VHS Tape Quality

General Rules:

Kitsune:
"Stay away from generics, off-brands and store brands."

 

T-160's:

Kitsune:
"For T-160 I would use Maxell GX-Silver or Sony V Premium. They tested about the same on Pat-o-chan's VCR (it has a tape quality test)."
St. Zero:
"TDK was the only brand I could find for a period of time that made good quality T160s. As a result, I have a number of TDK tapes in my collection, and most of them are T160s. They make the only SVHS quality T160 that I know of (and can find!), and so I have a couple of those as well."

 

T-120's:

BASF (any)

Kitsune:
"Terrible."

Fuji A/V Master
Fuji A/V Pro
Fuji SHG

Kitsune:
"It looks like Fuji has changed its designations. The only Fuji I have ever used is a HI-FI. It was exellent, but I could get Maxell tapes at Sam's."

JVC Hi-Fi
JVC E-HG

Kitsune:
"I have had good luck with JVC overall. I do not think that the reels are as well balanced as Maxell but not as bad as old TDK (as opposed to the new badly designed TDK). While not a bad pick, a bit overpriced for the quality as a general rule."

Kodak (any)

Kitsune:
"Terrible."

Maxell Hi-Fi

Kitsune:
"The VHS tape of choice. ;)"
St. Zero:
"One of the reasons Maxell tapes may get such devotion is not that they are the absolute highest quality (although I have never had any complaints with their Gold or HiFi video tapes, and their SVHS Blacks are really good), is that that are extremely consistent in their quality. Between Kitsune, Pat-o-chan, and I, we can come up with maybe 3 or 4 tapes that were defective or that the cases locked up on us, etc. Out of probably 800+ tapes (maybe as high as 1000+, but I really do not know how many Maxells that Pat-o-chan has gotten)."

Maxell HGX-Gold

Kitsune:
"A very good tape. Not quite the longevity or high end audio response of the HI-FI but still an exellent tape. I would not worry about that pick."
St. Zero:
(see Maxell Hi-Fi, above)

8/29/97 NOTE
St. Zero said that he believes Maxell Gold tape quality has decreased since his original comments. It is still a good quality tape, and better than many others; it's just not as good as it used to be. He said he has seen no noticable decrease in quality for Maxell Hi-Fi nor Maxell Black SVHS tapes.

10/28/97 NOTE
Catnip just pointed out to us that Maxell had started making their Gold and HiFi tapes without black magnetite in them. BOO!! HISS!! They obviously no longer really care about the quality of these tapes, and don't think any of us will either.

Memorex (any)

Kitsune:
"Terrible."

Polaroid (any)

Kitsune:
"Terrible."

Scotch Professional Archive Grade
Scotch Hi-Fi

Kitsune:
"Do not touch. Scotch video tapes are VERY POOR. The magnetic media does not hold up well at all. I heard one person describe it as the particles drifting off while you watch."

Sony V-HG

Kitsune:
"Good HGX-Gold equivalents. I have not tried a higher grade Sony but I like them as a whole."

TDK HD-X Pro
TDK Hi-Fi
TDK EHG

Kitsune:
"A great big NO! TDK is having problems with the physical design of the case. This causes catastrophic failure in ALMOST ALL of the new TDK tapes I have tried."
St. Zero:
"The biggest problem I have with TDK tapes in not the quality of their magnetic tape, but the quality of their cases. I have always felt they are slip-shodish, and I have had more tape lock ups and tape de-reel-ment from TDK tapes than I have had with any other 'good' brand of tape. Thus, I have had TDK tapes suddenly kill themselves while playing, or being rewound, etc. I therefore shy away from them for putting things onto them that I want to keep - a case that may suddenly self-destruct and eat my tape with it is not what I want to risk my tapes on. Consider the 4 TDK tapes that I personally have had problems with in the past, and the relatively small number of TDK tapes I have gone through (less than 40), and the issue of quality control, as opposed to just quality, becomes very important."

DISCLAIMER:
This page is presented not as slander or libel, but as a genuine Consumer Quality Report for a small select portion of the marketplace. The opinions expressed here are those of experienced amateurs with huge tape collections who have no vested interest in any tape manufacturer's success or failure. The only interest they have is in tape manufacturers everywhere continuing to work to make higer quality tapes more affordable for all.
If any tape manufacturers read this page and consider suing someone for expressing an opinion, the author's official recommendation is that they simply concentrate on improving their product.

Tonbo's Anime Page Last updated: 10/17/99

If you discover any of the links on my pages have stopped working, have any comments or questions, or haave your own strong opinions, let me know at tonbo@sempai.org, onegai. Arigato!