HP 89Y (CF289Y) Toner Review: Great for High-Volume
A Staples reviewer didn’t just say the HP 89Y Black Extra High-yield Toner Cartridge lasts a long time—they said it “lasted for over a year,” despite printing “a lot of documents.” That single detail captures the dominant theme across the available feedback: this cartridge is bought for volume, and many buyers feel it delivers. Verdict: Recommended for high-volume offices — 8.3/10.
The official positioning is clear: HP markets the CF289Y as an extra high-yield, professional-quality, reliability-first cartridge with anti-fraud tech and efficiency features. Digging deeper into user reports, the strongest real-world stories don’t obsess over “JetIntelligence” or “Page Maximizer”—they obsess over uptime: fewer swaps, fewer headaches, and consistent output.
That said, a recurring counterpoint emerged in the same review stream: people who like the cartridge still resent what they pay for it. As one Staples reviewer put it bluntly: “too much for toner staples lower ur prices plz.”
Quick Verdict
Yes—conditional. If you print a lot every month and prioritize predictable results, user feedback (especially from Staples) leans positive on longevity, reliability, and service. If you’re price-sensitive, the loudest complaint is cost.
| Decision | Evidence from user feedback | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buy | Strong satisfaction with longevity and quality | Offices printing frequently | Retail pricing frustration |
| Buy | Preference for genuine HP for fewer issues | IT-managed fleets | Paying premium for OEM |
| Buy | Positive fulfillment/delivery experiences | Businesses with downtime costs | Availability varies by seller |
| Consider alternatives | Users complain about price | Budget-focused buyers | “Compatible” options aren’t reviewed here as user experiences |
Claims vs Reality
HP’s marketing and listings repeatedly emphasize a ~20,000 page yield, professional-quality output, and reliability features like anti-fraud technology and print-gauge tracking. The most useful “reality check” in the provided data comes from Staples customer narratives, where buyers describe how long it actually lasted, and whether it reduced interruptions.
Claim 1: “Extra high yield” and fewer replacements (~20,000 pages).
While HP and multiple retailers list the cartridge as yielding “~20,000 pages,” the most vivid real-world confirmation is duration-based rather than page-count-based. A Staples reviewer posted May 11, 2024, saying: “this toner that we bought lasted for over a year and we print a lot of documents so i'm very pleased with the yield and the quality that this toner prints.” For high-volume offices, that “over a year” story is the kind of operational win that matters more than an ISO number on a spec sheet.
At the same time, the feedback doesn’t provide many hard page-count diaries, so the evidence is experiential: it lasts “much longer” for some buyers and reduces cartridge changes. Staples reviewer “acct 66” described a high-volume workflow payoff: “perfect for high volume printing and eliminates the need for constantly changing toner cartridges.”
Claim 2: Reliable, professional-quality printing with genuine HP.
Marketing leans heavily on “professional-quality pages” and consistency. The user-facing version of that claim shows up as risk avoidance: fewer issues, predictable operation, and support when needed. A Staples reviewer identified as “it manager” wrote: “we only use genuine ink & toner, seldom have issues and receive good support if we do. will buy again.” That’s not a lab-grade print-quality measurement—but it’s exactly how many organizations evaluate toner: does it keep the printer fleet stable?
Another Staples reviewer reinforced the general “stick with HP” mindset: “can't go wrong with genuine hp,” again framing the value as reliability rather than a specific darkness level or sharpness test.
Claim 3: “Low cost per page.”
Here, the gap between marketing language and buyer sentiment is clearest. Retail listings describe “low cost per page,” but actual reviewers repeatedly zoom in on sticker price. One Staples reviewer (May 2, 2025) complained: “too much for toner staples lower ur prices plz is what try to tell u on every review i do.” Even when buyers like the product, they still challenge the value proposition at typical OEM pricing.
