Top critical review
3.0 out of 5 starsNiimbot is an ecosystem, and ecosystems are expensive
Reviewed in Canada on September 21, 2023
I was looking to upgrade my Dymo label printer as it could only print from its included keyboard and had no extra features. The niimbot seemed to fit the bill. It is cheap to get into, rechargeable, so no more batteries and the print quality is sufficient. (It is a thermal printer afterall)
However, I wish I had done more research. Niimbot has an ecosystem, and it's pretty well closed off. Each roll is tagged with an RFID chip, and while I am sure the intention was to make the label dimensions and all of that easy to switch automatically, it also walls off the market from facsimilies and copies. Think printer ink.
By no means is Niimbot profiting like ink and printer manufacturers, but they do hold a basic monopoly on the labels. Rolls very seldom are ever cheaper than $10.
The lack of ability to use it on a PC also hinders my usefulness, as I prefer to type out on a computer, including specific details and a coding system. You are tied to their app, which of course has built in advertisements and questionable security in terms of data privacy. You don't have to create an account to use the app, but a standardized label service or print service would have been preferred.
The label printer works fine, and while the ecosystem is walled off, they do offer a variety of labels, tags that other companies don't. Wire tags, cute animal prints etc.
Would I buy it again? Probably not, the device cost only 2x the cost of a roll, and it in itself includes a roll.