Brother LC20E Color Ink 3-Pack Review: Worth It?
“Super high‑yield” on the box, but at least one buyer said the set was “empty very quickly” after “a maximum of 15 pages.” That tension defines the conversation around the Brother LC20E Color Ink Cartridge 3‑Pack. Across retail and community sources, the 3‑pack draws strong approval for convenience and OEM reliability, but a smaller, loud cluster of users report surprisingly short life, pale prints, or region‑lock headaches. Overall verdict from compiled feedback: solid OEM choice with notable edge‑case risks. Score: 7.8/10.
Quick Verdict
Conditional Yes — strong for people who want genuine Brother color ink and easy swaps, but the yield and compatibility experience varies enough that heavy color printers and international users should be cautious.
| What users like | Evidence | What users dislike | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long-lasting high‑yield performance (for many) | Best Buy reviewer Stony said: “great ink, lasts a super long time!” | Reports of extremely short lifespan | Reddit user (no username listed) said: “magenta and cyan cartridges were empty very quickly… I printed a maximum of 15 pages.” |
| Easy installation | A verified buyer on Amazon noted: “works great… just what I needed.” Another said in Spanish: “fácil de instalar… súper practico.” | Pale/washed prints for some | Reddit user (no username listed) said: “print quality was terrible… everything was… so greyscale.” |
| Reliable OEM quality vs knockoffs | A verified buyer on Amazon noted: “better than the knock offs… works and fits well.” | Country/region chip lock | A verified buyer on Amazon warned: “does not work abroad… chip… has a country code.” |
| Convenient 3‑pack | A verified buyer on Amazon noted: “nice to get all 3 cartridges in one box.” | Price sometimes worse than buying singles | Reddit user (no username listed) said: “this pack… costs higher than if you just bought each cartridge individually.” |
| Vivid color output (for many) | Best Buy reviewer nw madman said: “colors are vivid and grayscale works well.” | Ink used up during calibration | A verified buyer on Amazon said: “used 40% of the ink calibrating the printer.” |
Claims vs Reality
Brother markets these as “super high‑yield” color cartridges with “up to 1,200 pages per cartridge,” designed to work “seamlessly” with Inkvestment printers like the MFC‑J5920DW and MFC‑J985DW. Many users echo that promise. Best Buy reviewer grandma shirl described the appeal for busy households: “large size ink refills are easy to replace and last so much longer… cut down so much on the cost of expensive ink.” Another Best Buy customer, mr ja, said the LC20E XXL cartridges “go much farther than similarly advertised cartridges from other brands.”
Digging deeper into user reports, that yield claim doesn’t land consistently. While officially rated around 1,200 pages per color cartridge, multiple users on Reddit/Revain describe implausibly low output. One wrote: “super short lifespan… I printed a maximum of 15 pages… worked about 1 week before they were empty.” Another complained that after a few months, “problems started… seemed like clogged injectors… then… the three color cartridges were empty.” The gap suggests either defective/old stock or printer maintenance cycles eating ink for some buyers.
Brother also implies you’ll get rich, vivid color because these are genuine OEM cartridges. That matches many stories. Best Buy reviewer red apple said: “easy to install and the quality of print is fantastic,” and nw madman called them “best ink for brother printer… colors are vivid.” Yet a smaller subset reports the opposite. A Reddit user said the prints looked “so light… so greyscale it’s not even funny,” and suspected “an old cartridge that has dried out over time.”
Finally, marketing rarely emphasizes region coding, but buyers bring it up. A verified buyer on Amazon wrote: “my printer refused to work with these cartridges… chip… has a country code… Brother should be ashamed.” That’s a reality check for international users or people importing cartridges.
Cross-Platform Consensus
Universally Praised
The most consistent praise is simple: these cartridges work when you want genuine Brother ink. For owners who’ve been burned by third‑party compatibles, the LC20E 3‑pack reads as a safe reset. A verified buyer on Amazon said: “I’ve never had a bad experience with oem cartridges… lousy print quality, clogged nozzles… never again,” framing OEM as insurance against nozzle issues. Best Buy reviewer mmckenna67 echoed that logic, explaining their preference for original inks to “insure fewer clogging issues with the ink heads,” and that the Brother originals “provide vivid colors.”
For home offices and small businesses, longevity is a second theme. Best Buy reviewer Stony said: “really like how long these cartridges last… love these high yield versions,” and even described squeezing extra time by reseating cartridges when the printer warned early. That kind of story matters for high‑volume users: fewer interruptions, fewer last‑minute supply runs. Another Best Buy customer, business owner, wrote: “I get a lot of pages from this particular item… great bargain for the price.”
Ease of installation rounds out the praise. Multiple buyers describe it as a frictionless swap. A verified buyer on Amazon put it plainly: “works great… works just fine.” Another Amazon reviewer wrote: “viene listo para usarse… súper practico,” emphasizing that it’s ready to use without special knowledge. Best Buy’s skunk 63 added: “so easy to insert and has lasted longer than the last printer ink I used.” For less technical users, that reassurance is part of the product’s perceived value.
Common Complaints
A recurring pattern emerged around unexpectedly fast depletion or poor yield — especially jarring because the cartridges are branded “super high‑yield.” The most extreme reports come from Reddit/Revain. One user said: “magenta and cyan cartridges were empty very quickly… maximum of 15 pages,” calling the set “too expensive for such a short lifespan.” Another framed it as intermittent failure after storage or time: “after 3 months the problems started… clogged injectors… then… cartridges were empty.” These narratives hit hardest for heavy color printers (marketing materials, photos, school projects), where a sudden empty warning can stop workflows.
