VHS VCR 15-year average reliability data (1978-1993)...

[waltchan]

Panasonic was the most-reliable brand, while Fisher was the least-reliable brand. Toshiba was the most-reliable brand with linear power supply inside, while Funai/Symphonic was the most-reliable brand with geared idler wheel system (no rubber tire).

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by waltchan

Panasonic was the most-reliable brand, while Fisher was the least-reliable brand.

At one time that was true. Fisher was made by Sanyo. The Sanyo VHS units seemed more reliable. I never thought much of their Beta units.

[Electronic M]

Originally Posted by dieseljeep

At one time that was true. Fisher was made by Sanyo. The Sanyo VHS units seemed more reliable. I never thought much of their Beta units.

I've got a pair of identical front load Sanyo Beta decks (plain Jane units with no desirable features) which are probably early front loaders given their bulky size, and they are the ONLY beta decks I have that work well without me ever having had to open them up.

Back when I was a kid in the mid-late 90's my folks got me a Sharp new VHS deck for my birthday, and that has been one of the most reliable decks trouble free decks I've owned (or seen). I still have it and occasionally use it. I seem to recall that thing has survived falls that other decks I've had would have died from(some did!).

[waltchan]

I need someone's opinion with Sharp/Montgomery Ward VCR on reliability? Do you find them reliable, and what were the problems you saw? In several issues published by Consumer Reports between 1982 and 1986, responders voted Sharp as the "least-reliable, most frequently-repaired" VHS brand.

A tech guy, who is also my friend, used to repair VCRs before and currently sells VCR parts at studiosoundelectronics.com. He is upset at me for placing Sharp at #9 in the list.

[Ed in Tx]

Those CR lists are why I dropped my subscription many years ago. I could always think of exceptions to their lists.

About all I recall about Sharps was replacing idler clutch assemblies, idler arms, capstan motors, pinch rollers, and some upper head drums mostly because of loose head height set-screws, they had a bad run of those. On recordings one head would partially erase what the first head had just laid down on the tape making for poor record quality on EP especially, playback of head A might be strong, head B very weak when looking at the RF envelope. Remember the Sharp upper drums that were solid brass?

[waltchan]

Originally Posted by Ed in Tx

Remember the Sharp upper drums that were solid brass?

Is this the one with a brass-color video head that Sharp used from 1979 to 1981 model years? Initially, I thought it was really cool-looking at first, and I thought it was a durable design due to heavier-weight. But, later I realized I repeatedly had to clean the video head every 3 months, since it gets dirty very fast, so I ditched the unit. This one was a 1981 Sharp VC-8500 model.

I also used to own a 1979 Sharp VC-6800 model, which was the very first front-loading VHS VCR ever made, but later re-sold it for $300. It uses the same brass-color video head, but it requires a pulley motor to turn the video head. A flat rubber belt was placed on top of the video head, connected to a pulley motor. A strange design, indeed.

Right now, I have a 1981 Sharp XA-900 portable VCR unit, which sits in my storage due to snowy picture on playback. Probably the brass-color video head problem again. Overall, I do find the 1979-1981 Sharp VCRs quite troublesome, just as Consumer Reports clearly pointed out.

Reliability began to improve starting with the 1982 models when Sharp decided to switch to chrome-color video head. Sharp VCR reliability improved to average beginning with the late-80s/early-90s chassis with three belts, and accelerated quickly beginning with the mid-90s, one-belt chassis. By the time year 2000 has reached, Sharp, successfully, ended becoming the 2nd most-reliable VCR brand after Panasonic.

Of all the VCR makes out there since the last 30 years, Sharp was definitely the most improved brand, with every new chassis that came out were always more better and more reliable than the previous one.

[Ed in Tx]

Later I recall Sharp had some sort of specially treated diamond-hardened surface or somesuch of the upper drum they touted. Those old ones were solid brass I was talking about. The mass served as a flywheel too. Take one off and it's heavy unlike the usual aluminum alloy. And that belt drive arrangement. Oddly the "Inventor" of VHS, JVC, used a belt drive head drum on their first home VCR, the HR-3300, but that belt was on the bottom of the deck. One thing about Matsushita (parent company of JVC) they always used a DD cylinder from their first PV-1000.