If you still have the VCR and PC hardware from your own transfer project, and she has less than 24 tapes, just do the damn things for her a few at a time over the course of a year. If less than two dozen, you really should consider doing the job for her. If your Mom is highly motivated and can take direction from you, a combo may or may not be workable depending on your answers to the following: Now: assuming for whatever reason you can't do this for her, you'll need to analyze the situation completely before gambling on a combo unit instead of just sending the tapes to a service. The newbies for whom you would think the combo is ideal often end up throwing them in the basement after a month of frustration.
The perverse joke of the DVD/VCR combos is that they can actually work quite well, but only in the hands of someone who understands the dubbing process well enough to not need a combo in the first place. DVDR does not work anything like a VCR, there is no simple "rewind the tape and do it over" option, and the combo units are barely any easier than dubbing to your PC if the user is inexperienced. Stop, take a breath, and understand that 9 out of 10 average people consider DVD recording to be rocket science: no matter how intelligent they are, their brains turn to mush when operating a DVD recorder. Trust me on this, its a lot less bother than having her call you 20 times a day to hold her hand, and then blame you for the whole mess when she gives up in disgust a couple weeks after you waste $200 for a unit that baffles her.
I mean, if you know how to do captures to your PC, and you've already got the hardware, and you've already been thru the process- why are you not simply doing it for her? Why burden her with a task she's clearly clueless about? If we're talking less than 30 tapes here, then seriously dude, man up and just do it for her yourself even if you think its tedious work and really don't want to be bothered. Quxote, you really need to be more specific about what the heck is going on between you, your mother, and these tapes if we're to give you any useful advice. I'd think everything should hold their value pretty well and at least in my area the above items usually don't last too long on Craigslist if discounted from the purchase price. Unfortunately that route may not be feasible for a small amount of tapes unless you recoup some of your money by selling the items after your job is done. Your best bet would be something like a Magnavox w/HDD, decent VCR and possibly a filter/TBC.
As others have said most all combos(except a few old Panasonics) will NOT let you install a filter or TBC between the two sections(VHS/DVDR) which is one big reason to stick to separates. Again he/she really liked the Toshiba but most people as Jman98 said wish they hadn't spend the money and get quite frustrated.Įven though you say your tapes are not commercial, many times the cheap combos read glitches as CP and will stop the recording. I have read from one guy on AVS who really liked his Toshiba combo(I think his/her? name was Microlady). I'd really steer away from the Magnavox and only slightly less from the Toshiba. The only exceptions might be a few old Panasonics and maybe JVC or two. Consider bringing a power adapter that plugs into your car and has enough outlets for the VCR and a small TV.I'll also chime in on the almost all combos are crap bandwagon. This step does require other gear (a TV, a VHS tape, cables and a power source) that might not be easy to set up in a public parking lot. And test the VCR in person before you pay for it.
Have cash ready and wait to pay until you’re actively picking up the VCR, don’t pay in advance or give out credit card information unless purchasing directly through a reputable online platform. Give them time to respond to your messages, and don’t ambush them with an absurdly low offer at the last minute. You’ll also have to meet them face-to-face if you want that VHS player, so be respectful. You’re dealing with (mostly) normal people – not retail chains or e-commerce sites that need your business. Vendors get TONS of inquiries, and avoiding a lot of back-and-forth messaging makes everyone’s lives easier.
Let the seller know when you can meet, and make your counter-offer right away if you don’t want to pay full price. Scouring the internet for the right accessories can take all the fun out of your vintage VCR purchase. Ask if the VCR is still for sale and whether it includes accessories like cables. Sellers CAN hide their ratings in the Facebook Marketplace, but that’s another sign that you should steer clear. Avoid sellers with low ratings, and read their feedback from other buyers.