Brother HL-820 Printer Review
The Brother HL-820 is a monochrome laser printer designed to be an affordable and simple choice for home and small office buyers. Print speed is somewhat slow, at only 8 pages per minute, but its ease of use, compact design, and affordable price will likely make up for some of its shortcomings. The low cost of replacement toners is also a major factor, as the savings on printer toner will add up over time.
Despite its compact size, the HL-820 doesn't suffer some of the problems evident in many compact machines, such as paper curling and frequent paper jams. The unit measures 9.6 inches by 15.4 inches by 14.4 inches and weighs just under 16 pounds, so it is ideal for small office spaces that may not have room for bulkier models. Paper capacity is a bit lower than some competing models, at only 200 pages, and there is no single-sheet slot feed for alternate paper sizes and types.
One disappointing factor is that the original Brother HL-820 toner cartridge is only a "starter" cartridge with a page yield of 1,000 pages, meaning it will need to be replaced early. Full-size Brother HL-820 toner cartridges have a page yield of 2,200 pages and are very inexpensive, however. This combination of price and capacity gives Brother HL-820 toner a very low cost per page that makes it one of the most economical in its class.
PC Pro gave the HL-820 a favorable review and gave it 4 out of 6 stars. They praised its compact design and its straight paper path that helps to eliminate curling and other problems. They found its speed a bit disappointing, but liked its ease of use and simple setup process.
Overall, home and small office buyers will find the HL-820 to be an excellent value when factoring in its affordable price and great features. The low cost and fairly high yield of Brother HL-820 toner also adds value by keeping long-term costs low.
