I find the Zoom H2 is excellent for recording sessions and song fests (putting it in the middle of the room and using all four mics), and playback of practice ("The song feels good, but how does it sound?"). I also use it as a sort of "sketch-pad" for stuff I want to record seriously later, on more expensive gear.

The manual and the menus may seem a bit intimidating at first, but that's because it's very versatile. After playing with it for a couple of days, I found it very easy to use. I use it for the same kind of stuff that I used to use a small, battery-operated cassette recorder for, but the sound quality and versatility of the Zoom H2 is truly amazing for something only a little larger than a pack of king-size cigarettes. Comes with a whole bunch of accessories:   USB cable, ear-buds, little screw-on mic stand, other stuff.   I love it!

I got mine for under $200, and spent an extra $30 for a 4GB flashcard. With the highest quality setting (WAV, 24 bit, 96 kHz), you can record for 1 hour and 55 minutes. At the lowest setting, (MP3, 64 kbps), it'll go for 138 hours and 53 minutes!! Again, that's with the 4 GB card. Two AA batteries will last for maybe 4+ hours of continuous recording, though. But it does come with an AC adaptor.

Small and neat enough to sit in a shirt pocket and bootleg record a concert with, but nobody here would do anything naughty like that, right?

Don Firth