Toshiba W512 Hi-Fi VCR
Cheapest and Best VCR I've Ever Had
I bought this as a third VCR for our exercise room, for my wife to work out with her exercise videos.  I didn't need the best, as this was for light use only, so I didn't spend much, and boy was I surprised at the quality!<br />My premier VCR is a six-head Toshiba which I bought reconditioned for somewhat more money than this one, and I'm perfectly happy with it.  This one has similar picture qualit but was much easier to set up-- easiest setup experience yet for me.  After plugging it in, the clock set itself in seconds.  No it doesn't have VCR Plus, but after harping on that as a necessary feature for the previous four VCRs, I found myself not using it much.  The rewind is lightning quick and it feels like a very solidly built electronic item, despite the fact that it weighs next to nothing (making it very portable if you want to do some dubbing to another machine).<br />The only small drawbacks are (1) an awkward tiny two button combination you have to push on the remote to set the timer.  This seems to be a feature on all Toshibas, and they don't get the idea that this is poor design. (2) There are no plugs on the front of the VCR, which is not a huge deal for me, since this one is so light, I just move it to the other Toshiba with the front plugs, if I want to do any dubbing. (3) The system defaults to showing the counter and other display items on the screen, so you have to turn it off every time you start a new video.  Not too big a deal.<br />Overall, I got way more than I expected in what was a rock bottom low price on a hi-fi VCR.  Treat yourself to that third VCR-- you can't lose with this one.