Calibrated Esteps Causes Extruder Skipping I have replaced the stock extruder on my Ender 3 with one of these:



The grip gear has a smaller diameter, so I calibrated the esteps as per the top google search: Extruder Calibration – 6 Easy Steps to Calibrate Your Extruder...

If I set the esteps so that it's spot on with 100&nbsp;mm of filament is used up when I ask it to extrude 100&nbsp;mm, then during a print I get the occasional skip on the extruder.

If I dial it back a bit and set it so that it extrudes 90&nbsp;mm of filament when I ask it to extrude 100&nbsp;mm, then I don't get the skips.

In both cases the print looks normal.

I've tried changing the nozzle as well in case there was some blockage, but it doesn't make a difference.

Should I just go with the under extrusion? or is these likely to be some other problem that isn't apparent?

I didn't notice any issues with the stock extruder and the stock estep setting, but I didn't think to check the calibration.
Consider that the extruder is skipping because it is unable to push filament at the rate you are requesting. By reducing the steps to ninety percent, you are reducing the rate by that much as well.

Typically, a skipping extruder is an indication of clogging, but it does not have to be clogging caused by particulates jamming the nozzle. At higher rates of filament travel, one needs higher temperatures to compensate for the cooling at those higher rates.

Consider to reduce the print speed to ninety percent of the current figure, or raise the nozzle temperature by five to ten degrees (in steps) to see if you'll get rid of the cold blocking that may be causing this problem.