[wilkes85]

I opened up the Electrohome, only to be greeted by, LITTERALLY, a shag carpet of dirt. I seriously can't believe this thing has been working in that condition. You could have planted potatoes inside the damn thing.
But that speaks volumes for the durability and reliability of VCRs of the era.

I vacuumed it out (yes, I had to use a vacuum, with the brush nozzle), cleaned it up, and it might just be my imagination, but it just seems to work better to me.

Oh, and another VCR I have that will probabally last forever... my main VCR, which is a Panasonic stereo 4 head model. It's only 4 years old, but VCRs made in the 2000s are known for breaking down within the year, so this rig's going pretty good.
But Panasonic does make some good stuff.
I bought it brand new for $100.00, which is litterally a steal for a VCR of it's quality. And it's just a VCR too, it's not some damn DVD/VCR combo. Probabally among the last standalone VCRs ever made, and definately the last good VCR ever made.