Worst printer decision I've ever made was to buy a Brother laser printer. The fusing roller deteriorated within a year and the warranty replacement process was more trouble than it was worth. I gave up after several back-and-forth interactions with their customer support that weren't going anywhere.
The best printer decision I've ever made is my current printer, an HP OfficeJet 8620 with an ink subscription program. This HP has printed 9620 trouble-free pages since I purchased it a bit over two years ago (May, 2016). Yes, the per-page cost is relatively expensive, but it's the least hassle I've ever had with a printer. New ink just magically shows up in the mail shortly before I need it and I mail the old cartridges back for recycling. I haven't heard "honey/dad, the printer is broken/jammed/out-of-ink/won't-print again" since I purchased it.
My first printer was an Apple thermal printer, my second an Epson MX 100, so I've dealt with _a lot_ of printers over the years, from Apple, Epson, Canon, Brother, HP, and maybe other brands I'm forgetting.
I previously tried things like bulk ink tanks and refilling toner cartridges. Not worth the hassle.
I'm glad you're happy with your Brother. Mine had great initial reviews, but then when I checked back on Amazon a year later other folks has the same fuser roller issue:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R16HGOAIYLS1IJ/re...
Maybe it was specific to that model (HL-3170CDW). I don't know.
The best printer decision I've ever made is my current printer, an HP OfficeJet 8620 with an ink subscription program. This HP has printed 9620 trouble-free pages since I purchased it a bit over two years ago (May, 2016). Yes, the per-page cost is relatively expensive, but it's the least hassle I've ever had with a printer. New ink just magically shows up in the mail shortly before I need it and I mail the old cartridges back for recycling. I haven't heard "honey/dad, the printer is broken/jammed/out-of-ink/won't-print again" since I purchased it.
My first printer was an Apple thermal printer, my second an Epson MX 100, so I've dealt with _a lot_ of printers over the years, from Apple, Epson, Canon, Brother, HP, and maybe other brands I'm forgetting.
I previously tried things like bulk ink tanks and refilling toner cartridges. Not worth the hassle.
I'm glad you're happy with your Brother. Mine had great initial reviews, but then when I checked back on Amazon a year later other folks has the same fuser roller issue:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R16HGOAIYLS1IJ/re...
Maybe it was specific to that model (HL-3170CDW). I don't know.