Peripherals: OEM inkjet cartridges vs. third-party ink cartridges and refills?
- 7/17/09 2:48 PM
The last word on remanufactured ink and toner
by jjohnson1313 - 7/17/09 6:39 PM In reply to: OEM inkjet cartridges vs. third-party ink cartridges and refills? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Disclosure: I sell re-manufactured toner and ink:
If you needed a part for your car, would you buy if from a guy down the street that makes the part in his garage? OK, let's say it's a relatively large company in your town that makes the part, would you expect the same quality that comes from the factory? No you would not, especially if you are getting 30-70% savings.
I sell toner and ink now, but I purchased it for my company as the Systems Administrator for 17 years, so I see both sides of the debate. Back then I hated remanufactured toner, for the same reason many of you do. Because it can be cheap, unreliable, and a hassle to deal with.
What changed my mind was using re-manufactured toner and ink from a company that is not your mom and pop regional seller. I won't tell you the company I sell for, or use, because that's not the point. The point is that there are remanufacture companies out there that sell nationally and internationally and they have better quality control than many OEMs. Do your homework and you can still save 30-70% and have quality that is as good or better than OEM.
Not only can you save money, but you can save the environment. OEMs make their product overseas, then they get dumped into landfills here in America. Find yourself a manufacturer that uses only virgin cores, replaces ALL internal parts, and yes, you just kept that cartridge out of the dump!
Johnathon Johnson
Desktop Works
jjohnson@mydesktopworks.com
third party inks not worth it
by themouser - 7/17/09 6:52 PM In reply to: OEM inkjet cartridges vs. third-party ink cartridges and refills? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I used third party ink with no problem with my cheap cost effective Canon, but when I upgraded to a Multi Pass Canon copier/scanner combo, they didn't work. My printer has to show a "full" in the ink wells. The third party inks have not reset the ink wells to read full. Canon and other companies have made it so you cannot use the slightly cheaper refills. And refill kits... useless and a mess. Even my computer whizz son says don't bother. I ended up sending the kits to a charity. My model printer has a computer ship that must be reset, but the third parties don't do it. I have tried several companies. No good, I ended up sending them back. The name brand cartridges are never on sale. It always costs $50 or more for a cartridge refill.
Lengthy reply to a short question!
by wds21921 - 7/17/09 7:07 PM In reply to: OEM inkjet cartridges vs. third-party ink cartridges and refills? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
It all depends on how much you want to spend to be honest.
If you're looking for a balance of both quantity and quality I would suggest ditching your old printer and buying a Kodak. Black ink $9.99, color ink $14.99.
OEM's are ungodly and ridiculously expensive. After all, they're pretty much giving you the printer for a nominal fee and making all their profits on the ink. That's how business is done in the tech world of printers.
Lexmark probably being the worst of all!
Now the refills fall into a couple of different categories:
1) Store bought refilled cartridges. These are usually comparable to the actual OEM ink cartridges and perform fine (normally)
2) Store bought refill kits. These can be messy and the ink is not always necessarily formulated (despite what the packaging claims) to be an exact copy of the OEM inks.
3) Specialty kits. Now there are aftermarket ink sellers who actually do specialize in high quality inks that are exact formulations of the OEM inks. You pay more than the crappy store bought refill kits but much less than the OEM cartridges.
4) Cartridge filling chains. These include places such as Cartridge World, Ink Stop, and a few others. They almost always do a very good job saving you a lot of money but as I've noticed over the last several years, the printer manufacturers are doing whatever they can to virtually destroy this market by including microchips in the cartridges. This microchip then tells the printer when that cartridge is empty, that's it. Regardless if you use the exact formula ink the cartridge will never perform correctly again. A couple of the companies doing this are both Canon and Lexmark, FACT!
So if you've got the money to spend the OEMs are almost always your best bet but if your in a pinch or need to do a lot of printing I'd definitely try out Cartridge World or Ink Stop. They guarantee their work so you can't lose.
If the manufacturers would stop raping the customers I wouldn't be so critical but for what they charge it's collusion and I can't wait for the lawsuits to start!!
For my money right ,I would have to seriously consider a Kodak printer!!!
Non OEM ink cartridges
by TauLurin - 7/17/09 7:08 PM In reply to: OEM inkjet cartridges vs. third-party ink cartridges and refills? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I have been using non OEM cartridges from 101inks.com for several years now. Not only do I see a lower price (up to 75% less), but I've also seen equal/better quality and an even longer life from them.
