Printer comparison
FlashForge Guider 3 Ultra vs Prusa CORE One+ (Gen 2)
Compare hardware, build volume, printing specifications, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore FlashForge Guider 3 Ultra comparisonsMore Prusa CORE One+ (Gen 2) comparisons
| Property | FlashForge Guider 3 UltraINDUSTRIAL | Prusa CORE One+ (Gen 2)COREXY |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Brand | FlashForge | Prusa Research |
| Class | INDUSTRIAL | COREXY |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Manufacturer & exact marketed model name (verify the exact product identity first) | Flashforge Guider 3 Ultra; the FlashForge spec table gives the machine name as "Guider 3 Ultra"[1] | Prusa CORE One+ (Gen 2). Prusa's e-shop lists "Prusa CORE One+ (Gen 2)" and "Prusa CORE One+ (Gen 2) Assembly kit"[2][3] |
| Release date (announcement and actual shipping) | Not documented | The CORE One+ (Gen 2) refresh was announced on 13 August 2026, on sale immediately, with the first assembled units shipping at once and kits, upgrade kits and individual parts rolling out over the following weeks. It succeeds the CORE One and CORE One+ on the same platform[4] |
| Street price (USD; dated snapshot per entry) | $2,399.00 against a $3,499.00 regular price on flashforge.com, but the listing checked is the refurbished SKU and is marked Sold out (Aug 2026)[1] | $1,202.78 assembled, $925.00 as an assembly kit, on prusa3d.com, Aug 2026. Bundles run to $1,301.85 with camera and advanced filtration. Prusa's own marketing table on the same page quotes "from $1,299" assembled, which does not match the live e-shop price[3][2] |
| Variants & sibling models — and how to tell them apart (spec-contamination risk) | Top of the Guider 3 series. Build size depends on which head is used: 330 x 330 x 600 mm with one extruder, 300 x 330 x 600 mm with both. Siblings Guider 3 (300x250x340) and Guider 3 Plus (350x350x600) are both single-extruder. A refurbished SKU exists alongside the new machine, so check which one a price refers to[1][5][6] | Three generations share the CORE One name: the original CORE One, the CORE One+, and the CORE One+ (Gen 2), with paid upgrade kits between them (CORE One+ to CORE One+ (Gen 2), and an MK4S to CORE One+ (Gen 2) conversion kit). The specifications recorded here are those published on Prusa's current CORE One+ (Gen 2) page and should not be assumed to hold for a first-generation CORE One. The INDX 4-tool and 8-tool machines are variants of the same product page, and the CORE One L is a larger, separate machine[2][3][7] |
| Market position: superseded? successor announced? | Not documented | Current model and Prusa's mainstream enclosed machine, above the MK4S and below the CORE One L+[3] |
| Physical & Frame | ||
| Build volume X×Y×Z (mm) — advertised vs actually usable | 330 x 330 x 600 mm with a single extruder; 300 x 330 x 600 mm when both extruders are in use[1] | 250 x 220 x 270 mm (manufacturer figure)[2] |
| Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang) | 635 x 550 x 1070 mm; packaging 775 x 690 x 1235 mm[1] | 415 x 444 x 555 mm (X x Y x Z)[2] |
| Net weight (kg) | 70 kg net, 86 kg gross[1] | 22.5 kg[2] |
| Frame construction & material | Enclosed professional chassis; FlashForge describes a lightweight, stable structure for high-speed operation[1] | All-steel exoskeleton (Prusa's own comparison wording, against "aluminium extrusions and frame" for the MK4S)[8] |
| Enclosure: open / enclosed; panel material; door/lid | Closed design with an air filter fitted[1] | Fully enclosed with a door-open sensor and active chamber temperature control up to 55 C; HEPA/advanced filtration is an optional add-on[2][8] |
| Passive chamber temperature reached (if enclosed; measured values preferred) | Not documented | Active chamber heating, maximum 55 C (manufacturer figure)[2] |
| Kinematics & Motion Hardware | ||
| Kinematics (bedslinger i3 / CoreXY / other) | CoreXY with two extruders, per a third-party buyer's guide. FlashForge's own spec table does not state the kinematics[9][1] | CoreXY - stated as such in Prusa's own comparison table against the Cartesian MK4S[2] |
| Stepper motors (frame size, step angle, brand if known) | Not documented | 0.9 degree X and Y stepper motors[2] |
