I actually picked this fax machine up at a local retailer when I saw it in a weekly advertisement. It was 30 bucks after rebate. I thought it would be a great value since I occasionally (but not often) need to fax for the business I run out of my home.
I'm very technical, so I was pleasantly surprised by all of the features backed into this inexpensive unit.
I'm highly skeptical of any inexpensive printing device, since manufacturers usually get your money on the replacement ink cartridges. I had no intention of using this machine for printing anything -- only SENDING faxes.
I was aware that fax resolution is always low compared to resolution of scanning a document or photo copying it. But, I figured all fax machines would be equally "low resolution". How tough can it be to hit a low standard?
The first thing I did was to send myself a fax by directing it to an incoming fax service I use (j2.com). I was disappointed. Upon digging into the specs of several fax machines I noticed that most decent fax machines provide 300x300 resolution (that seems to be the max...but is also very common). This fax machine provides less (note fax and copy resolutions are different).
I also noticed fax speeds are different: This fax machine advertises 15 sec per page. HPs I've looked at range from 3-6 seconds per page. HPs also handle color faxes. Entry-level HPs seem to run about $99 retail.
I also noticed that when I picked up the chinsy plastic handset I had static/noise in the background. Not obnoxious, but noticeable.
All in all, I'll pay a little more for something better. But if you don't care about fax resolution or speed, this may be fine for you.