I'm sure that not all non OEM inks are equal, but I would definitely recomend ink from 101inks.com anyday!
printer ink cartridges
by seventeen48 - 7/17/09 8:31 PM In reply to: OEM inkjet cartridges vs. third-party ink cartridges and refills? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I didn't have the time to read all the over 200 answers but the ones I did read never mentioned the way I save money on my ink cartridges. I only use the manufacturer's cartridges and very seldom pay full price. I specifically bought an HP Photosmart All-in-One with separate cartridges for black and each of the colors. The black is $14.99 and the colors are $9.99 each. Staples gives you a $3.00 credit for each empty cartridge you return to them and HP gives you rebates as well. I have had enough credits in the past year to pay for all but two of the color cartridges I have needed. In the past with my old printer I would have to replace the expensive color cartridge because one of the colors was gone and the resulting pictures were really bad. With the separate color cartridges I only have to replace the specific color that is empty saving me LOTS of money. I have tried refills, etc. in the past and did not like the results with them. I won't try them again.
Buy cheap stay cheap. Don't fall prey to Corporate ripoffs!
by k.c.--2008 - 7/17/09 9:50 PM In reply to: printer ink cartridges by seventeen48Listen, 99.6% of us, don't need the "best" ink, and probably couldn't tell the difference anyway. O.E.M. costs to much, thats how Corporate America (Asia ect;) makes their money. I shop for cheap aftermarket "new" cartridges, that fit the printer that I bought in the first place, due to its cheap refill needs. I have been stung on occassion by advertised as new cartridges, that were in reality refills. Makes me mad enough to shop elsewhere next time, but no real difference I've noticed. I will also buy a printer at thrift shops or yard sales, because in most cases, their owners have found that its cheaper to get a new printer, even with the paltry "starter" cartridges, than buy new O.E.M. carts. I have a minimum investment in my printers, and could care less if they are cutting edge. I want the cheapest printer and ink, and want the Mfgs. of electronica to serve me on my terms, not theirs. Power to the people!
riffil soluson
by kamlesh_rai2000 - 7/17/09 9:36 PM In reply to: OEM inkjet cartridges vs. third-party ink cartridges and refills? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
my printer is epson 230 phpto printer it has 6 colors tank please suggest best ink.
Hmm, My thoughts on OEM ink.
by ctsguysr - 7/17/09 10:34 PM In reply to: OEM inkjet cartridges vs. third-party ink cartridges and refills? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I have worked in the computer field for over 25 years. I have used different name brands such as HP and Canon.
The ink, I feel is brighter on the OEM. The 3rd part ink is great and expensive. The printers I have used I would use only OEM or Only 3rd part ink. Mixing them gave me many problems (ink related).
As mentioned by other replys beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.
Where is the watchdog?
by bmarvnan - 7/17/09 10:56 PM In reply to: OEM inkjet cartridges vs. third-party ink cartridges and refills? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Is nobody else upset with being milked dry by the printer manufacturers? Every week they seem to put out a new model, with a different cartridge required, which only contains a tiny squirt of ink at an exorbitant cost so they can render obsolete the previous cartridge. HP has been the worst offender in my experience, but they are actually trying a bit harder. Not hard enough, though. And do not knock the kiosk refillers unless you actually need hard copy to last through the next two world wars. Will Aunt Jane worry about print quality? Will your small business customer need to retain your invoice for several generations? We used to rely on a ball point pen and carbon paper to achieve the same thing - why are we allowing ourselves to be forced into accepting "new and better" (meaning more expensive beccause we are greedy) printing technology?
Technology should serve the consumer and provide a viable product. I think the manufacturers should adapt new printers to common cartridges which are few in number, rather than taking up a whole department in Future Shop to accommodate the vast numbers of very slightly different cartridges - most of which offer a very poor cost per page. For the new-age techno-snobs who examine their printer output under microscopes after subjecting the printed page to high heat, high humidity environments - take your project to a print shop and stop trying to drive the market out of the reach of the ordinary computer user (AKA: the all-too-silent-majority)
Where are the environmental watchdogs that could curb the huge amount of nearly-new-but-obsolete printers that are dumped because it is cheaper to buy new than to replace any more gold-plated OEM cartridges? And the retailers are laughable when they suggest a two or three year service contract on a $100 printer which will consume several hundred dollars in ink long before any hardware failure. Somebody in big business needs to develop a conscience and start serving the consumer rather than themselves.
My experience of cheap Epson 3rd party cartridges a disaster
by Mooly01 - 7/17/09 11:52 PM In reply to: Where is the watchdog? by bmarvnanI tried 3rd party replacements for the T0711 series of chipped Epson cartridges. Never again. Generally poor quality, some not recognised, and I also have a test print I left exposed on a windowledge to check for fading. After a few weeks it's like it's been in bleach !
The only one's I use now are Jettecs... brilliant in every way.
