Brother IntelliFax 4750e High-Performance Business-Class Laser Fax

I debated and researched for weeks on different fax machines and brands. I had an older brother fax machine (5-6 years). It worked great but I had broken one of the trays and didn't hold a lot of paper. I debated some of the Multi-function copier-printer-faxes. For only a few dollars more I could get one that duplexes and every other option imaginable. I have a copier. I have printers. I needed a fax. I receive 100-150 faxes a day. This is simply a great fax machine. Nothing more and absolutely nothing else. It is quiet and extremely fast. "Pick one thing and do it great" - this is what this machine does. It isn't OK at a lot. It's great at one thing. It sends and receives faxes.

I own a store that sends faxes for customers, and I can tell you that this is a great fax machine for high volume faxing. Machines I've had in the past would choke on documents on even the lightest pastel colors. The scanning engine on this machine sees the background color, and ignores it, allowing those pages to be sent as quickly as if they were on bright white paper. No longer do I need to copy documents on color paper before faxing.

Some other reviews complain about a clicking sound. I have to listen very closely to hear what it is they're talking about. I'd have to guess that these people are used to inkjet fax machines. Most laser printer/fax machines make a heck of a lot more noise than this baby does. I'm amazed at how quiet it really is! It makes so little noise that I've had to set it to ring twice before recieving. Other laser fax machines that I've owned make so much noise I didn't need a ring to hear from across the store that they were recieving a fax. This...Read more

First, let me disclose that I do not own this unit, but I do own what appears to be its predecessor, the MFC 8500 (now discontinued). The 4750e (curiously 1/2 the model number I have) has the same form-factor, the same button layout, the same toner cartridge and the same features but with better technical specifications, e.g. faster fax modem. I AM IN LOVE WITH THE BROTHER MFC 8500 and would guess that this one will provide similar results. I think it's significant that my two-year-old unit never dropped more than $50 in price up to its discontinuation, and its replacement--this unit--is about $100 higher in price. The toner cartridge is cheap compared to other laser printers. The pop-up screen (when linked to a PC) provides simple and intuitive copy, fax and e-mail menus. I've never had to read the manual. It even has the ability to link with your answering machine, so you don't have to be home to switch the phone cords around when you're expecting a fax. If you ask me, the 8500...Read more