EPSON 202 Claria Ink Standard Capacity Black & Color Cartridge Combo Pack (T202120-BCS) Works with WorkForce WF-2860, Expression XP-5100

The black cartridge was completely empty and the colored ones are half empty. I wasn’t able to return as I bought this in April for a backup. I just put it in my printer two days ago. Will not purchase again.

This printer sucks up the ink. Here are my statistics. I've bought at least 8 sets of cartridges for 2030 copies. And this is an underestimate. I have replaced the black more often. That is over .20 cents a copy. Don't buy an epson.!

It seems that Epson engineers have been working overtime to maximize the monetization of ink sales. Even if you are printing documents with black ink only, the Epson WF 2860 printer will consume yellow, magenta (red), and cyan (blue) ink. The printer apparently assesses cartridge ink levels by the number of pages printed, and not by the ink actually consumed. Thus, to the printer, a cartridge may appear to be empty when it is actually half full. And, when the ink level in any single cartridge appears to be low, the printer will not function. In other words, the black ink cartridge may be full, but the printer will not print if the yellow ink cartridge appears to be low! Epson ink is very expensive. Some WF 2860 printers will accept less expensive third-party ink cartridges; but Epson offers users a software update that renders third-party ink cartridges unusable. Members of “The Epson Team” concede that “some updates may affect the functionality of third-party ink.” One suspects that this is the principal purpose of these updates. The only guidance provided by “The Epson Team” is to tell you to purchase overpriced Epson ink. So you can be required to replace a costly yellow ink cartridge that is not empty in order to print with black ink. The Epson engineer(s) who conceived this system probably received a healthy bonus.Note that Epson and third party manufacturers offer high yield (202 XL) cartridges in addition to the regular (202) cartridges. The regular and the high yield cartridges both have the same exterior dimensions, so providers could actually market a single cartridge with high yield capacity. Instead they market a regular cartridge that is only partially filled, and a completely filled cartridge as a special, higher cost, “XL” cartridge.Amazon presents the following as the top positive review: “Haven’t gotten to use it much . . .but hopefully it doesn’t run out as quickly as it seemed before.” If you can believe it, that’s a positive review! If you analyze all the reviews for this product, you will find that (as of now) 56% of the reviewers complained that cartridges quickly run out of ink, and that Epson ink is very expensive. From a slightly different perspective, 36% of the reviewers of the WF 2860 printer itself gave it a one-star rating. In many cases, their dissatisfaction arose from the limited capacity and high cost of ink cartridges, and the Epson software updates that prevent the use of third-party ink.According to the users’ agreement, Epson software may automatically connect “via the Internet to check for available updates to the Software, such as bug fixes, patches, upgrades, additional or enhanced functions, plug-ins and new versions (collectively, “Updates”) and may either (a) automatically electronically update the version of the Software that you are using on your personal device or (b) give you the option of manually downloading applicable Updates. If you do not wish to allow Epson to check for available updates to the Software, you may disable this feature by uninstalling EPSON Software Updater. By installing the Software and not disabling any automated check for Updates, if applicable, you hereby agree and consent to automatically request and receive Updates from Epson.” But this provision offers little help with the problems described above.Addendum: A special concern with the WF 2860 is that the printer will not print unless it is connected to the Internet. This is purportedly so that the Epson Team can detect whether you are using third-party ink, in which case they offer an "upgrade" that will force you to use Epson ink, or so that they can sell you more ink when they think you need it. Whether you are a Donald Trump Republican, a Bernie Sanders Democrat, or something else altogether, do you want anyone to have Internet access to what you happen to be printing on your personal computer? I think this is a very slippery slope that Americans will want to avoid.

Ink worked as advertised. No problems!

This is a standard product and it wears as long as any other ink refill. Obviously, they are all expensive! This is an “I gotcha” item. Once you buy the printer, “they gotcha!”

Works

After using a refurbished cartridge I’ve been unable to get my printer to work. But I have used Epson cartridges before and was pleased. They are just so pricey not to last that long.

The first few times I purchased this ink I received good new cartridges this time I installed all the new ink and the black is saying replace already and the cyan and magenta are more than half empty. This is not worth the money paid. And there is no support that will replace or assist with this issue.