Dell B1160w Pro Reviews

A low price, plenty of features and great print quality – a worthy award-winner

The Dell B1160w monochrome laser printer is an efficient, dependable workhorse for individual use at home or on your work desk. The ability to add users over a wireless network is useful as well, but keep in mind that the low price means that you won't get fancy features like an auto-document feeder, manual bypass feed tray, or an Ethernet port. If you're comfortable with those omissions, you'll be satisfied with your purchase.

The Dell B1160w is nearly identical to the Samsung ML-2165w that we reviewed earlier this year thanks to a behind the scenes partnership so customers can expect a great product. But like the Samsung ML-2165w, the one potential problem I see is that the B1160w is going to fall into niche market since it is an ultra compact single function monochrome laser printer. You'll need to be looking for a very specific need; perhaps for a home or small office that wants a no-hassle device that prints quickly and reliably. On the bright side, the B1160w has a suggested retail price of $119 ($99 without wireless connectivity) and gives users' a laser quality product without the hassle of multiple consumables thanks to a single unit toner cartridge and a lifetime fuser guarantee.

The Dell B1160w Wireless Mono Laser Printer doesn't stand out in any way, but it's a reasonable fit as a personal printer, with suitable speed and output quality.

As with the ML-2165W, overall we liked this printer. At same time, we recognize that neither model is a mainstream laser device. You'd need a reason other than cost-per-page economics to purchase either of them: You're short on space, or you need something that's relatively easy to carry around.The B1160w's overall value as an everyday office machine is not as attractive as its petite size. You can buy other models, such as Dell's B1260dn, with twice the volume rating and a better per-page operational value, for just a little more money. When printing 10,000 pages per month, for instance, the B1260dn's 3.3-cent CPP, versus the B1160w's 4-cent CPP, will save you $840 over the course of a year. The difference in price between these two printers is $30.