Hobbicolors Pigment Black w/ Mx860... Will it bleed?

[leo8088]

I believe it has a lot to do with the paper you use. There is no doubt the OEM pigment black ink is the best. I have used a lot of different pigment black ink from many sources just for the reason of finding one that matches OEM as close as possible. I have not found one. However, it is not difficult to just print on a paper that works better. The Hobbicolors PMT-BK is way better than the majority that I have tried. The difference with OEM is really not much at all. But if you use a magnifier to check the prints you may find that OEM has an edge. I have not tried KMP pigment black ink. Many have recommended it on this forum. If it is that good it will be still only an edge over the PMT-BK. It's not worth the cost to use it for printing what's coming out of googling and stuff that will go to the recycle bin in a couple of days. But if I were to print a resume or something of that nature I will not print on copy machine paper. I will print on cotton bond paper. In this case PMT-BK is absolutely good enough no question about it. I use a magnifier to double check it all the time. I know what I am talking about.

 

[fish]

leo8088,
Hobbicolors may have made a change in their inks since I used it, I don't know. My text printing (at that time) with the Hobbicolors pigment ink bled with paper that I had no problems with InkTec or OEM inks. I did not need a magnifier to see the bleeding, it was obvious to the naked eye. Use of the 25% rag paper solved the problem until I switched to IS. No problems since. I am simply reporting my experience with the ink.

 

[leo8088]

Ghwellsjr had a problem with an Inktec's old pigment black ink too. That ink is no longer sold according ghwellsjr. I have used pigment black ink from Inktec too and it worked just fine for me. I have voiced my opinion on that ink that we do not want to make a false conclusion about a brand name based on an expired product that is no longer sold.

I have used pigment black ink extensively from Hobbicolors. I have experienced 3 or 4 changes of the ink. I believe there was a change more than a year ago and there was another change earlier this year. I believe the ink that you had problem with is likely no longer sold. As I said I have used many pigment black inks from different sources. The Hobbicolors PMT ink works great for me. This is about the current product they are selling. I had a batch of pigment black ink from them a few years ago that was rather gray than black. They also had one that was not 100% pigment based. They might have sold dye black ink too.

If you think I am defending for Hobbicolors well, I am defending for my pocket. There are only a few good quality ink sellers out there. Years ago I paid over $50 for a set of 6 bottles of Image Specialists ink from weink. Today it will only cost me less than $30 for a same set of bottles of ink except the brand name is Hobbicolors. 2 years ago there was the Formulabs ink (Sensient Technology ink) from alotofthings. Their prices were way below Image Specialists too. Just imagine if there were only Image Specialists and OCP exist today. We would probably have to pay even more. We can try to beat Inktec, Hobbicolors, weink, alotofthings and every other ink sellers to extinct based on bad products that are no longer sold. You need to prepare that there will be only one choice of ink and you will have less money for vacation. And if their quality goes south there will no use to bitch about it on this forum.

 

[fish]

You should check the prices for IS inks from Precision Colors.

 

[RMM]

I for one am not trying to "beat" on Hobbicolors. I use their ink in many of my printers (the number of printers at home and around the office is growing all the time) and have no plans in stopping the use of their products. I like their dye inks and I will continue using them. I just bought another batch last week as a matter of fact.

I don't believe that there is a better "value" on the market today than the Hobbicolors dye inks. Dave at Hobbicolors has always shipped ink very fast and has provided great customer service.

I would be lying however if I said that the PMT-BK is as sharp as the OEM ink on plain paper. It isn't. It isn't bad but it's just not as good as the OEM or KMP it's that simple. I will continue to use it in some of my printers, but it is not the absolute best on the market.

I was wrong in saying that the KMP was twice as expensive.

I paid $11.93 for 100ml of the KMP Universal ink shipped to the USA from Octoinkjet. Rounded to two sig. figs. that is $0.12 per ml of ink.
On eBay right now the Hobbicolors Large PMT-BK kit is $9.95 for 120ml. Rounded that is $0.08 per ml of ink, or an approximate savings of $.04 per ml.

This is my bottom line conclusion. If you are willing to pay the extra money to have extra crisp laser like text on cheap paper, then buy OEM or KMP ink. If you are happy to save the extra money and live with good text on plain paper then stick with the Hobbicolors. It is NOT a bad ink, I am not slamming it, but it is not quite as crisp as the OEM or KMP ink.

