Canon Ink vs. Arrow / alotofthings.com and "USA Ink Cartridge"

[fotofreek]

Rob - you asked about virgin carts.

After seeing some posts on the printer newsgroup about the hobbicolor carts I decided to buy a starter refill kit strictly for the carts at the following site:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...46222445&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW#ShippingPayment

Unfortunately the space to put in this link is too short (or link too long) so it is broken into three lines.

For $16.95 plus tax and shipping you will get six hobbicolor virgin carts with screw tip fill holes. I won't even try the inks that come with them. I just want the virgin carts to refill with my own choice of inks. the ebay site says that this special offer is only good til tomorrow (2/27).

 

[Astro]

Found a good inkjet supplier in australia. In port town called fremantle. its called the inkstop. sells compatible and remanufactured inkjet cartridges for most of the major printers like HP, canon, and epson as well as sharp.

I checked it out and the prices are reallly good. deals main in australia but if you email them sure they willl do overseas orders.

check them out at http://www.theinkstop.com.au

 

[Nifty]

Those prices seem really high unless those aren't US $. $11.00 US for a BCI-6 is more than I pay for OEM Canon cartridges at Costco.

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?prodid=10047629&whse=&topnav=&cat=&s=1

 

[ocular]

The cheapest cartridges I have found in Australia e.g. BCI-3eBlk $7.00AUS "Databank" brand is at http://www.jpldisplays.com.au

Not a great range - I use the BCI -6 C/Y/M cartridges to replace my BCI-3 C/Y/M - have not worked out if ther is a real difference between the 3 & 6 series BCI C/Y/M cartridges

 

[Scrubking]

Since the alotofthings.com ink was recommended I was wondering what the quality is as far as clogging, and if the OP has done any furthur testing on their inks. Also what is the difference between their "Rainbow" carts and their "Arrowjet" carts.

Also I was wondering if anyone knew if MIS canon ink carts from inksupply.com properly come with pigment in the bci-3ebk carts and dye in the bci-6 carts?

Thanks.

 

[BlasterQ]

the rainbow carts are alternatives to the OEM carts by canon. you can refill it just like the way you refill your OEM carts, by drilling a hole, etc.
the arrowjet carts are designed to be refilled. you don't have to drill holes. there is a plugged hole wherein you can remove the rubber plug and inject the ink. if you plan on refilling the inks yourself, get the arrowjet carts. if you just want to buy a cheaper priced cart without worrying about refilling, get the rainbow carts.

 

[BlasterQ]

as far as i know, alotofthings have a great customer satisfaction rating, about 99% in ebay.
and it is highly recommended by nifty-stuff, which has far more experience than me when it comes to refilling inks.
clogging will always happen, even when you use OEM carts. the best way to avoid clogging is to use your printer frequently, or at the least, do a printhead cleaning cycle everyday.
using a can of compressed air to remove clogging is also good, as suggested by neilslade.

 

[Nifty]

BQ, thanks for the nice comments. I think you are right on with your comment "clogging will always happen." If it wasn't true then our inkjets wouldn't come with printhead cleaning cycles... and even DEEP cleaning cycles.

While I'm pretty happy with the carts and ink I've received from alotofthings.com I haven't had enough experience with other brands / manufacturers to determine if their INK is better, the same, or worse than other NON OEM inks.

As I mentioned above I've had bleed problems with their pigment black, but I've also had this problem with another Non OEM manufacturer.

I'll say this though, the Arrowjet cartridges are fantastic for two main reasons:

1) The refill hole is very easy to open and access
2) The plastic cartridge clip is fantastic for storing carts and for holding them while refilling.

Since this forum is now #1 for terms like "refill forum" and "inkjet printer forum" on Google maybe some of the big ink companies will send me some samples to try out with virgin empty cartridges! <HINT HINT>

 

[ocular]

Had a look at the refill instructions for the alotofthings refill cartridges. The acrylic cases are neat to seal the exit port.

In the refill instructions they advise to fill the font air vent over the sponge compartment. Why is this done?

Isn't it best to allow the vent to allow air to escape as the sponge compartment is filling from the reservoir side where the ink is being injected.

Wish I could get hold of those snap on resealing cartridges.

 

[Nifty]

ocular, that's a good question. I'm guessing that the tape over the vent is to either keep the sponge from getting dry while the plug is removed and/or to insure that the pressure is maintained and the ink is wicked into the sponge vs. pushed into the sponge ??

I did see the acrylic clips / cases for sale somewhere, but they were more expensive than the carts were when alotofthings had a huge sale on them.