KODAK
by hcvan - 7/19/09 4:37 AM In reply to: Where is the watchdog? by bmarvnanCheck out Kodak
OEM inkjet cartridges vs. third-party ink cartridges
by Fatboy71 - 7/18/09 12:56 AM In reply to: OEM inkjet cartridges vs. third-party ink cartridges and refills? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Joel A.
I have owned Epson printers, Canon printers and HP printers; I will list my experiences below.
I found Epson printers problematic with clogged heads and needed to do a lot of head cleaning, whether this was down to compatible cartridges been used then I am not sure.
I have had two Canon printers, both of these lasted around 18 months and then had the same fault where no matter how much head cleaning I done or new cartridges I installed, I could not get it to print properly, by this I mean certain colours were not getting printed. Again I am not sure if this was down to compatible cartridges been used or if the printhead was of a poor quality and as such did wear out quickly.
I own a HP printer now. With HP printers the printhead is built into the cartridge, now I usually get my ink cartridges refilled at Cartridge World. The problem I have found is that sometimes after the cartridge has been re-filled the printer says there is a problem with the ink cartridge, admittedly Cartridge World exchange or refund me if this happens. The bloke at Cartridge World told me that HP apparently make it difficult to re-fill their cartridges in a bid to get people to purchase new original HP cartridges. I after admit that the results from the Cartridge World re-fills are indistinguishable from the original HP cartridges, also Cartridge World put more in when they re-fill them compared to what HP put in.
In a bid to see if I can get improved reliability with my ink cartridges, I have now begun purchasing the Think Ink Cartridges from Choice Stationery www.choicestationery.co.uk/
I have only had one set from them so far so it is too early to say if they prove more reliable than the ones I got from Cartridge World. The Think Ink cartridges I have purchased from Choice Stationery are around £3 cheaper than Cartridge World and contain slightly more ink too. Choice Stationery guarantee that if their cartridges damage your printer they will pay to get it fixed, this indicates to me that their cartridges must be of an extremely high quality, has good as the original manufacturers perhaps to offer this kind of guarantee.
To sum up:
There are some compatible ink cartridges that are not very good at all and there are some that will be up to the standards of the original manufacturer’s cartridges. If your printer has the printhead built into the printer then if the compatible cartridges do indeed over time damage or cause problems with it, it is then too late to do anything about it, if you did not want to take that chance you could always use the original manufacturers ink cartridges but your printing costs would be higher due to the higher price of these, you have to weigh up if the additional cost of using the original manufacturers cartridges would be cheaper than having to purchase a new printhead if the use of compatible cartridges damaged it.
If on the other hand your printer has the printhead built into the cartridge like HP printers have, then providing you get your compatible/re-filled cartridges from a good reputable company such as Choice Stationery or Cartridge World or the like, then you will save money and also if the printhead in this ink cartridge does get damaged by it getting re-filled, then installing a new cartridge will cure the fault has the printhead is built in to cartridge and not the printer.
OEM Printer makers under investigation
by hogan - 7/18/09 1:40 AM In reply to: OEM inkjet cartridges vs. third-party ink cartridges and refills? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
The cost of replacement cartridges is prohibitive, hence the booming market in refills and the makers are being investigated in the US and the EU for the way they have designed their cartridges so that you have to use theirs.
This is expensive, environmentally wasteful and of little benefit to the consumer.
Make sure you know how to refill if you do it yourself, or buy a replacement from a reputable store, or a local merchant if you know them or they can give you a good reference.
regards
Too Much Talk
by frujtr - 7/18/09 5:40 AM In reply to: OEM inkjet cartridges vs. third-party ink cartridges and refills? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
After reading dozens of posts I find the war stories to be very much the same. Thanks to those posters who named the companies and sources from which they purchased. I have a Canon Pixma 780 and Epson Photo 1280. I have tried cartridges from Inksell, Carrot Ink, 4inkjets, LD Products and Printpal. All were of considerable less in quality than the OEM ink/cartridges. The non-OEM cartridges printed black and white okay but the colors were terrible! I recently purchased a set of Canon cartridges and plan to try to use refills. I would have appreciated more information - identity of the sources - rather than simply statements of the fact that users are buying alternative brands. CNET: If you want better replies, present the questions and ask for specifics in answers.
Naming "best " resellers
by k.c.--2008 - 7/18/09 9:04 AM In reply to: Too Much Talk by frujtrThe truth is there are many variables from third party vendors. It would do little good to name them. I check the shopping bots for coustomer service ratings. Thats about the best way to protect yourself, for necessary returns. Forget about holding someone else culpable for your damaged computer. You are not going to win that one! Resellers (I have dealt with many) substitute their suppliers, thence their supplies. They are vigilant for the best deal. You should follow the same approach.
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