Looking to get a 3D printer soon.

Great choice.

Prusa has a new in-US company supporting their products - Printed Solid. You can get many Prusa items there at lower shipping cost and faster turn-around. They also have some great filament choices with their Jesse filament.

Prusa filament is great filament but pricey and that's a lot for shipping. I generally pay about $20-25 per kg for filament and get it from Amazon or other US sources generally with free shipping. I would start with more than 2 rolls of filament. PLA is great for most things unless you need heat resistance. PETG is better for heat resistance but a bit harder to print well and colors are limited. :)

Spare parts will be important. You will want spare nozzles for certain, and you might want specific tools to make nozzle changes easier as well as cleaning tools. The Prusa spare parts kit is fine, but it is a lot more than you will need in the short run. I've run my MK3 pretty hard for years and have only replaced nozzles a couple of times per year and the teflon tube inside even less often. I lube the rods occasionally with lithium grease and have lots of spare parts but not really had problems aside from the occasional nozzle clog which requires a cold pull or a nozzle replacement to clear up. I keep both real Prusa nozzles and inexpensive third party nozzles on hand and either works fine. I do find the cheap nozzles may have some burrs to remove inside but that is easily accomplished. A few drill bits just under 1.75mm are handy for cleaning nozzles, and needles just under nozzle diameter which is usually 0.40mm. Tool sets just for nozzle work are available on Amazon and elsewhere. A nozzle torque wrench and socket the right size are helpful. It's easy to damage the heat break or wires when servicing the nozzle which is the most common maintenance item on the printer. A spare heat break would also be wise to have on hand, though I don't think I have damaged one yet, but it is quite thin to resist heat flow. If you break the wires a spare thermistor or heater could be needed, I have yet to break those but I do have spares. The Revo hotend upgrade improves on these things. More on that below.

You'll want isopropyl alcohol 90%+. I would get one or more spare build plates, however they do last a long time, but they can get damaged easily. They have three types of surfaces to choose from. Each has two surfaces that can be printed on.

You may not want to get too many spare nozzles because you might decide to change the hotend to a Revo which uses different nozzles. This is a recently available improved hotend from E3D. It offers easy, tool free nozzle changes with leak-free nozzles that can be changed cold (regular nozzles must be hot-tightened and removed). It has better protection for the wires, heats much faster, and the ability to easily change nozzle diameters is coveted by some. The Revo nozzles are expensive and won't be available from third parties. I would build the printer stock to start with, I only mention this because you might not want to get too many spare parts in inventory until you have decided what you will be using longer term.

People commonly use glue-stick to control adhesion for some filaments. I find Aquanet unscented hairspray to be easier to apply and superior to glue-stick, but that's a personal preference. Depending on which sheet type you are using some filaments like PETG or TPU will over-adhere to the sheet and can damage it when removing the print while others may under-adhere and make spaghetti or much worse. But a very thin coat of Aquanet works to promote the right amount of adherence while preventing too much. I don't apply it every print cycle with PLA it's hardly needed, but my old tired smooth sheet needs a bit of help now and then, and for PETG or especially TPU I want a fairly fresh coating or the print may over-adhere and fail to come off without damage. One can lasts me years, and I print a lot.

A good set of ball-end metric hex wrenches will be appreciated during assembly. A really flat surface will be useful, you don't need a surface plate but that would work, I use a marble end table surface, many use scraps available inexpensively from the local countertop suppliers. Assemble it as square as you can, it will help with printing precision.
 
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Bringing this thread back to life....

My wife and I are going to buy an The Original Prusa i3 MK3S+ 3D printer, kit form. I have a few questions before I place the order.

I see there are lots on different filaments, I'm thinking of ordering a 1 roll of PLA and 1 of PETG with the printer. The cost per roll $28.49 and the extra shipping is $34.00. Or should I buy the filament somewhere else. Should I even consider anything other than PLA to start with?

Where is a good place to buy filament?

Should I order an extra nozzle?

How about just ordering the spare parts bundle?

