Recommendations for refill kit + chip resetter for Canon 251XL ?

[Kampy]

After spending all day trying to clear a code 1410 (cartridge not recognized) on my Canon Pixma iX6820 to no avail, until I drove to my local Staples for $85 worth of OEM XL carts... I now suspect that my remaining stock of cheap 3rd party carts ("Paeolos" brand) won't work.

I know OEM Canon ink works best and is the most fade-resistant, but I just can't afford it... so I'm leaning towards the option of a refill kit and a chip resetter, especially since I now have a new set of OEM Canon 251XL carts and know their weight when full.

But the only experience I have with refilling ink was a CIS hack I did on an old Epson over a decade ago... I've never used a chip resetter. Do they really work? Are some better than others?

I've dug around a bit on these threads and know that Precision Colors is an option and that @mikling is affiliated with them and sometimes posts here, but I'm clueless about other options. Which companies are crap? Which are good? I see that Precision's chip resetter is $50, and that's about double the price of most of the resetters I see on Amazon and elsewhere. Is it any different from the cheaper ones?

Just trying to find that ever elusive balance between quality and affordability! If you have any unbiased recommendations or advice, I'd appreciate it!

Thanks,
Kampy

 

[websnail]

Chip resetters are pretty stable for the 250/251 and while we sell one at OctoInkjet we offer them more for folk who've imported their North American printer with them so there's little point in purchasing from us given the shipping cost and time.

Assuming the PC chip resetters are the ones pictured on their page, and still sourced from the supplier we recommended to them, they're worth the extra cost IMHO as German built with excellent quality control.

Hope that's of some help.

Regards,

Martin

 

[Kampy]

Chip resetters are pretty stable for the 250/251 and while we sell one at OctoInkjet we offer them more for folk who've imported their North American printer with them so there's little point in purchasing from us given the shipping cost and time.

Assuming the PC chip resetters are the ones pictured on their page, and still sourced from the supplier we recommended to them, they're worth the extra cost IMHO as German built with excellent quality control.

Hope that's of some help.

Regards,

Martin

Thanks Martin @websnail , that's exactly the encouragement I need to pull the trigger on the Precision refill kit. One question: you said "PC chip resetter" - I just want to confirm that by "PC" you don't mean Windows, or that these resetters need to be plugged into a Windows machine (I'm all Apple / Mac). It will work with a Mac, right?

 

[websnail]

I just want to confirm that by "PC" you don't mean Windows, or that these resetters need to be plugged into a Windows machine (I'm all Apple / Mac). It will work with a Mac, right?

Ah, apologies... PC in this context is my shorthand for "Precision Colors", not "personal computer". The REdSETTER unit will work with any USB power source but generally we recommend using the Pictbridge socket in the front of the printer (assuming yours has one)