Customer Reviews

Original HP 02 Ink Cartridges Combo-Pack (5 Color Cartridges) in Retail Packaging

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

I have confirmed through HP's web site that the ink levels in the 02 combo pack contain the same amount of ink as if you purchased a single 02 color cartrige. Beware though, the value pack that comes with photo paper does not contain the same ink amounts and is therefore a rip-off. I believe the ink cartriges in the value pack are similar to the new ones you receive with a new printer. There are almost always partially filled cartriges supplied with new printers.

HP 02 Inkjet Print Cartridge Color Combo Pack CC604FN#140
Most retailers including Amazon sell the Combo Pack which includes only Five 5 color cartridge. My local Sam s Club sells a Combo VALUE pack which also includes the black cartridge six cartridges . The cost is $57. Amazon please provide this option also.

Also, the HP printer that use the 02 cartridges give the message that ink level is low and cartridge MUST be replaced". Don t be fooled. Many more pages can be printed before there is a need to replace the cartridge.

Many have been disappointed to find that HP has some packages with a smaller capacity ink cartridge and therefore not the value originally thought.
This ad does not detail the ink in a cartridge capacity; check with the HP site to determine product specifications and compare with the capacity of buying an individual color cartridge versus the group package. Caution advised. (And seller including capacity of each cartridge) Note that black cartridge (usually larger) and color cartridges vary in capacity.

Good product but be very, very careful that you buy the five cartridge combo pack that does not include black. That is the one with the most ink in each cartridge. The combo pack that is sold as a photo combo, includes the black cartridge and 150 sheets of 4x6 photo paper has a lot less ink in them. I finally even spoke with a person at HP that confirmed it. I had to get a person in sales (USA) that could confirm it. Technical support and customer service online live chat (not USA) had no clue. The five cartridge combo box shows the volume of each color like the individual cartridges. The photo combo doesn't list the individual volumes only that it is enough to print 150 photos.

Buyer beware ...

HP printers have always been the most convenient for me. We currently have a C6180 wireless printer and it works great, I just cannot believe how much ink we go through. Our old printer used 56 and 57 inks and we had to replace them much less frequently. These smaller color ink cartridges are a rip of in my opinion, they simply don't last long enough for the price.

HP has the best value for a multi ink cartdridge home use series. Lowest cost per page, easiest replacement, and most efficient. Notice the two holes in the cartridges, it recycles most of the ink from printer Maintenance, and cleaning and what not. You will find that yellow usually runs out the quickest, becuase if you are printing photos yellow is used the most for skin tones and sky backgrounds and many nature scenes. Don't be fooled by the photo value pack, this package is the way to go. The photo value pack is a set of "custom" cartridges meant to do the 150 sheets of included 4x6 paper. On average a standalone cartridge or one from this value pack does about 240 4x6 photos.

HP has big problems with cartridges and Support of their ink cartridges. I have has 3 cartridges from 2 of these sets that would not be accepted by the printer. This happens when the electronic chip or its programing is defective or is damaged in transit. This is not terribly unusual but 3 in the same week is. All were within 30 days of purchase and all were sealed until they were installed and refused to print. New replacements did work.
The real problem comes when you try to get them replaced under warranty. There is no clear way to contact HP. You need to go to the support section and report it as a problem, Then you get a reply asking you to do several things and print a report which can not be printed with a defective cartridge and scan it and send it to them. Failing that they want 13 separate pieces of information most of which are not printed on the cartridge. Then you get a reply that says it will be replaced but you need to fill out another set of questions and give them the serial number of your printer. This is a lot to expect of a consumer who has done nothing more than buy a printer cartridge.
So far the single pack cartridges are OK. Stick with them or avoid HP altogether.

Actual full cartridges in this one. Beware of the combo pack that includes photo paper. They do it by shorting the amount of ink in the cartridges.

Not much to say. They print vivid, they haven't clogged, it was cheaper than buying them individually, and I didn't have to leave the house.

In regards to a previous reviewer, this pack does come with 100% filled cartridges. Perhaps it is the ink/paper combo pack that shortchanges you. Though, I should have read the description of this pack better. This combo pack does NOT come with Black Ink. Bad HP! -1 star for you.

First off - I swore off (and at!) HP printers back during the Windows 98 to Windows XP SP1 days. Their print heads would fail early and they did not have multi-cartridge units like those today that take the Vivera 02 ink cartridges. I gave them a 2nd chance with their HP Photosmart C6180 all-in-one unit. It has been a great experience for the price.

The only ink cartridges I will use at this point are OEM since my experience with refurbs has shown that quality, yield and performance are poor with the replicas. Check out the marketing videos that HP has put together with/for Amazon about ink cartridges - most if not all of it is very accurate. The Vivera ink is awesome both for its visual quality, longevity and overall pricing. However - the marketing for the Vivera 02 cartridges by HP is terrible - and the pricing for the higher volume XL cartridges is wrong.

It is very confusing to find a clear online store-front that explains the difference between the newer XL Vivera 02 cartridges and the original regular cartridges. When I search for HP 02 ink cartridges I should get all results for both the original lower volume cartridge and the XL higher volume cartride - but the results are varied and you end up searching on HP 02XL, etc.

The XL packaging says that it yields 50% more pages. If you search the HP website you can eventually discover the exact volume of each cartridge. Printer manufacturers should be required to market both their cartridges yield and volume. However the Amazon listings do not always show the details. XL cartridges only come in black, magenta, cyan and yellow - there are no XL light cyan or light magenta cartridges mysteriously. XL packaging only comes with a twin pack for the black and a single pack for each color. Finally, unless I failed math the pricing for ANY XL cartridge is expensive.

As of today, April 8th, 2011 -
Unless I failed arithmetic you are getting a better value by not buying the XL cartridges unless you find a better price than shown below:

Get a HP 02 black 'reg' cartridge 2pk for $30.98 with free shipping. That equates to $15.49 per cartridge. The XL black 2pk is $55.98 which is $27.64 each. However using the 50% more for an XL cart yield, you would pay $23.24 for one and a half regular black cartridges. So in effect you are paying over $4.50 more for the convenience of the XL cart!

Similarly, the 5pk combo color package of the regular volume cartridges is $40.57 which is about $8.11 for each cartridge. The XL color 1pk (only packaging of XL color available now) is $14.99. Using the 50% more for an XL cart yield, you would pay $12.17 for a one and a half regular color cartridge. So in effect you are paying over $2.70 more for the convenience of the XL cart!