Has anyone had experience using non-genuine drum units in mono laser printers? I have a brother HL-L2380DW printer. The Brother drum unit costs about $150, whereas a generic one costs just under $30 from my regular toner supplier based in Australia. Prices are even cheaper on ebay.
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I have been using ‘generic’ toners for my HP laser for years. HP has tried to block this through software and also by installing their chips onto the toners. I have had a few problems, but my supplier has been excellent with their support and replaced any toners that didn’t work.
I am happy with the ‘generic’ toner and wouldn’t go back to the OEM toner. If HP does finally manage to stop ‘generic’ toners being used, I will change printers as have other people if you do a search of the community.
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We have a Fuji Xerox printer which we have used non-OEM toners for many years. Never had any issues.
If the printer is still in manufacturer’s warranty, using non-OEM toner can pose a risk. If there is a fault during the warranty period, a manufacturer may decline a warranty claim arguing it was because non-OEM toner was used. It then might pose difficulties in getting the printer fixed. One would need to determine who is responsible for the fault, the manufacturer or the toner seller. This can be impossible for most consumers which can make taking it further under the Australian Consumer Law more difficult (they will point the finger at each other).
If outside warranty, the same risks don’t exist. It is however best to buy from Australian sellers, preferably known online non-OEM toner sellers. It may provide opportunities for recourse should something go amiss with the non-OEM toner. It is important to check their returns policy and also their own guarantees in relation to product compatibility and quality.
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Brother have started producing firmware that does make using generic toners harder. If you don’t update the firmware to a version that knobbles the generic toners, then generics are great to use. If updated then there may be setting functions that don’t operate properly such as registration of new toner in the machine (this doesn’t mean the printer doesn’t work just the print may not be as good).
HP have gone much harder and it can be impossible to use generic toners.
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We’ve had a Brother HL-2270DW mono laser since they were first released. Generic branded toner cartridges from Office Works and Cartridge World have all worked fine. Included several refills. It replaced a Canon mono laser which also worked well with generic cartridges.
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I’ve never had to replace a drum unit in a home laser printer, only toner cartridges, so I can’t comment on non-genuine drums, but non-genuine toner cartridges from InkStation for our Brother HL-L3230CDW colour laser have been fine so far. They certainly are a lot cheaper than Brother-branded ones.
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Thanks to all who have replied so far. I too use generic toners. What I would like to know from others is their experience using generic DRUM UNITS.
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I have bought some drum units (for a Brother colour laser printer) when I have accidentally touched drums when replacing toners in the past. It isn’t a very common experience, the units have worked very well though. I buy off eBay from dealers I have dealt with before for my toner purchases, but as you have a dealer here then you would have ACL protections that are easier to obtain than if it is a foreign dealer (China etc).
Drums for the Brother printers usually last around 12,000 copies.
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I have bought toner drums for elderly neighbours who had laser printers a few years old. I suggest non-genuine to save some money, and they can he delivered for a fraction of the price of genuine ones bought in store. They haven’t had any issues nor is there a discernible difference in print quality.
It doesn’t concern me buying non-genuine toners or drums, providing they are an Australian seller, confirms compatibility and has a return policy (in the case it is found to be incompatible for some reason and doesn’t work).
Here are some webpages from non-genuine toner cartridge sellers, which provide some useful information from their perspective:
https://www.inkstation.com.au/blog/genuine-vs-compatible-ink-cartridges/
https://www.printzone.com.au/help-centre/the-complete-guide-to-non-genuine-toner-cartridges/
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I also have a Brother HL-L3230CDW colour laser printer and get generic toner cartridges from Ink Station and have had no problems. Very happy with the product and the price.
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I have the same brother mono printer,and had no problems through inkstation.
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I’ve been using generic drum units for my Brother 1210 for nearly a decade, never had a problem.
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Have used generics for longer than I can recall; only hassle was Cannon 20+ years ago that installed blocks to generics …
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