VHS VCR 15-year average reliability data (1978-1993)...

[WCV82]

Does anyone have any experience with how good some of these VCR brands are after sitting idle for years on end? I've noticed that after 3-5 years no matter the brand they will all fail.

[Electronic M]

Originally Posted by WCV82

Does anyone have any experience with how good some of these VCR brands are after sitting idle for years on end? I've noticed that after 3-5 years no matter the brand they will all fail.

The Sharp 30sec rapid rewind deck that was my first VCR has sat at least that long and woken up with only a bit of initial mechanical sluggishness that faded with excercise.

Some decks sit better than others.

[waltchan]

Originally Posted by waltchan

Based on nearly 2,500,000 responses total to Consumer Reports' 1983 to 1993 Annual Questionnaires. Readers were asked about any repairs to VCRs bought new between 1978 and 1993. All are VHS format. Data have been standardized to eliminate differences among brands due solely to age and how much the VCRs were used.

FEWER-REPAIRS
<<<<<

• 01 -- Panasonic/Quasar/Magnavox/Canon/General Electric/JCPenny/Philco/RCA/Sylvania (most-reliable)
• 02 -- Toshiba/RCA/General Electric/ProScan/Vector Research
• 03 -- Funai/Shintom/Symphonic/Multitech/Realistic/Sylvania/TEAC/Teknika/Toshiba/XR-1000
• 04 -- JVC/Zenith/Magnavox/Kenwood/Tatung
• 05 -- Sanyo/Sears/Fisher, after 1988
• 06 -- Mitsubishi/MGA/Emerson/Video Concepts
• 07 -- Orion/Emerson/Broksonic/Sansui/TMK
• 08 -- Akai/Citizen *
• 09 -- Sharp/Montgomery Ward/Realistic/Signature 2000/Admiral
• 10 -- Samsung/RCA/Toshiba/General Electric/ProScan
• 11 -- NEC/Harmon Kardon/Marantz/Vector Research/Yamaha
• 12 -- Hitachi/RCA/Sears/Bang & Olufsen/General Electric/JCPenny/Minolta/Pioneer
• 13 -- Daewoo/Capehart/Daytron *
• 14 -- GoldStar/Zenith/LXI/JCPenny/Radio Shack/Sears/Totevision
• 15 -- Fisher, before 1988 (least-reliable)

>>>>>
MORE-REPAIRS

(*) not listed, estimation only

UPDATE 2022:

Just added Vector Research brand, either made by NEC or Toshiba.

[waltchan]

Originally Posted by waltchan

Based on nearly 2,500,000 responses total to Consumer Reports' 1983 to 1993 Annual Questionnaires. Readers were asked about any repairs to VCRs bought new between 1978 and 1993. All are VHS format. Data have been standardized to eliminate differences among brands due solely to age and how much the VCRs were used.

FEWER-REPAIRS
<<<<<

• 01 -- Panasonic/Quasar/Magnavox/Canon/General Electric/JCPenny/Philco/RCA/Sylvania (most-reliable)
• 02 -- Toshiba/RCA/General Electric/ProScan/Vector Research
• 03 -- Funai/Shintom/Symphonic/Multitech/Realistic/Sylvania/TEAC/Teknika/Toshiba/XR-1000
• 04 -- JVC/Zenith/Magnavox/Kenwood/Tatung
• 05 -- Sanyo/Sears/Fisher, after 1988
• 06 -- Mitsubishi/MGA/Emerson/Video Concepts
• 07 -- Orion/Emerson/Broksonic/Sansui/TMK
• 08 -- Akai/Citizen *
• 09 -- Sharp/Montgomery Ward/Realistic/Signature 2000/Admiral
• 10 -- Samsung/RCA/Toshiba/General Electric/ProScan
• 11 -- NEC/Harmon Kardon/Marantz/Vector Research/Yamaha
• 12 -- Hitachi/RCA/Sears/Bang & Olufsen/General Electric/JCPenny/Minolta/ProScan/Pioneer
• 13 -- Daewoo/Capehart/Daytron *
• 14 -- GoldStar/Zenith/LXI/JCPenny/Radio Shack/Sears/Totevision
• 15 -- Fisher, before 1988 (least-reliable)

>>>>>
MORE-REPAIRS

(*) not listed, estimation only

UPDATE 2023:

One ProScan VCR model was made by Hitachi, and added into the list.

