Comparison between the Brother PTH110 vs the Dymo LM160
If you are shopping for a good budget label maker, you might be having a tough time deciding between these 2 models (like I was). I recently purchased this model, and also had an opportunity to try the Dymo as well, and I feel this one takes the cake.
I conducted a few tests to determine print quality and durability you can see in the photos. The white label is printed from the Brother, and the clear label was printed with the Dymo (I did not have access to white dymo labels). Basic print quality for a standard font appears roughly the same on each. The pictures with the labels on the jar were taken after a cycle through the dishwasher, in which both labels held up great without issues. Brother advertises its labels as being laminated, and this does indeed seem to drastically increase durability as can be seen in my sandpaper test. The picture with the letter D on a piece of wood were taken after giving 30 light strokes to each using 600 grit sandpaper. You can see the clear winner in this case is the Brother.
Some other things to point out. Other reviewers claimed the brother wasted tape with extra large margins, however they must have been unaware that the margins are adjustable, with a default of 1 inch, but you can easily make it 1/4 inch. Sometimes however with the small margins, one side will be slightly larger, and include a cut mark, and you must manually cut it to size in that situation.
Also it shines with a greater level of options with fonts, brackets, styles, symbols etc. You can actually look up the pdf instructions on each manufacturers site (or in my links I will post below) to see more about what types of fonts, brackets, symbols each has, but in short the brother has many more options, and you can make labels that look far more stylish than what the Dymo can do. You can see the picture of the silicone label with the fancy bracket, outline lettering, and a drop shadow. I was surprised to find that the drop shadow even worked with things like the symbols, so if you put a heart in there for example, it will have the drop shadow as well.
The menus were quite intuitive and easy to use. Most settings were pretty easy to find, and I only referred to the instructions a couple of times.
Overall I am very happy. If you want an even better one (supposedly, I have not personally used it) you can step up to the Brother PT-D210, which has more fonts/symbols/etc but quite frankly, for me at least this one meets my needs well
Links to instructions for comparison
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I bought this to replace another Brother P-touch hand-held label maker, which I had for many years. This arrived today and I am very pleased with it. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles that you might find with another label maker, and some people might be disappointed that it only offers 3 fonts, but the choices it offers - which are plenty - are all I need. I especially like that I can adjust the margins, which wasn't available with my last one and I always felt the large margins were a waste of tape. I also like that I can make cable labels. Instructions that were included are excellent. It's very easy to use, doesn't take up a lot of space, is sturdy, and prints a good-looking label . I like that I have the choice to add an adapter instead of using batteries; although, if this label maker is like my last Brother label maker, the batteries last a long time.
Does everything I need it to. Three different fonts and dozens of images. Can print 2 lines as well.
I saved $11 on this purchase by getting a refurbished device. Since I've never had a label maker go bad (eight in almost 30 years), I figured we were just looking at a return. I was correct in that the box was torn and everything else looked fine.
This is my fifth Brother labeler (four were P-touch) and one of the cheapest. I looked back at my older reviews and see where I have paid as much as $140 for the Brother PT2730 and spent a couple of hours learning how to use it. This machine is one where you can be printing out labels in 5 minutes without reading any instructions. I also have a couple that connect to the computer but most of the time all I need is a small one I can run around with.
For most people, a simple one like this is all you need.
I'm no label expert but this one gets the job done and is easy to use. The margin thing is annoying but if using the cheaper tape it's no big deal. Also, it's silly the cord costs more than the labeler and is sold separately. I so far just use batteries and I'm not using the label machine all the time so I haven't had to change them out yet and I've had the labeler for about 2-3 months and have lableled all my kids toy storage, our kitchen including the fridge (I went a little nuts with our 3rd kid), laundry room and kid's closets to give you an idea of battery life for the occasional binge label user.
Feature Product
- LIGHTWEIGHT AND PORTABLE: Brother makes printing labels at virtually any location simple with this lightweight and portable label maker
- EASY-TYPE KEYBOARD: To make typing text simple, the PT-H110 Easy Portable Label Maker features a QWERTY-style keyboard
- ONE-TOUCH KEYS: The PTH110 label maker includes one-touch keys that allow easy access to font, size, style, and frames
- MULTIPLE STYLES AND FONTS: The Brother Easy Portable Label Maker features 3 fonts, 14 frames, and more than 250 symbols
- FOR USE WITH BROTHER GENUINE TAPES: Use Brother Genuine P-touch TZe tapes up to 12mm (approximately 1/2") for best performance..Maximum Print Speed (mm/sec):20
Description
If simplicity in designing and printing labels for office or personal use is important to you, this easy-to-use portable label maker is an exceptional choice. The Brother P-touch PT-H110 is portable and lightweight and was designed to make printing labels simple. The PT-H110 features a QWERTY keyboard that makes typing simple and reduces text errors. Before submitting the print job, users can review the content of each label thanks to an easy-to-read graphical display.
