Customer Reviews

Brother DR400 Replacement Drum Cartridge

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Firstly, this drum unit is compatible with the following models, most of which are not listed here on Amazon.

From the Brother web site:

For use with:
DCP1200, DCP1400, HL1230, HL1240, HL1250, HL1270N, HL1435, HL1440, HL1450, HL1470N, INTELLIFAX4100, INTELLIFAX4750, INTELLIFAX4750e, INTELLIFAX5750, INTELLIFAX5750e, MFC8300, MFC8500, MFC8600, MFC8700, MFC9600, MFC9700, MFC9800, MFCP2500

We have four Brother MFC-9700 models at my work, and they have been quite good. After about a year, a few of them have developed a vertical splotchy line. Upon inspection, there was excess toner on the green drum inside the drum unit. After wiping it off it would work for a while but came back soon after.

I learned that the drum unit is a wear and tear item and needs replacing once a year or less if you use it alot. As the reviewer above noted, the separate drum and toner units on the Brother Laser machines prevent you from having to buy both together each time you are out of toner, but you will need to replace the drum unit at some point. This solution is quite elegant as the drum unit has a much longer life than the toner cartridge and makes for cheaper toner cartridges.

This replacement drum will solve the vertical line and other issues. Great price here on Amazon as well, almost half the price our local printer fix-it shop wanted.

The DR400 drum for Brother Printers provides crisp and clean printing. Comparing the printing of the Brother HL1240 using the DR400 drum to one of the high-end printers, I really see no difference in quality. One drawback to the DR400 is the pricetag. I have replaced two drums in the last year, but of course I do a high volume of printing. I guess for the money, the DR400 is a good buy.

Brother's separate drum/toner cartridge arrangement makes for a longer life of the toner output equipment overall. Having been the owner of laser printers and inkjet printers for many years, I can say that Brother's solution is very nice. Here's why. In the arrangement used by HP, for example where the toner cartridge and drum are combined, if the drum is scratched, or otherwise damaged, the cartridge is ruined. That's the end; it must be replaced. In this arrangement, however, it is possible to fix the drum. Should a splotch appear, it's possible to wipe it off and even vacuum out the drum, if necessary. Sometimes when a cartridge is about to run out of toner, for example, it burps out a little extra toner. Because you can separate the drum from the cartridge, it's possible to clean this up instead of just throwing out the whole cartridge before it's really worn out. Another advantage along the same lines is being able to remove pieces of paper that get stuck inside the drum should a paper jam occur. Now as far as the economics of laser printer versus inkjet printer go, just figure it out for yourself. Do the math and come up with the best compromise of print yield, resolution, etc. In terms of comparing the cost of combined drum/toner cartridges versus the cost of separate drum/cartridges, I found that there was little difference on a per-print basis. Add to that the convenience of recovering from problems described at the beginning of my comments, and I am forced to conclude that the Brother solution is the best.

The original drum in my HL-1440 lasted 3+ years.

I bought this DR400 replacement drum, and after a couple months it started streaking my paper.

Bought ANOTHER new replacement drum in December. It is now March, and the "drum" light just came on, and I can't print anything. I estimate that I've printed MAYBE 700 pages on this newest drum.

What a piece of junk! I'll buy a whole new laser printer, and it will cost less than I've spent on these drums in the last 6 months!

Very disappointed in product. The quality of my printed documents has diminished markedly when compared to the print quality I recieved using the OEM Brother DR400 drum cartridge.

I have used Brother MFC 9700 for over 12 years. A couple of months ago I replaced the drum for the first time. Very easy to replace and works without any problems. Given that I have printed about 16,000-20,000 pages and had 4-5 toners and 1 drum, it was a very good investment. I expect the new drum to last another 10 years. The laser printer has outlasted all of my other electronics. I also scanned a 6-drawer file cabinet full of documents using automatic sheet feeder, and the rubber rollers still look like new. It just works and works!

Don't buy this product. This is just a recycled Drum unit, and won't last. If a real NEW drum unit lasts 20,000 pages and costs $200, then for $20 this drum should last at least 1000 pages, but it don't. Only about 100 pages.
Don't waste your money.

What's even more fishy is that the seller is changing names. I originally bought this drum from TONERIZE for $28, and its a bust. Tried again from CHAR's Enterprises for $58 and a NEW drum, but, much to my surprise, when I tried to link my prior order to Tonerize to leave this review, the item links back to here and my new order from Char's. Clearly something fishy going on. I intend to return the new drum as soon as it arrives. Going down to the Staples to buy a REAL NEW DRUM unit.

I replaced a Brother drum with this off-label one. It cleaned up the grayish printing of the old worn-out drum, as expected and desired. Has been working well for the last 2 months. I am not a heavy printer user (office).

Considering I paid $150 for the printer many years ago, spending $110 to replace a part seems overkill. I guess time to get a new printer.

The Brother DR400 drum is working flawlessly for the past year. It is easy to install, and I thank Amazon for sending it so quickly. I can't do without the drum or Amazon. Thank you, Amazon, for such splendid service.