Kinyo UV-230C 2-Way VHS Cassette Rewinder and Cleaner
by Kinyo
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List Price: Category: CE See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Kinyo UV-230C 2-Way VHS Cassette Rewinder and Cleaner
Customer Review: Slams the tape against either end; tape crinkled, could break!
Summary: 1 Stars
We received our Kinyo UV-230C 2-way VHS rewinder/cleaner yesterday and tried it out today. The very first tape that we rewound (a much-loved Disney video) slammed against the beginning of the tape so hard that when we pulled the tape out it was hanging out of the cassette housing, crinkled. I'm afraid that repeated rewindings of a given tape could break the tape.
I had a blank T-120 tape so I put that in and fast-forwarded to the other end to see if it would happen in that direction. It did. I rewound that tape to the beginning and this time it ended properly, so this problem is not consistent.
The tape that was rewound initially was not a full 120-minute tape (the movie is 77 minutes long). I suspect that the sensors on the unit are calibrated for 120-minute tapes and will not necessarily treat shorter tapes as gently. (More tape = more weight = slower overall motor speed?) But I'm not going to experiment with tapes we want to keep! This unit will be returned ASAP. I may exchange it for another in hopes that this particular unit is out of whack.
Customer Review: Acceptable-in comparison to others
Summary: 3 Stars
I bought this item last year, and it has performed acceptably. I have had several VHS re-winders over the many years, and there are certain flaws inherent to all designs. Most notably is that the auto-eject mechanism only works (at best) for a few months. When using a VHS re-winder always stay in the room and be ready to manually eject the tape. This item is better than some ff/rew models most notably because this model does not utilize bands to drive the spools.
The cleaner works well if the tape is not that dirty. A dirty tape can require several cleanings on both fast forward and rewind.
All in all, this model is good and will extend the life of the motor on your VCR, the primary reason to buy a re-winder. If you are looking for a cleaner of very dirty tapes- look elsewhere.
With the advent of DVR and DVDR I would suggest putting all video tapes to digital- you'll be happier. Use the $20 this costs towards more DVDR's.
Customer Review: Save Your Self from This One!!!!!
Summary: 1 Stars
Horrible. The gears ingage before the tape is even loaded. You have to force the tape into the moving gears and hold down the tape door as it does not latch to stay closed on it's own. When the tapes are rewinding it is very loud and slams the tape when it is done. You can just hear the damage being done. This model destroyed several of my daughters tapes. We really needed a rewinder to preserve our vcr and chose this model because it has an option to clean the tapes, preserving them also - this would be great providing it functioned properly. Thinking maybe I got a defunct one I had Amazon send out another, it too functioned in the exact same manner. Nope mine wasn't bad, their all bad, this model is disfunctional. I've advised Amazon not to carry units that they have become aware do not work properly. I wish Amazon direct had good models to choose from, this one is not!Customer Review: Handy
Summary: 4 Stars
Saves wear and tear on the VCR. The cleaning spindle is handy as I had some old tapes with fungus. Cleaned them well enough to digitize them with my Dazzle Dazzle DVD Recorder connected to my computer. My home movies are now on DVD with menus so I tossed the VHS tapes.
Be careful, older tapes may break as this runs full speed to the end. I broke three and had to splice them (highly NOT RECOMMENDED as this may damage the drum and pickup heads in your VCR) to play them for digitalization. Over all I will fast forward and rewind every tape before trying to digitalize in my VCR.
Customer Review: Good, but had a better one
Summary: 3 Stars
I originally had a vhs cassette cleaner from a company called Geneva, which was an EXCELLENT cleaner (I was 100% satistfied with it). This Geneva cleaner cleaned in a "wet mode" using alcohol and left all my videos squeaky clean. The Kinyo cleaner is not nearly as good cleaning vhs cassettes, and I'm sure it's because it works on a "dry mode". It has also broken some of my old vhs tapes and I've had to open them and taped the ends together again. For its value, the Kinyo cleanser is a good one, but you should be taking a good look at it so you can stop it before it reaches the end, otherwise it will break the tape at the end.