P.P.
Here at Batninth towers we've used a variety of printers over the years, but keep coming back to HP as they seem to be the most robust & reliable. I recognise what you say about the cost of HP print cartridges, we just shop around for the deals when they are about (Tesco & WHSmith seem to be good for pricing).
Along the way, we've also had Lexmark which seem to be much more expensive in their use of ink, and unlike you we've had poor experiences with both Epson devices - one a printer & the other a multifunction device.
The only other device that worked well was a Canon MP3x0 multifunction device that I had for work, it seemed bulletproof. The ink cartridges were relatively cheap but that's becuase they are very small & so needed replacing far more often.
So if asked for my recommendation, I'd go for the HP or a Canon.
Hope this helps