While some buyers did call it a good buy, those statements were often relative to other OEM options rather than “cheap.” For example, a Staples reviewer (Oct 29, 2020) said: “it was the most cost effective out of all the cartridges for the printer,” suggesting that within the HP-compatible set, the extra high yield option can look like the best deal—despite still being expensive.
Cross-Platform Consensus
Universally Praised
The most consistent praise in the available user feedback clusters around three themes: longevity, reliability when using genuine HP, and fast delivery/fulfillment. Digging deeper into user reports, the “why” is practical: downtime costs money, and frequent toner swaps break momentum in busy offices.
First, longevity/yield satisfaction stands out as the flagship story for high-volume users. A Staples reviewer (May 11, 2024) described a heavy-printing environment and wrote: “lasted for over a year… very pleased with the yield and the quality.” For an office manager or operations lead, that kind of timeframe can translate into fewer purchase orders, fewer emergency runs, and fewer interruptions when a team is pushing invoices, reports, or manuals.
Second, genuine HP reliability is praised in a way that fits IT and admin personas. A Staples reviewer listed as “it manager” said: “we only use genuine ink & toner, seldom have issues and receive good support if we do. will buy again.” For teams managing multiple devices or mission-critical printing, “seldom have issues” is often more valuable than saving a small amount per page—because troubleshooting printer errors and failed prints can eat hours.
Third, service speed and delivery experience repeatedly shows up in Staples reviews, suggesting that fulfillment reliability is part of the perceived value. A reviewer named “karen c.” wrote: “needed cartridge asap and, as usual, excellent friendly next day delivery service!” Another reviewer, “robert d.”, connected delivery speed directly to business continuity: “the items were deliver quickly and efficiently, so our business kept moving.” For small businesses, the story here is simple: fast arrival reduces downtime risk when toner runs low unexpectedly.
- Staples reviewer (May 11, 2024): “lasted for over a year… very pleased with the yield and the quality”
- Staples reviewer “it manager” (Jan 23, 2024): “seldom have issues… good support… will buy again”
- Staples reviewer “karen c.” (Oct 6, 2022): “excellent friendly next day delivery service!”
- Staples reviewer “robert d.” (Aug 14, 2025): “so our business kept moving”
Common Complaints
The most direct, recurring complaint is price—not performance. A recurring pattern emerged: even when users sound satisfied with longevity and reliability, they still push back on what they paid. One Staples reviewer (May 2, 2025) didn’t mince words: “too much for toner staples lower ur prices plz.”
For cost-sensitive buyers—like home office users printing intermittently or small teams without a dedicated supply budget—the OEM premium can feel hard to justify, especially when the cartridge itself is a consumable that must be replaced eventually. The feedback doesn’t include detailed “I switched brands because…” narratives, but it does show persistent frustration with the retail cost environment.
There’s also a subtler complaint category: some praise is directed at delivery rather than the cartridge, which implies a segment of buyers may treat toner as a “necessary expense” and judge vendors on fulfillment. A Staples customer noted: “free next day delivery to store… well packed in a nondescript brown box for security,” suggesting that procurement and receiving experience matters in how people rate the purchase.
- Staples reviewer (May 2, 2025): “too much for toner… lower ur prices”
- Staples reviewer (Jun 10, 2020): “well packed… nondescript brown box for security”
Divisive Features
The biggest “split” isn’t about print quality—it’s about value framing. Some buyers call it a great value because it reduces replacements; others call it overpriced even while buying it. That divide tracks closely to user persona: high-volume offices can justify an extra high yield cartridge to minimize disruption, while budget-driven buyers focus on upfront price.
One Staples reviewer (May 18, 2021) celebrated the long-run economics: “great value!… they last so much longer.” Meanwhile, another reviewer essentially argued the opposite, focusing on retail pricing pain: “too much for toner.” The cartridge itself doesn’t appear to be the source of controversy; the purchasing context is.
- Staples reviewer “paula t.” (May 18, 2021): “great value!… they last so much longer.”
