Maxell out of cassette tape business?

[Southside]

As I plan on mixing on tape for quite a long awhile, I noticed an Epay post that stated Maxell is out of the tape cassette business. As I googled / yahooed around a bunch of other sites selling cassette tape, I noticed lots of one tape I now use - the TDK SA90's , but much less of the Maxell XLII's. Anwyay, paranoid that I am about obsolescence, I bought a bunch of Maxell's for ~2.29 each ( with shipping) and a good number of TDK's for a better price at another site ~1.80 each (ws).
So, is this true?
What the heck are those super cheap generic tapes, including chrome? made in Uncle Wilbur's garage?
Is Akai chrome (I think I spelt it right) comparable to Maxell and TDK chrome?

Thanks and Merry Christmas season!

 

[Fatdog]

As far as I know, Maxell still manufactures magnetic media. However, your choice is pretty much the poor-quality UR series of cassettes. The best Maxell cassette, the XL II-S, has been out of production for quite some time.

TDK SA-90s are always good to have!

 

[Southside]

Fatdog, thankfully I have never used the UR series, which is the normal bias. Over the years, I mostly used the XLIIS chrome, and occasionally metal to record. The best tape they are ( or were) making recently is the High Bias XLII (ideal for CD).