CL511 & 513 refilling

[rodbam]

My Daughter just bought a Canon MP 282 for $48 & I've seen there's an Inktec refill pack available for it for $29, it does up to 5-7 refills.
Now my IP 5000 has fell off the perch & I think I might buy one as a replacement to do all the non good photo printing on & I was wondering if refilling these all in one carts is a good idea or should I just buy the prefilled aftermarket ones.
The main reason I would buy the Inktec kit is to get the bits & pieces needed for refilling rather than for the ink as I can use my IS inks from the pro9000.
Are these carts a pain to refill as the print head is in the cart & I don't know how long it lasts?

 

[stratman]

Cheaper is sometimes more expensive in the long run.

Do yourself a favor, Rod, and buy a printer with individual color cartridges. Then you can use the ink and equipment you already have to refill.

I haven't read about that printer's specific cartridge but, historically, the steps to refill and the longevity of Canon multicolor cartridges are a PITA, with reports of successful one-time only refilling followed by cartridge failure for some. It might be best to stick with compatibles for your daughter. Unfortunately this only lowers her high total cost of ownership compared to someone who refills. On the other hand, if she prints infrequently and a clog occurs, her cost of getting back to proper printing is the cost of a cartridge instead of an print head.

 

[Tudor]

I have an mp250 that uses this carts. They are easy to refill, but there is no guarantee on how much they will last. If you're lucky... a long time. I refilled the black with ~200ml of ink and still get a good nozzle check, but I've had bad luck with the color cartridge and bought another printer for color.

Maybe this will help you:
http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=52410#p52410

 

[rodbam]

Thanks Stratman & Tudor, I will have another look for a better printer with separate ink tanks & try to refill my Daughters.