Brother HL-2140 Laser $68 shipped

[pbroussard]

http://www.frys.com/product/5533900?...H:MAIN_RSLT_PG

5 stars at newegg reviews, this thing is a tank..

 

[angry hampster]

$$ on replacement cartidges? I'm about to run out of ink for my inkjet printer and was considering just getting a new laser printer instead.

 

[jjmIII]

have one, great b/w printer....have seen them as low as $50, but a great deal over buying ink thats for sure!

 

[Netopia]

$55 for 2,600 pages

http://www.frys.com/product/5562310

 

[jjmIII]

$55 for 2,600 pages

http://www.frys.com/product/5562310

$45 free shipping

 

[Conscript]

$$ on replacement cartidges? I'm about to run out of ink for my inkjet printer and was considering just getting a new laser printer instead.

at that price, just buy a new printer when the cartridge is out.

 

[alaricljs]

Conscript - not true, the "starter cartridge" is good for ~1000 pages.

However toner refill kits are damned cheap and I've been happy with mine on a Samsung ML1450.

 

[esquared]

We have these at work and I consider them junk. They start making bad copies after several months as their drum starts to wear with an accumulation of striations on the glass-UV drum which then causes a gray background on the copy. I bought 6 of them and two broke after a couple months and the rest are just hanging on. I have replaced the dead ones with the equivalent low end Samsungs (2510's) which have a better life and make better copies.

We also had some of the earlier model Brother 2040's which are just as bad. IIRC all but one has croaked.

 

[natenut]

We have these at work and I consider them junk. They start making bad copies after several months as their drum starts to wear with an accumulation of striations on the glass-UV drum which then causes a gray background on the copy. I bought 6 of them and two broke after a couple months and the rest are just hanging on. I have replaced the dead ones with the equivalent low end Samsungs (2510's) which have a better life and make better copies.

We also had some of the earlier model Brother 2040's which are just as bad. IIRC all but one has croaked.

I dont think these things have the duty cycle rating to cope with an office enviroment. That said, I have one and print stuff once a week or so. Great printer, no issues, still going strong its been a couple of years i think. Sucks a lot of jucie, my lights dim when the drum heats up!

 

[Conscript]

Conscript - not true, the "starter cartridge" is good for ~1000 pages.

However toner refill kits are damned cheap and I've been happy with mine on a Samsung ML1450.

Well, if you're the type of person that's going to need a new cartridge in a few months or even within a year, then you're probably doing enough printing where you'll want a beefier printer to begin with instead of a no frills laser printer (which I own, btw). To the average consumer, who's not going to through 1000 pages in a year, maybe even multiple years, it really just makes more sense to me to buy a new cheap printer rather than put money into an existing old cheap printer. If a replacement cartridge costs $45, and you paid $68 for the printer with cartridge included...doesn't make a whole lot of sense in my opinion especially when you consider the other wear and tear the printer takes over time and the increased likelihood to fail or develop problems eventually.

 

[jjmIII]

...rather than put money into an existing old cheap printer.

I don't consider buying toner "putting money into my printer". Throwing away a perfectly good printer instead of buying a new (longer lasting) cartridge (for less money) seems a little off to me.

 

[Conscript]

I don't consider buying toner "putting money into my printer". Throwing away a perfectly good printer instead of buying a new (longer lasting) cartridge (for less money) seems a little off to me.

Please read my entire post. If you're going through 500 pages a month or even need to replace the cartridge 2-3 times a year, then yes, it absolutely makes sense to just reload the cartridges. Though I'd still argue that if you do that much printing, that you're probably better off looking elsewhere, because I really doubt this printer is up to that challenge.

Buuuuut...if you're like the average, typical consumer, who isn't going to see 1000 pages for at least 2 or 3 years, then I can't see how you can argue paying 75% of the original printer cost to keep it going to another 2000+ pages, basically betting on the printer lasting you another 4-6 years. 6-8+ years of perfect operation for a laser printer you paid $68 for? Good luck on that one.

 

[esquared]

I dont think these things have the duty cycle rating to cope with an office enviroment. That said, I have one and print stuff once a week or so. Great printer, no issues, still going strong its been a couple of years i think. Sucks a lot of jucie, my lights dim when the drum heats up!

Well, I might agree with you except this is actually rated by Brother to have a recommended print volume of 250 to 2000 pages per month.

It actually says the maximum duty cycle is 10,000 pages per month D:

http://www.brother-usa.com/Printer/modeldetail.aspx?PRODUCTID=hl2140&tab=spec

I know that many of the people who used them were printer far less than this. In fact, probably under 250 pages per month.

If a printer can't handle an average of 10 pages per day, in my book, it's junk.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Doesn't this model go for sale for $50 and less routinely?

 

[lothar]

Doesn't this model go for sale for $50 and less routinely?

The HL-2170W(wireless) model does on Staples.com.
They are re-certified and therefore have the full manufacturer's warranty.
I've owned one for almost a year now.

Bought it for ~$49-50 after tax.

This particular model(HL-2140) comes up for $20, $40 once in a while on Fry's website.
Don't need to have a Fry's by you to order online either.

 

[lothar]

$55 for 2,600 pages

http://www.frys.com/product/5562310

I remember buying the TN360 high yield toner for $22 last year.
Never look at Newegg, Staples, and others when it comes to toner pricing. They sell retail prices. I remember Newegg selling them for $44 when I ordered them for $22 each.

I will check my email if I can find an invoice and post the website.

Also note, you can extend the life of the toner. That was the 1st thing I did the moment I opened the box.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VjcexdkV-4&feature=fvw

 

[lothar]

Found my old deal.
http://slickdeals.net/forums/showth...979&highlight=brother+laser+printer+%2425

It seems the website I ordered from(Supermedia store) doesn't have TN360 high yield toner listed on their site anymore and only have the TN330.

