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Fax Machines
- Best office laser fax. Brother IntelliFax-4100e *Est. $300
- Budget laser fax machine. Brother IntelliFax-2820 *Est. $175
- Color inkjet fax for low volume. Brother IntelliFax-1860C *Est. $100
- Basic thermal fax machine. Brother FAX-575 *Est. $30
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Basic thermal fax machine.
- Inexpensive
- Prints on plain paper
- Thermal-transfer ink doesn't last as long
- Expensive per-page costs
- Slow faxing speeds
- Limited internal memory
Consumer Guide evaluates the Brother FAX-575 fax machine in a rather critical report. But while the editors there are not impressed, users paint a different picture. Both Amazon.com and Staples.com have accumulated a considerable number of user reviews, and most give the Brother FAX-575 good grades. PriceGrabber.com, a shopping portal site, also has a goodly number of reviews, though less than at the other sites cited.
The Brother FAX-575 is one of the least expensive fax machines available, but reports say it's an acceptable performer for home users. The per-print cost of the thermal-transfer technology the FAX-575 uses adds up, so it's not a good choice if you do a lot of faxing, and the per-page transmission speed of 15 seconds is slow by today's standards. Finally, the inks won't last as long as inkjet or laser. Still, the price is unbeatable, and performance is better than anything at or near its price point. If you are a more demanding user, the HP 640 (*est. $60) is an inexpensive monochrome inkjet that's more versatile and more powerful, but it does cost twice as much.
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Our Sources
The editors at Consumer Guide give the Brother FAX-575 one of the more negative reviews we've seen on the site. They like the low price and say that it's an acceptable choice for low volume users, but add that despite the price, "its drawbacks are too severe for it to be useful in most SOHO environments."
Review: Expert Review: Brother FAX-575, Editors of ConsumerGuide.com
2. Staples.com
Staples.com users take issue with the opinion of the experts at Consumer Guide. Over 100 have now posted their own reviews of the Brother FAX-575, and 90 percent say that they would recommend the fax machine to a friend.
Review: Brother Personal 575 Plain-Paper Fax Reviews, Contributors to Staples.com
3. Amazon.com
While there are fewer reports here than at Staples.com, nearly 75 users have registered their opinions about the Brother FAX-575 here. Though we note a few more complaints, the fax machine still earns an overall rating of four out of five stars.
Review: Brother FAX-575 Personal Fax, Phone and Copier Reviews, Contributors to Amazon.com
Although there are fewer reviews of the FAX-575 fax machine at this shopping portal than the sites above, there is still enough feedback to make a visit worthwhile. After 20 reviews, the machine earns a rating of four out of five stars.
Review: Brother FAX-575 Plain Paper Fax Reviews, Contributors to PriceGrabber.com
