock Firmware)
The UM3 Extended handles geometric complexity: dual extrusion with PVA soluble supports for parts that would be impossible to clean up any other way. The UM2+ is a solid single-extrusion machine. The standard UM3 lives as a donor and parts source for the Extended.
The Speed Machine — Two Trees SK1 (Klipper)
Mosquito hotend, Sherpa Mini extruder, running Klipper. When a job needs to be done fast, it goes here. Not the most refined prints, but when you need twenty brackets by tomorrow morning, speed wins.
The Project Builds (Klipper Unless Noted)
These are the restomods and experiments:
- LulzBot AO-101 — Seesaw bed mod, 3.0mm E3D V6, DIY enclosure. This is the dedicated ABS machine. The enclosure keeps chamber temps stable and the 3.0mm filament path handles ABS beautifully.
- MakerFarm i3v — Converted to 1.75mm, original wood frame parts replaced with printed parts, upgraded to 2020 aluminium extrusion. A ship-of-Theseus printer.
- Mendel i2 — A retro build, more about the history of RepRap than daily production.
- The Amalgam — Formerly Neo-Darwin. A printer built entirely from scavenged parts. Still in development.
Why Not Just Buy One Good Printer?
Because “one good printer” doesn’t exist. A machine optimised for speed compromises on detail. A machine built for exotic materials is overkill for PLA brackets. A dual-extrusion setup adds complexity you don’t want on a workhorse.
The 80-20 move isn’t owning one perfect machine. It’s building a fleet where every printer has a clear role, most of them sourced secondhand, and none of them sitting idle.