Are OKI workgroup printers any good?

[Tricks]

Hi all,

 

Firstly a little background; we've got three HP 4200n's that have lasted 5-6 years. One has developed a fault so looking to replace. We have one HP 4015 that has since jumped in cost to around ~£750 which is putting me off, even though we are pretty much 100% HP here and know what to expect with them. So while I could look at the HP3015 I'm considering my non-HP options.

 

I've been suggested the OKI B6300 but have no recent experience with OKI's. While it has a lower rated MDC it's still good for the cost, ~£460 with 3 years warranty. Is there anything to be wary of?.. in terms of configuring on our print server or reliability compared to our other HP 4200's that are still going strong 5+ years on.

 

Appreciate any comments/suggestion.

[elsiegee40]

I have 2 OKI C3100s (local printers), 12 OKI C3200 (network) and 1 OKI B4250(network) and I hate them!

 

Reasons:

- fussy about Toner changes... fails to recogise toner replaced if done at wrong time/ wrong phase of of moon, "Toner Censor Error" (Leaves room to scream!) happens far too often (we use original toners)

- seem to demand constant attention and threats to work. Fail every time I have a day off.

- flashing yellow on the B4250 means everything from 'paper out' to 'printer totally stuffed' via 'printer just feels like flashing yellow, but there's nothing wrong'.

- for the first year or so they kept dropping off the network at random. Crossing my fingers; that hasn't happened recently.

 

All the printers are getting on a bit now, but they've been like it from Day 1

 

When I eventually get the money to replace them I will not be buying OKI

 

/rant over

 

PS Nobody seems to want their toners for recycling either!

[teejay]

Yeah, not impressed with the Oki's here, very fussy and expensive to run.

Have a talk with Ricoh, their SPC420DN is cracking and they also have some new models coming out in June. The difference with Ricoh is that you buy the printer then just pay a cost per page which includes maintenance and all consumables, has worked out a lot cheaper for us.

[powdarrmonkey]

I highly recommend the Xerox Phaser series on the LNL Printers for Schools scheme.

[asblack]

Another thumbs down for Oki here. We have multiple OKI C5300 and I believe one C5400. Constant stuggles with toner carts not being recognized or new carts being recognized as empty or low. We have also have had problems in the past with some of them randomly switching there IP Config to DHCP instead of Static, leaving users wondering where there print jobs are going. I have had good experiences in the past with both HP and Ricoh.

[Tricks]

Interesting,.. thanks for the input, won't be rushing into an Oki purchase it seems. I'm looking at Ricoh at the moment following your comments, our copiers are Ricoh's so know a little what to expect with drivers, reliability, support etc.

[Soulfish]

Yeah, not impressed with the Oki's here, very fussy and expensive to run.

Have a talk with Ricoh, their SPC420DN is cracking and they also have some new models coming out in June. The difference with Ricoh is that you buy the printer then just pay a cost per page which includes maintenance and all consumables, has worked out a lot cheaper for us.

 

+1. We've gone from 40p+ a page in some areas to a fixed cost of around 5.9p/page colour and 0.7p/page mono. All of our big colour lasers are now C420DN's

 

Not too impressed with the C232s that we have - they're OK but not great.

[alan-d]

So far (2months) the Brother HL 7050 seems to be a good replacement for the HP 4200 series.

[Tricks]

So far (2months) the Brother HL 7050 seems to be a good replacement for the HP 4200 series.

 

I've had the 6050 recommended to me, will have to look up the 7050 to see how they differ.

[Tcsltd]

3 Year warranty on these at the moment too! We are a Brother preferred partner so can offer very competative prices..let me know if you would like a quote!

[teejay]

+1. We've gone from 40p+ a page in some areas to a fixed cost of around 5.9p/page colour and 0.7p/page mono. All of our big colour lasers are now C420DN's

 

Not too impressed with the C232s that we have - they're OK but not great.

 

You may want to look at renegotiating the Ricohs onto an OGC contract, lot cheaper than that but I can't post exact pricing on here.

[Tricks]

I'll give Ricoh a call, but how does this payment system work - annual fee? I assume there is no base fee since you buy the printer up front.

[Guest theeldergeek]

When I was doing copier/printer field work, Kyocera were well thought of. It would take some research to cost consumables etc, but it's another brand to maybe consider?

[teejay]

I'll give Ricoh a call, but how does this payment system work - annual fee? I assume there is no base fee since you buy the printer up front.

 

You send them a copy count once a month, if you have enough machines from them they will provide an @remote device which does the counts for you and also orders the consumables. There is no upfront charge and no minimum copy count, so it works pretty well. Make sure you get it on the OGC contract though, it has cheaper pricing and better terms.