Microswiss Plated Nozzle for LulzBot TAZ 5, LulzBot Mini, Hexagon Hotend Style (.5mm)

My TAZ 5 had a clogged hotend that I could not clear so I cleared it by removing the nozzle tip and pushing up through the hotend in reverse. Removing the nozzle from the hotend is not recommended because it is made of copper and because of its size it is easily sheared off if over tightened. I learned that from LulzBot after I already sheared the nozzle when I reattached it and called them for advice on repairs. Unfortunately, they do not sell replacement nozzles or make repairs, they suggested I replace the whole hotend, only problem was that replacement hotends are way on back-order and cannot be preordered without a Purchase Order! So I turned to Amazon and found this replacement nozzle and I figured I would give it a try. I had to take everything apart to figure out a way to get the sheared off piece of the old nozzle out of the hotend then replace it with the new nozzle. Luckily, I was able to get it out. I only snugged the new nozzle in place (after learning my lesson when I tried to reattach the original nozzle) and reassembled everything. This new nozzle works like a charm. Without it I would still be out of business!

Saved some money buying this pack and get to experiment with a nice range of nozzle diameters, great performance with all I've tried so far (up to 0.8) Get great print times and strength with the 0.8 but dimensional accuracy suffers some for small details so good to have 0.3 for prints with fine details

Allow me to go a little more in-depth on this review . . . The nozzle works excellently and does what it's supposed to. It is better than stock for flow and clean-up. However, installation is tricky. The one star review who supposedly ruined the hot end obviously cross threaded it from the get go, which is a huge no-no. Even if the nozzle is over tightened, the BRASS nozzle will not likely ruin the STEEL hot end when threaded appropriately. The person may have also not been using a Lulzbot Hexagon hot end, because it's very difficult to ruin steel threading with brass threading. The brass threading will almost always strip first.When installing this, be very careful. Tighten slowly and by hand (use some type of heat insulator, like a hot pad) with the hot end set to approximately 165 C. Do not over tighten. When it is snug, do a test print. If it leaks, tighten it just a tad more. Do another test print. If it leaks, tighten it just a tad more. You get the idea. Proceed very slowly and carefully. I did end up having to use a wrench a little bit to keep it from leaking without thread locker.Some people say a thread locker is not required. I say, Resbond 907TS Blue if you want to secure it against leaks while ensuring it doesn't have to be overtightened.

These work well, but are really expensive. I got them so I wouldn't have to deal with z-axis offsets since Lulzbot's bed leveling process is not at all friendly when it comes to different size nozzles. Filament flow is good and the overall quality is solid, but at this price point I would not want to buy these more than a couple times a year.

I'm sorry to say I don't remember what the problems were, but we were having randomly weird prints, and thought maybe it could be the nozzle. Worth a try, right?Spoiler: it was the nozzle. I think we put on the .5. It's been great. Prints have been lovely.OH HERE IS SOME INFO FOR YOU.1. You know how you have to heat up the hot end to install the nozzle? And the youtube people tell you to, like, use a washcloth or something terrible like that? It's *hot* and you're supposed to hold this tiny thing with a washcloth and get it started without burning yourself or starting a fire. That was definitely not working, but we found a solution. We held it with a large binder clip (search amazon if you can't remember what that is. it's for holding a stack of papers). It was pretty easy to get it started. The clip gets hot but it takes way longer. Then once it was started we could switch to a little wrench.1.5 It has to be an open end wrench, because of the rounded edges. 7mm or adjustable.2. We were told not to use a metal wrench on the hot end (the square part above the nozzle) because it could cause a short and kill the printer. Which is ridiculous, of course. But when we did it, it did kill the printer (temporarily). It was because the wrench acted as a heat sink and caused a rapid cooldown which freaked the printer out (technically speaking). So it's true that you can't hold the hot end directly with a wrench when it's being heated, even tho the reason folks give makes no sense.Okay, that's the learnings I have to share. It's up to you now. Go for it. You can do it. :)

The prints are EPIC and it fits perfectly into a Lulzbot Hexagon Extruder heat block. They are very soft though, so DO NOT over tighten, or forceably try to unscrew them because they will break completely off the threads. If your nozzle gets stuck on or clogged soak it in acetone to break up the particulates that have gummed up the threads.I broke the first one I ordered while trying to remove it after a feed tube clog, instead of just soaking the extruder I wrenched on the nozzle and it snapped right off. I ordered a few extra the next day, and the new nozzle is printing fantastically. Not even going to bother to file a warranty claim or ask for a replacement because it was my fault that it broke.

I've been using these for over a year now and it's a fine product. I've had no jams, clogs or other nozzle related problems since and it still looks like it just came out of the box.The plating doesn't oxidize so it doesn't mess with the ohmic height sensing (obviously you need to wipe off any excess non-conductive material between prints). I usually print with PLA because it's biodegradable and for the most part it does what I want. I also use abrasive carbon fiber, metallic and high temperature filaments from time to time. I've yet to see the slightest indication any degradation.The price is reasonable, installation is easy so it's pretty much a no-brainer upgrade for your Lulzbot.