Unisef then was a bargain basement brand but actually was decent while it was made in Japan or Korea. Once they shifted to China then the quality suffered because they were probably contracting the work out and China wasn't quite there yet, just my opinion. I have the Z-1 player NIB hardly used from 1984-5. It works great, has a feel like Sony and sounds just as good, honestly. Another item I have is their one and only car radio cassette player. Again NIB, never used and it would never fit in a modern car since it's a 2 shaft type. But it's a nice piece nonetheless. Last one I have is that portable stereo AF-3100 with the removable cassette player. It's a nice item from the time but has no... Soul? It's a cheapo. Unisef brand was found at flea markets and odd job stores in my area and was considered junk but I think the brand is getting noticed now although it hasn't been made in over 30 years or so. You the Conion 100F boombox? That was another flea market brand but they were huge and flashy. It was $250 when new now it's out there but I think interest is fading on it. The Japanese made version was good but the Korean version is a stripped down version. I hope this rant helped LOL
The ads are from microfilm so there's no color unfortunately. Unisef had a few really neat models, the one auto posted is one I've lusted after, but the majority of the line was aimed at discount stores. I posted tons of old newspaper ads from them in another thread. I'm not sure if the Conion was a flea-market radio like the Lasonic's, Helix's and a few others. I remember those days in the late 80's when flea market vendors started carrying new crappy imports for dirt cheap. I went to a flea market in North Carolina four years ago and it was still 95% new junk. Some of the good flea markets ban those vendors thankfully. The flea market boxes have a special place, they're so over the top with stupid graphics and barely working LED's but they're usually huge and people smile when they see them. I have no desire to trade my Lasonic's in, but they aren't quite the quality builds of some of the better brands.
Here's an interesting ad from 1985, it sounds like the same manufacturer, are Unisef and Crown the same? Sorry for the quality, it's from microfilm. My question is, is UCM a distribution agent that put the two brands together in the USA or do they share common ownership?
