Reliability of Canon MegaTank Printers

[robwignell]

I am looking for a reliable home printer. My use is relatively low volume and intermittent. I prefer a printer that will auto print both sides of a page. I like the bulk ink concept of the MegaTank printers. My current Epson Workforce printer works perfectly well as a B&W printer but the magenta ink clogs within a few days of the last thorough head clean. I know that a bulk ink printer can perform way beyond my intermittent low volume requirements, but I am looking for something that "just works" and doesn't cause the grief of having to run head cleaning and printing magenta pages every time I need a colour print. Grateful for advice.

 

[The Hat]

I am looking for a reliable home printer. My use is relatively low volume and intermittent

Why don’t you check out the Canon Maxify range of printers, there are a half dozen different models to choose from, and come with all the usual bells and whistles including Mega tanks, they are extremely reliable and won’t let you down.

But if you decide it’s for you, then choose wisely for the type of bells and whistles that you require, because some of these extras come at a bigger price, the Maxify is ideal for occasional printing and seldom clogs.. It just works every time..

 

[robwignell]

Thanks. Have discovered your comments on the Maxify MegaTank from a few years ago. Very reassuring that it continues to give good service on the sort of intermittent use that is similar to my use pattern. The Maxify MegaTank is at the top end of my budget so I will find out more on the lower featured Maxify models.

 

[Artur5]

Maxify megatanks aren't better than cartridge based models, if we look at the features and build quality. They are much more expensive only because Canon wants to cash in advance the money that the user will save in ink.
There's no fee lunch. You get relatively cheap OEM ink in bottles instead of the much more expensive cartridges but you pay 500 Euros for a Megatank Maxify instead of 180 euros for the equivalent cartridge based Maxify.
For low printing volumes, IMHO it isn't worth to get a Maxify Megatank. It would take many years to recover those 320 euros of difference with the savings in ink. Now, for heavy duty use, printing up to 50K-100K pages a year, yes it makes sense to get a Megatank.
Anyway, you can have the best of both worlds. Get a cartridge Maxify of the MB series plus some autoreset chips and refill those carts with ink from the bottles for Megatank models. Some people of this forum does that.

 

[robwignell]

Thanks Artur5. I wondered if the MegaTank printers were more robust and reliable than the versions using cartridges and your response and experience with an MB5150 is very reassuring. I checked some prices in Australian dollars and the Maxify MegaTank that The Hat reviewed a few years ago is four times the price of the MB5160 available here.

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

Canon and Epson are expanding the range of their Mega/Ecotank printer lines; yes - they are all based on the same hardware used for regular models with cartridges. You may check as well for other options like a user replaceable waste ink tank or affordable replacement printheads. Canon added recently a photo megatank model called G650 in Europe and G620 in the U.S., it may have one of these model names in your country - or another one - you never know how Canon or Epson name their models in different business regions. The G650 runs on dye inks and is better priced than some other Megatank models - it's all your choice.

 

[The Hat]

I checked some prices in Australian dollars and the Maxify MegaTank that The Hat reviewed a few years ago is four times the price of the MB5160 available here.

I wouldn’t recommend the Maxify Mega tank printer because its way over priced at that time and is best suited to a very high end user, I can however recommend the OEM bottled inks..

 

[WilloBee]

After running six Canon printers between 2001 and 2019, includng two wide-format, I bought a Brother inkjet multifunction office printer. I love it. I use generic replacement cartridges.

 

[robwignell]

After running six Canon printers between 2001 and 2019, includng two wide-format, I bought a Brother inkjet multifunction office printer. I love it. I use generic replacement cartridges.

I hadn't looked at the Brother Inkjet printers but have just downloaded the DCP-J1100DW brochure. It seems to tick all of the functionality boxes, except for a maintenance tank, which I wouldn't expect on such a small printer anyway. Thanks for the tip about generic ink. Do you use a particular brand?

 

[robwignell]

It was surprisingly difficult to locate a Brother DCP-J1100DW in Australia, but, I have tracked one down and it is due to be delivered in early October. Thanks for the range of comments and advice. I will follow up with an assessment of the printer after 6 to 12 months use.