E3D Revo vs Phaetus Rapido, Dragon and Mosquito

The standard E3D Revo has the lowest temperature limit of the four and the only proprietary nozzle: E3D rates the standard Revo HeaterCore to 300 °C, and Revo nozzles combine nozzle and heat break in one part that swaps by hand at room temperature. The Phaetus Rapido 2 is rated to 350 °C on an 88 W heater and takes ordinary V6-thread nozzles. The Phaetus Dragon and Slice Engineering Mosquito are rated to 500 °C, but ship without a heater or sensor, so the parts you add set their real limit.

Revo, Rapido, Dragon and Mosquito specs side by side

All figures come from each maker’s own product pages, support pages and test files, checked on October 30, 2026. Rows are alphabetical. E3D sells through US resellers, so Revo prices are from Filastruder and West3D on the same date; Phaetus and Slice prices are from their own US stores.

Weights are not like for like. Slice’s cover only the heat sink, heat break and hot block. They leave out the heater, sensor and nozzle. E3D and Phaetus do not say what theirs include, and Phaetus does not say whether the Rapido X’s 153 g includes cables.

Why the flow figures don’t line up

Each maker measures flow its own way, so the flow column is not a ranking.

• E3D (test method) prints a single-wall vase with a 60 W HeaterCore and a Hemera XS extruder, at a layer height half the nozzle diameter and a line width 125% of it, in Prusament filament.
• Phaetus gives two numbers per Dragon in its GitHub test sheet, both in PLA through a 1.0 mm copper alloy nozzle. “Printing flow” comes from a Creality Ender-7 at 220 °C with 0.3 mm layers. “Extrusion flow” comes from Phaetus’s own test bench at 250 °C. The Rapido figures on its product pages come with no conditions at all.
• Slice Engineering raises print speed in steps up a 20 mm test part and inspects each band for defects. Its Magnum+ white paper (a ZIP of two PDFs) used a 1.0 mm nozzle and two 50 W heaters.

The closest the makers come to the same conditions is a 1.0 mm nozzle in PLA at 220 °C. E3D lists 35 mm³/s for its 1.0 mm High Flow Revo nozzle, Phaetus 42 mm³/s printing flow for the Dragon UHF, and Slice 65 mm³/s for the 100 W Magnum+. The test parts, layer heights and extruders still differ, so those gaps are not measured differences between the hotends.

How does the E3D Revo compare with the Phaetus Rapido?

The E3D Revo Six and Revo Voron run to 300 °C on a 40 W or 60 W HeaterCore and take only E3D’s tool-free Revo nozzles. The Phaetus Rapido 2 is rated to 350 °C on an 88 W ceramic heater and takes common V6-thread nozzles. Phaetus’s newer Rapido X claims 360 °C, 120 W and 100 mm³/s.

Which Rapido versions are current

Phaetus listed four versions in its US store on October 30, 2026, most in HF (high flow) and UHF (ultra-high flow) forms:

• Rapido Hotend 2: 104NT thermistor; $89 HF, $99 UHF.
• Rapido Hotend 2 Plus: PT1000 sensor; $99 HF, $104 UHF.
• Rapido 2F: UHF only, with an EndCoat-coated heat break and a PT1000; 54.5 g, $99.96.
• Rapido X: Phaetus’s “Gen III” hotend, $89. Phaetus says its mounting holes are not compatible with the Rapido 1 or 2.

Phaetus says the Rapido 2 has the same shape and size as the first Rapido and replaces it directly. HF and UHF share a heat block, and a copper-nickel-plated nut adapter switches one to the other.

Where the Revo and the Rapido differ

• Temperature and sensor. Phaetus prints 350 °C on both Rapido 2 product pages and gives no separate limit for the 104NT version. E3D rates its own Revo HeaterCore, which uses a Semitec 104NT-4 thermistor, to 300 °C. To print above 300 °C, the versions with a PT1000 (platinum resistance) sensor avoid that question: the Rapido 2 Plus, 2F and X.
• Heater. Nameplate watts are not watts at print temperature. In Phaetus’s GitHub power test, the Rapido 2 ceramic heater draws 92.9 W at 23 °C, 60.3 W at 300 °C and 56.7 W at 350 °C. E3D likewise says its HeaterCore’s power “reduces as it gets hotter”.
• Nozzle changes. E3D says a Revo nozzle unscrews “with your fingers at room temperature”, with no hot-tightening. A Rapido nozzle is changed hot with a wrench: Phaetus hot-tightens the Rapido 2 at 285 °C to about 2.5 N·m, and has you heat the Rapido X to 200 °C to swap.
• Nozzle cost. A 0.4 mm Revo brass nozzle was $19.99 at Filastruder. Phaetus’s own V6 nozzles were $3.00 in brass and $9.00 in EndCoat hardened steel, and the Rapido takes standard V6 nozzles.

How does the E3D Revo compare with the Phaetus Dragon?

The Phaetus Dragon is rated to 500 °C but ships without a heater cartridge or temperature sensor, so the parts you fit set its real limit. The E3D Revo Six and Revo Voron build the heater and thermistor into one HeaterCore and stop at 300 °C. The Dragon takes V6-thread nozzles; the Revo takes only Revo nozzles.

