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Date: Mon, 02 Sep 1996 15:59:55 -0400
From: Gary Corcoran <garycorc@mail.idt.net>
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To: Michael Smith <msmith@atrad.adelaide.edu.au>
CC: Richard Foulk <richard@pegasus.com>, bmcgloth@mail.vt.edu,
        freebsd-hardware@FreeBSD.org
Subject: Re: DAT for sure!
References: <199609021509.AAA20688@genesis.atrad.adelaide.edu.au>
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Michael Smith wrote:
> 
> Richard Foulk stands accused of saying:
> >
> > }
> > } Dirt Cheap Drives seems to have decent prices for both of the above items:
> > } $589 for the drive and $139 for the kit ($79 just the card).  [...]
> >
> > You can get a 2Gig 8mm Exabyte drive for $299.  They're faster and use
> > less expensive tapes than DATs.  And they work great with FreeBSD.
> 
> You're kidding, right?  You can get an EXB8x00 for $299?  A 2G DDS-2
> tape here is about $13, as opposed to about $25 for a 112M
> generic-brand 8mm data cart.
> 
> I hope you're not recommending a refurbed or late-rev EXB8200 - they're
> lethally bad.
> 

The September issue of Computer Shopper's Dirt Cheap Drives ad shows
the _cheapest_ new Exabyte (EXB8700LT) is $1129, and the EXB8205 is
$1259.  And D-C Drives generally has about the lowest prices here in
the U.S., so you won't be able to find new drives much (if any) lower
in price.

As for tape prices, Lyben (computer supplies), http://www.lyben.com
has the very good (IMO) Maxell 2G DATs for around $7 (US$), and they
sometimes have a Maxell sale (once a year?) where they sell them for
around $6.  So tape media costs should not be an issue...

HP makes good DAT drives (in my experience), and with the *new* Exabyte
drives costing so much more, IMO it's a no-brainer if you're on a
budget...

Gary