I Asked Printer Repair Techs Which Printers They'd NEVER Own

Printer repair technicians share which printer brands they actually buy for themselves, based on reliability data and real repair experience, covering Brother, HP, Epson, Canon, and Lexmark. The video compares printer reliability survey data from Consumer Reports and an Australian consumer study against firsthand accounts from printer repair technicians and online forums. It covers why Brother and older HP LaserJet models earn consistent praise for durability, why HP's current consumer inkjet lineup and its Instant Ink subscription program draw repeated warnings, and why Epson and Canon split between disappointing standard inkjets and strong tank-based alternatives. It closes by connecting these reliability and ink-cost problems to the growing Right to Repair legislative movement in the US and Europe. What's covered in this video: Brother ranks highest in Consumer Reports' survey of nearly 70,000 printers and in a separate Australian reliability study, with a 13 percent three-year failure rate for its all-in-one inkjets, even though its customer service satisfaction trails Canon, Epson, and HP. Older HP LaserJet models, including the LaserJet 4, LaserJet 4L, LaserJet 4 Plus, LaserJet 4100, LaserJet 5L, and LaserJet 4P, are described by owners and technicians as nearly indestructible, with some units still running after decades and hundreds of thousands of pages. HP's older Deskjet 500 series and Deskjet 940C are contrasted with the later Deskjet 600 series and newer LaserJet models like the LaserJet 1012, which owners say wore out far faster. HP's current consumer inkjet lineup posts the worst three-year failure rates in Consumer Reports testing, and its Instant Ink subscription program has disabled working printers for customers including an Atlantic writer, Ryan Sullivan, and Skip Weisman after billing or cancellation problems. Epson's standard inkjets score poorly on reliability and cartridge costs, with UK group Which pricing Epson ink against Dom Pérignon and aged Scotch whisky, while Epson's EcoTank refillable-ink line is credited with solving that cost problem. Canon's inkjets post a comparatively low 9 percent three-year failure rate, but its standard cartridges carry high per-milliliter ink costs similar to competitors, so technicians recommend Canon's tank-based printers over its cartridge models. Lexmark and Xerox-class laser printers rank near the bottom of Consumer Reports' testing and repair-forum recommendations, with Lexmark described repeatedly as a brand to avoid, while a single cited survey claims 97 percent of Panasonic customers never needed servicing. The video closes on Right to Repair laws, including legislation passed in 13 US states such as Colorado and a 2024 European Union repair directive, and how parts-pairing restrictions and ink lockouts affect independent repair shops. Mentioned in this video: Brother, HP, HP LaserJet 4, HP LaserJet 4L, HP LaserJet 4 Plus, HP LaserJet 4100, HP LaserJet 5L, HP LaserJet 4P, HP LaserJet 1100, HP LaserJet 1012, HP Deskjet 500 series, HP Deskjet 940C, HP Deskjet 600 series, HP Instant Ink, HP Envy, Epson, Epson EcoTank, Canon, Lexmark, Xerox, Panasonic, Samsung, Consumer Reports, Which, The Atlantic, Dom Pérignon, Ryan Sullivan, Skip Weisman, Right to Repair, Colorado, European Union, California, New York, printer duty cycle, parts pairing, ink subscription model #PrinterRepair #Brother #HP #Epson #Canon #Lexmark #HPInstantInk #EcoTank #RightToRepair #ConsumerReports #LaserJet #InkjetPrinters #PrinterReview #TechTips #BuyingGuide For any questions or inquiries, please contact us at : printworthcontact@gmail.com © PrintWorth 2026