Anything else I should know before ordering?

Filament: From my perspective, PETG is the new standard filament. PLA has a slight edge in aesthetic finish, but PETG makes nice parts with better mechanical properties. But, swapping only takes a moment so it's easy to try both for yourself. I use Overture brand; they sell direct and through Amazon. If an extra spool from Prusa adds $34 to the shipping, buy it elsewhere.

Spare Nozzles: Yes. I bought the E3D Pro Pack, which has a variety of nozzle sizes and materials. The Prusa will come with a .4mm nozzle. I use a .6 most times, and switch back if I'm running something small and detailed.

Spare parts bundle: I wouldn't bother with it. The kit does come with some spares of common hardware.

Anything Else?: I'm really happy with my i3, and I hope/think you will be too. I have found it reliable and pretty easy to use.
 
Petg is certainly the darling of the fdm world right now.

I’ve run a couple spools and its very tolerant of less than ideal setups, adheres well, prints well, doesn’t have issues with shrinkage and warpage, isn’t overly effected by drafts, doesn’t have water problems and its nearly as mechanically strong as abs.

Its not perfect for all applications, but its pretty close.

I’m a bit of a “dinosaur“ myself. I still prefer printing with abs, but you need to get pretty much everything perfect with abs or its going to shrink, warp and do all manner of strange things. An enclosure is a must when printing abs….
 
@justforfun. Congratulations on buying a Prusa printer. You will love it.

I would agree with everything @KyleG said, except I still prefer the 0.4mm nozzle. In the last two weeks, I messed around a bit with a 0.6 nozzle hoping to get faster print times utilizing the PrusaSlicr (ver. 2.5.0+) with the new Arachne engine baked in. I really didn't notice a huge difference like I was expecting, but then again, I have stuff to print now and did not want to spend much time tweaking settings.
I just ordered some eSun PLA from Amazon today (eSun from Amazon.) PETG is my normal go-to, but I decided to have some PLA on hand for printing hardware storage containers.

If you have any questions, ask away or shoot me a PM, I would be glad to help you out.
 
PLA is easy to print with and good enough for most parts. It's not temperature stable and will warp and shrink at high (120 f or so) temperatures. PETG is a great filament, but you need to put down some gluestick on the Prusa build plate, or it will stick so hard it will tear the surface off (I found this out the hard way). I use Hatchbox PLA, and I don't remember the PETG brand I ordered. I've also printed flexible TPU and glass filled nylon on it. Prusa's filament is good, but a bit pricey, so you might want to look around. Be prepared for a bill from Fedex for the import duties, mine was assembled and the duty was around ~$200. They are a great printer, way more plug and play than some of the more basic printers (I had a Creality CR10 before this one). If you're going to be building it, it would be a good time to put in a hardened or ruby nozzle if you plan to print with carbon or glass filled filament. I had some trouble when I installed mine and had to re-print one of the parts in the head assembly after it was melted by the hot end. I have a hardened steel nozzle in mine now and it prints PLA and PETG fine. Another thing to look into is an enclosure. It keeps the temperature stable but also keeps dust off the machine as well. I built the one from the Ikea Lag tables that's on their blog. I think they may sell an enclosure now.
 
1.) PETG is a great filament, but you need to put down some gluestick on the Prusa build plate, or it will stick so hard it will tear the surface off (I found this out the hard way).
I have never used gluestick for PETG, but I have a smooth build plate.

I use Hatchbox PLA, and I don't remember the PETG brand I ordered. I've also printed flexible TPU and glass filled nylon on it. Prusa's filament is good, but a bit pricey, so you might want to look around.
There are literally dozens upon dozens of filament brands available. Most are available on Amazon for reasonable prices. If you want some really strong nylon specialty filament, I would recommend Taulman 910.

Be prepared for a bill from Fedex for the import duties, mine was assembled and the duty was around ~$200.
You exceeded the import limit. It specifically states on Prusa's website during the order process what that limit is. A Prusa kit with an extra build plate is under that limit.