Print quality complaints show up in the same cluster. A Reddit user wrote: “print quality was terrible… so light… so greyscale,” and recommended buying “regular inks” instead. The story implies either defective cartridges or aged ink. While these aren’t the dominant reviews on retail sites, they’re detailed enough to be worth noting for photo‑heavy users who care about saturation.
Price frustration is more subtle but present. A Reddit reviewer said, “buying individually is cheaper,” noting that the bundled 3‑pack “costs higher than if you just bought each cartridge individually.” For cost‑sensitive buyers, that pushes them to compare per‑cartridge deals rather than assume a multipack discount.
Another common annoyance is that Brother printers often require all colors present to print even black‑only jobs. A verified buyer on Amazon said: “the cartridges work fine but I don’t like the fact that if even one color is ‘empty’, the printer won’t function… forced to buy color cartridges just to print with black ink.” That’s not a cartridge defect, but it’s a real part of the ownership experience tied to this 3‑pack.
Divisive Features
Region‑locking is the clearest divisive issue. Some users never encounter it, while international buyers describe it as a deal‑breaker. The Amazon reviewer in Israel said their printer “refused to work,” then discovered “the chip… has a country code,” and described the chip‑swap workaround as “non‑trivial and very annoying.” For US‑based buyers with matching printers, this never surfaces; for cross‑border users, it dominates the experience.
Yield perception is similarly split. Best Buy and Amazon lean strongly positive (“lasts a super long time,” “economical cost per page”), while Reddit/Revain includes sharp negatives (“super short lifespan”). The contradiction suggests either inconsistent batches, different usage patterns (calibration cycles, infrequent printing causing drying), or mismatched expectations.
Trust & Reliability
Trustpilot/Revain threads tilt negative, focusing on what look like dud or old cartridges. One Reddit/Revain user connected their problems to aging stock: “I think it could be an old cartridge that has dried out over time,” and another said “must be old and clogged injectors.” Those concerns matter because ink is perishable; buyers who store spares for a long time may be more exposed.
Long‑term reliability stories are stronger on Best Buy. Reviewers there often mention steady performance over months. Mr ja said the cartridges “have been quite good so far,” and jaj rocketman noted they were “still running on the original ones… no issues with the quality.” These accounts paint a picture of durability when the cartridge/printer pairing is straightforward and the ink is fresh.
Alternatives
Only a few competitors are mentioned directly in user data, mostly as comparisons to other brands and generics. Best Buy reviewer winnie said Brother ink is “better than hp and cannon,” suggesting some users switch to Brother for higher perceived value. Amazon buyers also contrast OEM with third‑party compatibles: one said “better than the knock offs… you get what you pay for,” while a Reddit critic argued the opposite, telling others to “buy generic and you will be happy.” So the real alternative in user talk is generic cartridges: cheaper upfront, but with disputed quality and clogging risk.
Price & Value
Prices vary by seller, with users citing both savings and sticker shock. Best Buy lists the 3‑pack around $39–$40, and reviewers frequently call it “reasonable” or a “great bargain.” Business owner said it’s a “great bargain for the price,” and januszs called the 3‑pack “cost‑effective.”
Resale/market listings on eBay show wide spread from about $22 open‑box to $50+ new sealed sets, reinforcing that hunting for deals can change value dramatically. Community tips revolve around comparing singles vs multipacks. A Reddit user’s warning — “buying individually is cheaper!” — is the key buying lesson from negative pricing stories.
FAQ
Q: Do the Brother LC20E color cartridges really last 1,200 pages each?
A: Officially, Brother rates each color cartridge at about 1,200 pages. Many Best Buy buyers support long life, like Stony saying they “last a super long time.” But Reddit/Revain users report much lower yields, including one who got “a maximum of 15 pages,” likely tied to defects or old stock.
Q: Are these better than third‑party or generic cartridges?
A: Many users prefer OEM for reliability. An Amazon buyer said knockoffs caused “lousy print quality, clogged nozzles,” while OEM was trouble‑free. Another said LC20E is “better than the knock offs.” A minority on Reddit recommend generics for value after bad OEM experiences.
Q: Will my printer stop working if one color runs out?
A: Some Brother Inkvestment printers require all colors to be present. An Amazon reviewer complained that if one color is “empty,” the printer “won’t function,” forcing color purchases even for black‑only printing. This is printer behavior, not unique to this 3‑pack.
Q: Can I use these cartridges if I bought my printer in another country?
A: Several users say no. An Amazon buyer in Israel reported the printer “refused to work” because the cartridge chip has a “country code.” They mentioned swapping chips from old cartridges as a workaround, but called it “very annoying.”
Q: Are installation and compatibility straightforward?
A: Most users say yes when paired with supported Brother models. Amazon buyers describe them as “works great” and “fácil de instalar,” and Best Buy reviewers say they “fit… just as advertised.” Problems mainly appear in region‑locked cases or suspected old cartridges.
Final Verdict
Buy if you’re a US‑based Brother Inkvestment owner who wants genuine OEM color ink, easy installation, and (for most buyers) long high‑yield runs — the users calling it “vivid,” “fantastic,” and “cost‑effective” reflect that experience.
Avoid if you print heavy color and can’t tolerate the risk of a dud batch, or if you’re using a printer bought abroad; the “super short lifespan” stories and “does not work abroad” warning show real downside scenarios.
Pro tip from the community: compare the 3‑pack price to singles before checkout, because as one Reddit user put it, “buying individually is cheaper!”
