Panasonic PV-V4022 4-Head Mono VCR
good basic vcr
In a couple of years I'll probably be buying a dvd recorder but in the meantime I needed an inexpensive (yet reliable) vcr.  This fit the bill.  It records at 3 speeds (lp, sp, and slp) and does a pretty good job even at the SLP mode.  It was simple to hook up and get started with.  The rewind is a little noisy but no big deal.