Ok dont liksten to bastard cuz he has no clue. For one, do any of you know how to calibrate a tape machine? I will bet not. Most people in the studios don't even know how to calibrate a tape machine. That's what the studio techs are for. I've done it a number of times, and believe me, if you don't know what you're doin or what you're lookin for, you're gonna fuck it up, and your recording will likely sound like shit. One side louder than the other, etc.
$7 reels of tape? If you ask anyone with any know how about tape, there's only 1 answer, Quantegy. For a 1/2 inch reel you're lookin at at least $60.
Listen, trust me on this one, if you want to record to tape, get all your mixes ready, and just book a studio out for a few hours. And spend the entire time bouncing though the tape machine, and back into pro tools. If the studio has you set up properly, and you don't waste any time, you should be able to bang out 10 songs in an hour.