Actually I've had a cheap $45 Brother laser for a few years, and it's still going well. It's had some heavy usage.
But, I think like most laser printers, the printer is cheaper than the refill cartridge. Some of the newer printers try to ensure that the cartridges can't be refilled, so before you make a decision, go to Cartride World to see if your printer's cartridges can be refilled.