VCRs that will last forever

[Ed in Tx]

Originally Posted by waltchan

Yuck!!! Glad I never own a NEC or Sony VCR. I would go paranoid if I get problems like this similar to yours. 85% of the time, all the vintage VCRs I bought and added to my collection since the last 8 years only require new belts, cleaning, and lubrication. Luckily, these problems never show up in my Panasonic, Canon, Funai, Orion, and Sharp VCRs.

Just a hint, NEC and Sony VCRs were rated below average in reliability by Consumer Reports during that time-frame.

Being exclusively in the VCR service business here in Dallas all during the '80s and '90s, that's one reason I dumped my subscription to Consumer Reports.. CR didn't know what they were talking about half the time! I found too many errors in their reviews on the limited things I knew something about. Figured they might not be too accurate on other things too.

I've repaired HUNDREDS of Panasonics with dead power supplies and many mechanical problems, Canons too in their heyday, Funai (D503 anyone? Warped sensor prisms, sticking reel drive clutches.. mode switches, cheapo plastic tape guides that break off... made lots of money fixin' those Funai-Symphonics), Sharps, even some Orions (the Emerson TV-VCRs made by Orion come to mind...)