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From: bcw@rti.rti.org (Bruce Wright)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec.micro,misc.forsale.computers
Subject: Re: LA50 for sale
Summary: DEC LA50 and Epsom FX80
Message-ID: <1991May4.013459.18880@rti.rti.org>
Date: 4 May 91 01:34:59 GMT
References: <1991Apr29.195403.13215@milton.u.washington.edu> <1991Apr29.235806.2617@rock.concert.net>
Distribution: usa
Organization: Research Triangle Institute, RTP, NC
Lines: 22

In article <1991Apr29.235806.2617@rock.concert.net>, boyd@cs.unca.edu (Mark Boyd) writes:
> Not to be too unkind, but La50s are one of DEC's worst products. 
> Definitely not worth $100. If you need a serial printer with few
> features and don't need to use the tractor feed ( it slips ) ..

I think that's going too far.  The LA50 (and its follow-on, the
LA75) aren't bad as small printers go (they are incompatible
with most other PC-type printers, which is a bigger problem than
the mechanical problems, in our experience).  As far as mechanical
problems go, the Epsom FX80 and some of the daisy wheel printers
seem to have _far_ worse problems - I'm not even sure that the
FX80 qualifies as useable (at least by me) because I have such
difficulty loading the paper _just_ _right_.  But with the LA50
it's easy to load the paper without having it jam as soon as it
starts printing.  And I'm not sure I'd even want to be _paid_ to
have to deal with a daisy wheel.  Life is too short.

The LA50 _is_ a rather dated device at this point however ...
but when it was introduced it wasn't really a bad device compared
to what else was out there.

						Bruce C. Wright