Fax Machine Reviews

While fax machines are mainly an office relic, retired in favor of multifunction printers, dedicated fax machines are still handy if you send or receive lots of faxes. Professional publications like Consumer Reports and CNET just don't cover fax machines anymore, but we still found enough user reviews to pick out a couple of best-bet models.

Brother IntelliFax-4100e

Best office laser fax

$300

Estimated Price

Although you can find cheaper fax machines for small businesses and home offices, the Brother IntelliFax-4100e is a top choice for heavy use. The SuperG3 fax modem can transmit pages in as little as three seconds, and the machine can hold up to 500 sheets of paper if an optional second tray is used. Should the Brother IntelliFax-4100e run out of toner or paper, its on-board memory can store up to 500 pages. The laser printer spits out good-looking monochrome documents at a rated speed of 15 pages per minute.

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Brother IntelliFax-2820

Budget laser fax machine

$175

Estimated Price

The Brother IntelliFax-2820 is an economical solution for those who want the lower consumables cost and high-quality output that laser technology can produce. The biggest difference between it and the pricier Brother 4100e is that the modem is slower, taking twice as much time to transmit faxes. Additionally, paper capacity is capped at 250 sheets. However, the Brother IntelliFax-2820 can still hold 500 pages in memory, and it spits out pages at the same rated speed of 15 per minute. It also costs about $100 less.

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Brother IntelliFax-1860C

Color inkjet fax for low volume

$100

Estimated Price

The Brother IntelliFax-1860C is a great choice for home office users who want color faxing and printing -- but it does cost more to run than a laser fax. Owners say the Brother sends faxes quickly, and the built-in memory can hold up to 300 pages. The ink cartridge system only requires you to swap out colors that have run out, and the fax machine ships with full-capacity ink cartridges, not starter cartridges. The one drawback is that paper jams are an occasional problem, but most reviews are positive.

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Brother FAX-575

Basic thermal fax machine

$50

Estimated Price

This budget home fax machine doesn't get the best professional reviews, but most users say it's fine if you only occasionally need to send and receive faxes. You'll need to feed pages one at a time; several owners say this Brother tends to grab more than one page at once. Fax transmission speeds are very slow compared to others, about 15 seconds per page at best. Still, if you only need to fax once in a while, reviews say the monochrome Brother Fax-575 is more reliable than other inexpensive fax machines.

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See a side-by-side comparison of key features, product specs, and prices.

Canon FaxPhone L170 *Est. $270

3 picks by top review sites.

Brother IntelliFax-2920 *Est. $275

2 picks by top review sites.

How to Buy a Fax Machine

Fax Machine Reviews

Best office laser fax

Budget laser fax machine

Color inkjet fax for low volume

Basic thermal fax machine

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