EmailBest Reviewed
Monochrome Laser Printers
- Best monochrome laser printer for small offices Samsung ML-2851ND *Est. $245
- Small-office laser printer with Wi-Fi and LCD Brother HL-5280DW *Est. $335
- Personal monochrome laser printer Brother HL-2170W *Est. $120
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Personal monochrome laser printer
- Good print quality
- Quick for the price
- Built-in Wi-Fi networking
- Not heavy office use
- No duplex printing
- Wi-Fi can be difficult to set up
March 2009. The Brother HL-2170W gets good reviews as a no-frills, personal-use, black-and-white laser printer for PCs and Macs. With a maximum duty of 10,000 pages per month, the Brother HL-2170W is not designed for heavy office use. One nice feature is built-in wireless networking, uncommon on such an inexpensive printer. The Brother HL-2170W does not have automatic duplexing (printing on both sides of a page), but it does have a straight-through paper path for heavyweight paper and envelopes. The speed is good for the price, and comparable to that of much more expensive models -- up to 23 pages per minute on text-only pages. Print quality is reported as good, but not the best available. If you need a heavier duty printer for a small office, reviewers instead recommend the Samsung ML-2851ND (*est. $245), with its higher duty cycle and auto duplexing.
Better Buys for Business tests almost every brand-name printer, including the HL-2170W, but you'll need at least a free trial subscription to see their results. PC Magazine offers good product coverage accessible to anyone. There are well over 200 user reviews at both Amazon.com and NewEgg.com, overwhelmingly positive save for difficulties in setting up networking. Consumer Reports covers a few monochrome printers, including the Brother HL-2170W.
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Our Sources
The Brother HL-2170W is among the slew of printers reviewed after thorough testing. Individual reports are available only to subscribers, but you can get a three-day online trial subscription at no cost.
Review: Printer Reviews, Editors of Better Buys for Business
PC Magazine reviews quite a few monochrome laser printers. The Brother HL-2170W earns an Editors' Choice award from veteran printer reviewer M. David Stone. Overall print quality is described as "reasonably high," especially for text, but graphics are "typical" of monochrome laser printers (in other words, merely adequate).
Review: Brother HL-2170W, M. David Stone, July 1, 2008
Reviews here are brief, and while testing methods aren't described, it's obvious there was some hands-on testing performed. Reviewer Emil Larsen gives the Brother HL-2170W four out of five stars overall. Speed, features and value are cited as this printer's strengths, but Larsen finds that text appears grayer than that produced by other monochrome laser printers.
Review: Review: Brother HL-2170W Laser Printer, Emil Larsen, Jan. 15, 2008
4. CNET
CNet.com regularly reviews new laser printers. The reviews are satisfactorily comparative, but design and speed are evaluated before print quality is even addressed in each review. Justin Yu finds the Brother HL-2170W to be best suited as a supplemental text-only printer for home use. Yu, as well as one user reviewer, notes difficulties setting up the 2170W's Wi-Fi connection. This printer is erroneously listed under multifunction devices on the site.
Review: Brother HL-2170W, Justin Yu, Mar. 19, 2008
5. Amazon.com
About 250 owner reviews give the Brother HL-2170W a very high average score, with less than 10 percent scoring it fewer than three out of five stars. Sixty percent give it five stars. Owners thoroughly document some of the troubles with setup in various operating systems.
Review: Brother HL-2170W 23 ppm Laser Printer, Contributors to Amazon.com
6. NewEgg.com
With about 230 reviews, the Brother HL-2170W is easily the most popular monochrome laser printer sold on NewEgg.com. Seventy-five percent of customers give it the top rating. Common complaints include wireless setup and driver software. Some users mention noise as a negative factor.
Review: Brother HL Series HL-2170W, Contributors to NewEgg.com
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