| Stepper drivers (exact model e.g. TMC2209; UART/SPI; sensorless homing?) | Not documented | Trinamic 2130[2] |
| Speed & Acceleration | ||
| Max print speed (claimed, mm/s) | 10-500 mm/s printing speed, 500 mm/s maximum travel speed (manufacturer figures)[1] | Not documented |
| Max acceleration (claimed, mm/s²) | 20,000 mm/s2 maximum (manufacturer claim)[1] | Not documented |
| Vibration Compensation / Input Shaping | ||
| Input shaping supported? Implementation (Klipper IS / Marlin ZV / proprietary) | Active vibration compensation, which FlashForge says was enhanced for this model. Implementation not named[1] | Not documented |
| Extruder | ||
| Type (direct drive / bowden) & design name | Two extruders[1] | Nextruder direct drive, E3D V6 compatible with an adapter; planetary gear system with a 10:1 ratio; aluminium heatsink and all-metal hotend[2] |
| Gear ratio & drive gear material | Not documented | 10:1 planetary gearbox[2] |
| Hotend & Nozzle | ||
| Hotend design (proprietary/standard; quick-swap mechanism?) | Not documented | Quick-swap nozzle system; high-flow Prusa brass CHT 0.4 mm nozzle supplied. An optional HT hotend raises the ceiling to 400 C[2] |
| Max nozzle temp claimed AND firmware max temp limit (both values) | 350 °C maximum extruder temperature (manufacturer claim)[1] | 290 C claimed max nozzle temperature. Prusa's comparison table adds "400 C w/ HT" for the optional HT hotend, which its 13 August 2026 blog post says will only become available in September 2026 - so 400 C is a forthcoming option, not a shipping specification[2][4] |
| Stock nozzle size & sizes included in box | 0.4 mm default; 0.6 and 0.8 mm optional[1] | Not documented |
| Heated Bed & Surface | ||
| Max bed temp claimed AND firmware limit | 120 °C bed setting supported (manufacturer figure)[1] | 120 C max heatbed temperature[2] |
| Bed surface (material, texture, coating), single/double-sided | Replaceable flexible steel-plate platform, magnetic. No glass bed[1] | Magnetic heatbed with removable PEI spring-steel sheets; whole-bed heating regardless of object size[2] |
| Leveling & Z-Offset | ||
| Auto bed leveling: probe technology (inductive / strain gauge / load cell / touch probe) | Full-auto one-click levelling; probe technology not named[1] | Load-cell sensor - fully automatic first-layer calibration with the nozzle as the probe[2] |
| Filament Handling & Detection | ||
| Filament runout sensor (type, location) | Filament run-out reminder[1] | Two filament sensors, plus a door sensor and five Semitec thermistors with fan RPM monitoring[2][8] |
| Multi-material/multi-color capability or official upgrade path | Not documented | MMU3 for five filaments, or the INDX system for up to eight, both officially supported[2] |
| Cooling & Air Handling | ||
| Part-cooling fan(s): count, size, ducting design | Not documented | High-performance turbine part-cooling fan with 360-degree cooling, the same arrangement as the MK4S[2] |
| Chamber/exhaust fan & filtration (activated carbon / HEPA) | Air filter fitted; filter media not specified in the FlashForge table[1] | Not documented |
| Electronics & Power | ||
| Mainboard model & MCU (exact chip markings if teardowns exist) | Not documented | Custom 32-bit xBuddy board with STM32[2] |
| PSU (brand, wattage, rail voltage) | Not documented | 240 W PSU with hardware power panic[2] |
| Input voltage (110/220 V, switch or auto) | AC 100-240 V, 50/60 Hz[1] | Not documented |
| Total rated power draw | 850 W maximum[1] | Power consumption 90 W printing PLA, 110 W printing ABS (manufacturer figures)[2] |
| Firmware & Openness | ||
| Firmware base & current version (Klipper fork / Marlin fork / proprietary) | Not named; slicers are Orca-Flashforge and FlashPrint 5, with OrcaSlicer listed as compatible[1] | Open-source Prusa Buddy firmware. The source tree (prusa3d/Prusa-Firmware-Buddy on GitHub) explicitly covers the Original Prusa MINI/MINI+, MK4, XL and CORE One and was last pushed to in August 2026. Updates are applied from a USB drive, through Prusa Connect or through the Prusa mobile app[10][8] |
| Connectivity, UI & Camera | ||
| Display: size, type, touch? | 7-inch touch LCD[1] | 3.5-inch 65k-colour graphic screen with touch control[2] |