If you're going to be building it, it would be a good time to put in a hardened or ruby nozzle if you plan to print with carbon or glass filled filament.
I would not spend the money on a hardened nozzle unless demanding filaments are in the foreseeable future. I have been printing for years with ABS, Nylon, PETG, and PLA with the standard 0.40 nozzle. I even print the Taulman 910 with no issues.

Another thing to look into is an enclosure. It keeps the temperature stable but also keeps dust off the machine as well. I built the one from the Ikea Lag tables that's on their blog. I think they may sell an enclosure now.
Prusa does sell an enclosure but at $350+, it is spendy and probably not worth it. There are a lot of ideas on the web for enclosures. I have been meaning to make one for mine out of 80/20, but haven't got to that point on my project list.
 
PETG on the smooth PEI is fine.. Until one day it sticks like tar to feathers. Then the build plate surface will be ruined. I only let this happen once. That is what the Windex, glue stick or Aquanet prevents. I prefer a misting of Aquanet to the clumsy uneven rubbing of a glue stick - spray painting vs crayon. TPU is another 3d printing material that can stick to PEI so well that the PEI is damaged when removing the print. A sacrificial layer protects the print surface from damage when removing the print.

There is no need for hardened nozzles unless one is printing with abrasive filaments (those containing carbon or glass fibers, glow in the dark particles, etc). Hardened nozzles cost more and most are not as thermally conductive which reduces print quality and can reduce print strength. I don't use them when they are not needed. Some folks use them all the time, either way works as long as you calibrate for the temperature loss.

Ruby nozzles are quite expensive. Definitely reserved for as-needed. Diamond and tungsten carbide also. Brass or nickel plated copper nozzles are excellent for most printing, short of abrasive filaments.

Nozzle changes aren't trivial, but they aren't terribly difficult with the right tools and technique. The Revo hotend system makes nozzle changes trivial by combining the heat brake and nozzle into a fingers only (no tools) changeable setup. E3D makes a drop-in replacement for the V6 that works in the Prusa MK3. They have brass nozzles from 0.15 to 0.8 mm and hardened steel nozzles will be out next month. All nozzles are the same length so Z adjustments won't change when swapping nozzles. With the standard V6 the Prusa comes with you must tighten the nozzle hot, and the heat brake is quite fragile and easy to bend or snap off. It is best to do with a torque wrench which you can purchase or there are some printable ones. Enough torque is needed to prevent leakage but not so much as to ruin the heat break. The unprotected heater and temperature sensor wires are easy to damage as you hold the hot heater block with a wrench or pliers. With the Revo nozzle the heat break and nozzle are pressed into a unit and one just has to thread it in until it stops with fingertip pressure, which can be done cold with no danger of leakage later on. It makes changing nozzle diameters routine, so you can make a part strong and shorten printing time with a larger nozzle and then swap to a smaller one for the next print.

If the V6 nozzle is not properly tightened the melted filament can leak out between the heat brake and the nozzle. This often results in a "blob of death" mass of plastic encasing the heater block, nozzle, wiring and everything else in the vicinity. The repair usually involves replacing the entire hotend as removing the solidified plastic without damage from the hotend components and wiring is impractical.
 
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Mine stuck to a smooth build plate and tore a chunk larger than a quarter up from the metal base. But you do you. The plates only 45 dollars or so.
 
Yes, I had a similar experience with a PEI on glass plate printer before the Prusa. I've even seen glass plates broken with too much adhesion. You can replace the PEI surface on a steel sheet, this is a bit of work but cheaper than the replacement steel sheet. Prusa has smooth, satin and rough surface steel sheets that have different adhesion properties with different materials. There are also aftermarket sheets. The choice of sheet surface can make a difference as well. The printer can remember the Z offset for each steel sheet, this varies and needs to be properly calibrated for a good first layer. There's a menu setting to let the printer know which steel sheet is in use.
 
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So, when you guys are talking glue sticks, you are talking about the standard kids glue stick?
 
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