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Date: Sun, 19 May 1996 09:08:16 -0500 (CDT)
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From: Rich Murphey <rich@rich.isdn.bcm.tmc.edu>
To: msmith@atrad.adelaide.edu.au
CC: jmb@freefall.freebsd.org, richard@pegasus.com, michaelv@HeadCandy.com,
        freebsd-hardware@FreeBSD.org
In-reply-to: <199605191339.XAA18981@genesis.atrad.adelaide.edu.au> (message
	from Michael Smith on Sun, 19 May 1996 23:09:30 +0930 (CST))
Subject: Re: Looking for help selecting tape device
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|From: Michael Smith <msmith@atrad.adelaide.edu.au>
|Date: Sun, 19 May 1996 23:09:30 +0930 (CST)
|Cc: richard@pegasus.com, michaelv@HeadCandy.com, freebsd-hardware@FreeBSD.org
|
|Jonathan M. Bresler stands accused of saying:
|> > This is one of the most expensive `cheap drives' around.
|> > 
|> > Computer Disk Service (805-499-6355) is selling Exabyte 8200s for $299.
|> > 
|> 
|> 	ah, $300, well had i know then what i know now
|> 	and all that.  new?  refurb?  the anaconda is new.
|
|Almost certainly refurb.  The 8200 is fine as long as you're _very_
|kind and loving.  If anything breaks, it's a throwaway.
|
|I don't consider it to be a very good buy these days, unless you're
|into picking them up at auctions for ~$50 each.

I've got a wangdat 3200 (4Gb w/compression) that can
now be had for about $400 used.  It started eating
tapes after 1.5 years and the factory (Rexon) wanted
$300 to fix it.  That's pretty close to being throwaway
too.

I'm sure it will fail again in less than a year and I'm
just not sure whether to go with an HP DAT drive next.
HP only has a year warranty as far as I know.  I'd
probably get a HP C1533A from Rod if I had it to do
over again, but I wish there were something that lasted
longer.  Rich