best LASER printer in the $150 range?

[Corporate Thug]

???

 

[Doh!]

I would say ML-1710 by Samsung. I don't know if the rebate is still available but if not, it'll be about $10~15 above your budget. 17 PPM, 8MB, 600 DPI

 

[Chucko]

THE HP LASERJET 1012 HANDS DOWN. The 1012 goes on sale abouy week for 150 dollars at one of the Office supply stores, use a 30 dollar coupon and it can be had for $120. The Samsung uses a S type paper path, while the 1012 uses a C style path whichi in the long run will be less prone to jam and work better with thicker/heavier media.

Also the Samsung comes with a STARTER TONER CATRIDGE. The HP comes with a full size toner that will last another 1000-1500 pages more than what comes with the Samsung. Also the Samsung takes about 40 secs to warmup before the first page is printed. The HP shoots out the first page in about 10 seconds. I have done some tests and I can get like 5-6 pgs out of the HP before the Samsung finishes its first. The Instant-ON Fuser of the HP gives the advantage here. HP IMHO, by the way I sell printers at my job. Avoid the Brothers IMHO. Unless you can get one dirt cheap.

Thanks
Chucko

 

[TC2181]

Originally posted by: Chucko
THE HP LASERJET 1012 HANDS DOWN. The 1012 goes on sale abouy week for 150 dollars at one of the Office supply stores, use a 30 dollar coupon and it can be had for $120. The Samsung uses a S type paper path, while the 1012 uses a C style path whichi in the long run will be less prone to jam and work better with thicker/heavier media.

Also the Samsung comes with a STARTER TONER CATRIDGE. The HP comes with a full size toner that will last another 1000-1500 pages more than what comes with the Samsung. Also the Samsung takes about 40 secs to warmup before the first page is printed. The HP shoots out the first page in about 10 seconds. I have done some tests and I can get like 5-6 pgs out of the HP before the Samsung finishes its first. The Instant-ON Fuser of the HP gives the advantage here. HP IMHO, by the way I sell printers at my job. Avoid the Brothers IMHO. Unless you can get one dirt cheap.

Thanks
Chucko

Lexmark all the way!!!! Avoid those "Packard-Hewletts!"

 

[vegetation]

Whatever you do, do not buy the Brother 1440. Toner will leak after just a few hundred pages and your drum will crap out after just a few thousand. These are $40 and $100 replacement parts, respectively. Once you do the cost per page calculation, you'll see your costs exceed that of an inkjet!

 

[Pretty Cool]

Unless you have a coupon, those Brother toners are $50, while the drums are $150.

Anyway, what Lexmark is $150? As far as I know, the last Lexmark at the price point was the Lexmark E210 which was a twin of the Samsumg ML-1210. Both of those printers have long been discontinued. I'm in the market for a new laser and in my opinion, the HP 1012 produces better output than the Samsung ML-1710. Unfortunately, the 1012 is only rated for 2000 pages and costs $70(Samsung 3000 pages at $80). This is probably one of the most expensive cost-per-page lasers I have ever seen. Since this printer is relatively new, there are no remanufactured cartridges yet. If HP had utilize the same toner as the Laserjet 1000, I would have purchased one since the toners were less expensive and there were plenty of 3rd-party cartridges. On the other hand, some people have refilled their Samsung toners a couple times, further reducing consumables costs. If you are in the market for a ML-1710, the $70 is still available.

Another thing to consider is whether you mind having a GDI printer. Also, some of these units only have a USB connection if that is important to you. Lastly, some companies use a seperate toner and drum so consider this factor when calculating costs.