I was always a holdout for using the type1 and not because it was cheap but because the good ones always seemed to better than type 2 for the kind of music I was listening to at the time. People would laugh at me for using the type 1 but out of all the mix tapes I made throughout the 80s my type1's have held up the best. What was your fav type1.. mine was the Sony HF series.
The sony HF-ES has actually become quite popular lately, they are around $15ea when you can find them.
My favourite has always been the Maxell XL-I S. It wasn't very popular because it cost the same as many Chrome cassettes. But I found that it sounded better when recording on my Nak CR-3 and playing back on my Sony or Aiwa walkmans than the XL-II or Sony UX. These two did sound better when played back on the same recorder. The XL-I and XL-I S had very even frequency response and relatively low noise. The S version was the best for portable use (and abuse!).
For me it has always been TDK AR, in fact when i do mix tapes for friends i would rather give them TDK SA than let them have my AR's.
The are very nice tapes, you should give them a try if you can. I would offer to do a swap with you if you have any new interesting tape to swap but the last person i did a swap with did not send my a tape. It's been over 3 years now and i have given up after getting i will send it at the weekend but never getting it, i sent out the metal tape immediately but never got my metal tape. Anyway here is what TDK AR looks like, you can find some on eBay but like all tapes prices are crazy and not prices i am willing to pay.
I think I got a good deal, 3 ar tapes 2x60's 1 90's for 17 euros. The issue though is the music recorded on the tapes is pretty good, and i cna't bring myself to erase it now... (christian death - sisters of mercy, and Lou Reed - New york). While I love the quality of the TDK-AR, for me it simply has nothing on the gorgeous minimalist aesthetic of the Sony HF-S tapes.
Eu tenho várias cassetes TDK-AR. Mais menos anos e 1987 depois de 91 outros projetos TDK-AR mudaram. E é bom olhar para ele. Altura minha cassete preferida foi BASF Chrome MAXIMA do ano de 1990. Antes de 1987, era o Reel to reel o Teac. Fiquei burro, deixei o lixo e gravado gravado. É necessário mudar como fitas. Agora, o ebay é tão caro. Em., 1995 Maxell XL-Sll. Em 1987 a 1989, também adoro cassetes que lembras disso. E Sony UX-S.