I have not yet tried the IS pigment black ink. You can buy the 225ml bottle for $17.38 which works out to $0.08 (rounded) per ml just like the Hobbicolors.

 

[ghwellsjr]

Ghwellsjr had a problem with an Inktec's old pigment black ink too. That ink is no longer sold according ghwellsjr. I have used pigment black ink from Inktec too and it worked just fine for me. I have voiced my opinion on that ink that we do not want to make a false conclusion about a brand name based on an expired product that is no longer sold.

I have repeatedly pointed out that I was not the one that reported a problem with Inktec's old pigment black ink. You can read the exchange starting here. You can also read about my test to get to the bottom of this issue so that it is not based on opinions but on fact.

 

[leo8088]

You were the one who reported this problem on this forum. I read that thread and responded to it. You have then repeated your report about it many times since then. The horse is already dead. The ink was no longer sold at the time you reported the problem. It is beaten to death many times over. I believe I have used the ink although I can't prove it. I don't remember having problems. It's good that it is no longer sold. But what's good about beating it to death again after it's already dead? Inktec inks were at one time highly praised. I wish they are more widely available.

 

[ghwellsjr]

Here is where the clogging problem with Inktec ink for BCI-3eBk was first reported on this forum by Pharmacist long before I had any idea it was the cause of my waste ink absorber pads clogging. Yes, this ink has been taken off the market and it is a dead horse but I did not bring up the subject on this thread, you did. I'm just setting the record straight. My concern is do we automatically assume that Inktec's newer pigment black ink for the PGI-5Bk does not have the same problem or, for that matter, any other brand of ink? That is the question I am trying to resolve which I have reported on my own thread.

 

[leo8088]

Actually he questioned about clogging (the print head) with Inktec's pigment black ink when printing fast. You followed by saying it clogged the purge unit. You were the first who reported about the ink clogging the purge unit.

I have had an OEM BCI-3ebk cartridge sitting by the side of the printer unprotected for a few weeks. The ink inside probably dried up a little. It caused the prints to streak like hell and clogged the print head slightly. I don't know if the waste ink (pigment black) dries up it will clog the purge unit. I have not experienced that from OEM BCI-3ebk ink. I have noticed that OEM PGI-5 ink cartridges are very different from BCI-3ebk. They do not dry up quickly. I had some that are unprotected all the time and they never gave me problems.

The problematic Inktec pigment black ink was probably truly compatible with OEM BCI-3ebk. It is probably a right idea to refill all BCI-3ebk with PGI-5 compatible pigment black ink. The latest Inktec pigment black ink is a PGI-5 compatible ink. Hobbicolors PMT-BK is another. I have used both and I know the difference. KMP and KMP Universal are another two I believe. I have not used them but they have been reported to be excellent inks. Now that the old Inktec pigment black ink is the thing in the past let's put it to reset forever. Neep saying Inktec pigment ink clogs purge unit really is misleading people about the current ink they are selling.

 

[ghwellsjr]

Leo, I lived this experience. I know what happened. If you look at post #4 of the above-referenced link, you will see that Pharmacist reported for the first time on this forum that Inktec ink had a clogging problem as reported on the German website. He did not say it was nozzle clogging or purge pad clogging or waste ink pad clogging. I was having clogs in the purge units of two printers. I never suspected that the problem was related to the ink I was using. I didn't even know what the purge unit looked like or the waste ink pads. I was clueless and ignorant. I was asking for help.

In the next post (#5), I asked him if the Germans reported that the clogs were in the purge units, and in the following post (#6), he affirmed that they did, along with apparent (not real) clogs in the nozzles when printing at high speeds.

It took me several more months to get to the bottom of the issue but suffice it to say that the same problem developed in at least a half dozen more printers that I was supplying BCI-3eBK Inktec ink for. Eventually, I learned that it was the waste ink pads that were getting clogged and refusing to let the purge pump deposit any ink. I had to purchase replacement waste ink pads for all these printers that my friends had and take their printers apart, clean them up, put new pads in, and finally switch to a new pigment ink that would not create the same problem all over again. I have been tentatively using IS ink from Precision Colors but I want to do a thorough test on ten different pigment black inks to find out if any of them have a similar problem and which ones are least prone to the problem.

Can you find the first time I actually reported that the BCI-3eBk Inktec ink causes a problem in the waste ink pads or the purge system? Can you find one time when I did not specifically state that the problem was in the BCI-3eBk Inktec ink? Until you can point these things out, I would appreciate it if you would cease making false statements about me.