Epson expression xp860 using 277 carts good candidate for refillable

[guho]

I have an Canon pro9000MkII and happily use precisioncolors refill ink on it.

Now I got an additional printer, all-in-one Epson xp860 which uses six 277 carts. No problems still using carts it came with. Now I face the choice of buying OEM carts or refillable such as those from inkproducts.com. Is this printer a good candidate to use with refillables? Projected print volume low as main photo printer is still the Canon. But the inkproducts.com carts+bottles are less expensive than even one set of OEM ink. Is this printer's head going to clog sooner when using refill ink? It is telling that precisioncolors does not offer refill kits for Epson 277-based printers.

Thanks for anyone's reply who has experience with this family of printers and refilling.

 

[stratman]

I have an HP pro9000MkII

Do you mean a Canon?

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

I wouldn't expect clogging as long as you use that printer somewhat regularly.

 

[guho]

Do you mean a Canon?

Yes, corrected! Is inkproducts.com reputable, in the same league as precisioncolors.com? Thanks!

 

[mikling]

The Xp series should be avoided whenever it is possible. Not a good printer unless you intend to purchase OEM XL carts only. Be forewarned.

 

[guho]

Given that I can't avoid it as I already own the Epson Expression Xp860 (as a replacement for my very long-lasting HP C7280 photosmart which now has Magenta ink starvation problems) I take your advice to mean that the xp860 is much more prone to clogging with aftermarket ink than let's say my Canon Pro9000MkII which I've been feeding PrecisionColors for years? I can either drop $75 today on a complete 277XL genuine set or $60 on refillable carts with ink bottles from inkproducts.com.

 

[stratman]

I can either drop $75 today on a complete 277XL genuine set or $60 on refillable carts with ink bottles from inkproducts.com.

From Mikling's answer I get the impression that using OEM ink in the XL cartridges is the way to go.

Mikling is the owner of Precision Colors.

 

[guho]

I agree & followed his advice. Fortunately Staples has $25 off $100 today when using Visa checkout and a whole set of T277XL is slightly over $100. So I went ahead and bought 6xT277XL from Staples.com.

 

[stratman]

Octoink sells refill ink for the XP860 bu I do not see either a chip resetter, compatible cartridges, or aftermarket chips. Maybe there is no good aftermarket solution yet or not enough market for Precision Colors and Octoink to carry the products.

Is it too late to buy a known refillable printer and sell the XP860 on Craigslist? Probably lose money initially but make up for it quickly by refilling (while keeping ink level monitoring function).

 

[kcgoatboy]

I have a factory refurbished Epson XP-950 and from the second cartridge replacement I've been using 3rd party carts and ink. It uses the same carts as the xp-860. As long as you are not selling prints and have no problem reprinting every few years than I say go 3rd party with this printer. Below are some things I learned.

-Replace refillable cartridges every 4-5 refills or after a year. The foam breaks down and may lead to clogging.
-It's dye ink so the carts breaking down will clog before the 3rd party ink causes problems. Still do a print once a week or so with photo settings to prevent clogs.
-If you do get a clog it's not terrible clearing it (again dye easier to clear than pigment). I purchased some cleaning solution and an adapter that fit over the clogged color intake and was back up and running in 30min.
-Inkowl, inkproducts claria replacement inks fade and fade fast but high quality photo paper is more important. I use OEM or RR papers.
-keep a set of OEM inks even if they are empty as long as you didn't run the empty carts for an extended period of time. Once in a blue moon the auto-resetting refillable carts won't be recogonised after you refill. Put the OEM cart back in let it do it's thing then replace it with the refillable cart and will see it as new cart.
-don't upgrade the firmware and turn off auto updates.