There are several features built into this portable label maker that help users create labels for personal or business applications. The useful cable-labeling feature is intended to help you easily organize your wires and cables. The PT-H110 also has a memory feature that allows you to save up to 15 labels for quick reprinting tasks. It prints one or two lines of text on labels up to 12mm or approximately ½” wide. Users can select from 3 fonts, 14 frames, and more than 250 symbols to create professional-looking labels. For use with Brother Genuine P-touch TZe tapes: TZe-S631, TZe-S621, TZe-S231, TZe-S221, TZe-S211, TZe-S135, TZe-S131, TZe-S121, TZe-N201, TZe-MQP35, TZe-MQG35, TZe-MQF31, TZe-MQE31, TZe-MQ934, TZe-MQ835, TZe-MQ531, TZe-FX631, TZe-FX231, TZe-FA3, TZe-AF231, TZe-631, TZe-421, TZe-335, TZe-334, TZe-325, TZe-315, TZe-232, TZe-2312PK, TZe-231, TZe-221, TZe-211, TZe-135, TZe-1312PK, TZe-131, TZe-121, TZe-111.
The PT-H110 uses Brother TZe tapes in a variety of sizes, colors, and types, including standard, acid-free, extra-strength adhesive, cable and wire, and fabric iron-on, among others. It’s powered by 6 AAA batteries (not included) or an optional AC adapter that can be purchased separately. This P-touch label maker is great for home, home office, and on-the-go use.
This is my first label maker, and I would say that it’s quite easy and intuitive to use. The only downside is that at the beginning of every label there’s a strip of tape that is wasted, and yes I’ve set the margins to narrow. I don’t know if all label makers do this, but it does make me sad to see that tape go to waste. The starter cartridge is a black ink on white if anybody wanted to know. Overall, it’s really nice and I like it!! I love to organize so this will most definitely be put to use in the future.
This is a great, easy to use label maker. If you want to be more organized, getting a label maker is a great way to start, it really forces you to condense and compartmentalize items. I’ve been using this solely for my son’s toys. They were everywhere and very disorganized. I purchased little bins from Target for $.80 each, organized and labeled and everything feels SO much cleaner.
Out of the box, the machine is a little intimidating looking, but it’s very intuitive to use. It saves your last used settings so you’re not constantly having to go back and reset. There are a TON of different font, spacing, and “design” options- I like things simple so I don’t use those much but I think that it will be a fun feature for labeling our kids items (waterbottles, lunch boxes etc) when they get older. Like other reviewers, the only thing I do not love is that it does use more tape on each side than I would like. In all, if you want an easy to use label maker, is highly recommend this one!
Very user friendly. I am not one to read instructions, I want something that is "user friendly" and if I have to read basic instructions on how to operate something then I wouldn't label it as such. There are several fonts to choose from, upper and lower case letters, as well as BOLD and regular, and several different sizes of font. The tape it comes with is white, not clear, and ink is black. I bought this to label all of the switches in my house because there are many (overhead lights, fans, fan lights, patio lights, lamps...) and then used it for labeling my kids Christmas presents from Santa (they know my handwriting too well). Great product for the price.
So this thing is super easy to use. I bought it over some other cheap label makers because of the QWERTY keyboard. Many others in this price range have an ABC style one. Thought that would take longer to type on than what I'm used to.
Build quality is fine. Doesn't feel like it's going to break or anything. If you buy Brother brand tape it's kinda pricey, but there are all kinds of aftermarket suppliers that offer refills much cheaper, so that's a plus.
I do have a couple issues, though none are major at all.
1) Why are there only 3 fonts? You get to choose from "Helsinki", "Brussels" or "Florida". I took a pic of all three. Just wish there were a few more options.
2) Brother should really consider placing commonly used symbols as a "SHIFT+" function on the number pad. It's kind of annoying to have to dig through a menu to get a dollar sign.
3) Why does the unit waste about an inch of tape per print? I get that margins can be reduced. I'm talking about the little bit it spits out before it prints. I get the impression this function exists solely to waste material(and thus cause you to buy more).
Overall am happy and would buy again.
***My Rating Criteria***
Build Quality(47.5%) - 5.0 Stars
Efficacy(47.5%) - 4.0 Stars
Post-Sale Support(0.0%) - n/a
Packaging/Presentation(5.0%) - 5.0 Stars
WEIGHTED AVERAGE(100.0%) - 4.5 STARS
Works great. Only reason I didn’t give it a 5 is because the ac adapter is “optional”. Which is stupid. Why not include with the product? Nope. Gotta purchase separately. Dumb.
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