| On-device UI capabilities (model preview, per-object controls, etc.) | Not documented | On-device touch UI; remote monitoring and printing through Prusa Connect and the Prusa mobile app; firmware updates from USB, Prusa Connect or the app[2] |
| WiFi (band/standard), Ethernet, USB ports, SD/flash-drive | USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, plus cloud[1] | Ethernet and Wi-Fi (NFC receiver plus an optional Wi-Fi module), USB drive for print files[2] |
| Camera: built-in / optional? Resolution & framerate (verify — marketing often omits real fps) | Remote camera monitoring and time-lapse video supported; resolution not published[1] | Optional in-chamber camera solution (Buddy3D camera bundle listed at $1,237.03 against $1,202.78 for the bare printer)[2][3] |
| Power-Loss & Interruption Recovery | ||
| Power-loss recovery: mechanism (how is state saved? capacitor / eeprom / file on shutdown?) | Power-loss recovery supported; mechanism not published. Automatic shutdown also supported[1] | Not documented |
| Materials Support | ||
| Officially supported filament list | PLA, ABS, HIPS, ASA, PETG, CoPA, PLA-CF, PETG-CF, PAHT-CF, PAHT-GF, PET-CF, PET-GF, PA12-CF, PA-CF, PA-GF, NexPA-CF25[1] | PLA, PETG, Flex, PVA, PC, PP, CPE, PVB, and - as advanced materials in the heated chamber - ABS, ASA, HIPS and PA[2] |
| Safety | ||
| Thermal runaway protection (verify in firmware source if at all possible) | Not documented | The xBuddy platform carries hardware overcurrent protection that cuts heater and heatbed power above 15 A, and the firmware is open-source and auditable[11][10] |
| Certifications (UL/ETL/CE/FCC — verify, don't assume) | CE, FCC, RoHS (as printed in FlashForge's own spec table)[1] | Not documented |
| Reliability, Support & Ecosystem | ||
| Warranty length & support reputation (evidence, not vibes) | Not documented | 2-year warranty for consumers in the EU, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Norway and Iceland; 1 year for EU enterprises and 1 year for the rest of the world, which includes the United States. A printer bought from a reseller or privately carries 1 year from the original delivery date and is handled by the reseller. Prusa advertises 24/7 chat and e-mail support in seven languages[12][8] |
Manufacturer claims, independent measurements, packages and test conditions retain their source wording. FDM linear speed and resin vertical speed use different units and are not directly comparable. Unknown values are marked “Not documented”. Prices and source dates remain historical snapshots; check the linked guide for product details. Differences highlight text, not a universal winner.
Sources for this comparison
- Flashforge Guider 3 Ultra product page (refurbished listing) flashforge.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Prusa CORE One+ (Gen 2) product page (Technical Parameters + CORE One+/MK4S/CORE One L comparison) prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Prusa 3D printers category listing with live e-shop prices, Aug 2026 prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Prusa blog - Better Prints, Easier Use: Prusa XL+, CORE One L+ and CORE One+ (Gen 2), Our Big Product Update (published 13 August 2026) blog.prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · doc
- FlashForge Guider 3 technical data table 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- FlashForge Guider 3 Plus technical data table 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Prusa CORE One L+ product page (CORE One L+ Technical Specifications) prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Original Prusa MK4S 3D Printer product page (Technical Parameters + CORE One+/MK4S/XL comparison table) prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Flashforge printer buyer's guide, 5M to Creator 5 eolasprints.com · 2026-08 · review
- GitHub - prusa3d/Prusa-Firmware-Buddy (firmware for MINI, MK4, XL and CORE One) github.com · 2026-08 · doc
- Prusa blog - Original Prusa MK4 is here (published 29 March 2023), including the MK4 specification table and launch prices blog.prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · doc
- Prusa Knowledge Base - Warranty help.prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · doc