LBW said:
Good one. Like anything, if you haven't done it before or often enough,
it seems quite the challenge. Don't ask my 84-year-old dad to refill.
The man isn't even capable of installing a cartridge correctly. He can't
figure out top from bottom and calls it "rocket science". Then I have
friends who recently painted their walls...and their sofa, and their
tables. Refilling cartridges is no different. Some people just find
they're all thumbs when it comes to manipulating objects and reading
relatively simple instructions. I think refilling is best left to people
who are used to doing precision work and have lots of patience. Their
reward is huge in savings over OEM costs. LBW
Refilling carts is like many other thinks in this contemporary life. Some
people change the oil in their cars and others wouldn't think of doing it,
either for lack of skill, knowledge, or concern about the potential mess.
Grocery shopping involves decisions about buying all fresh ingredients which
involve some effort and mess in the kitchen, or buying convenience foods
that simplify cooking but cost more, or buying takeout foods fully
prepared - much less messy, faster, and requiring no time or skill for
preparation. You are right in that there is a definite "klutz" factor -
some people have great dexterity and enjoy getting their hands into such
projects and some have difficulty tying their shoes.
The latest Consumers Reports had a fairly extensive article on aftermarket
inks. It is sad that they essentially write off bulk ink refilling as messy
and something that people wouldn't want to do. The only refill inks they
checked out were kits sold in retail stores. Not nearly the savings or
quality that one would experience with inks such as MIS, Hobbicolors,
Formulabs, or other decent quality inks available on the internet. Would
they summarily dismiss changing your own oil or cooking your own meals from
scratch because they are "messy"? For those who would want to be "hands on"
there should be adequate evaluation.