[DVtyro]

Originally Posted by zenith2134

What I find interesting is how some of the very last VHS decks can really have superior pix quality (due to the addition of VHS-HQ standard with better luminance extension, and the smaller headgap of 19-micron head), but the build quality is that of a toy. Zero (or near zero) reliability of the mechs in the 2000s decks. So, some of the 90s stuff is the best of both for me.

I have a 2008 Sony VHS+DVD combo machine. Does not say "SQPB" on the faceplate, but the manual says it plays SVHS tapes. The tape deck works, but the DVD does not, which to me is surprising, I expected the opposite. So, I guess, optical drives had become even more throwaway designs by the late 2000s than tape decks.

[Electronic M]

Lazers tend to fail in optical drives. I've seen it a few times. It's apparently really common in original playstation systems.

[liammc00]

To my surprise my Zenith VR1830 from 1988 has never needed repaired and still works perfectly while out performing any other VCR I have ever used.

[dishdude]

Originally Posted by liammc00

To my surprise my Zenith VR1830 from 1988 has never needed repaired and still works perfectly while out performing any other VCR I have ever used.

Not surprised at all, JVC made some really solid machines and the late 80's were probably the best time period for VCRs. HQ was out and the transport mechanisms were still solid and hadn't turned to all plastic yet.

[liammc00]

Before I put the VCR back into use I did give the mechanism some basic maintenance like replaceing the old grease and cleaning the transport. The two belts are still good so I left them. The idler tire still works but it looks all cracked. I had a sears from 86 made by sanyo. No surprise it broke as it had plastic rails for the p guides and it was cracked so I part it out for the stk module and other useful parts.

[waltchan]

Originally Posted by liammc00

Before I put the VCR back into use I did give the mechanism some basic maintenance like replaceing the old grease and cleaning the transport. The two belts are still good so I left them. The idler tire still works but it looks all cracked. I had a sears from 86 made by sanyo. No surprise it broke as it had plastic rails for the p guides and it was cracked so I part it out for the stk module and other useful parts.

JVC original belts lasted the longest in industry. If well-maintained and not overused, the original belts can last for up to 50 years or for life, actually. This is due to superior, finest rubber-material quality from manufacturing that was exclusive only for JVC and Zenith. Never, ever replace the original JVC belts with new, Chinese-made ones. Inferior rubber material quality. Easily turn to goo or melt into black, sticky liquid.

The second-best original belts came from Matsushita-made VCRs, under Panasonic, Quasar, Magnavox, General Electric, Curtis Mathes, JCPenney, Philco, and Sylvania brands. Matsushita belts used a yellow-powder coating into rubber material that will turn the gears and sliders from white to yellow color after a few years of use. If heavy-use or high-usage, the gears will turn from yellow to dark-brown color. The yellow-powder coating into rubber material helps prevent the belts to melt or turn to goo.

Average belts came from Toshiba, Sanyo, Sharp, NEC, mid-90s Symphonic, Emerson, and others. They have some yellow or black-powder coating material, but only at minimal amount. Expect about 20-year max lifespan.

The worst original belts came from Hitachi/RCA MBK-60, Mitsubishi MBK-29 & MBK-37, and Funai/Shintom MBK-66 & MBK-83 models. They turned to goo or melted easily into black liquid after few years of use from this one belt supplier, regardless of the humidity rating in your room. Always a terrible mess to clean up that can easily take you the whole day of cleaning for nothing. The bad belts from this one supplier did not have any coating material in rubber manufacturing that can protect from humidity and heat. They melted into black sticky liquid easily, while all of the gears are still in pure white color like brand-new.

