5 posts shown.
rustysurfer79 said:You can grab those Colibri refillable cartridges for it—they work perfectly fine without any chips. But honestly? We’ve got two units sitting here at the shop right now using original ink, and the black toner is so completely baked onto the components that they're basically junk. You might as well just toss them in the bin.
So, I was at the service shop today and one of my colleagues actually had the nerve to laugh in my face. He picked up an HP LaserJet 1300—the second one in our lineup—which is being prepped for some lawyer client. He starts joking that if he bought the first unit, he’d get a starter toner with maybe 30 grams of powder, whereas buying a brand-new one would mean paying around... $133So, basically, we're looking at roughly... $367 He ended up with an 85g toner cartridge. Meanwhile, someone else using an HP LaserJet 1300 paid the exact same amount of money and walked away with about 400g of toner. That’s four or five times more product—which basically means four to five times the number of prints. Honestly, when you look at the math like that, you can't exactly argue with two electrical engineers.
Believe whatever you want.
Do you have a link for that model? I just want to get a ballpark idea of the price and see where I can actually pick one up.🤷
rustysurfer79 said:Remember this once and for all
NOBODY SELLS NEW PRINTERS WITHOUT AN AGENDA
And what exactly is their agenda?
Well, obviously—to make as much money as possible.
So, if you feel burned by a "new" printer, don't go thinking the manufacturer suddenly developed a conscience.
The bottom line: If you want cheap printing, you have to pick a printer that the manufacturer has basically abandoned—for the simple reason that they no longer see any profit in it. Or just learn to read between the lines. It’s not a cash cow for them anymore. On the other hand, if you *want* to be a walking ATM, go right ahead and buy the latest flagship model.
Then again, there's the whole refill option, which works more or less successfully even with newer devices. Whether it's through a service or DIY refilling. But again, that depends on a ton of variables and varies wildly from model to model.
For those looking for a concrete suggestion: I had an HP DeskJet 1050 in for testing recently. In principle, it's a great, minimalist little machine for the price. Prints fast and well, and we managed to refill the exact same cartridge with the exact same ink three times already. So, overall, it's a steal. However—and here's the catch—if one cartridge dies, you toss the whole setup because buying a replacement just isn't worth it.
Just for comparison, look at a similar recent Canon in the same price bracket. Refilling barely works there. Why? Because the manufacturer put some kind of additive in their black ink that essentially cements the nozzles shut.
As for Epson, you really need to go with Colibri continuous ink cartridges.
If you want my honest opinion on the smartest move? Get an Epson paired with those continuous cartridges. That gives you the least amount of headache if you print somewhat frequently. But even with HP or Epson, you'll be refilling cartridges like you're trying to win a race—about 3.5 to 5 ml per color. And that only gets you roughly 100 pages.
And if HP decides tomorrow to add that same gunk to their current cartridges—and don't think for a second they haven't already tested it—you'll find yourself right back in the same mess with a brand-new model. Don't assume anyone does this stuff without testing it first. They definitely have!
Can I get some advice? What do you think about these two models? I'm torn between getting this laser or going with inkjet...
rustysurfer79 said:New third-party cartridges or old refurbished ones—it's all the same thing.
== You're still dealing with worn-out printheads.
And if the manufacturer decides to load it with cheap, low-quality ink, those printheads are toast.
Basically, you're screwed.
Ugh, please.🙂
I literally just bought a full set of color and black ink—about $77... any recommendations for a new printer? I'm thinking about switching to a laser, maybe something in the $75 range??
The new replacements seem okay to me
Hey there! I’m running into a massive headache with my HP F2180... Everything was working perfectly fine—zero issues—and then out of nowhere, it starts throwing an error about ink problems... specifically saying "incompatible cartridge." I know for a fact the cartridges aren't empty; they’re practically brand new. My software is fully up to date, too. I honestly have no clue what happened—it was working flawlessly until this sudden glitch appeared out of thin air.