to clarify, the only difference between the technics sl1210 and the sl1200 is that the 1210's are black, the 1200's are silver- everything else is exactly the same.

Personally I prefer the darker decks, but really it's a matter of personal opinion. I bought mine second hand and they were in a pretty bad way, so I took them apart and fixed them quite easily thanks to a wealth of knowledge online, and repainted them.

I don't really DJ much with vinyl, so the decks don't get much use from me but I do listen to a lot of vinyl, and I think because these have such a good reputation for DJing and are built to take abuse, people actually forget that they sound fantastic.

They were originally designed for Hi-Fi use, not DJing. DJ's only started using them because the new 'direct drive' motor was strong enough for them to manipulate the record on the platter, hence scratching and mixing was born.

For listening use, with a good cartridge designed for sound quality rather than durability they sound great, and are perfect for recording your vinyl onto a computer because of a 0.01% wow and flutter.

A great turntable, a classic. Better value than a 'budget' audiophile deck like a pro-ject, everyone should own one of these.