- Staples reviewer (May 2, 2025): “too much for toner”
Trust & Reliability
Trust signals in the provided data skew toward buying genuine HP and avoiding hassles. Rather than explicit “scam” allegations, the reliability story emerges through buyers who deliberately stick with OEM supplies to reduce printer problems. Staples reviewer “it manager” framed this as a policy: “we only use genuine ink & toner, seldom have issues,” implying that authenticity and support matter in real operations.
Long-term durability anecdotes do appear, albeit indirectly: the “lasted for over a year” account is the closest to a “months later” check-in. For organizations tracking consumables by replacement frequency, that kind of experience supports the official extra-high-yield positioning without requiring a perfect page-count log.
Alternatives
Only alternatives mentioned in the provided data are other yield tiers in the same family: HP 89A (CF289A) and HP 89X (CF289X), referenced in the compatible-toner listing content. There aren’t comparable user review stories provided for those specific alternatives, so the comparison rests on how buyers describe the 89Y’s role.
For lower-volume users, the logic is straightforward: if you don’t want a big upfront spend, a lower-yield cartridge may feel easier to justify. But for offices printing continuously, the 89Y’s appeal is fewer swaps. That’s exactly what Staples reviewer “acct 66” highlighted: “eliminates the need for constantly changing toner cartridges.” In other words, the “alternative” decision isn’t just specs—it’s workflow tolerance for interruptions.
Price & Value
Current listings in the provided data show wide pricing depending on seller context (for example, the eBay listing shows $279.99, while other listings show higher numbers). But the user feedback that’s actually present doesn’t cite exact prices; it cites price pain and value-through-longevity.
Digging deeper into user reports, “value” is described in two competing ways. One camp defines value as long life: Staples reviewer “paula t.” said: “great value!… they last so much longer.” Another camp defines value as affordability and pushes back hard: “too much for toner.” For procurement teams, that tension suggests a practical buying tip: if uptime is expensive (busy office, tight deadlines), the premium may be easier to defend; if print volume is sporadic, the sticker shock will loom larger.
Resale value trends aren’t discussed in the user feedback provided, but market listings (eBay, price comparison pages) indicate active pricing variability. The community-facing “buying tip” implied by reviews is to prioritize reputable sources and genuine cartridges if reliability is the primary goal—mirroring “can't go wrong with genuine hp.”
FAQ
Q: How long does the HP 89Y (CF289Y) last in real use?
A: Official listings rate it around “~20,000 pages,” and one Staples reviewer described it lasting “over a year” while printing “a lot of documents.” Staples customer feedback also frames it as reducing replacement frequency, with one noting it “eliminates the need for constantly changing toner cartridges.”
Q: Is the HP 89Y worth it compared to cheaper options?
A: Feedback is split. Some Staples reviewers call it “great value” because “they last so much longer,” while others complain it’s “too much for toner.” The value proposition seems strongest for high-volume offices where fewer swaps and fewer issues matter more than upfront cost.
Q: Do buyers see fewer problems when using genuine HP toner?
A: A Staples reviewer identified as “it manager” said they “only use genuine ink & toner” and “seldom have issues,” adding they get “good support” if problems arise. That reflects a reliability-first mindset rather than a detailed print-quality critique.
Q: Is shipping and fulfillment reliable for this cartridge?
A: Multiple Staples reviews emphasize fast delivery. One reviewer said: “excellent friendly next day delivery service!” Another noted items were delivered quickly so “our business kept moving.” One buyer also mentioned secure, discreet packaging in a “nondescript brown box.”
Final Verdict
Buy if you’re a high-volume office user who wants fewer interruptions and predictable results—Staples reviewers repeatedly praise longevity, with one saying it “lasted for over a year,” and others emphasizing fewer cartridge changes.
Avoid if your printing is light and your biggest concern is upfront cost—one recurring complaint is simply: “too much for toner.”
Pro tip from the community mindset: stick with genuine supplies if you prioritize fewer issues—Staples reviewer “it manager” said: “we only use genuine ink & toner, seldom have issues and receive good support if we do.”
