All eBay sellers claim "tested".
What most mean is "Yes, I turned it on, and I saw lights!"
A few others also mean "I played a ratty old VHS copy of TMNT and saw a picture on my 8" portable TV screen". But for many, that's too much work. They do nothing more than test for power.
I'm being 100% serious here. Buyer beware.
This is a big red flag: "
Returns: Seller does not offer returns."
I'd stay far away from that sort of auction, if I were you.
That seller is NOT a video expert of any kind, and is your typical recycler. He got the decks from an unknown source, and doesn't even know how to properly test each one.
To me, this is tested:
- Transport in good condition? (play, FF, rewind, eject ... and I remove the cover and watch it in action)
- Clean inside?
- Heads in good condition?
- Rollers in good condition?
- Alignment/tracking for SP?
- Alignment/tracking for LP?
- Alignment/tracking for SLP/EP?
- Chroma alignment of played image?
^ FYI: This is how I tested machines.
Go ahead ... ask the eBayer. He won't even know what any of that means.
To top if off, the SR-V101US is probably the worst of the post-7600/9600 (late 90s, 2000s) S-VHS JVC decks. It was the last (end-of-life, EOL) deck made by JVC in their final death throes. Probably 2 out of every 3 has issues. The machine, inside and out, is heavy made of plastic. Some of the move transport parts of plastic, not metal like all earlier JVC decks. If you get a good one, great. But the odds are not there, especially if it's seen many hours of use.
This auction is gambling, and I never gamble more than $100.
I've been re-evaluating my suggested VCR list this year, and will be adding notes on "most suggested", "suggested", and "least suggested" sometimes this summer, due to modern conditions facing this equipment. The SR-V101US will not be most suggested for sure, and may fall into the "least suggested" category. I have yet to see one in mint condition.
Again, beware.
