On Thu, 19 Jun 2003, Staffan Thomen wrote:

> 
>  It seems to be that you're totally glossing over SLR drives, does
>  anyone know how these fare in cost/reliability?
>
My evidence is based on personal experience. I have a Tandberg TDC4200
(SLR4) which has been running for several years.  AFter the two year
warranty runs out, Tandberg offers a flat rate repair/replacement (e.g.,
$US 175 on a SLR5). Capacities are up to 100 Gb (SLR100) per drive before
going into libraries.

I clean it once a year whether it needs it or not (OK, Tandberg recommends
a bit more often). Cost is a bit more than 1/2 of a DAT drive but media is
more expensive. (Imation guarantees SLR4/5 media for something like 120
passes.)  

Thank you,
Lucky