When I was younger all I wanted was a set of 1210's - now I have them and I will always be glad i got them. People who use other decks are just kidding them selves if they think there's are better, and if they spent £400 quid each on a different make of deck - gutted !

This is one of the best turntables in terms of audio quality around. And at it's price point, its unbeatable. This isn't just a dj deck. It was originally designed for sound quality for in home use. The dj's just took it up because it's built like a tank. Do yourself a favour, get this turntable and enjoy it for the next 20 years.

Technics have overturned the status quo in the turntable market. The craftsmanship of the MK5's are unmatched. I tested both the Numark TTX1's and Technics 1210 MK5's.

The Numarks are great, I really cannot put them down. In fact I may get one of them for my son. However, not just relying on the Technics history or popularity, but on actual hands on testing and comparing to other decks, the Technics just feel so much better.

The stability and strength of these decks when mixing, scratching, blending and beat juggling is superior. When rubbing the vinyl on the MK5's you can tell it is a premium product.

This turntable is the industry standard.
The vast majority of clubs use them, so why not do yourself a favour and get used to using one?

Sound quality is great for a DJ turntable, and still up there with a lot of Hi-Fi turntables.

Buy the mk2 every time.
The mk5 has been tweaked and has a digital speed control, but it's way more expensive.

Many people criticise the S-shaped arm, but FACT - A straight arm cannot track the groove of the record accurately from start to finish.
A straight arm will wear out your records. If you don't want the needle to skip when scratching, take the time to set up the cartridge alignment PERFECTLY and you will have no problems. Straight arms are a GIMMICK.

Every other DJ turntable maker has added stupid bells and whistles to their product to try and convince you that theirs is better.
A turntable is a tool for reproducing music. What you do with that tool is where the skill comes into it.
That's why the Technics deck is still the market leader after all these years. Don't be fooled by clever marketing and high profile endorsements.

Once you've bought turntables, you MUST take the time to set them up properly. Otherwise you may as well just plug an iPod into your mixer and pretend!

Follow these instructions:

1. Level the platter (without slip mat) with a spirit level. This makes a HUGE difference to sound for no cost - just a small amount of time.
2. Spend the time getting the cartridge set up properly. Take it to a Hi-Fi shop if you are not confident. Otherwise your records will sound terrible and the needle will wear them out fast.
3. Set up the tracking weight from cartridge instructions. Don't cut corners or you'll be replacing your record collection next year.
4. Unless you are scratching, set up the anti skating (read the cartridge instructions) Here is one of the mk2's downfalls - anti skating only goes up to 3. A lot of DJ cartridges need up to 5 (this has been solved on mk5).
SOLUTION - buy a cartridge that has a tracking weight of 3 grams or less.
Shure 44G is unbeatable for the money. Concorde designs are a GIMMICK. If you want fancy looks and easy set-up, Shure White Label is the go. I HAVE NO AFFILIATION TO THIS BRAND, THEY ARE SIMPLY GREAT PRODUCTS. ASK OTHER DJ'S.
5. Set the arm height. IMPORTANT - if like everyone else you have removed the heavy rubber mat and replaced it with a slip mat. you will notice that these mats are different thicknesses. get a ruler and measure them. Take this into account when setting the height.

This may seem like a lot of hassle - BUT (with the exception of leveling the platter) YOU ONLY HAVE TO DO IT ONCE.

Now your new turntables will sound better than you thought possible, and they won't skip.

While we're at it.
Never put coins on the headshell to add weight. This will make the diamond tip of your cartridge tear the grooves out of your records.
Never lick the contacts of your headshells. This will slowly corrode them and you will end up with no sound at all.

Some things that need to be said, when the Technics SL 1210s were 1st made they were hand build. The mk1 and mk2 are the best versions, today they are factory- mass produced after years of over demand, while still a formidable deck it is being made with cheaper and cheaper parts and the newer ones weigh less. 2 handy tricks: 1. if your having problems with vinyls jumping a while your trying to scratch add some bluetack and a 1p piece to the top. 2. there is a fairly easy procedure to up the pitch if, like me you play faster bpm music (hardcore rave and the like) you can find more about this on the internet. While the original technics were patented, the 20 year patient on the motor ran out a few years ago and other companies are staring to produce comparable wheels with similar torque, but for me, if you start playing on technics, it will be the 1st last and only deck you will ever want or need and is iconic in DJ culture, as long as there is vinyl there will always be a technics turntable!

