I'm now on my 3rd CRG-104 compatible toner cartridge, and if there is any difference between this cartridge and Canon OE, I can't tell. Note: this review pertains to CRG-104 cartridges ordered from "TheFactoryDepot" -- can't vouch for anyone else's merchandise.
I was deeply skeptical of aftermarket cartridges, so much so that the first 4-5 replacements I bought were genuine Canon. Still, I print easily 1,000+ pages a month, and at $70 a pop, the cost of Canon OE cartridges for my MF-4150 laser multifunction printer was really starting to add up. I figured that for 1/3 the cost of genuine Canon these cartridges were worth a try. Thousands of printed-pages later, I would never go back to being so shamelessly ripped off by Canon. There is something wrong with this world if this no-name company (I have no idea who actually makes these things) can sell a cartridge this good for 1/3 the price charged by Canon.
One caveat, the cartridge is rated to print 2,000 pages at 5% coverage, but in reality prints only about 1,400 pages. I attribute this to the fact that "5% coverage" is actually pretty skimpy and a typical densly-worded page of text is closer to 10-15% coverage. Anyway, the OE-Canon cartridge turned out roughly the same number of pages before going dry. Now, for the cheap among us (and if you're buying this cartridge--and still reading this description--there's a good chance you're pretty friggin cheap) it's possible to squeeze out about 150 extra pages after the printer tells you it's empty by removing the cartridge and shaking it in the same manner as when you first installed it (plus a little side-to-side shake for good measure).
*** June 20, 2010 - By way of an update, I've now been using these aftermarket CRG-104 cartridges for well over a year and still can't tell the difference between these and Canon OEM cartridges. Brand New Canon CRG-104, L104, 104 Compatible Laser Toner Cartridge for Canon ImageCLASS Canon LaserBase MF4100, Canon Faxphone L100, L120, L75
I was first skeptical about getting an non-OEM print cartridge for my Canon MF-4350 printer, but I was pleasantly surprised about the quality of the toner I received from SuperMediaStore. I only used the toner for a few days and it appears that the print quality is no different than that from the original Canon cartridge.
The toner came well packed too. It was placed in a thick black plastic bag with silica gel pack inside a retail carton box. That box was placed inside another larger box filled with eco-friendly packaging peanuts.
The toner out of the box looked slightly different than the original Canon one. Just as Canon cartridge, this non-OEM had a thin plastic seal to contain the toner powder inside the cartridge. You have to pull that plastic strip off before using the toner. However, in addition it had another wide paper wrapper wrapped around the drum that needed to be pulled. Upon removing that, the drum appeared to have concentric marks from the toner residue, but it turned out that they cleared off after printing the first page and didn't affect the print quality. The toner also had a sticker "no tearing" that covered a plastic cap for the compartment with the toner powder. The original Canon toner does not have that cap exposed. The plastic sticker is made from some fragile material and was already broken from being bent.
The original Canon toner cartridge is built of a slightly better plastic, but as I cannot see the difference in the print quality, I'm very happy to use this non-OEM one.
I am a little wary of these third party cartridges. I've not had much luck with them in the pass but the savings were too significant to ignore. So I bought this and another Canon cartridge at the same time in case I was unhappy with the quality of this unit.
My print is very clear. I see no problems with this and will buy these cartridges in the future.
*** This is a 9/20/2010 update to my previous posted review ***
I need to echo on the 9/5/2010 review by another user. After 200 pages of print, I start experiencing black dots on the edge of my printout. I will try cleaning my print path, but I am pretty sure that is due to the toner. Amazon, I think you need to do some quality control in terms of the product being sold here. I have to say I am quite disappointing after my initial excitement.
*** This is my original 9/7/2010 review ***
My product is from Factory Depot. I just installed the replacement toner in Canon D480. After one day of use (~80 pages), I cannot tell the difference between the OEM and this toner. Please remember this comment is based on one day of use (~80 pages). As for my starter toner, it only lasts 900 pages. Let's see if this one can last 1800 pages. If this toner does not live up to standard for 1800 pages, I will definitely update this review. - Cartridge - Canon - Copier - Laser All-in-one'
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