"Sony, for example, uses a lot of lubricant which really gunks up video heads pretty fast. Panasonic makes really good tapes; that's all I use."

That's only partially correct... Sony's tapes will be fine unless you switch brands. You shouldn't switch between wet and dry-type tapes, so if you start with Sony, stick with that. I use Fuji (Fuji makes the tapes for Panasonic) or Panasonic interchangeably.

There was an extensive tape test a while back on some website. I seem to remember JVC and Maxell as being near the bottom. Sony or Panasonic/Fuji are fine, but stick with one or the other.

As for the VX2100, it is a nice camera, but be aware that the picture looks like *video*. It's sharp and clear, but the color accuracy is not as good as the GL2, the picture is generally not as natural, and it lacks a frame mode. Not sure how important these are to you, but I handled and shot with both cameras before I decided and I went with the GL2.