Posts by Steven Perez13

rowdytrucker12 said:Maybe a bit of an exaggeration?

It’s kind of intimidating when people claim a cheap AC unit can't even cool down a 170-square-foot room. And then, if you dare disagree, they just start hurling insults.

First off, nobody was trying to scare me. I’m fully aware that even a budget brand from overseas—something half the price of the Daikin I ended up buying—could probably cool my 170 square feet. I guess the real question is how long it would last or if I'd actually be happy with it. Nobody ever told me it was impossible to get the job done with a budget unit or some other cheap brand... but since I didn't really want to gamble on it, I went with a brand recommended by some folks on this forum (who clearly know their stuff regarding HVAC), though every shop I visited also pointed me toward a Japanese brand. Secondly, I genuinely value the advice from everyone who shared their thoughts and helped out. My choice to go with a big-name manufacturer was ultimately what I wanted, and the forum just helped nudge me in the right direction. The discussion actually helped me make up my mind.

If you ask me, about 90% of this was a constructive conversation. I don't see any reason to lock the thread because of it. Maybe some parts should have been moved to the "seasonal cooling" section to calm things down, but shutting down a productive thread like this feels pretty unnecessary.

Well, I guess it really depends on what you consider "cheap."

I had a similar setup before (an old SX125), and I actually have to haul it off to a recycling center sometime this week. The ink is just ridiculously expensive, and there’s barely any in the cartridges to begin with. I used to grab generic replacements for about $20-$10, but the real headache is how it drains all the colors even if you're just printing black text. After maybe 50 or 60 pages, you're already hunting for more ink, which runs about $80-$40. The color cartridges only last about as long as two black ones, even if you aren't using them at all.

So, when you do the math, you're looking at maybe $1-$0.67 per page, plus the cost of paper, which is just a total disaster. And don't even get me started on what it costs if you stick with the original brand name inks.

I eventually switched over to a budget monochrome laser printer. Now, I'm printing for maybe 10 cents a page—let's call it $0.10 just to be safe—plus the paper. If you compare that to the cost of 1,000 pages on the old setup, the difference is huge.

I suppose those ultra-cheap printers just aren't worth it if you actually intend to use them. And honestly, all those extra features like Wi-Fi, duplexing, or printing on CDs... they don't really matter much if the ink is going to bankrupt you anyway. Plus, those cheap third-party inks can sometimes jam the machine or leave smudges everywhere. Some are okay and some are terrible, but good luck trying to figure out which one is which with so many options out there.

If someone is planning on doing a lot of printing, they should probably invest in something more robust. Or, honestly, just hitting up a local print shop or FedEx Office might be a much better option than dealing with a cheap inkjet.

While I'm at it, I wanted to ask about that HP model:

So, if I go this route, I get the $100 printer plus 8 oz of each ink color, and that means the printer comes with a brand new print head, right?

It looks like I won't be able to just pick up extra ink later on unless I buy a whole new bundle with the printer itself.

I'm mainly curious about how many pages I can actually get out of that 750ml total ink supply, and I guess I should also ask if you provide any kind of warranty on the printer.

rustysurfer79 said:Are you sure those cartridges are actually auto-resetting? Maybe they're just marked as full All The time. I guess people might call them that just because they're trying to match how Epson ones work, even if they don't really reset themselves.

It’s kind of like having a gauge on a car that stays at zero. Except, well, instead of zero, it just shows a one on the display.

The real issue is that you have no idea how much ink is actually left in the cartridge. Since you can't tell, you just keep printing until the machine finally gives up. If you run it dry three or four times like that, you might end up burning out the print head.

Makes sense, right?

But, hey, they claim they are auto-resetting and that they show the exact ink levels.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmbA3jbPuXY#t=30

rustysurfer79 said:So, let's sum this up...

Printer $217
Ink 8 oz = $83
Continuous cartridges??
Resetter??

Once the print head dies
You're throwing away the printer
You're throwing away the continuous cartridges
And you're throwing away the ink
Because a new head costs at least $167

The ink is $36 8 oz in the cheapest version, or maybe $54 OCP's Premium is also 8 oz. I'm not quite sure how you calculated $83 for 8 oz.

The refillable cartridges are 27-$9.75, they auto-reset, so there shouldn't be any need for a chip resetter. I guess I wonder why you think the print head would fail that quickly? It's a home printer, so I don't see anyone printing 500 pages a day on it.

Plus, it's an MFP and a pretty decent photo printer for home use—it has a card reader, Wi-Fi, an LCD screen, cloud print, a scanner, a copier, duplex printing, and even prints on CD/DVDs.

Okay, the one you suggested has a cheaper cost per page, but I really don't need that much volume. The setup I've put together for myself will probably end up costing me less than a penny per black and white page, which is a total steal if you ask me. On top of that, I definitely need the scanner and network printing since I have several computers at home.

I've actually been looking for a solid printer with decent printing costs myself, so I've been doing a bit of research lately.

I'm thinking about picking up a Canon MG5350; it looks like it's going to be around $217.

http://www.canon.com/For_Home/Product...350/index.aspx

My plan is to use refillable cartridges for it. You can grab the ink in 100ml bottles (they have larger sizes too, but I haven't looked since I don't print that much) for about 45-$22 depending on which ink you pick. There’s a generic one made for Canon, and then there's this German OCP ink that people claim is just as good as the original Canon stuff—though, I guess, I don't really know if that's true since I haven't tried it yet. It works out to roughly 400-$167 for five cartridges plus 100ml of each of the five inks.

Replacement cartridges for this model run you about $8.25 (you get four colors at 9ml each, and a large black one for documents at 19ml). The originals will set you back $30 for the 9ml ones and $33 for the 19ml one.

So, basically, 100ml of ink is the same as 11 of those 9ml cartridges, or maybe 5 of the 19ml black cartridges. Just something to think about...

If you're planning on doing the refills yourself, you should find everything you need right here: http://www.refill-bar.com/other-pro...html?limit=100

Also, Epson has those CISS printers now where you just pour the ink in, and you can get 70ml bottles for about 60 bucks. Maybe take a look if that sounds interesting: http://www.epson.com/us/en/viewcon/co...s/index/10289/

I had an Epson once and, well, never again. It uses those sensitive piezoelectric print heads, and mine clogged up really fast when I used third-party inks. Plus, it seemed to gulp down way more ink than I wanted, but it was just one of those cheap printers I picked up at Walmart (an SX125). I suppose if you stick to original ink, it might not be such a headache.
Printers with a CISS system usually start around $367.