measekite said:
They are when the companies keep them proprietary so I have to pay $20
for an OEM ink cartridge compared to $3 or $4 for oem.
Gee Whiz I just met a bunch of smart people buying Canon ink at Costco for around $10.00 a cartridge. I am surprised that you are paying twice as much.
I'm not, I'm trying to decide which OTHER printer I can buy that
doesn't use proprietary chipped ink cartridges. I saw oem cartridges
advertised for anywhere from $13 to $20 per cartridge, but even at your
"around" $10/cartridge, that comes out to "around" $50 a set, whereas I
can get them for $10 or $12 per non-oem set.
But, even then, the problem I really have with Canon (and other
manufacturers following the same route) is that they're not saying "If
you don't use our inks, your warranty is void.". Instead, they're
dictating that I can only use THEIR ink in MY printer. I should be
able to use lampblack and whale oil if I wanted! If my printer died as
a result of my stupidity, then so much the better - I'd be smarter,
they'd sell me another printer, and everyone would be happy.
Now tossing it back to you, what would your reaction be if you went to
buy a a car and the dealership said that you could only use Crown gas
in the tank, Penzoil oil in the engine, and Dom Perignon in the
windshield washer? Personally, I'd buy a different manufacturer's car.
I was under the impression that a lot of our forefathers fought and
died defending the rights of people to make their own decisions.
Is Canon's ink
really THAT much better?
Absolutely
Have you any independent test results, or is that just the (world's
shortest) gospel according to measkite?
My ip-4200 just ran out of ink, and I found
that I can buy a whole new ip-4200 printer (with a brand-spanking new
set of OEM inks) for less than I could buy the set of inks alone.
Then that is the way to go. You should take advantage of that deal.
I'm still confused though. Why is (ink + printer) < ink? Just using
simple math and economics, that would mean that either printer < 0,
which seems unlikely, or there's another reason...like they're
essentially giving the printer away to get folks into the ink pipeline?
I'm open to other suggestions...
I'm curious too, measkite - are you one of those folks who take your
car back to the dealership for regular service so you don't "void the
warranty"?
Nope, I take my car back to the dealer for service because they know the car, do the job right the first time, and I do not have problems and just pay a little more. In the long term I probably spend less.
Wow, do you still believe in Santa Claus too? My son is a mechanic,
and his first job was in a large Toyota dealership which he lovingly
referred to as "the land of misfit mechanics". Most of the employees
were the dregs who weren't competent or motivated enough to get a job
working in an independent shop, and the dealership still charged an arm
and a leg and tried to jack up the bill with unnecessary work. A lot
of his friends, who also started in dealerships, had the same opinions.
You should find a private garage with capable mechanics you personally
know and trust, and stick with them. You'll be happier, less poor, and
probably safer to boot.
