Best tape deck: Magnecord
A bit off the posted subject but the best open reel tape deck I've ever had was a Magnecord 1024. All tubes, built like a tank with huge tape heads. I see one on eBay every now and then.
Never saw much use for cassette decks except to record for use in the car. Had plenty of models in the 70s but never liked them much.
Cheers,
David