Thermal (Niimbot/Phomemo/Nelko) or tape cartridge (Brother/Dymo) — which should I buy?

Thermal printers like the Niimbot B1, Phomemo M220, and Nelko P21 are cheaper, app-driven, and great for shipping, pantry, and small-business labels. The downside, flagged repeatedly in specialist subreddits, is that pure direct-thermal labels can fade over time with heat or UV exposure, and most of these printers use proprietary RFID-tagged tape. Brother P-Touch and Brady cartridges use thermal transfer with laminated tape that holds up far better outdoors, in workshops, and on long-term archival labels.