Should I keep this $30 Canon MP830

[IGExpandingPanda]

Thanks guys...but I've sort of come to the conclusion that this wasn't such a great deal after all. Let's say the printer works fine, i still have to pay an extra $70 to get new OEM inks (the one cartridge that was in there seems nearly empty). That puts my total over the price of a refurb which comes with all new inks + other goodies.

Well, keep in mind that the referb is a STELLAR deal. This was the $300 printer 6 months ago.

You don't have to buy OEM ink, you can buy compatible cartridges, or refill with bulk ink.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Hobbicolors-Ref...14&_trkparms=72:1234|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1318

+$40 for basically 4 refills of each tank. If you were planning on using bulk ink anyway, and the head works, great deal. That's $70 for printer with ink, and more ink.

Office Depot has the 4 pack for $48, add another $16 for the big black. And that's $64. $94 vs what the mp830 would cost as a referb, it'll end up being like $105 shipped & taxed.

I wouldn't feel bad. I'd buy it. You do have to keep in mind new printers come with ink. Some come with starter cartridges (HP), others lose ink when you prime them (epson), and some come with full sized tanks (canon).

 

[jtbassic]

Ahhhh.... I may have to sleep on this. Thanks for all your advice.

 

[binkie]

You don't have to buy OEM ink, you can buy compatible cartridges, or refill with bulk ink.

I would recommend staying with OEM cartridges; however, on a tight budget compatible cartridges may be the way to go!

I have used BCI3e and BCI6 PROCOLOR compatible cartridges from alotofthings.com and was pleased. They have a rubber plug at the top that you can easily pull out with a push pin and replace when you have finished refilling. As a precaution, I always put a piece of black electrician's tape over the rubber plug before putting back in the printer. Never had a problem of leaking after many refills.

http://www.alotofthings.com/viartshop/index.php

The PROCOLOR black cartridges; however, do not have pigmented ink in the large black cartridge. This is true of most compatible cartridges. After the initial dye black ink was used up, I refilled with black pigmented ink with no trouble.

PROCOLOR now has chipped PGI5 ($5.99) and CLI 8 ($5.79) compatible cartridges. I haven't used them, but they should work as well as the BCI3e and BCI6 cartridges I have successfully used.

Binkie

 

[fish]

A $30 MP830 is a great deal. I have been using mine with two sets of OEM cartridges for over a year, refilling by the German method. I print my reports with photos, approximately 35-40 pages per week (mostly photos) without a clog or cough from the printer. Only an periodic cleaning of rollers to remove ink. I recently purchased a refurb 4200 as a spare for less than the cost of the cartridges from Canon.

 

[IGExpandingPanda]

I would recommend staying with OEM cartridges; however, on a tight budget compatible cartridges may be the way to go!

Well, we are talking a $30 printer here. The main reasons to use OEM ink in a printer are

1) Hassle free usually
2) Archival
3) Less risk to the printer.

Ultimately it's up to jtbassic who's presently experiencing some buyer's regrets over his purchase. I still say $30 for a floor model is a GREAT deal if it works even if you have to buy OEM ink. Hell, I would have bought it, and in fact I did buy a $150 mp830 from buy.com as a spare.

The way I see it, no matter what you buy there is a good chance you'll find it for a lower price elsewhere. With inkjet printers, the cost of the printer is usually trivial in contrast to buying OEM ink. In this case $30 + ink = about $100, which is still a good deal on the printer. That's the way I would have looked at it. A referb from Canon will be about $105 shipped ($80 before shipping and tax). If one needs a new head + ink, That would be the way to go, and you can mitigate your $30 investment by using the $30 printer and keeping the referb as a spare.

The funny thing is, the mp830 "just" went onsale as a referb for $80. It wasn't on the site last week, only the mp960 which I bought for a friend. Two weeks ago, I would have said the best price on a mp830 was $150 shipped.

But back to aftermarket ink, one reason to avoid aftermarket cartridges is the risk to the printer. But if we're talking a $30 printer, it's a $30 risk + cost of cartridges.