HP OfficeJet 6500 Wireless

The HP Officejet 6500 Wireless is a less-expensive, fax-equipped version of the company's well-regarded Officejet 8000-series multifunction printers. (The main difference between the 8000 series and the 6000 series is that the former has an automatic document feeder.) Despite its low price, the 6500 Wireless boasts a number of impressive features, such as Wi-Fi connectivity, duplex printing and non-volatile memory (meaning it can retain fax information in the event of a power outage). If you can do without these frills, HP offers an otherwise identical, cheaper version, the Officejet Pro 6500 (*Est. $100), which still performs the basic printing, scanning, faxing and copying functions. Reviewers agree that the 6500 Wireless performs well overall, especially for document printing, though scans leave testers unimpressed and some report software problems. Ink costs are high, but reviewers disagree about cost-per-page values -- some think the 6500 is very economical, while others state the printer has merely average running costs. Still, most recognize that the 6500 Wireless packs in a great range of features for the price.

The HP Officejet 6500 Wireless gets a solid amount of positive reviewer attention. However, opinions are divided. PCMag.com and PC World (Australia) find the 6500's performance too uneven to recommend wholeheartedly, while HardwareCentral.com and PC World find that any drawbacks are more than offset by the 6500's budget value. The numerous users rating the 6500 on Amazon.com seem to agree, although there are some problems reported there.