Dymo 160 LabelManager Review

I am a label maker geek.  Everyone should own one.   The price point of these devices run the gamut from really inexpensive home machines, to very expensive industrial label makers.  I decided to grab one of the low tier, entry level,  Dymo LabelManagers.  So here is my Dymo 160 LabelManager review.

I bought it at Walmart for $29.83 sans tax. It came with one Dymo D1 cartridge which was “Silver Glitter”.

On the surface $30 for a solid performing label maker machine is a very good price.

Sadly, the surface has a basement, and a sub-basement, and a sewer.

Literally all you get in the package is the labelmaker and the single cartridge.

You cannot just open the package and begin making labels, which seems strange to me.

We Need Some Power, Captain

To get some label making action you need either 6 AAA batteries or a 9v power adapter.  Neither is included in the package.

An 8 pack of halfway decent AAA batteries costs about $10 these days.

Never mind that in my photo I have rechargeable ones which are quite a bit more expensive.

 

The power brick Dymo recommends costs at the cheapest I could find, $19.25.  If you think you a $30 label maker was a good deal, think again.  We are now up to the $40 – $50 range.  If you think you have a power brick laying around that might work you better think again.  The middle pin is negative and the barrel positive.  The wrong adapter could damage your label maker.

I found an alternate power adapter at Amazon for about $6.  That’s not too horrific.

Cartridges

It only comes with one tape and Dymo D1 tapes are a bit pricey.

So much so that there are plenty of alternate cartridge makers out there who supply much cheaper tapes.  I have no experience with that and I guarantee Dymo doesn’t approve.  Hopefully there are no mechanisms in place to prevent them from working.

Max size is 1/2″ so this is good for basic labelling.  There are no specialty tapes other than different colors and Plastic / Polyester or Flexible Nylon.

This is not going to be great for labelling the server rack or cable marking wraps.  This is best for generic labelling around the house or the kitchen.

Quality

No complaints with tape quality.  I zipped off a couple quick tapes with the included Silver Glitter Cartridge and the print quality was excellent.

Maybe even a little better than excellent.

The glitter labels would make nice accessories or party favors or to interject a little color into greeting cards or wherever your imagination takes you.

Regular black on white on a storage box or tool box drawer would be way more than perfectly legible with no smearing or any other deficiencies.   The Dymo 160 LabelManager does indeed make labels. Fine ones.

Conclusions

The Dymo 160 Labelmanager is a decent machine at a decent price.  However, it is a buyer beware situation because you have to spend more money to see the LCD screen light up.  In some cases, nearly as much as the label maker itself costs, if you buy the official power brick and a set of batteries.

Consumables are expensive as well, however you can find Dymo D1 labels locally in many stores.   Should you get one?  I say, no.  If you are going to end up dropping $50 or more factoring in total costs, then step up a tier and get the Dymo 280 LabelMaker which includes a rechargeable battery and a USB cable to charge it.  It also can connect to software for a lot more flexibility and power.

You’re going to spend that much money on the 160 for a decent experience so you might as well skip over it and step up a tier, in my opinion.