You Get What You Pay For...
Written: Apr 07 '00 (Updated Apr 08 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great machine for the money.
Cons: It's noisy and the clock only displays when not in use.
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| salsamendi's Full Review: Panasonic PV-9450 VHS VCR |
How many times have you heard this, "You get what you pay for". I know this to be true but over ten years ago I purchased a used VCR for twenty-five dollars. The motor was shot as it had been used in security surveillance. This small obstacle was overcome by purchasing a rewinder for ten dollars. SO I was into it for thirty-five dollars. This VCR combination served my needs for the past ten years, or should I say last nine and a-half years.
I said I would never use the television as a babysitter but here is my public confession, it happens. My son is now two and a-half and since he turned two television has become much more of an attention holder. The heavy use on this old machine was becoming a problem, particularly the lack of a rewind feature. So off I went to buy a new VCR.
My thought was I spend $35 ten years ago I could get away with $100 now. We're at the major department store with a hundred dollars and there are quite a few to choose from. It was actually a feature issue that caused us to want to spend a few more dollars. The first one was shaped too funny and none of the really cheapy ones had clocks. I figured this was the only clock I had in the living room so the VCR had to have a clock or I would have to spend more money to buy a clock.
We left that night with the Panasonic for about $130. I was happy to get it home and start auto-rewinding Barney at the end of his 30 minutes. This is one feature that did work as we expected. The set up was very easy, a big bonus for someone from the electronic ice-age. It has a universal remote, something I had been unfamiliar with as the remote on the old machine either didn't work or couldn't be found. If you happen to be unfamiliar with this feature like I was basically it has a digital code which programs it to work with your brand of television and the VCR, so now you have one remote instead of two.
Something else I liked was the compact size and lightness of the case. The benefit of this is that it allows me more room for Barney tapes to be stacked up next to the VCR on the shelf. I don't plan to move the set much so it's weight wouldn't have been a selling point but it was really an eye opener to changes in technology.
I found two major drawbacks to this particular model. The first one is that the rewind is VERY noisy. I'm still not use to it and it gets my attention each time it begins. I keep thinking something is wrong with all that noise.
The second is that clock feature I was so willing to spend more money on only works when the player is not playing or rewinding. That means when you are watching the last video from the rental store and it has to be returned at midnight while you are watching it you have no idea what time it is. This really was the biggest draw back to me. I guess it's all in expectations.
So you get what you pay for.... I paid $130 and I think I got $130 worth of machine. If you are on a budget or have few needs this machine will serve you well. If you want all the bells and whistles check out a higher priced Panasonic. Overall I believe them to be a great value!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
salsamendi
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Reviews written: 4
Trusted by: 9 members
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