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1. 

   Nathan Kull "Nate" on March 1, 2015 at 1:44 pm

   830 of 839 people found the following review helpful

   
   Nice handheld label printer with QWERTY keyboard., March 23, 2012

   By 

   Nathan Kull “Nate” (Sioux Falls, SD) –
   
     

   Verified Purchase(What’s this?)

   This review is from: DYMO LabelManager 160 Hand Held Label Maker (Office Product)

   Most of the handheld label printers are built using ABC keybaords vs. the QWERTY keyboard, and that was a key factor in my decision to buy this scanner. Some people have claimed that using DYMO label makers vs. Brother label makers will save money as the DYMO does waste less label when printing, this is both true and false — I will explain more further down in this review.

   I would like to add to this review a comment about batteries, there has been multiple comments about this label maker “eating batteries”; I have used up trial cartridge and many labels into my second cartridge and have not changed the batteries in this unit. I am using Eneloop Rechargeable batteries and they have performed flawlessly. Keep in mind that this would be a higher drain type of device when printing and cheap “Super Duty” (Non-alkaline or cheap Rechargeable) batteries are probably not going to work well. As always, I recommend the investment in Eneloop batteries with a good charger (LaCrosse BC-700)

   PROs:
   – Handheld form factor
   – Easy to use
   – Prints nice looking labels
   – QWERTY Keyboard

   CONs:
   – NO access to any special charactors except via menus (i.e. if you need a “-” or a “.” on your label, there is NO button for this and you have to go into the symbol menu to find the symbol you want) … This is annoying and is the reason that this label maker looses one star (most of my labels include “-” or “.” in them)

   ****************************************************************************************
   *** The truth about actual label costs (Pictures will be attached to this review) ***
   ****************************************************************************************

   I printed out labels using a Brother P-Touch PT-2030 and the DYMO LabelManager 160 and these were the results of my findings:

   As of the time of this writing, the DYMO 1/2″ D-1 label roll is selling for $14 and includes 23 feet (276 inches) of label
   As of the time of this writing, the Brother 1/2″ P-Touch label roll is selling for $11 and includes 26.2 feet (314 inches) of label

   I printed two labels that had this text in 24pt BOLD “TEST-XX-01”

   The DYMO label that was printed including wasted space on both sides was 2.75″ in length which would allow 100 labels to be printed on a $14 roll
   *** $0.14 per label
   The Brother label that was printed including wasted space on both sides was 4″ in length which would allow 78 labels to be printed on the $11 roll
   *** $0.14 per label
   *** TIE ***

   I printed two labels that had this text in 24pt BOLD “255.255.255.255”
   The DYMO label that was printed including wasted space on both sides was 3.375″ (3 3/8″) in length which would allow 81 labels on $14 roll
   *** $0.17 per label
   The Brother label that was printed including wasted space on both sides was 4.5″ in length which would allow 69 labels on a $11 roll
   *** $0.16 per label
   *** BROTHER WINS ***

   The DYMO would win with smaller labels, it seems that my first label tested is about the tie breaker in size.

   Bottom line:
   If you print SMALL labels, you will get more for your money using a DYMO label printer with less waste per label
   If you print larger labels, you will get more for your money using a BROTHER label printer even though it waste more per label
   The DYMO generally prints more labels per roll than the brother, even though there is less label per cart, however the Brother label is cheaper at this time.

   There is also the consideration that you might be ok with the extra tape used by the dymo, and that you might hate how much extra tape is used with the brother, … How much time might you spend trimming brother labels because they are huge?

   They are both great label makers … I hope this review helps someone make an informed decision!

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2. 

   Neatnik203 on March 1, 2015 at 2:29 pm

   234 of 244 people found the following review helpful

   
   Simplest to use and great results!, March 4, 2012

   By 

   Neatnik203 (Connecticut, USA) –

   This review is from: DYMO LabelManager 160 Hand Held Label Maker (Office Product)

   I am a professional organizer, so I have used a few different label makers. This one is by far the simplest to use and gives great results! It does not waste tape (like the P-Touch by Brother which spits out huge margins so you keep having to buy more tape constantly!) The buttons on this Dymo are very intuitive. I didn’t even have to read the directions to figure out how to use it. The font sizes are adjustable with the push of one button and they are called “8 point,” “10 point,” “12 point,” etc. just like on a computer, so you know generally how big they are instead of just calling them “small,” “medium,” and “large.” You can also underline, bold and change the orientation of the label with the touch of one simple button. Same with making the label have multiple lines of text. I am so happy to have finally found a simple, economical label maker! The last label maker I liked was also a Dymo and I used it happily for years. Then I had a P-touch that ate both tape and batteries like crazy! This Dymo is brand new, so I can’t speak to its longevity yet, but so far, I’m very impressed!

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3. 

   l2 on March 1, 2015 at 2:56 pm

   134 of 148 people found the following review helpful

   
   more expensive to use than similar Brother label makers, April 25, 2012

   By 

   l2 (California) –
   
     

   This review is from: DYMO LabelManager 160 Hand Held Label Maker (Office Product)

   Vine Customer Review of Free Product (What’s this?)

   I’ve been using the cheapest Brother label makers for years. Never had a problem with them. Brother replacement label tapes are widely available and pretty cheap.

   This Dymo labeler is very comparable to the cheap Brother label makers. The product is shaped a little differently, but about the same general size. Dymo uses 6 AAA batteries instead of the 6 AA in the Brother, but the Dymo is still a little heavier. Features are about the same and print quality is about the same. Price for the label maker is about the same.

   Of the two, I have to recommend Brother because the replacement labeling tapes are much cheaper. Here on Amazon, Dymo tapes are $11.36 (list price $19.99) for 1/2″ x 23′ tapes. Brother tapes are $6.89 (list price $12.99) for 1/2″ x 26′ tapes. That’s double the price for the tapes. If you use a lot of tapes, that adds up pretty quickly.

   4 stars because this product works as advertised. Knocking off one star because of the cost of the replacement tapes compared to the competition.

   Price comparison for the tapes:
   DYMO Labeling Tape, D1, Split Back , adhesive, Easy Peel, ½” x 23′, (45013), Black Print on White Tape
   Brother M231 1/2-Inch Black on White Tape for P-Touch Labeler

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