Which Dragon versions are current

Phaetus’s US store listed two Dragons on October 30, 2026: the Dragon ST (standard flow, $53.55) and the Dragon UHF ($78). The Dragon HF still has an instruction sheet on Phaetus’s download page and a line in its flow test sheet (31.5 mm³/s printing, 62 mm³/s extrusion), but no store listing. Neither page lists a Dragon Ace. Trianglelab also sells a hotend called the Dragon, and the high-temperature hotend table lists its Dragon V2.0.

Where the Revo and the Dragon differ

• Heater and sensor. Neither Dragon box contains a heater or sensor. Phaetus supplies a brass sleeve for a glass-bead thermistor, and the 500 °C rating covers the all-metal parts. The real ceiling is the lowest-rated of your heater cartridge, sensor and firmware limit. The temperature limits explainer covers each part.
• Flow switching. The Dragon UHF uses an extension nut and a longer heat block. Phaetus says this lets you change flow rates “without changing nozzle”.
• Price. A Dragon ST costs $53.55 before you add a heater and sensor. A complete Revo Six is $79.99 at Filastruder. West3D sells the parts separately: a $37.99 cold side plus a $49.99 Starter hot side with a 40 W HeaterCore and 0.4 and 0.6 mm brass nozzles.

How does the E3D Revo compare with the Slice Engineering Mosquito?

The Slice Engineering Mosquito’s hot block is rated to 500 °C and takes a heater of up to 50 W and a 3 mm by 15 mm sensor, both sold separately. The E3D Revo stops at 300 °C with its standard HeaterCore. The Mosquito takes RepRap-style M6 nozzles, weighs 37 g, and Slice rates it at 35 mm³/s.

Which Mosquito versions are current

Slice listed three air-cooled 1.75 mm Mosquitos on October 30, 2026:

Slice says the Magnum is now in its fourth generation, and sells leftover earlier units under a separate “Retired” listing. The Mosquito and Magnum kits add a GammaMaster nozzle, but the heater, sensor and fan are still sold separately.

Where the Revo and the Mosquito differ

• Sensor choice. Slice offers a 300 °C thermistor, a PT1000, a PT100 and a Type K thermocouple for the Magnum+. To use the 500 °C rating you need one of the high-temperature options, a heater rated for it and firmware set to match.
• Heater power. The Magnum+ takes two 50 W heaters. Slice says a dual-heater install should be done by a professional 3D printer manufacturer or automation engineer. It warns that temperatures can exceed 600 °C and prohibits plastic mounts with that setup.
• Flow testing. Slice publishes its Magnum+ flow test as a white paper: 65 mm³/s in PLA at 220 °C and 88 mm³/s at 280 °C with two 50 W heaters and a 1.0 mm brass nozzle. With a single 50 W heater and a 0.8 mm nozzle it measured 63 mm³/s in PLA at 220 °C.
• Mount. Voron Design’s own Stealthburner files include printheads for the Revo Six, Revo Voron, Dragon and Rapido, but none for the Mosquito.

What are the alternatives to the E3D Revo?

Four conditions decide between these hotends: temperature, flow, nozzle system and mount.

• You need more than 300 °C but want to keep Revo nozzles. E3D’s Revo High-Temperature Hotside fits the Revo Six and Revo Voron. It reaches 400 °C with a 40 W heater or 500 °C with a 65 W one, uses a PT100 or PT1000, and takes its own HT (high-temperature) nozzles. West3D lists the PT1000 versions without a nozzle at $79.99 (400 °C) and $119.99 (500 °C).
• You want V6-thread nozzles and a heater and sensor in the box. Phaetus Rapido 2 Plus, Rapido 2F or Rapido X, each with a PT1000.
• You want the lowest-cost all-metal body and will supply the heater and sensor. Phaetus Dragon ST, $53.55.
• You want a choice of sensor up to a thermocouple, or 500 °C on a light hotend. Slice Engineering Mosquito or Mosquito Magnum, 37 or 41 g.
• You want the highest stated flow. Rapido X (100 mm³/s by Phaetus’s test) or Mosquito Magnum+ (90 mm³/s by Slice’s). The Revo’s own high-flow option is E3D’s High Flow hot side pack with a 60 W HeaterCore ($114.99 at West3D), which E3D says adds about 70% flow over standard nozzles.

The high-temperature hotend table lists more 400 to 500 °C hotends, from the Chube to the DyzEnd-X.

What to change in firmware after the swap

• Sensor type. Set it to match the new sensor. E3D gives Klipper’s ATC Semitec 104NT-4-R025H42G for the Revo HeaterCore; a PT1000 is PT1000. A wrong sensor type misreads the temperature, and thermal runaway protection can only act on what it reads.
• Maximum temperature. Raise it only after every part in the hot zone is rated past it. The firmware temperature limits guide covers Marlin and Klipper.
• PID tune. Run a new PID (heater control loop) tune after any hotend or heater change. E3D suggests tuning at 240 °C if you print anywhere from 200 to 280 °C.
• Heater verification. Keep it on, and check its settings against the new heater’s power (Klipper heater verification).

Fitting a third-party hotend to a printer under warranty, or running it above the printer maker’s stated limit, is at your own risk and may void the warranty (does upgrading void the warranty?).