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Laser Printer Purchasing Advice

C

closers

Gawd
Joined
Feb 6, 2010
Messages
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Inkjet printhead clogged again after not using it for a while, so I am considering getting a used laser, probably a monochrome HP Laserjet as I print almost exclusively full page text. Have used a HP 2430DTN at work and can probably get one for cheap. Any printer gurus to give some pointers on what to look for in a used printer? What questions to ask like how high a page count is acceptable?

Also welcome any laser printer recommendations with X64 support, auto duplexer, network capability, and inexpensive toner refills. Probably not Samsung, Dell, Brother.
 
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450 said:
I wouldn't bother going used: http://www.amazon.com/Brother-HL-22...1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1336261788&sr=1-1
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Have to agree with this post. I was an HP laser printing fan for the longest time but picked up a Brother HL-2270DW over a year ago. It's been great. The only "short comings" that I really see are 1) doesn't have PostScript printing, 2) no LED readout for people that need that kind of thing, 3) have to choose whether to run it in wireless or wired networking mode (can't do both at same time).
 
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Thanks for the recommendation, I was actually considering that one for a while. I will concede it's really cheap.

Problem is how long will the thing last? I just don't want to buy another printer in a year because drum or fuser is borked. I can get a refurb HP 2430DTN for 160 from HP direct or 80 local. A HP cartridge rated for 12K would last me 5K prints at my coverage rate, not sure how much a Brother starter cartridge rated at 700 would do.
 
The fuser wont be a problem, the drum wont last as long and is half the cost of a new printer.

I've delt with the HL brothers, they're alright for light usage.

Personally I shopped goodwill/thrift stores untill I found a printer in decent condition.

Ended up with a Konica Minolta 2300DL color laser for $15, the drum is at 90% left, and all toner except black were over 85% full. I've printed 4000 pages on a full cartridge(Rated capacity 4500)
 
One caveat about the last couple of low-priced Brother laser printers: They can be LOUD. We're talking "60mm delta fan whirring away a foot from your ear for 10-15 minutes every time you want to print a single page" annoying type of loud. I recently bought the 2270DW and this is by far my largest complaint with it.

If you do buy this printer, make sure to go into the printer's web config and turn the print settings down to default to Toner Save. This, combined with easy-to-find tricks to make the printer keep going after it thinks it is out of toner, will save a fair amount of money.

One other plus: Toner cartridges for this printer are very inexpensive compared to the competition.
 
closers said:
Thanks for the recommendation, I was actually considering that one for a while. I will concede it's really cheap.

Problem is how long will the thing last? I just don't want to buy another printer in a year because drum or fuser is borked. I can get a refurb HP 2430DTN for 160 from HP direct or 80 local. A HP cartridge rated for 12K would last me 5K prints at my coverage rate, not sure how much a Brother starter cartridge rated at 700 would do.
Click to expand...

A 2600 page cartridge for the Brother will run you around $45 or so. Drums are replaced separately and rated for 12,000 pages; these are about $70-$75 each to replace.
 
The HP printer that the OP listed would probably work just fine. Sounds like that's what you want to do anyway. The question for me, when considering refurbished, is how refurbished is it? The biggest wear and tear stuff are the drum, etc. and you replace those when you swap out toner on most HP units. After that, it becomes a question of the nylon gears (do they look fresh or are they worn?), the rubber rollers that grab sheets (old ones will harden somewhat and not grab the pages as well), and possibly the cooling fans (old ones will rattle). From having been the support guy in an office that ran multiple HP laserjets over the years, the biggest concern is usually the fans (start to sound like a rattle trap when they are getting old). The listed HP is certainly rated for a higher volume than the Brother printer and it does include PostScript printing.
 
Another vote for the 2270 Brother. Great machine, only thing not to love is that it is loud.
 
@Polarhound The drum costs as much as a new printer it seems. Toner is not expensive, but costs more than a generic HP would locally. The advantage would be I'd get a new unit. Loud as it may be.

@DesertCat The refurbs have been certified off lease by HP, which could mean anything really in my experience. The local dealer has like a hundred used ones in stock. How do you go about checking drum condition without physical access? Certainly won't be able to cherry pick gears. I am thinking asking for the lowest page count would give me a higher chance of not getting a worn one. Decisions decisions.
 
Ok, understand where you are coming from on not being able to check components. If you are going by page count, I would hope you could pick something up with less than 200,000 pages run through it. The "workhorse" of my old office was an HP and it still seemed to be running without too many issues when it was at a page count of ~160,000. I think the biggest problem I ran into was paper dust building up on the rollers and causing sheet feed problems. Some canned air and wiping things down mostly fixed that. I would hope that stuff would be cleaned up in the refurb process. Even if your rubber rollers are showing some age, all of that stuff can be ordered from HP for replacement (at least it was for ours).
 
I know what you mean about having ink jet cartridges dry up. I got so fed up with having printers ruined from it I bought a Brother HL-4570CDW color laser. Its not as good with color photos, but its not bad at all, and the colors dont smear when they get wet. I got it on a deal for $340 and though that is a lot to pay for a printer, I have bought a lot of 100 dollar ink jets over the years that went belly up on me because I use my printer a lot some months, but none at all for several months. We have 4 computers in the house now that can print to it wirelessly over our network and we have it off to the side of the room so its not in the way. Text is SUPER sharp on it, and thats what I print the most of. All in all I love it, but wish I had got a multi-function model that will scan and fax also. If I start needing more scanning done I will just get a flat bed scanner to go with it though.

In short, I highly recommend getting a good color laser printer and I love my Brother one.
 
My inkjets don't have the chip, inks were cheap, and that's why I held off so long - combined with it being an awesome photo and text printer. The way the printhead is designed though, intentionally or not, is the ink acts as the coolant! The printhead burns if there is a clog and printheads cost as much as a new Brother HL these days, so It just doesn't make sense anymore to persist down that road.

I have never been a fan of AIO because they are humungous jack of all trades master of none with few exceptions. Going to settle on a used HP for now because I can get practically new ones for less than a Brother HL and the TCO with ink and parts factored in makes it more economical. I don't need color printing and I figure anyway the fewer parts, the higher likelihood of reliability.
 
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