As pointed out the label makers "give you the lamp but you have to buy the oil." I used Brady for a long time but the consumables got to be very expensive, but Brady has the large >2" label market.
I met a Brother rep at a trade show who used to work for Brady, and I then switched to a Brother PTE300 Industrial label maker. The labels are about 1/4 the cost of Brady. The big advantage is the Brother can use the standard P-Touch labels you can get anywhere. Plus, are you ready, it slices, dices and can heat shrink labels! It has rechargeable batteries and its easy to use. I got mine for about $99.00. The Brother P touch labels have a clear overlay and they hold up really well in the sun, and there are many colors available. The PTE300 goes to 3/4" and the PTE500 goes to 1".
And if you come in after me on a job, Iabel everything. Here is an abandoned conduit, that goes 30 ft and stops outside, well label it.
Watch this video and get one ordered up