I did and I scrapped the idea when the MK4 was announced. Too many hobbies already, not enough time, kids too little. 
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Weeell. OF COURSE I have but I’m in the same boat as @Tokoloshe … too many toys already that needs building and fixing. I’m kind of frightened by the whole 3d-printer build. A CNC can be janky in all ways, and you can fix things with a chisel, sandpaper, etc etc. But if the spaghetti is loose, than there’s no salvation!
I spent countless hours shimming and straightening the ender 3 back in the day. The machine was skewed, and I had to shim with pieces of aluminium foil. The bed was bending downwards, so I had quite a generous amount of shims under a glass plate to make it level. (I think there are embarassing documentation of that process if I look to my very beginning of my life on the forum. And back then, as now - people were super helpful and patient with all my newbie confusions!!)
Getting the MK3 was like entering heaven, a worry free printer. The MK4 seems like NEXT level heaven. (of course the Bambu seems really capable as well!!)
I’m not saying Ryans 3dprinter is a bad printer at all!! It’s just a matter of how much time you’ve got and all that…
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Loose spaghetti, much regretti. 
I just figured with the experience you have now, that building your own printer would be the next evolution in your accomplishments.
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It also went from June to July in those few hours.
Thanks! Yeah, it would’ve been exciting adventure - but I have kids and a wife. And a cabin by a mountainous fjord that is being renovated. And a job. And… and…
Dear Lord. Have mercy on me:
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Besides peer pressure, being cool, and brand trust, which feature(s)/aspects most attracted them to buying MK4 vs MP3DP, or something else? What was comparable alternative being considered, Bambu?
Peer pressure. You can tell your wife your internet friends practically bullied you into it. 
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I haven’t told her yet… I think I have to sell the MK3 before I dare to. I DID get quite a lot back from the tax department for 2022s taxes though!!
A friend of mine is an absolute enthusiast who has built a Voron and a few others, but says that if he wants a job done and wants to be sure about it working, he uses the MK3 and he is also buying the MK4. So no questions from me there.
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The auto z height. The fact that I can change nozzles and sheets without any fiddling. It’s an amazing relief and makes lowers the barr for firing up the printer. And I really like the input shaper that is upcoming, and all the options the flow sensor(or what its called) opens up for in future development.
My wife made some large frivolous purchases recently so I am totally in the clear!
(Not saying that it necessarily works that way, but in my case it does. Check your local regulations.)
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Honestly, to be a little personal here - my wife sees how important my hobbies have become. She sees that I need all these rabbit holes to cope with work and stuff. So she’s usually more supportive of me getting new things, than my own super ego is! And sometimes she’s got a big stake in them herself. Like the new PS5. She’s the one who has played the most! 
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Same here, my wife said I could take some of our money as well since I have been printing so much for her friend’s and our kids.
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A great wife is hard to find. My wife is the reason I have a 1300sqft playroom (I mean, shop).
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I don’t think any of us could be so active here if we didn’t have a supportive family. It is a great luxury to have a good relationship.
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It’s a luxury I’ve enjoyed and been grateful for 49 and a half years! When the Mk4 was announced (was it only two weeks ago?) it was she who suggested our grandson could do with the Mk3. It was she who questioned why I was waiting for the kit when I could just get the built model.
Despite her urging, I figured I would wait till the rush dies down, order one in September and it would be on our doorstep when we return from EU in October, and she really didn’t need me to be focussed on that and not the other things we need to do before we were due to leave mid May!
Now, on the same morning we paid for our fares, we had a call with the results of some routine medical tests, and she will spend the next few months in surgery and having follow up treatments - all is well. All will be fine we are sure, but the message for you lot is clear:-
Life can change in an instant. Enjoy every minute that you have. If your wife tells you to do something - do it, specially if it’s buying a new printer!. She’s already started on. "if you’d ordered it last week you’d be able to be using it while this stuff is going on!!!)
I’m so pleased for all of you who took the plunge and excited to watch you sort out all the new production glitches for me!
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Interesting question -
The first three items nailed it, but reliability was not mentioned and it’s important to note how brand trust has been built. It’s not just it’s long history of invention in the open source community, nor its great customer support - but also work in the greater community supporting refugees, manufacturing PPE, creating manufacturing opportunities. I have often referred to myself as a Fanboy, but I wouldn’t let that get in the way of a buying decision if the product did not suit.
The fact that I have benefitted from the Prusameter system to the tune of 16 rolls of high class filament does impact on my decision and in reality represents a hefty discount on the machine!
I will summarise what was a long answer - The kit is a true kit with nothing pre assembled, but it’s still plug and play. Quality and reliability from (limited) experience are like no kit “competitor” out of the box.
Jo Prusa has said that this machine will take users through the next five years - I suspect by that he means it will be completely outdated in two (just like my Mk3s was) and in that time hopefully we’ll see if the alternatives evolve into similarly reliable workhorses, or if they were just showponies after all. My uses for printing is evolving all the time so I’ll be interested to see what we are all doing in two years from now.
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Well, this has been a great read.
It is so refreshing to read a debate that is based on fact and personal opinion that did not devolve into at bunch of cats fighting. The fact that this forum is like that is such a pleasure, thanks to everyone!
But what @turbinbjorn said is so true for me, my hobbies are the release from the stress of my job. I build things and learn and take my mind off it. So in that case I class it as a therapy session.
I the terms of the MK4 and Prusa, I kinda like his approach. The fact that he released the upgrades for the Mk3 to mk3.5, then 3s and now from any 3 to a full 4. that shows to me that he cares about the people that brough his products.
Is that just good business? YES! but its good business that helps the customers. so win win.
Is the MK3s as good as anything else? I don’t really care, i think it is, I jam the print into it and it rarely fails, But I will say that I am looking forward to the new load cell bed levelling, as the part not sticking is the 100% the cause of the parts failing for me.
The discussion around the the creality or “cheap” printers is 100% true. Those printer are a great breading ground for innovation and skill building. I don’t own one as I don’t have the time to do that playing and tuning. I brought the MK3 and paid the premium so that would be able to move away from that time sink of fiddling and tuning to creating and learning different things. And that is my question to someone that asks about 3d printing, do you have the time to fiddle and tune etc? yes, go the cheap one, no? then go the expensive ones, Prusa or who ever.
So to me the bamboo series and there others are just that, another option to move from the tinkering and playing to printing and learning other things.
But I wonder if the “bamboo’s” and similar will support there products in both the actual support that is excellent with Prusa and the support for upgrading there machine to the latest.
The last point, FOR ME, is probably the reason I will stick with PRUSA. The fact the MK2, 3 and now 4 does seem like the same as REDHAT. (yes i got that reference, I is a long term systems manager) The internet support was not big thing for me as the printer just printed and didn’t stop. But I had a issue when i upgraded the the MK3s+ and they spent hours over days helping me on a 4+ year old printer. that was amazing.
So what is value to you, the time you spend making and moding the printer and getting a cheap printer to do everything better than the expensive one, or the fact you pay more and have it just print stuff so you can use it to build a CNC? or a ZEN Table (so many toys to play with, @vicious1 I hate you…ok i dont, lol. )
Happy making to everyone!
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