I purchased this recorder in 2003 and barely used it. I dropped it once and it completely fell apart making it useless. I would expect a hand held device to be able to absorb normal impact and wear and tear but this recorder was rendered useless after a minor accident - it slipped from my hand and landed on my desk.The only reason I am re-visiting this page is to make certain of the product name and model so I do not buy it (or any other cassette recorder in this series) again.A truly poor product.