 

[EagleKeeper]

We have these at work and I consider them junk. They start making bad copies after several months as their drum starts to wear with an accumulation of striations on the glass-UV drum which then causes a gray background on the copy. I bought 6 of them and two broke after a couple months and the rest are just hanging on. I have replaced the dead ones with the equivalent low end Samsungs (2510's) which have a better life and make better copies.

We also had some of the earlier model Brother 2040's which are just as bad. IIRC all but one has croaked.

I dont think these things have the duty cycle rating to cope with an office enviroment. That said, I have one and print stuff once a week or so. Great printer, no issues, still going strong its been a couple of years i think. Sucks a lot of jucie, my lights dim when the drum heats up!

I have a 2040 that has been rock solid since July 2007. Just now needing to replace the toner.

These are home use systems, not office production systems

 

[Lanyap]

Doesn't this model go for sale for $50 and less routinely?

I think the HL-2040 used to be on sale a lot for $50. This may be a newer model of the HL-2040 that is getting close to end of retail life.


Great price on a good printer for general home use. It normally sells for twice that price.
Several things to be aware of for this model.

The toner cartridge and drum cartridge are two separate parts that are attached together when you insert them into the printer. I've read where you can go through several toner carts before you have to replace the drum cart and the drum cart is expensive. The toner cart is cheaper than most laser carts because it is separate from the drum. Also found on the internet, the printer will tell you the toner is low by looking through a "window" in the toner cart to sense the toner level. If you put a piece of dark tape over the window that overrides the toner low warning sensor it will last until the toner actually runs out which can be a significant number of "extra" printed pages. You will also get a warning to replace the drum cartridge after a certain amount of time or usage even though the drum may still be ok. I've read where you can reset a counter in the EEPROM to reset the warning and and clean the drum unit to continue using it until it actually wears out.

Reviews indicate is looks, feels and is built cheaply. This is probably why it does not last long in an office environment or excessive home use.

It does draw a lot of power when you first print to it after it's been sleeping. My understanding it's because they want it to warm up the fuser quickly and they are using cheaper power components that can't balance out the power draw. I have used other brands and models that did this also. Whenever I print to my ML-2850 (from OD $40 deal) it makes my lights flicker and my UPS units beep that are on the same circuit. If your house wiring can handle the immediate high amp draw then you may not experience this effect. I'm going to try moving my printer from a surge protector to the wall socket directly to see if it helps.

EDIT: You can refill the toner cart yourself to save even more $$$. I have used toner refill kits on several different laser printers and have not had any trouble with them. I'm going to refill my ML-2850 cart when the time comes.
http://www.google.com/webhp?sourcei...aqi=g7&aql=&oq=msi+rebate&fp=a048890d3c90c6fc

 

[Gillbot]

Here's a refurbished one for $69 AR + 7 ship, but it includes a network port.
EHL-2170W Workgroup Up to 23 ppm Monochrome Wireless Laser Printer

 

[lothar]

http://www.staples.com/Brother-Reman...2?cmArea=SHOPS

OOS now, but keep checking periodically.
With a $30 off coupon from eJunkie, that brings the price down to ~$50 with tax and free shipping.
This is the same exact deal I got 9 months ago.

 

[lothar]

I think the HL-2040 used to be on sale a lot for $50. This may be a newer model of the HL-2040 that is getting close to end of retail life.


Great price on a good printer for general home use. It normally sells for twice that price.
Several things to be aware of for this model.

The toner cartridge and drum cartridge are two separate parts that are attached together when you insert them into the printer. I've read where you can go through several toner carts before you have to replace the drum cart and the drum cart is expensive. The toner cart is cheaper than most laser carts because it is separate from the drum. Also found on the internet, the printer will tell you the toner is low by looking through a "window" in the toner cart to sense the toner level. If you put a piece of dark tape over the window that overrides the toner low warning sensor it will last until the toner actually runs out which can be a significant number of "extra" printed pages. You will also get a warning to replace the drum cartridge after a certain amount of time or usage even though the drum may still be ok. I've read where you can reset a counter in the EEPROM to reset the warning and and clean the drum unit to continue using it until it actually wears out.

Reviews indicate is looks, feels and is built cheaply. This is probably why it does not last long in an office environment or excessive home use.

It does draw a lot of power when you first print to it after it's been sleeping. My understanding it's because they want it to warm up the fuser quickly and they are using cheaper power components that can't balance out the power draw. I have used other brands and models that did this also. Whenever I print to my ML-2850 (from OD $40 deal) it makes my lights flicker and my UPS units beep that are on the same circuit. If your house wiring can handle the immediate high amp draw then you may not experience this effect. I'm going to try moving my printer from a surge protector to the wall socket directly to see if it helps.

EDIT: You can refill the toner cart yourself to save even more $$$. I have used toner refill kits on several different laser printers and have not had any trouble with them. I'm going to refill my ML-2850 cart when the time comes.
http://www.google.com/webhp?sourcei...aqi=g7&aql=&oq=msi+rebate&fp=a048890d3c90c6fc

This is pretty much the entire review of the unit in a nutshell.
The toners are cheap. Once you go through ~3 toners, it's time to change the drum.
Instead of changing the drum which will cost you $$$, buy a new printer.

 

[garritynet]

I got one of these NON-refurb from Office Max for $50 with free shipping last week. Did not know it was a "Hot Deal" or else I would have posted it. Got it from UPS two days ago. I think these go on sale pretty often.

Edit: Double checked and it is in fact a 2140 and NON-refurbished. Just type "Brother 2140" into Bing from time to time and I am sure you will see it for $50 again.