Hard-Knocks Equipment Awards

Buyer's Laboratory rankings of copiers, printers and fax machines.

By Robert A. Mamis | 
 

Hands-on tester Buyer's Laboratory (see "Rating Office Products," No. 05921611, May 1992) pummels items of machinery until they cry uncle (or don't, as the hoped-for case may be). Based on the supposedly objective outcome, the 30-year-old subscription service grants awards in various categories. Here is a small-office sampling of BLI's picks for 1991. (Prices are retail.)

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COPIERS
Overall line of the year:

Xerox.

Very low volume (up to 3,500 copies/month):

Minolta EP2121, $2,245.

Low volume (up to 30,000 copies/month):

Toshiba 2510, $6,299.

Outstanding value:

Ricoh FT4418/FT4421, $3,695/$4,195.

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COMPUTER PRINTERS

Most outstanding laser:

NewGen TurboPS/400p, $2,995.

Most outstanding dot matrix:
Epson LQ-1170, $1,049.

Best laser value:
Hewlett-Packard LaserJet IIIP, $1,595.

Best dot-matrix value:
Star Micronics NX-2420, $449.

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FAXES
Plain-paper:
Toshiba TF-581/TF-581S, $5,699/$5,999.

Thermal:
Konica FAX-955, $2,795.

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