RQ2102 Cassette Recorder

Over the years (it must be at least 20 years by now) I have used the Panasonic Cassette Recorder (and owned several of them) because it is a great tool for research and saving information. The Panasonic does have a long life too...believe me I know. I am a writer, and I do a lot of research with my Panasonic Recorder. I can record topics of interest off the Internet (You Tube), or from the television or the radio (KPFK 90.7FM is a favorite). I also have an Olympus Digital recorder, but I find my Panasonic easier to use and a lot more convenient. It's easy to play back and I don't have to use batteries because I can plug it in. However, it can be used with batteries. Also I like the fact that when I play a cassette, and it ends, the tape recorder will turn off automatically. It has a counter which is handy too, so you can note places on the tape and go back to a particular spot. Anyone who likes information and doesn't have time to be sitting in front of the computer to record, or TV, or radio, will find the Panasonic cassette recorder a great tool. I keep my Panasonic on the bookcase behind my desk (and computer) and use it daily! When I get e-mails, I often get "webinars" etc., and I don't want to waste my time watching because most of them are not visual anyway. So I turn on my Panasonic and record the information. (I usually set the timer to go back in 45 minutes - the length of a cassette tape) and turn it over to record if the information is longer than 45 minutes. Then I will listen to the tape at a time that is convenient and note anything of value for my work. Unless I really want to keep the information, I will just re-use the tape by taping over it. (The cassette tapes are great and reusable too.) Okay, so I am an information junkie. I have a digital recorder too, but I still find the Panasonic much more convenient. I like having information confined to a cassette tape so I can title it and keep it for reference. (I have boxes of tapes I've recorded over the years.) Some of the things I have taped are from KPFK FM when they have interesting speakers i.e. Gregg Braden, Bruce Lipton, etc. Sometimes, I will want to tape a clip from a movie for future reference, like the Speech given in the movie Independence Day. Of course, now, speeches from movies are available on the Internet too. The Panasonic is a handy tool, and well worth the investment. Also, I have documentaries that I will watch, and also record so I can listen again while I am driving. While I am listening (from one recorder) I will note on another recorder anything for future reference I find of value. I wouldn't be without my Panasonic. It would be like losing my right arm and that's no joke. I love this tool. It's a workhorse, and will last for years!

I bought my unit used and it works perfectly. It did not come with a power cord but batteries can be used inside to operate. In my case, I went to a place that repairs those kinds of things like TVs, turn tables, etc hoping he had a power cord laying around. He tested it and it works fine. It is hard to find a cord, he said and he told me the odd shape it had to fit in the slot on the side. He suggested I type in on my computer to google: Panasonic tape recorder AC power cord with its model number RQ2102 and it was available new as well as on ebay. He said if I had my old one that would not run, he could totally rebuild it and would sell it for $140 and guarantee it. This is a well made product and would be worth it had I known.

In fall 2012 I ordered one of this product, and a couple weeks later ordered another one as a spare. This recorder produces a fuller more detailed, natural sound than the smaller Sony cassette recorder. It operates on either battery or AC, but for some reason the sound is a little better on battery. Batteries last a fairly long time--longer than for the Sony. I bought the good-quality but inexpensive Pyle-Pro PDMIC58 Professional Moving Coil Dynamic Handheld Microphone (Amazon), which works well with it, but you need to get the adapter plug also, separately (Amazon has it). As another review pointed out, the only disappointing thing is that playback through headphones is on one channel only--if I want to hear it in both ears, I need to take the cassette out and play it back through the smaller Sony recorder, which does a good job for this purpose, although the actual recording process is better through the Panasonic, as is playback through the units' own speaker. Using the first Panasonic I ordered I noticed when I fast forward or reverse by holding the button down it makes a loud high-speed sound through the speaker, which I usually tried to muffle by putting my hand over it. Recently the unit failed to record more and more often after pressing the record button--the tape would move forward but no sound would be recorded, to the point that it did this all the time. I pulled out my spare and to my surprise it did not make the loud noise when fast forwarding or reversing the tape while holding down the button, sparing my ears. This leads me to believe that the first unit was defective in that respect--the mechanism was out of alignment or something which led to it ultimately not recording either. So far the second unit has no problems and I've ordered a third unit as my new spare. By the way, for immediate self-contained playback, compared to a good quality stereo digital recorder for several hundred dollars, which requires playback through a computer and speaker system for anything but tiny tinny sound, the Panasonic cassette player gives a louder, fuller, more natural sound and allows immediate playback. (I have to check whether headphones can be plugged directly into those little digital recorders because I didn't have headphones when first investigating them.--headphones plugged in work fine with the Zoom recorders, at least the Zoom Handy H2 recorder)

This was the perfect solution for my “tech-free” 10 year old and his band. The can record themselves and give tapes to their friends. Decent quality for a diy kids punk band

As many others have mentioned it clicks. If you record or play anything on it there's a constant clicking sound. Total waste of money. Not pleased.

It's a great basic recorder and works in that capacity very well. I had bought for converting my cassettes to MP3 format and for that it simply isn't up to the task. It only has a single output instead of separate channel RCA jacks for left and right making anything I try and convert go from stereo to monotone. Other than my haste in purchasing, it is a solid unit for the price.

OUR FIRST RQ2102 lasted for years.. This is our second one - very user friendly. GREAT PRODUCT - THANK YOU!

The recorder works fine, it could have more volome, but so far seems to be o.k.

It does exactly what it’s supposed to. But the price was shocking! I don’t know how they can justify a price of over $ 450 for something that old (literally old stock from the ‘70’s) and out of date. $ 60 maybe but not $ 450! That’s robbery!

Exactly as advertised though it is on the expensive side.

Works but the volume is a little quiet for our application.