They’re really not, but I can see how a new user could be overwhelmed by all of it. Explore at your own pace, but I certainly wouldnt lock yourself down to an inferior method just because it feels daunting to learn something new.
I use those too - hadn’t considered the added benefit of them locking the two halves together but I’ll take it
You can try to print this version, they work very well: Printables
Oh man, I love the reusable spools. I just wish more filament was in stock and “refillable” in the US so I can use them more.
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I did not read any other post. I’ve glued ones I printed and wish I didn’t. A little blue masking tape and you’re good to go.
I cannot speak for anything other then BL PETG and PC spools from BBL. I have 4 spools from BBL and use the printable shims in all of them with no issues.
I stand corrected. Thank you.
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Did another thread asking for a recommendation on printable spools. That one was recommended. Have done a print of it and like the results.
Want to have the spools eventually the same color as the filament.
This spool weight was super helpful. Thanks!
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Well, I have to take back my first post. Now that I’ve been using the shims I printed as none came with my spools, I really like them. No issues any more.
I also found I can separate the bands holding the filament w/o removing them, print a spool with that color, tape them back together with masking tape, and then swap the filament over to the colored spool. Remove the plastic bands and off you go. I like having colored spools. Hey, it’s a personal thing. 
So yes. I’m now a fan of the spools. Although one tip. I’ve found the shims are too small for many of the printable spools, and are really loose. Depends on the spool and the material used for the spool and shim. I’ve found scaling all dimensions to 100.7 or 100.8 is enough to correct that issue. Works in the factory spools at that size too.
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Yes they do work with BL spools. Scale them to 100.7 in all dimensions for a better fit.
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That link totally helped me, never knew there was a locking mechanism that needed to lined up. Thanks!
I had this issue and lost almost a whole role of brand new filament.
I designed these
Their purpose is two-fold, firstly they are a good check to ensure the spool is correctly assembled and lock, and secondly they ensure that there is no way the spool came come undone.
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Will give this a try as I’ve had the shims occasionally pop out. Thankfully, the spool stayed together. Thanks for posting the link!
What’s wrong with the Bambu Lab shims?
Nothing wrong with them, but they only come with empty spools so if you are reusing spools that came loaded with filament, you won’t have the shim.
The shims are freely available to print and take no time at all, I use them all the time as extra security and the bonus is they only fit once the spool is fully locked. I’ve got some on the first plate https://makerworld.com/models/559184
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