Customer Reviews

HP 33 Black Ink Cartridge in Retail Packaging

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

 

 

This cartridge offers the quality you expect from any other cartridge. My problem with it, which most people won't notice till it's too late, is that the M in its product code stands for "Mobile" which is just a fancy term for half-full. They make it "lighter" for people on the go who have their notebook printer with them. Whatever...it runs out in half the time of a regular cartridge. Do yourself a favor, go with the models that have an "A" in their model number....they really aren't much heavier- I promise you won't notice.

I have no problems with this cartridge when it's spanking new. But you take your chances when you buy a cheap (i.e. <$10) print cartridge via the Marketplace.
The story:
The first time I bought an HP33 or HP51633M (older model no.) through Amazon or its Marketplace I paid very close to full retail price (i.e. very close to HP's own price). Then I saw a bunch of sellers offering the product at a fraction of the cost because it was past its original expiration date. I figured it was worth a try. Six times in the last 4 months I have done so and had frustratingly poor results: 1 worked fine (the first or second, which encouraged me); 1 started out working fine, then repeatedly clogged (the other one of the first two); 1 looked like it was going to be fine but the layers of the metal print contact strip separated, creating a badly blurred print; 1 was a mistake by the seller; and 2 arrived with ink that seeped out and turned into an ugly mass that ruined the print contact strip. (I suspect that the summer heat played a major role in this last problem, which might not recur in the spring or fall, but the age of the ink could have played a role, too. And who knows where these independent sellers got their supplies from in the first place or how they stored them?)
Bottom line:
17% success rate. I received a refund or functional replacement for 3 out of the 5 bad buys. So I ended up out of pocket around $65 for two fully functional cartridges - a little less than what I'd pay at full price. But the aggravation and hassle is not worth it! Now that I have my functional replacement, I'm done with this game.

I have no problems with this cartridge when it's spanking new. But you take your chances when you buy a cheap (i.e. <$10) print cartridge via the Marketplace.
The story:
The first time I bought an HP33 or HP51633M (older model no.) through Amazon or its Marketplace I paid very close to full retail price (i.e. very close to HP's own price). Then I saw a bunch of sellers offering the product at a fraction of the cost because it was past its original expiration date. I figured it was worth a try. Six times in the last 4 months I have done so and had frustratingly poor results: 1 worked fine (the first or second, which encouraged me); 1 started out working fine, then repeatedly clogged (the other one of the first two); 1 looked like it was going to be fine but the layers of the metal print contact strip separated, creating a badly blurred print; 1 was a mistake by the seller; and 2 arrived with ink that seeped out and turned into an ugly mass that ruined the print contact strip. (I suspect that the summer heat played a major role in this last problem, which might not recur in the spring or fall, but the age of the ink could have played a role, too. And who knows where these independent sellers got their supplies from in the first place or how they stored them?)
Bottom line:
17% success rate. I received a refund or functional replacement for 3 out of the 5 bad buys. I ended up out of pocket around $65 for two fully functional cartridges - a little less than what I'd pay at full price. I went through this when I'm hard up for cash (underemployment). But the aggravation and hassle is not worth it! Now that I have my functional replacement, I'm done with this game.

M does not stand for "mobile". It stands for "monochrome"--the mobile printer can also print color if you purchase the correct cartridge. 51633M prints only black. My cartridges never came half-filled.