As a teenager in the early 80s, I had been saving up for what seemed like an eternity for a Video Recorder. I had tried to cheat a bit and ask my Dad if he wanted to go halves for it. His response was, "what do you want a video for?" So it was all going to be down to me.
At long last I had enough money saved for the cheapest recorder available at the time: a Fisher Studio Standard VHS top-loading machine (see above: not mine, but a picture I found on the net). Sadly, I don't have the information as to what the model number was.
I purchased the VCR around Autumn 1984 from a small company called Topps TV who were an outlet of new and refurbished televisions that had a shop in Sloane Street, Chelsea. My Dad had been an old customer, having purchased our first colour television there. Topps TV had, subsequently, got to know us from numerous home visits to repair our telly; regular home repair visits were quite normal in those days.
Thus, Dad had convinced me to buy the Fisher at Topps TV; he was also coming along to buy a new colour television and he thought that I would get a deal.
That didn't happen. The price tag if I had bought the VCR from a high-street electrical retailer would have been £300 - around £750 in 2010 value*; Topps TV's price was £340. Consider that £10 in 1984 is aproximately £25 in 2010*. This means that, in today's prices, they were charging an extra £100 than the High Street.
However, after a little discussion, they did lower their price to £320 but I still ended up paying £20 more than I should have done. Youthful impatience? Well, yes! I was so looking forward to having a VCR that I couldn't wait and just had to have it there and then.
There was one little pang over my impatience: I do remember thinking that I could have got two blank VHS tapes for that £20; they weren't cheap back then.
Anyway, I proudly brought home my Fisher VCR but it had to be connected to the living room television as I only had a 5" black and white portable in my room.
It didn't take long for my Dad to forget his "what do you want a video for?" comment as almost immediately he would ask me to record films for him. Every time he asked I always reminded him of what he had said...
After a week, I noticed an issue with the Fisher's timer where its accuracy was a bit shakey (they were all like that apparently) so it went back to Topps TV's repair shop, in Battersea. They dropped it and they had to give me a new one. I also recieved a scolding from the shop's manager because of what it had cost them. How many shops would get away with telling a customer off?
I finally got the VCR all to myself in 1986 when I got my own colour television for my 21st birthday; both items being placed in my room. However, I don't recall my Dad getting his own VCR until around 1991 and it was one that he had been given.
The Fisher was repaired once between 1984 and 1991 because some cogs had worn out. In 1991 it broke down again with the same problem. A friend paid for the second repair, got to keep it and I moved onto a newer Amstrad VCR with Nicam Stereo!
* Inflation calculations have been done via The Bank Of England inflation calculator and 2010 figures have been rounded up to nearest £5.