I think that the Technics SL1200/1210 range of turntables is by far most the best ever I have ever used. They are the most professional and most reliable turntable in the world. The build quality is so unreal that you feel confidence when using them, knowing that type will not jump or stall to pick up whenever you let go. They are great for scratching, hence, with the right stylus.

A highly robust and durable turntable, an industry standard and a must for DJ's in the professional field of mixing records on vinyl. The platter is very sturdy and you could put a hoochie mama on it and would still go round!

SL1200's and SL1210's have no difference except the colour of the turntable and both have the same working parts inside too.
Both turtables have the feature of 33 or 45 RPM for the speed of the record.

For the beginner of the experience of the technics deck, the platter will seem heavy when cueing up records to start with, but as time progresses, the begginer will get used to the platter in time.

Value for money?
Not bad, priced around £349 in the UK for just one deck but most dealers do deals with pairs.With the MK IV out with 78 RPM and reverse platter feature, I'll think I'll stick to me old faithfull 1210's m8.

Scott 'the masta' jaye sheffield-live.co.uk (Internetradio)

I am a bit more critical than others, though I don't understand the review of the guy who says if you are just gonna remove the lids and crack on then get cheap decks. Never Get Cheap Decks if you can afford these, they are an investment, you can only learn properly on these, belt drives and low torque decks only serve to delay your progress. Mine have just come up for their 12th Birthday and are still going strong, they have outlasted 3 mixers and loads of Crossfaders, they have done roadwork and prepared me for club work, with the right cartridge they have been awesome for scratching and fast cueing. And they are better than the Mk3's - the bad points I outlined have been sorted on the MK 5's but they have added a pitch reset button which gets in the way. Sound quality is not as good as a Linn, but they cost about a sixth of a Linn, and you don't play Vivaldi in a club.

I HAVE HAD A PAIR OF TECHNICS SL1200 DECKS FOR AT LEAST 7 YRS - THEY HAVE TAKEN SOME SH*T AND THEY ARE STILL IN PERFECT WORKING CONDITION, I LOVE THEM AND REMEMBER - A PAIR OF DECKS ARE FOR LIFE NOT JUST FOR CHRISTMAS.

Fat decks-Technics will always be the best. These SL1200/1210's are perfect for beat matching and if u got a good mixer then u cant go wrong. The also look better than any other deck PS.I love BIRMINGHAM CITY FOOTBALL CLUB-ZULU ARMY

i have owned my Mk3d's for over a month now. The deck has uncanny capabilities that other decks don't have- namely the overall strength, and they are simply quite sexy, hence, there'll always be a place for the Mk3d's in my bedroom. Having no 'click' option has to be the main difference though, as with the old models, it was easy to lose a beatmix around the '0' pitch area. As for the 'wavering' comment in morfs review on this site, I haven't encountered any problems yet, so here's hoping. In general, they're not much different to the old models, but hey, if it aint broke, why fix it?

- I thought it was worth mentioning the difference between different models - despite what some say, the only difference between the 1200 and the 1210 is the colour.
The mkII is different from the mkI only by fact that it has a variable voltage selector for UK/europe.
The mk3D has a quartz lock button (resets pitch to 0 immediately) which appart from limited creative effect is only really useful for radio use. The main difference is that the pitch slider has no 'click' at zero, so is perfect for beatmatching. Whether any other parts have been improved is still up for debate, but at the time of writing this some of the top dj's that play at Cream (where they have three mk3d's in each room) have complained of a slight 'wavering' in pitch during play. A slight teething problem perhaps?
The mk4 has no quartz lock button but does have a 78rpm option, and has all the hardware plated with platinum.

I have a prob with the head being to light its not the weight thats on max...any ideas

THE best decks made. Ever. Don't even bother wasting your money on anything else. You'll only be disappointed (unless you're getting Vestax PDX-D3's. But I'd still get these). So heavy you'll never jog the needle, even if your hands are made from concrete and you have the dexterity in your digits of an Elephant, and so durable you'll never need to buy another set as long as you live, as long as you take care of them (i.e. don't chuck then out of windows or hit them with a sledge hammer) and get them serviced once in a while. They'll keep spinning long after you're dead. Every mix, every time. I don't think I can sing the praise of these any more. Oh yeah. the SL1210 look nice, but the SL1200 are just sexy. Get them get them get them.