[xattt]

Even the best VHS decks from the 80s/90s, which would have been used in production environments and thus “well worn”, would have wear-related quality issues.

[actionfromafar]

But that’s the beauty of vhs-decode. The transport mechanism needs to be stable and the head clean. The rest of the player doesn’t matter.

[xattt]

My impression was that the transport mechanism would have seen the most wear.