I think this thread is better in the Analog forum, where most of the tape users hang out.
My first foray into multi-tracking was with a Yamaha MT3X. I had no complaints with my machine, and I enjoyed considerable success using TDK SA90 cassettes.
However, old age and overuse eventually caught up with it, and the microswitches started misbehaving. Maybe I could have done something about it, but that was the time I moved to PC recording,