some lasers use cartridges only & others need both cartridge AND drum?

I am shopping for a new laser printer in the $200 to $300 range. I've
been using HP Laserjets that require replacement cartridges only. But
I notice that the Brother printer I am looking at requires replacement
from time to time of both cartridges AND drum.

This being the situation, is there a reason to purchase a Brother
printer knowing that the cost of a new drum down the line will add to
per print cost?

all opinions, information, replies, etc. welcomed!

Aaron in rainy N. Hollywood

Unless they have changed design this is an issue with Brother laser
printers. I got rid of mine. My expereince with Brother printers is that
they eat toner compared to other brands.
I have used a now ancient HP1200 (mechanically probably identical to the
current model-the outside box changes for marketing purposes but the innards
remain the same) for several years of daily use (average 30-50 pages) and
recommend its current iteration without hesitation. Never a hiccough, very
economical on toner use.
I would not say the same of HP inkjets, but that is another rant.

wrote:
I am shopping for a new laser printer in the $200 to $300 range. I've
been using HP Laserjets that require replacement cartridges only. But
I notice that the Brother printer I am looking at requires replacement
from time to time of both cartridges AND drum.

This being the situation, is there a reason to purchase a Brother
printer knowing that the cost of a new drum down the line will add to
per print cost?

all opinions, information, replies, etc. welcomed!

Aaron in rainy N. Hollywood

Aaron
I am assuming you are referring to monochrome lasers, what I am about to say
does not necessarily apply to colour lasers.
When you replace the cartridge in your HP laser, you also replace the drum
which is built into the cartridge.
When a Brother laser runs out of toner you replace the toner only and at a
later stage depending on the model you will need to replace the drum. The drum
usually lasts for several toner cartridges in a Brother laser.
So the way to compare the two is to pick a number say 25,000 pages and work out
how many toners and drums you will need for the Brother and how many combined
cartridges you will need for the HP to print that number of pages. To do this
you need to look at the specs for each printer to see what the estimated page
count is for each consumable and make sure they are based on the same
assumptions (usually 5% coverage per page). This information should be on the
manufacturer's web site.
If you are planning to keep the printer for a long time then you will also have
to replace other components (pick up rollers, separation pads, transfer charge
roller and fuser or fixer unit) but these are usually rated at 50,000 to
100,000 pages or even more for the bigger printers. This information will be
harder to find on the web sites.
Tony