Hi, great forum and lots of info!

I'm looking for a CIS for my R200 and looking in eBay, I have found one type that looks good in preventing leaks due to gravity pressure from the tank. They call it an "isobarically configuration" (sic). It's basically a smaller chamber that is vented and is fed by the main bigger tank. You can see it here:
http://tinyurl.com/77t2x
It's a bit more expensive than the majority of the CIS systems on eBay.

Some of the others I am looking at:

http://tinyurl.com/dah8t]
http://tinyurl.com/7hvf7]
http://tinyurl.com/drrwa
http://tinyurl.com/8jjt2

I did look at InkRepublic's system but "looks" cheap in comparison to those on eBay. IR's are just ordinary ink bottles with tubes stuck into them. The others tanks look like they are made as true CIS systems and most come pre-charged and ready to use.

Anybody who has ever tried any of these that could add their comment or any other comments would be appreciated in helping me deciding which to buy.

Thanks.
Mooseman

Mooseman wrote:

Anybody who has ever tried any of these that could add their comment or any other comments would be appreciated in helping me deciding which to buy.

I can't comment on that particular seller (ie: tdneon88) but I can give you a few pointers on things to look/check for.

1. Support...
   How responsive is this individual to support requests or general enquiries
   
   
2. Information/Installation
   How detailed are the installation instructions and are there images to help with the proces? Is it in plain english or chinglish with bad translations?
   
   
3. Verifying claims
   The first thing I noticed in there was the claim that all the inks were quality Japanese made.. I'd check that out. Chinese inks tend to have a bad reputation as a rule.
   
   
4. Ebay only?
   This has to be a big no-no for me personally as Ebay is not a permanent base of operations and someone can easily shut up shop on one ID and just change to another or just disappear. Look for a static site that wasn't setup a few months ago.
   
   
5. Clone/Reseller?
   Ebay has a LOT of these sorts of kits around and frankly do you want to buy from someone reselling who doesn't have as much experience of the kit as you might hope. Try looking around to see if the same kit is available from a primary source with better support if research of the above points creates a less than ideal impression or questions that you can't answer.
   

Personally, and this is my personal opinion, I wouldn't risk it.. Instead I'd look at MIS Associates www.inksupply.com and spend a little more money to be sure you're going to get something that is supported, works, and has ink that has a known and excellent reputation.

That of course, is my personal opinion but having spoken to a number of people who have been in the industry for a while, I've heard very little to recommend the consistent pressure reservoirs for anything other than looking pretty, and by all accounts, some have a habit of leaking after a while.

Hope that helps... and like I said... it's just an opinion but hopefully helpful...

Martin


_________________
Printers: (Canon) MP500/830, MX700, iP4000/4200/4300/4500/5200, iX4000(A3) (Epson) C84/86, D88, CX6600, R285/800/1900 (HP) K550, K850, K5400, L7680

Mooseman;

Check my post to snailz, R220 vs R200

The links to my photos look much like the photos provided at your second link, 7hvf7.

You can read about my situation there. Keep in mind I have a R220.....I am wondering if the eprom in the printer has been set to detect and prevent the usage of non OEM cartridges.

Gumby

Thank You Snailz for your valuable (and experienced) comments and opinions. Being an eBay junkie, I tend to look for this kind of stuff there. With anything on eBay, support is next to nil so I am used to self supporting stuff I buy there. I have rarely been burned but for something like ink that could damage a printer, it is better to be safe than sorry.

Gumby, I had a look and all I can say is THANK YOU! I had no idea that The Source (aka: Radio Shack) sold this. It is actually cheaper than eBay AND they deliver for free! If ever you get it working, maybe you could post a review of that particular CIS? (or maybe I will) What kind of ink does it use? (as per Snailz's comments) I also posted a reply in that thread for a possible solution to your particular problem.

I love it when truly useful info is made available and shared!

Thanks.
Mooseman

Mooseman wrote:

Thank You Snailz for your valuable (and experienced) comments and opinions. Being an eBay junkie, I tend to look for this kind of stuff there. With anything on eBay, support is next to nil so I am used to self supporting stuff I buy there. I have rarely been burned but for something like ink that could damage a printer, it is better to be safe than sorry.

Lucky you I've had mixed success but I've learned not to buy second hand printers from anyone other than someone who is a retired Epson technician.