[waltchan]

Many thanks to user Blast for providing the total service numbers for each VHS VCR brands in the other thread. While not the most accurate way to calculate reliability, the number of VCR units total for service (with top-cover taken off) seem straightforward and pretty accurate on the frequency-rate of total repairs.

"From 1989 to 1998 out of 111 brands (mostly VCRs) that our shop took in I worked on (which doesn't mean "fix" - but at least took the top off of)." -Blast

Toshiba: 226
Mitsubishi: 287
Sharp: 452
Hitachi: 464
JVC: 601
GE: 602
Panasonic: 611
Zenith: 1,224
RCA: 2,758

I only need Symphonic, Emerson, Samsung, GoldStar, and Fisher left to complete this nice list, but (so far), he has not responded to me yet after sending a PM.

Other low-selling VHS VCR brands, like Sanyo, Sony, NEC, Shintom, Daewoo, and Akai, are not worth asking at all, due to them mostly sold the Beta format instead of VHS, or they were only sold in selected US states.

[waltchan]

Originally Posted by waltchan

"From 1989 to 1998 out of 111 brands (mostly VCRs) that our shop took in I worked on (which doesn't mean "fix" - but at least took the top off of)." -Blast

Toshiba: 226
Mitsubishi: 287
Sharp: 452
Hitachi: 464
JVC: 601
GE: 602
Panasonic: 611
Zenith: 1,224
RCA: 2,758

Any former VCR techs remember the RCA VR-270 (2-head) or VR-450 (4-head) VHS VCR (the compact-design made by Hitachi with top-button controls)? I bet over 20% of the RCA's 2,758 total number (552 units) in for service was either the VR-270 or VR-450.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/384474593933

Studio Sound Electronics owner also says a lot of bad things about the RCA VR-270 and VR-450 too. "One of Hitachi's worst products ever," is his favorite daily quote to me.

[probnot]

Originally Posted by waltchan

Any former VCR techs remember the RCA VR-270 (2-head) or VR-450 (4-head) VHS VCR (the compact-design made by Hitachi with top-button controls)? I bet over 20% of the RCA's 2,758 total number (552 units) in for service was either the VR-270 or VR-450.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/384474593933

Studio Sound Electronics owner also says a lot of bad things about the RCA VR-270 and VR-450 too. "One of Hitachi's worst products ever," is his favorite daily quote to me.

I have a VR-275 still kicking around. Somehow it still works, although the linear stereo circuitry is all messed up. I remember seeing a few with dead power supplies when I was younger.

What were the major issues with this series of VCRs?

[n8nagel]

Originally Posted by waltchan

Never, ever replace the original JVC belts with new, Chinese-made ones. Inferior rubber material quality. Easily turn to goo or melt into black, sticky liquid.

I was just servicing one of the tape transports on a circa 1991 Sony ES cassette deck on Friday and my goodness the capstan belt was the absolute worst mess I have ever had to clean up. What an absolute horrorshow. Worse even than the circa 1984 Yamaha CD player that I attempted to revive a few years ago (I got it working, but I think the laser is weak as it will not track all the way through a disc.) I haven't started on the other one yet as I know I'll need to set aside several hours for goo clean up.

In contrast, the main drive belt on a similar age (circa 1988) NEC VCR simply got hard and snapped, took only a few seconds to clean up. However, it appears that either something leached out of the belt itself or there was grease on it when it was taken out of service, as the portion of the plastic pulley on which the belt was sitting before it broke was actually slightly etched. Plays fine with a new belt however. The two loading belts were still OK although the one that was easy to replace I did as it was noticeably harder/stiffer than the new one.

Anyone have any experience with new production belts from e.g. PRB? Should they be pre-emptively replaced if you have to pop the top for any reason on a machine serviced with such belts to prevent gooification, or do they age gracefully?