About the Company
Benkson — British Reel-to-Reel Tape Recorder Brand
Brand: Benkson
Actual Company: Benkert Ltd., based in Barking, Essex (United Kingdom)
Type: Consumer-oriented reel-to-reel tape recorders
Era: 1960s–1970s (approx.)
Market: Portable and tabletop tape recorders targeting general home users, not professional studios
Benkson is listed in vintage reel-to-reel registries as a British brand whose products were manufactured for general consumer use rather than pro-audio markets. Relatively little corporate history survives online, and most information comes from collector directories and surviving units.
Known Products and Model Examples
• Benkson 58
Category: Portable reel-to-reel recorder
Electronics: Solid-state
Format: ½-track (record and playback)
Tape Speeds: 3 3/4 ips (standard consumer speed)
Reel Size: Up to 3″ (small/portable size)
Heads: 2 (erase + record/playback)
Construction: Intended as a lightweight, grab-and-go machine with battery or mains operation
The 58 reflects the typical small form factor of consumer recorders of its time — compact and affordable but not high-end in fidelity or build quality. Collector ratings put its sound and reliability at mid-range levels for the era.
Benkson 68 HR-408A
A portable deck from the mid-1960s produced by Benkert Ltd. under the Benkson label.
Rumored to have been made in 1964 and sold in the UK, including through mass-market retailers like Woolworths.
Uses battery power with a dynamic loudspeaker and was visually similar to contemporary Japanese portable tape recorders marketed in Europe.
Earlier Portable Models (e.g., HIL-3)
Some very early transistor pocket-size recorders labeled Benkson (e.g., HIL-3) suggest the brand marketed multiple compact recorder designs in the early 1960s, often powered from batteries and featuring simple electronics.
Technology and Market Position
Geographic Origin: United Kingdom — Benkson/Benkert Ltd. appears to have marketed these recorders domestically, possibly using contracted manufacturing in the UK or Japan for some components.
Target Users:
Home hobbyists
Field or portable recording (travel, voice notes, children’s taping)
General consumer playback and simple recording
Technical Level: Consumer-grade rather than studio; designs favored portability and affordability over hi-fi performance.
Electronics:
Mid-1960s units were transistor-based solid-state, a common shift that improved portability and reduced maintenance compared with vacuum tube designs.
Historical Notes
Benkson was never a major player like Akai, TEAC, Revox, or Philips; its products are relatively rare today and primarily of interest to vintage collector communities focused on quirky, compact, or branded-for-retail tape recorders from the 1960s–1970s.
Machines like the 68 HR-408A sometimes show up in nostalgia writing and vintage blogs as distinctive portable units — one example was noted for its resemblance to toys or show props in British cultural memory.
The existence of models like the Benkson 79 portable recorder suggests the brand also extended into transistor portable recorders that might or might not strictly be reel-to-reel but are collectible under the broader label.