Not the most sophisticated little toy by far, but worth the price. If mine broke I would be very sad and go get another one ASAP. I have no complaints at all. It is what it is, a cheap little simple tool for being creative. I worry that cassette tapes are going to go the way of the 8-track and the floppy disk one day, but as long as they are still sold I will still use them.

Sound
The secondary reason I got this little guy is that I like the very slight tape saturation as a natural compression instead of the brittle sound of going straight into a computer. Primarily it was because it is so easy and basic to use. But seriously, if you like analog warmth, this is the easiest way to get it (and the cheapest). I got mine as part of a package deal that included a simple dynamic mic and some decent headphones, and I recorded a track of just my voice and a nylon guitar all on 1 input. I like the warmth. Then I transferred it to a computer and turned it into an MP3 and this was within an hour of getting it out of the box. You can get multitrack programs free online, but nothing beats that natural tape saturation.

Features
I am being a bit harsh here, but I know this was not built with 'features' in mind. I think the designers probably figured you would do all your adjustments before input to the 4-track. No EQ, no FX send, just a straigh, simple recorder that lets you layer ideas. This is not a bad thing necessarily if you… read more use it for what it was meant for. There are few ways to use it as a tool to get creative in your routing or anything. Just a recorder. Volume and Pan and 4 tracks. Other than that, the single input recording gets annoying. If you want to use any stereo sounds, or a vocal/guitar take at the same time (so much more natural feeling when you lay down a song) I would reccommend shelling out a few extra bucks for the Porta02 mk.II because it lets you independantly record 2 tracks at once.

Ease of Use
If you can use a cassette deck you can use this. The only reason it doesn't get a 10 is that the LED for the input level is kind of limited so it's hard to get that exact point where it is only slightly clipping. It can be done, but it is hard to read easily.

Quality
I worry about mine. Tape decks are fragile as it is. This thing is plastic. Doesn't feel very durable. I worry when I have to pack it to transport somewhere.

Value
C'mon now... it's about 80 bucks to get into the world of multitracking. My first 4-track completely changed the way I wrote music. Even if you won't be making some kind of master recording on it, it will open your mind to riff writing and combining parts and it's just so cheap that it almost begs you to buy one.

Manufacturer Support
I dunno. mine hasn't broken yet, but I am very careful with it.

The Wow Factor
The price, the analog, the simplicity. I have other recording methods like CuBase and Audacity software, but sometimes its nice to just do something SOOO simple and hassle free. And it's so cheap it almost jumps out of the catalog at you. I'd get another one just to have around in case my first one breaks.

Musical Background:
musician, songwriter, recordist

Musical Style:
whatchamacallit read less