best low-end laser printer or all-in-one

[Ca Bob]

My experience with a couple of Brother products was that they were junk -- broke down or didn't work right. When the second one was working, it was OK, but at a certain point it just kind of disintegrated. My HPs have always been fine, but things change, so I don't know how durable they are nowadays.

[Robert M]

Caroline,

What is your price limit? That will make a huge difference in printers when it comes to brand and features. A Brother laser will be noticeably less expensive than a model from HP for a printer with similar features. I am not a fan of Brother printers of any kind, I will confirm they do offer a tremendous bang for the buck. My issue is the quality and longevity of the hardware. My experiences have taught me to avoid them as a result.

My current favorite laser all-in-one is the HP Laserjet M1536dnf. Great printer! My parents have one and my brother has one. If I were to buy a laser all-in-one for a SOHO, especially if it was my own, I'd buy this model in a heartbeat. Fast. Networking. Postscript (emulation). Duplexing. Airprint and HP Eprint friendly.

My current favorite inkjet all-in-one is the HP Offiejet 8600. Great printer! My parents have one and my brother has one. I own this model and love it and would recommend it without hesitation. Fast. Networking. Duplexing. Airprint and HP Eprint friendly.

But, this is what I'd buy for myself. They are office level models. I'd need more information about your usage and how much cash you've allocated for the printer before recommending others, regardless of brand.

Robert

[silvarios]

Ca Bob wrote:
My experience with a couple of Brother products was that they were junk -- broke down or didn't work right. When the second one was working, it was OK, but at a certain point it just kind of disintegrated. My HPs have always been fine, but things change, so I don't know how durable they are nowadays.

My printing needs are not very demanding, but I've been happy with every Brother laser I've owned. Three printers in 13 years. All were still working when I swapped out to a newer model. Upgrades were always dictated by needing new features, rather than hardware or software failure.

[Robert M]

Silvarios,

I wish I could share your experience. My experiences with Brother printers was the nearly the exact opposite. Two inkjets and a laser printer in the span of approximately the same time frame. I searched back in the forum to 2007 and found a post that noted I had a MFC-5440cn that bit the dust. That machine replaced an MFC-3820cn (if I have the model correctly) that also bit the dust. That's when I decided to never purchase another Brother inkjet.

We replaced the MFC-5440cn wwith an HP Laserjet 3055 all-in-one which still chugs away. We needed another laser and good reports in the forum for Brother laser printers and a great deal inspired me to get a Brother HL-4040cn in 12/08 (approx). Was happy with it initially but it proved to be a piece of garbage. It's been replaced by an HP laserjet p2035n in about 2010 for various reasons.

The HL-4040cn now sits in my warehouse collecting dust because I refuse to put another dime into it for toner and a new drum. It burns through color toner even when set to black and white only mode and it isn't cost effective to replace said toners. It isn't cost effective to replace the drum. So, it's welcome to collect dust until such a time as I need the space and get around to dumping it during a local electronics recycling event.

Robert

[silvarios]

Robert M,
To be fair, I've always stuck to single purpose non color lasers. Some people like the ink jet models, but I've been inkjet averse for years. Similarly, I didn't buy a Brother color laser precisely because of the cost of color toner. The lower end Brother laser printers have worked well for my less than demanding printing need.

I think our experiences largely differ based in print demand and model choice. Makes sense, if you print a decent amount, you want something that can handle the demand (doesn't excessively curl pages, doesn't streak, and doesn't jam on load) and doesn't burn through toner either.