Canon compatible cartridges any good?

[Fat Tone]

I have a Canon MP600 all-in-1 and love it. It uses the large PGI-5 plus 4 CLI-8 cartridges.

In the past I had Epson printers and stuck with original cartridges and they were really sensitive to it.

For the Canon, it took a while before suppliers were able to crack the chips, but its been done now.

The cheapest on ebay for a full set of original cartridges is £50.
The cheapest on ebay for a full set of compatibles is £6.17.

That's a strong argument for trying them, but I wonder what other peoples experiences are first?

Cheers,

T.

[Dr Mordrid]

Generic cartridges are less risky when the cartridge contains the print head than not. For separate print heads; when changing one out rivals the cost of the printer or isn't at all practical because of a complicated tear out it's risky. Epson's come to mind.

That said: if you're going to reload cartridges with embedded cartridges may I suggest this tool or something like it. You set said cartridge in the gadget and suction clogs out of the jets using a syringe. It can save cartridges that would otherwise have to be replaced. Sometimes helps to soak the print head end in a pan of solvent overnight first.

http://www.sunnod.com/en/product/other/refillink.htm

If you get clogged heads often one thing to check is the pad the print head rests on between prints. Sometimes deposits build up that can clog even the heads on a new cartridge, so cleaning it can prevent a lot of troubles. Easier with some printers than with others. Some are foam while others are rubber with a sealing ridge. Some are easily accessible, others not. It's like being a ghost in Beetlejuice, it's all all very individual to the model of printer

Tool for many HP's

[Delany]

I have a Canon Pixma IP4500 which uses those same cartridges.
I have used the compatible cartridges since the chips were finally cracked (didn't want to go through the rigmarole required to use them prior to this) and i haven't had a single problem with them. Obviously each persons experience may vary, but from my perspective, i'd be saying give them a go.

[Fat Tone]

Cheers Delany. Any particular make you are happy with?

@Doc: I always found Epson's to be the best for photo work as long as they were used regularly, whilst being aware of the head issue. I tried refilling a Stylus 600 which didn't do it a lot a good. After that I had a Stylus Photo 890 which was better. This Canon has never put a foot wrong...

[Delany]

Interestingly enough, the ones that i use now aren't branded at all. They are simply marked as compatible with Canon etc. I get mine from a company located here in Oz so it probably wouldn't be much use to you. I know they used to supply non chipped ones for older printers (like the i560 i used to have) that were made by a company called Flash, but i haven't seen any of them in a while. Perhaps they don't make the chipped ones.

So, all that being said, i couldn't recommend any particular brand etc, it really is just trial and error, and i seem to have been lucky and got a decent one first go.