Quote:

Gumby, I had a look and all I can say is THANK YOU! I had no idea that The Source (aka: Radio Shack) sold this. It is actually cheaper than eBay AND they deliver for free! If ever you get it working, maybe you could post a review of that particular CIS? (or maybe I will) What kind of ink does it use? (as per Snailz's comments)

Sounds like you did well there... If you could do a review on all aspects of the installation and usage that would be great. I'd suggest perhaps using a similar format to the one I've used for MIS and Ink Republic although I'll leave that up to you.

As for inks... given that you're looking at an R200... Dyebase is the way to go... I always recommend MIS inks personally but I've heard good things about Formulabs, and a few others... nifty-forums.com has good resources and experience on ink suppliers so I'd spend some time there.

I'd avoid pigment inks though as the printer isn't designed for them and you're likely to clog in short order.

Quote:

I love it when truly useful info is made available and shared!

It doesn't hurt that's for sure


_________________
Printers: (Canon) MP500/830, MX700, iP4000/4200/4300/4500/5200, iX4000(A3) (Epson) C84/86, D88, CX6600, R285/800/1900 (HP) K550, K850, K5400, L7680

Next time I'm at The Source, I'll have a look and hopefully be able to tell the type of ink it uses. Is there a way, visually or otherwise, to tell what type of ink is in the kit?

I have to admit that my use of the R200 is mostly limited to printing on DVD's. Haven't had much of a chance to print out pics with it but I could do some for a review. Problem is that I don't have any already printed using the original Epson carts to compare with so it will be totally subjective but I will be able to compare to previous DVD's (I kept some coasters for tests like these).

Thanks.
Mooseman

Mooseman wrote:

Next time I'm at The Source, I'll have a look and hopefully be able to tell the type of ink it uses. Is there a way, visually or otherwise, to tell what type of ink is in the kit?

Not really... You can tell the difference between pigment and dyebase by looking at say the yellow and seeing if it's a sort of transparent or an opaque type... but that's about it... and obviously you need to look at the ink reservoirs for that.

As for brands, unless it says on the bottle you're out of luck


_________________
Printers: (Canon) MP500/830, MX700, iP4000/4200/4300/4500/5200, iX4000(A3) (Epson) C84/86, D88, CX6600, R285/800/1900 (HP) K550, K850, K5400, L7680

Mooseman;

Names like mooseman and gumby(gumbooter) could only come from Canada, right?

Don't be too quick buying the system I have from the Source, yet.

As Snailz eludes to........support..........has been slow in forthcoming, other than their initial response. I have forwarded numerous links, help, suggestions to the person I was corresponding with but have still to get any helpful advice from them.

I won't go any further with my comments until they have had a chance to research the topic and figure out a reply.

I have since located a CISS listing that does indeed include the R220 among the others that use the same Ink Cartridges. I feel certain I have some sort of 'chip' issue that the printer is wise enough to detect.

To prevent the heads from problems encountered by not printing I have since reinstalled the original OEM Carts to keep them saturated. In doing so, the printer of course did a recharge of the ink supply system so now my carts are showing down to the 1/2 way mark already. I have printed one 8 x 10, 2 DVD's so far. Not very good mileage huh?

So I'll check in and update with, I hope better news when I get it.

Snailz, thank you for your stewardship here, much appreciated.

Gumby

Gumby,

Yep, from Canada (Ottawa area). An Australian gave me that nickname and it stuck (like we have a moose in every back yard, like kangaroos in Australia!).

Anyway, I posted a couple of replies to your R220 vs R200 thread with some possible solutions.

I won't need a CIS for a while since I just put in some new carts (non-oem though). I tell you, when I pulled the "empty" original carts, I swear it sounds like their still half full! Saw a report on French CBC TV and that the carts still had about a third of ink left in them. I can understand that there has to be a little bit left to prevent drying out the heads but come on! Apparently there is a class action lawsuit in the US for the loss of unused ink and extra expense. I sure hope they add their chipping practices that prevents non-oem carts from being used. They can't invoke warranty issues as that is against some law (same as car makers can't make you use their oil, just a proof that it was changed regularly).

Hate Epson for it (but love their printers )

If you can read French (or have it translated by Google), you can read the report here:
http://tinyurl.com/d9gk3

Later.
Mooseman

Yes, there is probably more ink wasted than what ends up being saved on work. Like a car we will figure out what method of operation best suits our needs.

I am on the wet West coast. Cool here just now.

Gumby