My Panasonic VCR - 10+ years old and still works like new

[Jeffhs]

The Sharp VCR thread started by VK member TUD1 inspired me to start a thread of my own on Panasonic VCRs. In the '80s I had one with VCR+, but a tape jammed in that machine shortly after I moved here; I had to practically wreck it to get the cassette out. Hated to have that happen, because the tape I lost was of a program I had recorded some three hours earlier. Never saw that show again.

My present Panasonic VCR is about 12 years old, give or take (it has no drive belts; full gear drive, no VCR+), and still works wonderfully. I don't use it much these days, except to watch old VHS tapes I recorded from TV some 25-30+ years ago (I have about 50 or so such tapes in a large rack in my bedroom, along with DVDs). I could use it for time-shifting, since my cable service still (for the time being, anyway) carries analog channels 2 to 100+; I guess I'd better make use of this while I can, before the cable operator does away with the analog ones altogether--and they will, as the company, Time Warner Cable/Spectrum, has already converted most if not all its cable systems to 100-percent digital. I still get most cable channels through the VCR and even on my flat-screen TV (on the latter's "TV" input mode), but I suspect this is just a fluke that could be done away with at any time.

My Panny VCR works very well for its age, as I said. However, one thing which is somewhat annoying is a loud screeching sound it makes when in rewind mode. The machine has done this since it was new, so I should be (and am) used to it by now; I don't rewind tapes in the machine anyway, preferring instead to use an old Radio Shack VHS rewinder I've had for years. Since the VCR has all gear drive, no belts, I am thinking the noise I am hearing is coming directly from those gears. No other VCR I have ever owned (I've had several, all of which were belt-driven) has made this noise, so the noisy gear theory makes sense to me.